"The Commodore is back!!"
"Great! Now Whitebeard's crew won't be able to escape either!"
Seeing Allen appear, the crew members below immediately grew excited.
"Wait! Where is Kaido..."
"Could it be...!"
"Did he win?! Has the Strongest Creature on Land, Sea, and Air already been defeated by the Commodore?!"
"Whoa!!"
Seeing Allen appear alone, covered in dust and blood from the battle, the crew members below instantly formed their own conclusions. The area boiled over with excitement as they erupted into massive cheers, looking at Allen with fervent, worshipful eyes!
"Tch! This bastard always comes out to steal the spotlight at the critical moment. I could have taken them down all by myself," Kid sneered through gritted teeth, turning his face away with a look of impatience and disgust.
"Alright, stop complaining, Kid," Killer, whose entire face was hidden behind his mask, sighed with a calm tone. "The war is almost over. The landscape of the New World is going to be completely overturned starting today..."
However, in the next second.
"Don't misunderstand, everyone. There's no need to fight this battle anymore. Put your weapons away."
Under everyone's astonished gazes, Allen, standing atop the ruins, suddenly spoke up.
His words inevitably caused everyone present to reveal expressions of disbelief.
"Eh...?! This...!"
"Wait, we're just going to stop fighting, Commodore?!"
"But...! As long as we take down Whitebeard's crew, we'll only be one step away from taking out Red Hair and unifying the New World!"
The crew members hurriedly shouted in confusion.
But Allen had already considered this matter.
Unifying the New World and fighting were means to gain a greater voice, not a mandate to kill all the Four Emperors. Worsening competitors into mortal enemies was even more unnecessary.
Besides, the position of the Four Emperors belonged to whoever had the strength to sit there. If he killed two Emperors today, two new great pirates would emerge tomorrow to become the new Emperors.
Don't assume there were few people on the seas qualified to step up and compete for the Emperor's throne. If a certain Emperor truly fell, replacements would appear in no time.
When a whale falls, it nourishes all life. This was the law of the world. In the turmoil caused by a shift in the grand landscape, countless competitors would naturally be born, and among them, hidden dragons waiting for the right storm would inevitably rise to the top.
Therefore, a stable situation was the best method for the upper echelons to maintain their ruling status. This was true for the World Government, and naturally, it was true for Allen as well.
If the World Government didn't exist, he would definitely sweep away the Four Emperors, leaving only his own faction.
But as things stood, among the single factions, the greatest overlord on the seas was naturally the World Government. If Allen's power grew too vast, he would inevitably become the number one target of that colossal behemoth.
Under such circumstances, he had to consider adopting a milder approach to unifying the New World.
Make enemies few and friends many. Great men had long since provided the answer, and he had already made ample preparations for this step.
That was the New World Alliance he had established earlier!
Making Kaido, Ace, and Red Hair his subordinates was obviously impossible; Allen believed none of them could accept that.
But changing the format and having them join to maintain the New World Alliance together—didn't that sound much easier to accept?
Regardless of the format, the general direction would follow his leadership. Furthermore...
Originally, the World Government was the enemy of four 'separate' Emperor-level factions, with everyone fighting their own battles against the World Government.
But in the future, the World Government would become the enemy of 'one alliance.' This would allow the four Emperor-level factions to form a more unified front.
Moreover, with the 'Four Emperors' backing them, the various nations that had previously joined the New World Alliance—those who had long harbored rebellious intentions but lacked the strength and courage to resist—would now have the confidence to stand up and openly oppose the World Government.
This was a choice that killed multiple birds with one stone. If things went smoothly, this single wave of operations would be an absolute win.
"Hey, Ace," Allen suddenly called out to the opposite side under the puzzled gazes of his subordinates. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly as he said, "If you don't mind the fact that I just beat you up, stay behind and let's have a banquet later to properly celebrate my victory."
"Oh, right, this isn't a taunt. I'm being serious," Allen suddenly added.
Hearing this, the subordinates behind him rolled their eyes and glared at him, shouting their complaints, "You're totally taunting them, hey!!"
On the opposite side, Marco gritted his teeth, his expression gradually turning ugly as he shouted in a low voice, "This bastard...! Is defeating us not enough? Is he planning to humiliate us too?!"
"These bastards...! Let's fight them to the death!!"
"We are the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"Pops never taught us to back down!!"
For a moment, the members of the Whitebeard Pirates aggressively raised their blades and roared in anger.
Off to the side, Yamato stared blankly at the chaotic scene unfolding before her. With a bewildered expression, she turned to look at Ace beside her. "Strange, didn't he just invite us to a banquet? Why is everyone so angry?"
"Ah... That guy's way of speaking is way too arrogant. Who invites people like that? No matter how you listen to it, it clearly sounds like a provocation," Ace said in a deep voice.
He had come into contact with Allen two years ago, back when he was pursuing Blackbeard and passing through Alabasta while searching for Luffy, who had just set sail.
Although Allen's personality was arrogant, he was also sufficiently heroic and not a difficult person to get along with. The so-called invitation was probably genuine.
As for whether it was a trap disguised as a banquet...
Given the current situation, the other party didn't need to resort to such underhanded methods if they wanted to take them out.
He was just a bit curious about Allen's goal.
Thus, he said, "There's no way you're keeping us here just to eat and drink. If you have something to say, make it clear first."
Ace stared intently into Allen's eyes.
Hearing this, Allen didn't hold anything back and stated directly, "Regarding the New World Alliance, I think you guys must have heard some information about it. I want you to join."
Hearing this, Ace frowned slightly. The other members of the Whitebeard Pirates also ceased their restless agitation, looking at each other with varying expressions.
"What is this? Does he want to form an alliance with us?"
"So this was his goal..."
"What does he mean? What alliance?"
Some frowned in deep thought, while others were completely baffled, having never heard of the New World Alliance at all.
Among them, Ace and Marco exchanged a knowing glance, clearly finding Allen's actions somewhat unbelievable.
Of course, they had some understanding of the New World Alliance. They even knew that a few specific countries within their protected territories had joined this alliance.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't an organization or a faction, but a cooperation treaty.
It was a trade network covering the entire New World, built using the technology and resources provided by the Demon Lion Pirates and their affiliated forces.
The core of this trade network was composed of the territories under the Demon Lion Pirates' banner.
But other countries, regardless of their background, could also join and enjoy the same treatment, provided they adhered to the alliance's systems and rules.
By simply paying a certain amount of funds each month, they could enjoy various welfare policies in their trade with other New World Alliance nations.
The most important among these were the connection of Sea Train routes, investments in station construction and maintenance, free transportation insurance, and various other related benefits.
Transportation was the ultimate factor affecting a country's trade. The words "Sea Train" held a fatal attraction for any nation.
Because it was purely a cooperative trade relationship, Ace and the others had always turned a blind eye to the fact that individual territories under their protection had joined the New World Alliance.
They never expected that today, Allen would actually invite them to join.
"Ace?" Marco looked at him with an inquiring gaze.
Ace nodded with a serious expression. "Yeah, let's stay and see what this is about."