No.
At least... one of them had to be stopped.
Sengoku's gaze swept over Luffy, Whitebeard, and Golden Lion.
They were all too dangerous.
Though Whitebeard had lost his power, his combat ability was still terrifying. And the Whitebeard Pirates had already withdrawn. There was little point in continuing to fight him.
Golden Lion was not in top form, but the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi made it very hard to stop him.
So...
Sengoku's gaze finally locked onto Luffy.
Straw Hat.
Possessing two Devil Fruit powers. Unlimited potential. And having just shown the ability to take another's fruit.
If someone like this was allowed to grow, his future threat to the Marines might be greater than Whitebeard's, greater than all the Emperors combined.
He had to be stopped here.
No matter the cost.
"Give me a break and let this war end, how about it?"
Luffy looked at Sengoku and spoke. "Enough people have died in this war."
He was not what you would call a good person.
It was just that the current outcome was acceptable to Luffy.
Ace had been saved. If they kept fighting, he would have to fight his grandfather to the finish.
And that would be a fight to decide the victor, and life and death itself.
Luffy just wanted to go back to the sea with Ace and his crewmates.
He stood there. His white hair fluttered in the wind. The flame clouds behind him burned slowly. Black-red lightning occasionally leaped around him.
His body was not large, but the presence he gave off was like a mountain, pressing down on everyone's hearts.
Even with Whitebeard standing beside him, his presence could not be ignored.
He had arrived.
"Borsalino!" Sengoku roared.
He had clearly rejected Luffy's proposal.
"Understood." Kizaru's voice sounded, with its usual lazy tone, but the earlier casualness was gone.
It seemed this war would continue.
His body began to turn into golden light, preparing to attack.
But in that moment, the sound of a round being chambered rang out clearly on the battlefield.
Click.
"Do not move, Kizaru." A calm voice came from nearby.
Kizaru's body suddenly froze. The light that was about to fully elementalize regrouped. He slowly raised his hands. His expression was unusually grave.
A man in a black coat, with short silver hair and a cigarette in his mouth, was holding a strangely shaped long rifle. Its barrel was aimed at Kizaru.
His gaze was terrifyingly calm, as if he had already predicted all of Kizaru's actions.
"Benn Beckman?"
Kizaru's pupils narrowed slightly.
The first mate of the Red Hair Pirates.
Known as Red Hair's right-hand man. A figure so strong that rumors said he was not inferior to his own captain.
Almost the moment Sengoku gave the order, Vice Admirals Onigumo, Doberman, and Momonga prepared to act. But before they could even take a step, they sensed something. They suddenly turned and looked back at the sea.
"What is that?!"
A huge flying slash was coming from the sea at terrifying speed.
The slash was crescent-shaped, over a hundred meters long. It was entirely wrapped in black-red Haki. Where it passed, the sea was split open, leaving a deep trench.
Swoosh!
The slash was very fast. Before anyone could react, it reached the battlefield and mercilessly struck the ice.
Crack.
The giant blade easily cuts through the tens-of-meters-thick ice, creating a huge glacial fissure.
Below was an abyss.
Then, without losing momentum, the slash continued forward, carving a bottomless chasm between Luffy and the Marine ranks.
Boom.
The ice collapsed. Seawater rushed in. A natural moat appeared in the center of the battlefield, completely separating the pirates and the Marines.
On either side of the chasm, the ice walls continued to collapse with a deafening roar.
"Wh-What is that?"
Watching the chasm split open by a single slash, the Marines were all horified.
The power of this slash was beyond the ordinary.
"A flying slash?"
Crocodile instinctively frowned. "Who is it?"
Someone who could unleash such an attack was definitely not simple.
A powerful swordsman.
Hawkeye?
But Hawkeye was on their side.
Not far from Crocodile, Hawkeye, the moment he saw the slash, directly sheathed his blade, turned, and walked toward the sea.
Clearly, he knew who had come.
There was no longer any need to continue this war.
And Aokiji looked up. His Observation Haki detected a terrifying presence. His pupils suddenly contracted.
"Show up at a time like this? What does he want?"
He had only recently received word that the man had been fighting Kaido in the New World. How could he be here so quickly?
Everyone's gaze turned toward the sea.
There, a huge pirate ship was slowly approaching.
Its bow was shaped like a dragon's head. On its mainmast flew a Jolly Roger: a skull with three scars over its left eye, and red hair streaming behind it.
It was the Red Hair Pirates.
"It is the Red Hair Pirates!"
A Marine rear admiral shouted in terror.
"Red Hair?"
"Why is an Emperor from the New World here?!"
"Is he not supposed to be in the New World still?!"
Watching the approaching ship, many Marines showed looks of despair.
They had fought the Whitebeard Pirates to this point, with such heavy casualties. Now another Emperor's crew had arrived. And it was the Red Hair Pirates, known as the Iron Wall Pirates.
If Red Hair and Whitebeard worked together, how would this war end?
