"..."
Members of the Blackbeard Pirates quietly stood behind their captain.
Because they all understood their captain's origins and knew of Blackbeard Teach's ambition and will, otherwise, they wouldn't have followed him.
"The Konoha people seem to have emerged..."
Rain Shiryu gripped his samurai blade.
On Black Island.
Two figures first appeared on the cliff at the edge of Black Island.
One of the figures had smooth long hair and was quietly standing up there; the other figure had long hair wildly draped behind him, revealing a pair of scarlet eyes.
The captain of the Konoha Pirates, Senju Hashirama.
The vice captain of the Konoha Pirates, Uchiha Madara.
This is the most active member duo of the Konoha Pirates, recognized by the ocean as the strongest captain and vice-captain combination of today. Since they made their moves, they have never been defeated; be it the Five Elders or the Sea Emperors, they are always defeated by them.
Accompanied by the appearance of these two figures, other members of the Konoha Pirates emerged from behind them, each silhouette visible to all.
The Science and Technology Mechanical Forbidden Technique Trio of the Konoha Pirates, the most feared scientists by the ocean's strong—whether it's mighty Sea Emperors or the influential figures within the Seven Warlords of the Sea, even the admirals of the World Government are nothing more than their lab experiments.
Orochimaru, Red Sand Sasori, Senju Tobirama.
Standing behind the Science and Technology Mechanical Forbidden Technique Trio was former Seven Warlords of the Sea Boa Hancock, former Seven Warlords of the Sea and World's Number One Sword Master Hawkeye Mihawk, and the tall former Admiral of Navy Headquarters Aokiji at the very end.
Besides...
A black-and-white monster floated up in mid-air.
As this black-and-white monster flew up, a dense swarm of White Zetsu army rose from the ground, fluttering their wings and guarding the two sides of the Konoha Pirates.
The pitch-black island...
The pitch-black monsters...
The pitch-black figures of the strong...
"That is..."
"The legendary Konoha Pirates?"
Some people quietly backed away.
Some hid nervously and fearfully in the cabins.
Some hoped for a path out opened by the nearby pirate ships.
Even though the figures on the cliff of Black Island made no moves, once they truly appeared, one would realize these legends— the monsters traversing the ocean—stood right in front of them, under that name which shook the entire sea...
Konoha!
This was the first time many witnessed the Konoha Pirates.
And it was the first time for everyone to see all the members of the Konoha Pirates together; every person who saw this scene couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts...
This team, with their attached White Zetsu army, seeming like only hundreds of pirates, was still unfazed facing over hundreds of thousands of pirates!
Even though the Konoha Pirates had long been active in the first half of the Grand Line, their opponents had forged out the terrifying feats since Konoha Pirates' birth...
No pirate crew on these seas had ever achieved what Konoha did: reaching this point within a year...
The pirate ships in this sea gradually descended into chaos...
Hundreds of thousands of pirates were already a tangled mess, and at this moment, it became even more chaotic...
"Watching..."
"Makes one uneasy..."
"Those were the ones who once defeated the Four Emperors, can we really be their opponents?"
Fear spread across each pirate ship, as people gazed upon the figures standing on Black Island's cliff, as if feeling the oppressive aura emanating from them!
Terror...
Still spreading...
Even a glance would make one want to retreat!
At the forefront of this pirate area, the Whitebeard Pirates' Moby Dick and Red-haired Shanks' Red Force were still relatively calm, as they were emperors of the sea.
"There are still others who haven't appeared..."
Red-haired Shanks' gaze fixated on the cliff of Black Island; he knew the true card of the Konoha Pirates, or rather, they had already revealed their hand.
But...
Never had they seen just how strong that card truly was...
Tense gaze followed Red-haired Shanks as a beautiful woman with flowing white hair and a pair of horns on her head slowly floated up from the ground.
This woman's figure adorned above all the others of the Konoha Pirates, gently stretching her long sleeves as if embracing and shielding the entire Konoha!
In reality...
That's exactly how it was in everyone's minds.
At the sudden opening of her eyes, revealing a pair of pure white pupils, that very moment brought a palpable sense of pressure!
Giving the feeling...
Like a deity watching over them...
"The legendary Goddess of Rabbit..."
Red-haired Shanks' heart instantly trembled upon seeing this scene.
Yet...
One more was yet to come forth.
Just as Red-haired Shanks took a few steps forward, intending to inquire about the identity behind the Konoha Pirates, a voice suddenly and clearly echoed across the sea.
Unnoticed when...
Accompanied by the emergence of the Konoha Pirates, naval battleships gradually gathered in the area, with a leading figure stepping out from the foremost ship.
"The deceivers..."
With a thorny crown adorning its head, the figure appeared at the bow of the battleship, its voice somewhat eerie, inducing an urge to pinpoint its whereabouts.
"Imu never heard of..."
"The Goddess of Rabbit Creator's title..."
"Your Excellency... what kind of deity are you?"
This was the Heavenly Celestial Dragon's King, Imu.
The answer...
Imu strived to uncover.
Why did the entire sea discuss the Goddess of Rabbit, even the Five Elders' subordinates believed she truly existed, yet he had never heard of her title!
But...
Does the Goddess of Rabbit truly exist...
Would the Heavenly Celestial Dragon's King truly not be aware?
Back when the Twenty Kings united to form the World Government and seized world power, never did they draw from any Goddess of Rabbit; the entire concept was surely fabricated!
He...
Required an answer!
"Lord Imu?"
Sceptically, Saint Saturn and Saint Nusjuro among the Five Elders stood beside Imu, unsure of Imu's intentions.
Deny the Goddess of Rabbit?
At this moment...
Such things were unavoidable!
It's impossible to claim...
That the Goddess of Rabbit doesn't exist?
A living person flies above, no one could deny existence!
"Lord Imu is indeed wise..."
Admiral of Navy Headquarters, Akihara Kagura, whispered from the rear: "Creating such a situation now, we all know the enigmatic status of Lord Imu..."
"As long as Lord Imu crafts a prestigious identity for himself, fabricates the history of the World Government from eight centuries ago, denies the existence of the Goddess of Rabbit..."
"Therefore, Lord Imu can label the Konoha Pirates as a formidable group intending to forge history and seize control of the World Government..."
"At least..."
"The Heavenly Celestial Dragons maintain a veneer of authority, rather than being viewed as traitors who usurped the Goddess of Rabbit Creator's title..."
"The sole pity being..."
"The World Government's history manipulation is known to too many; even if a key figure seeks to alter history here, there are few upon the sea who would believe—it can only work once."
"Nevermind..."
"Let's see how it unfolds..."
"..."
All present instinctively began pondering.
Despite Akihara Kagura's small voice, many people managed to overhear, even Saints Saturn and Nusjuro were brought to contemplation by his remarks, acknowledging the sense in what Akihara Kagura proposed...
That tactic...
Can indeed only be employed once...
"Not..."
Imu's eyes showed traces of confusion.
It isn't that way.
I am not endeavoring to manipulate history here using my identity as Imu—only to uncover the true history and reveal the identity of that purported Goddess of Rabbit.
That Rabbit Goddess is false...
The seas have never harbored any Rabbit Goddess...
How, when earnestly questioning an entity said not to exist in history, does even one's own side question oneself?