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The war between the Thunder God Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates officially drew to a close. With the stabilization of these major powers, the landscape of the New World had been completely reshaped.
Once the clash between the Red-Haired Pirates and the Beasts Pirates concluded, the Great Age of Pirates would enter a new phase: The Era of the Four Emperors and One Sovereign.
Five monarchs—ruling over all pirates and standing at the absolute apex—had carved up the New World, forging territories that were theirs alone. The remaining scraps of the New World were left to lesser factions struggling to survive in the cracks between giants.
But the most earth-shattering news was undoubtedly this: in his battle against Whitebeard, the Thunder Emperor, Arthur, had officially claimed the title of the World's Strongest Man!
The moment the war ended, news coos took flight, carrying the headline to every corner of the globe.
As the wounded were tended to on their ships, the Thunder God Grand Fleet departed from Whitebeard's territory. Dozens of vessels sailed majestically toward the Thunder God sea, the pirates who had survived this ordeal possessing a noticeably sharper, more tempered aura.
..............
Five days later.
Hundreds of nautical miles away from the fleet's return route, on a desolate island, another war was nearing its breaking point.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The collision of peerless sword-ki and raw physical might sent shockwaves that shattered the clouds above, looking as if the sky itself were cracking. The island was unrecognizable, pulverized to the point of being on the verge of sinking into the abyss.
The earth groaned with tectonic intensity; bottomless fissures snaked across the terrain, webbing through the entire landmass.
This was the Red-Haired Pirates versus the Beasts Pirates—a true struggle of life and death. This was a war that would only end when one side was utterly broken.
"That maniac, Kaido... he really is a 'mad dog,' just like the Thunder Emperor said. To maintain an offensive this suicidal for six days and six nights straight!!"
The elite officers of the Red-Haired Pirates were gasping for air, drenched in sweat. Under the relentless, frenzied assault of the Beasts Pirates, they were nearing the limits of their endurance. In particular, the strength of the Three Disasters was proving to be a match for the likes of Beckman and Yasopp.
"Once this war is over, our Red-Haired crew will officially bear the title of an Emperor and stand at the top of the pirate world!"
"Hahahaha! Shanks, take him down!"
As the surrounding islets collapsed into the sea, the members of the Red-Haired crew supported one another, watching from the deck of the Red Force. They cheered for their captain, their voices hoarse but defiant.
Mountain peaks had been leveled, forests erased; what was once a vibrant island had been beaten into a barren wasteland. Destroying an island was a simple task for these men, but maintaining such high-intensity combat for six days without pause was a feat that would break even a man made of iron.
"Hmph, what's a 'Red-Haired' anyway? A rookie daring to provoke Lord Kaido? He's not even in the same league!"
On the opposing side, the Three Disasters leading the Beasts Pirates were also breathing like bellows, their eyes bloodshot as they watched the central duel.
Unlike the battle between Arthur and Whitebeard—where the intent to kill had eventually faded—this was the definitive peak-level war of the Emperors. Its ferocity rivaled Shiki's legendary invasion of the World Government; the only reason the body count wasn't higher was that both sides were composed of elite warriors.
..............
"What's the situation over there?"
The scouts of the Thunder God Grand Fleet, noticing the violent atmospheric disturbances as they passed through the region, immediately reported to their captain.
"Lord Arthur, it's the Beasts and the Red-Haired in combat. Should we intervene?" the nine Captains asked in unison.
The Captains could still fight, but the rank-and-file pirates under them had just endured a massive war and were exhausted. Only the Thunder Emperor himself had barely dipped into his stamina reserves. However, "taking a detour" simply wasn't the style of the Thunder God Pirates. They looked to Arthur for the final word.
RUMBLE!
Even from such a vast distance, they could feel the pressure the island was under. The raging sword-ki and deafening roars sent ripples across the ocean surface, testifying to the horror of the exchange.
The sheer magnitude of the power made even the elite Captains—aside from Shiryu—change their expressions. Even Stussy felt a chill.
As a former high-ranking agent of CP0, she had crawled out of mountains of corpses. She had witnessed countless massacres and assassinations, and she knew that the World Government possessed terrifying hidden powerhouses. But she had rarely seen those top-tiers go all out. The only times she had witnessed the "pinnacle" of the sea was when the Navy Admirals besieged Arthur at the Rainbow Mist, and the two strikes Arthur and Whitebeard had just exchanged.
Now, two more names were added to that list of monsters: Shanks and Kaido.
Monsters are called such because they are fundamentally different—strong to the point of perversion. And a true monster only ever acknowledges another monster; they have no regard for "normal" people. While Stussy was a monster in her own right, she was still a step away from the level of the Four Emperors and the Sovereign. That single step was a gap that many could never bridge in a lifetime.
"Wait here. I'm going to take a look," Arthur said after a moment of contemplation.
Before the war with Whitebeard, Arthur had left his laboratory because his body couldn't yet host a seventh Devil Fruit. He had intended to find Kaido and "reminisce" while uncovering the secret of his indestructible physique. That plan had been interrupted by the Sun Pirates' hunting of his crew.
Now that the war was over, he had coincidentally run into the very man he was looking for. There was no way he was turning back now.
Feeling the waves of battle-spirit radiating from the island, Arthur couldn't help but marvel at the speed of Shanks' growth. On this sea, the concept of "talent" was enough to drive ordinary people to despair.
Some are born destined to be world-class powerhouses. Others are born with unique gifts—perhaps not strong at birth, but capable of climbing to the top through sheer grit. And then there are those who, no matter how hard they work, can never catch up to the first two.
The ultimate example was Big Mom—a woman born a monster, who as a child could kill an apex predator with a single slap and wound the elders of Elbaf.
..............
"Captain, let us come with you! We want to see what the Beasts and Red-Haired crews are capable of!"
"Yeah, Captain, we aren't tired at all..."
Several of the more bellicose Captains clamored to join the intervention.
"Stay here and wait for my return."
As Arthur's voice dropped, carrying an absolute, non-negotiable authority, the Captains immediately fell silent. In the Thunder God Pirates, there could only ever be one voice. He wouldn't allow his subordinates to get arrogant just because they had survived a clash with Whitebeard.
In truth, only Shiryu (and perhaps Stussy, barely) could even hold their own in a fight of this caliber.
Leaving the command for them to stay put, Arthur's body slowly rose into the air. He accelerated, turning into a streak of light toward the battlefield of Shanks and Kaido.
He had coveted the secrets of Kaido's biology for a long time. Now that he possessed the power of the Op-Op Fruit, he intended to perform a very thorough "examination."
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