"Oh, is that Shanks?"
Luffy's eyes lit up. He was even a bit excited.
It had been a long time.
He had so much he wanted to tell them.
Just then, a figure leaped from the Red Hair Pirates' ship. He crossed the sea at great speed, stepped onto the ice, and reached the center of the battlefield in a few bounds.
His short red hair fluttered in the wind. The three scars over his left eye were still fierce. But a gentle smile was on his face.
Shanks slowly placed his hand on the hilt of his famed blade, Gryphon. His gaze swept over the battlefield and finally stopped on Sengoku.
"Then add my respect to it."
Shanks spoke calmly. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached every corner of the battlefield. "How about it, Sengoku?"
"This war should end."
...
Sabaody Archipelago.
"Hey, hey. Am I seeing things?" A reporter stared at the screen, his voice trembling.
"Is that Red-Haired Shanks?"
"Yes, it is him! The Emperor, Red-Haired Shanks!"
"Why is he at Marine Headquarters? Have they decided to ally with Whitebeard?"
"What happened earlier? Why was the picture down for so long?"
A reporter said anxiously, "When the scene came back, Straw Hat was already standing with Whitebeard. And now another Emperor appears."
Those three had already been hard enough to deal with.
Now there was another Emperor.
Marine Headquarters was said to be able to stand up to any single Emperor's crew. To have the absolute advantage.
But what about two Emperor crews?
If Red Hair allied with the Whitebeard Pirates, what would happen to the Marines?
They could not imagine.
"We have no idea what happened. But the way things look now, the situation is going to take the worst possible turn." A reporter swallowed.
He did not think Red Hair was there to help the Marines.
After all, he was a pirate.
Apoo rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Now another Emperor is here?"
This war was not over yet.
One great figure after another was appearing.
How would this war, which would determine the world's pattern, come to an end?
"I wonder if Red Hair will ally with the Whitebeard Pirates."
Apoo's eyes sparkled. "If they join forces, they could cripple the Marines, could they not?"
What were they saying over there?
He was so curious. Too curious.
Could the Den Den Mushi get closer?
At that moment, everyone watching the broadcast was screaming inside.
"The Emperor Red-Haired Shanks?"
Hawkins stared at Shanks on the screen, instinctively frowning.
"Yes. One of our candidate targets."
Apoo said. Then he showed a look of regret. "It is a pity he did not come sooner. Otherwise, he could have joined forces with Whitebeard and completely crushed the Marines."
As it stood, Straw Hat, Whitebeard, and Golden Lion had already tied down most of the Marines' main force. Add an Emperor and his Red Hair Pirates...
He dared not imagine.
Apoo's voice grew more excited. "If they join forces, will the pattern of this sea be completely rewritten?"
The Marines would be a thing of the past.
"Join forces?"
Hawkins shook his head. "Emperors do not necessarily join forces."
He turned over a tarot card. The face showed the reverse Chariot.
"Do not forget. There are no absolute alliances between pirates."
Hawkins said calmly. "There is only one seat for Pirate King. The Emperors are rivals. That is to say, they are enemies."
Apoo paused for a moment, then nodded. "That is true."
This was even less reliable than their own alliance.
"Hey. You all saw it just now, did you not?"
Kid, who had been silent, suddenly spoke. "Saw the ability that Straw Hat used?"
At his words, Apoo and Hawkins fell silent.
They had been deliberately ignoring that fact.
"Could it be just a developed ability?"
Apoo ventured. "After all, Straw Hat's Gomu Gomu no Mi has always been strange. It can change into all sorts of forms."
"Can a developed ability turn into the Gura Gura no Mi?"
Kid grinned. His smile was ferocious. "Do not be ridiculous. You saw Whitebeard's power. What Straw Hat used was clearly the Gura Gura no Mi's ability."
He clenched his metal arm. His eyes burned with fanaticism. "One person with two Devil Fruit abilities... and that person is already a top strong fighter... Hahahaha! Too interesting. This world is too interesting."
Whitebeard, with the Gura Gura no Mi, was called the World's Strongest Man.
So what about Straw Hat?
He had not only the Gura Gura no Mi, but also that strange Gomu Gomu no Mi, and terrifying swordsmanship and Haki.
What kind of monster did that make?
"Let it be chaotic."
In another corner, Capone Bege grinned. "Hopefully these two groups will unite and attack the Marines. Then the sea will be left with just the pirates fighting for the position of Pirate King."
Would Straw Hat be strong?
He did not care.
Any strong man could die.
He would definitely have his chance.
At that thought, Capone Bege could not stop laughing.
The Battlefield.
"Gurararara. The arrogant Red Hair brat."
Whitebeard looked at Shanks and laughed. "You came after all."
Shanks studied Whitebeard's current condition. He was suddenly surprised. "You do not even have your power anymore?"
He had keenly noticed the abnormality.
Whitebeard no longer had the presence that could shake heaven and earth.
His expression then turned somewhat strange as he looked at Luffy.
