Bang!
The wine glass was heavily slammed onto the table, Shano stood up and left the bar, heading outside, with the crew members of the Endgame also getting up and following him without hesitation.
"The wine, not bad."
As he pushed open the shutter doors, Shano paused in his steps, turned his head and casually threw out one last remark:
"Thank you for your hospitality, Red Hair. Hopefully, next time we meet, we won't have to be in this mutually deterrent relationship."
"Of course, at our level, beliefs can't be disturbed by outsiders. If you want to continue being your visionary planner, that's fine, but don't interfere with me, and definitely don't try to stop me."
"Otherwise, I don't mind taking your other arm."
Bang!
The shutter doors shook violently.
By the time Shanks looked up with a complex expression, outside in the pitch-black night, the wind was howling, the rain pouring down heavily, but where were Shano and the others' traces?
...
Navy Headquarters, Marinfanto.
Beneath the plaque of "Justice that Dominates the World," Sengoku's face was grim.
"What did you say? Red-haired Shanks and Shano ran into each other in Black Stone City?"
"Y-Yes, Marshal!"
The civilian adjutant in front of him stammered, "It was emergency intelligence sent by the surveillance ship of the G-14 Branch just now. It happened this afternoon—two ships met head-on outside the port, leading to a brief clash and skirmish!"
"What was the result?"
"According to witnesses, both parties unleashed a crimson Sword Qi, its power was earth-shattering, even briefly altering the celestial phenomena, but ultimately, they didn't engage in a real battle, opting instead to talk..."
"Crimson Sword Qi?" Chief of Staff Tsuru, who was by the side, frowned tightly, "Is it Roger's Kamusari... does this Shano know it too?"
This aspect had never been mentioned in previous intelligence reports.
Could it be a skill he trained in recently?
Worth noticing!
However, compared to the significance behind this event, this wasn't remarkable.
"One of the Four Emperors, and another existence infinitely close to Four Emperor Level, suddenly meeting in the New World and then shaking hands and making peace..."
Tsuru sighed lightly, "No matter what they discussed, for the Navy, it's definitely not good news."
"I think so too. Red Hair has always been mysterious, and hard to predict, while Shano equally harbors great ambition..."
Sengoku frowned, fingers unconsciously tapping the table, "Both of them are very young, running completely different routes compared with the other three Sea Emperors..."
Will they cooperate?
If these two joined forces, even if just temporarily...
Wouldn't this mean the New World's power dynamics would face a massive upheaval?
"Damn it!"
Sengoku slammed his palm onto the table, annoyed and restless, the intelligence was still too insufficient and one-sided!
The Navy's control over the New World is so weak, without enough intelligence support, even he and Tsuru could only make wild guesses here.
"Tell G-1 Branch to cooperate, dispatch more surveillance ships!"
Sengoku solemnly ordered, "All available surveillance ships, deploy them all, and for the upcoming period, monitor the movements of Red Hair's forces with all we've got! Report immediately with any signs of change!"
"Yes, Marshal!"
...
Black Stone City, deep into the night.
"Boss."
Beckman, with a cigarette in his mouth, stepped onto the rooftop under the moonlight, sitting beside Shanks.
"Beckman..."
Shanks turned his head to glance at him, seemingly still a bit dejected, "You're the one amongst us who knows the most about my plans, have you ever thought that my choices were wrong?"
Beckman didn't answer immediately, taking a deep puff instead, exhaling a long smoke ring, the ember flickering in the night.
"Honestly? Initially, it definitely seemed unreliable."
He gazed at the night sky, speaking leisurely, "Entrusting the world's future to a child or something... it is indeed a bit strange, but that Luffy guy is truly different from others, I think we can wait for that day."
Shanks was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed, giving Beckman a hearty slap on the shoulder: "Thanks, my old friend."
He didn't want to continue the topic, eyes focused on the distant sea, casually asked:
"Never mind Shano, that guy's strength indeed has qualified him to walk his own path, what about his subordinates? How did your intelligence gathering go today while interacting with them?"
"Very strong."
Beckman answered without hesitation, and then emphasized more deliberately, adding slowly, "Extremely strong."