Both Shanks and Ben Beckman were caught off guard by Orion's decision to abandon the course to Sphinx.
The Red Hair Pirates becoming the youngest Emperor crew wasn't just due to their reputation as the "Impenetrable Pirate Crew"—it fundamentally stemmed from Shanks and Ben Beckman as their core leaders.
Especially Benn Beckman, who possessed wisdom no less than that of the former Fleet Admiral Sengoku of the Marine Headquarters, had been strategizing alongside Shanks for years and was an indispensable key figure in the Red Hair Pirates.
However, even Benn Beckman had not anticipated that Orion would abandon the Whitebeard Pirates, who were already prepared to negotiate peace with the Marines, leaving Whitebeard stranded on Sphinx and suddenly changing course directly toward Elbaf.
After a brief moment of astonishment, the two of them quickly regained their composure.
Whitebeard leading his fleet of over forty pirate crews to Sphinx was in itself enough to indicate that he no longer had the heart to dominate as a pirate.
Whitebeard was advanced in years, plagued by illness, and, more importantly, he yearned to secure a stable future for his "sons."
Under the pressure of Fleet Admiral Orion, Whitebeard chose to return to his homeland—undoubtedly a compromise with the new era and his way of securing a future for his family.
Given this, Orion had no reason to waste time going to Sphinx.
He could cleverly change course and head straight for Elbaf while all eyes in the New World were fixed on Sphinx, catching everyone off guard.
After a brief silence, Benn Beckman abruptly stood up, shedding his usual calm and composed demeanor, his tone tinged with urgency.
"I'll set off for Elbaf immediately. I must meet with Gabban before the Marine training ship lands at Elbaf."
Shanks shook his head, a trace of helplessness appearing on his face.
"It's too late, Beckman. The training ship's journey wasn't a sudden whim—it had long planned its entire itinerary upon entering the New World."
Beckman, puzzled, turned his head to look at Shanks.
Shanks lifted his gaze slightly, looking out toward the sea, his expression grave.
"Don't forget, even before the training ship entered the New World, there was already a Marine warship searching for the fourth Road Poneglyph in the New World."
Beckman's eyes sharpened as he instantly understood: "The Marine warship led by Mihawk?"
Shanks nodded. "If nothing unexpected happened, Mihawk and his crew have most likely already reached Elbaf. The reason Orion suddenly changed course is likely because he made contact with Mihawk and has already obtained the latest intelligence on Elbaf."
Beckman's brow furrowed deeply.
"The World Government has always strictly forbidden the Marines from participating in the search for the Road Poneglyphs, and the Marine leadership has been particularly tight-lipped about it. Why would Orion dispatch a dedicated ship to search for them? Could it be that he also wants to go to Laugh Tale and seek the so-called Great Treasure?"
Shanks laughed. "Of course Orion wants to go to Laugh Tale, but not for the so-called Great Treasure. His goal is to destroy Laugh Tale and put an end to the Great Age of Pirates at its root!"
After a brief pause, Shanks continued.
"Of course, this is also the outcome the World Government desires! After all, the existence of Laugh Tale may be tied to the Void Century. If Orion destroys Laugh Tale, it would be nothing but beneficial for the World Government."
Beckman looked up toward the direction of the Red Line and sighed.
"The World Government has truly found a sharp blade. Everything Orion is doing will likely end up serving the World Government's interests. No matter what Orion's original intentions are, the order he establishes will ultimately serve the World Government."
Shanks waved his hand dismissively: "From everything Orion has done since launching his military coup to become Fleet Admiral, it's not hard to see that his relationship with the World Government is one of mutual exploitation. Orion needs to carry out reforms under the established ruling apparatus of the World Government to achieve his goal of changing the world. He utilizes the World Government's resources and framework to implement his justice, reorganize the Marines, purge corruption, and build the New World. Meanwhile, the World Government equally needs Orion's decisiveness in combat, along with the fully operational war machine of the Marines that functions because of him, to consolidate their rule."
At this point, Shanks turned to look at Beckman with a meaningful smile playing on his lips.
"Just wait and see, Beckman. Orion and those in the Holy Land won't be able to maintain peace indefinitely. Once the situation in the Grand Line stabilizes, Orion and the one in the Chamber of Flowers are bound to clash."
...
Meanwhile.
Somewhere in the New World.
The training ship cut through the waves, with Luffy standing at the bow, hands shielding his eyes as he gazed blankly into the distance.
Without caring who was behind him, he muttered, "The direction's wrong. Aren't we supposed to be heading to Sphinx?"
Zoro, who was repeatedly practicing his sword-drawing technique, didn't even look up, the hilt clenched between his teeth as he replied indistinctly.
"Are you directionally challenged? This is the route to Sphinx!"
"Who's the directionally challenged one here?!"
Sanji rushed up to Zoro in a flash, his golden eyebrows nearly standing on end in anger.
"You moss-headed idiot! With your sense of direction, you'd sail the ship straight to the bottom of the ocean!"
Sabo stood to the side, lightly massaging his forehead with a helpless sigh, while Ace simply rolled his eyes, an image of being utterly defeated by Zoro's terrible sense of direction back on Sabaody Archipelago flashing through his mind!
"Hey! Stop arguing!" Luffy interjected, hands on his hips in dissatisfaction, "I'm absolutely sure this direction is wrong!"
Just as the group was bickering incessantly, Orion stepped onto the deck accompanied by Hancock.
He smiled at Luffy and spoke in a calm tone: "Luffy's not wrong. The training ship won't be heading to Sphinx."
Everyone on deck instantly fell silent, their eyes turning to Orion in unison.
Orion walked to the ship's railing, gazing into the distance as the sea breeze ruffled his clothes.
"I just received word from Mihawk that they're about to arrive at Elbaf. So I've temporarily changed our course to meet up with Mihawk and the others at Elbaf!"
Elbaf?
Usopp, who had just emerged from the cabin, immediately brightened up.
He hurried over to Orion and asked excitedly, "Fleet Admiral? Are we going to the Giant Kingdom?"
"The Giant Kingdom isn't what's important!" Zoro glared at Usopp, unprecedented fighting spirit burning in his eyes.
"What matters is that Mihawk is there! After training under the Fleet Admiral's guidance recently, I feel terrifyingly strong. This is the perfect chance to spar with Mihawk!"
Orion paid no attention to the others, walking directly to a deck chair and sitting down.
He casually picked up the newspaper lying on the table.
At that moment, Morgan approached with a Den Den Mushi, speaking gruffly.
"Fleet Admiral, we've just received intelligence from the Marines' New World division. A new force has recently emerged in the New World, taking advantage of the training ship's voyage to aggressively recruit various pirate factions. They've established an entertainment city on the sea, naming it Grand Tesoro!"
"Grand Tesoro?"
Orion slightly raised his eyes, "Gild Tesoro?"