There was only one explanation for this situation.
Was it Nika?
As a former God's Blade, Shanks had learned quite a bit of intelligence about the World Government from his brother.
So it was Nika who had chosen Luffy after all.
"Well, are you still going to fight, Whitebeard?" Shanks asked.
"I was thinking of settling accounts with Sengoku and the others."
Whitebeard put his Murakumogiri on his shoulder. "But I will leave it for now."
He glanced at Luffy beside him. "After all, he spoke."
This was a war between the Whitebeard Pirates and Marine Headquarters.
Looking at the situation, the pirates did not have the advantage, but they were not at a disadvantage either. One of the Marines' top combatants, Akainu, had lost his ability to fight.
Whitebeard could have taken this opportunity to avenge his fallen sons.
But Luffy had spoken.
The boy who had woken him from the darkness, who had taken the Gura Gura no Mi but given him back his freedom, had asked him to end the war.
Whitebeard gave him that respect.
The respect was not for Shanks. It was for Luffy himself.
"Regardless, this is the outcome I wanted to see." Shanks turned his gaze from Whitebeard to Luffy.
Their eyes met.
"Yo. Long time no see, Luffy." A gentle smile appeared on Shanks's face.
Luffy also smiled. "Shanks. Long time no see!"
"It is a bit too early, Shanks. This is not the stage where we agreed to meet." Luffy smiled.
The place they had agreed on was the New World, after Luffy had become a pirate who could stand on his own.
Bringing his own crew to meet him.
The timing was too early.
The place was also wrong.
This was Marine Headquarters' battlefield.
Though it looked like this war had been completely changed.
"You are now a pirate who can stand on his own."
Shanks smiled. "But keep that hat with you for now."
The agreement he had made with Luffy was that after he became a pirate who could stand on his own, he would return the straw hat.
But now, that no longer seemed necessary.
The hat had long since become a part of Luffy, the symbol of his name.
Luffy grinned, touching the straw hat on his head. "Ah. I will always wear it."
The two smiled at each other.
In that moment, time seemed to stand still.
The captain of the Red Hair Pirates and the Supernova who had just shaken the world were chatting amiably on the shattered battlefield.
And all around them were the watching Marines. The World's Strongest Man, Whitebeard. Golden Lion, floating in the air. The ice plain, covered in corpses.
"He is already able to stand shoulder to shoulder with a man of that stature?" Aokiji exhaled cold air.
"Hey, hey. This is too terrifying."
"That is Red Hair, is it not? An Emperor? And Straw Hat seems to know him too?"
The underlings behind Buggy exclaimed again.
Buggy stared at Shanks for a moment, his expression surprised. "That bastard is really Shanks?"
"Bastard?!"
Buggy's underlings stared with wide eyes.
Their boss, so daring.
Calling Red Hair by his name and a bastard at that?
Mr. 3, who had just woken up, heard Buggy's words and looked at Shanks. Then he compared that imposing man with Buggy, and then with his old boss, Crocodile.
There was no comparison.
"So that is the legendary Emperor Red-Haired Shanks?"
The youngest of the Emperors, but with prestige no less than the older ones.
"Legendary?"
Buggy was taken aback, then instinctively made a face. "Him?"
He deserved to be called legendary?
Buggy's expression was like that of someone whose brother had made it big.
Utter disdain.
What Emperor. When they were apprentices on Captain Roger's ship, he and Shanks had been about the same.
Even if Shanks became the king of the world, Buggy would still look down on that bastard.
Mr. 3: "..."
There were actually people who looked down on an Emperor?
Wait. He had heard somewhere before that Buggy had also been a crewmate of the Pirate King.
And so had the Emperor Red-Haired Shanks.
By that logic, these two knew each other?
And probably quite well.
"Heh. Finally. That bastard Shanks."
Buggy seemed to recall some unpleasant memories. He could not help but twitch.
Then he flew straight at Shanks.
The underlings behind Buggy looked at each other.
"What is Captain Buggy going to do?"
"How should I know?"
"Is he going to attack Red Hair?"
"Oh? So our target all along was Red Hair?!"
A group of prisoners inexplicitly got excited.
If their captain could defeat an Emperor here, they would also rise with him.
Mr. 3 had no idea how Buggy had brainwashed these prisoners. They were clearly too deep in it to be saved.
But he still explained.
"Buggy and Shanks were both crewmates of the Pirate King."
"Crewmates of the Pirate King?"
"As expected of Captain Buggy! He even knows an Emperor!"
"So Captain Buggy is comparable to Emperor Red-Haired Shanks!"
"Too strong!"
Watching Buggy's departing figure, his underlings' eyes were full of adoration.
Mr. 3: "..."
Had these self-delusional weirdos' brains been damaged in prison?
Shanks, who had been talking to Luffy, paused. He saw Buggy flying toward them.
"Yo. Is that not Buggy?"
Shanks smiled. "It has been a long time."
***
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