Shanks hoped to take a gamble in battle.
In the past, Shanks also bet an arm for the future of the sea. He believed that Luffy would definitely awaken the fruit ability within him in a critical moment.
"We have no other choice."
"If the Konoha Pirates want to pass judgment on this world, just as they destroyed Mary Geoise and plan to destroy this sea, everyone here is fighting to protect the sea, and Luffy is just one of them..."
"The only thing we can do..."
"Is to guide Luffy to awaken the fruit within him..."
Shanks' gaze gradually deepened. This man had made up his mind. Just like his former captain, he liked to act recklessly, following his own will.
Moreover...
What Shanks said was correct.
This is a battle that Monkey D. Luffy cannot avoid, and a destiny that a Rubber-Rubber Fruit user cannot escape. The freedom fighter of the past could not retreat here!
On board the Thousand Sunny.
Luffy was still oblivious to this.
This carefree young man was laughing and chatting with his old acquaintances, even though they seemed not too keen on interacting with him.
"Hey, Buggy!"
"Ha, Kid!"
"Hey, Crocodile!"
Straw Hat Luffy was meeting several past opponents here, sitting cheerfully at the bow of the Thousand Sunny, with a wide grin on his face.
The people present didn't seem to want to pay attention to him, yet it didn't prevent Luffy's laughter. It was as if he hadn't realized that Black Island wasn't the source of the world crisis but a place where many pirates were gathering.
"Would you please be a bit quieter!"
Nami furiously punched Luffy on the head, speaking with frustration, "This place is full of powerful pirates!"
"Wow, so many pirate ships!"
Straw Hat Luffy didn't care, he re-stepped onto the bow and exclaimed at the densely packed pirate ships on the wide sea!
"Really so many..."
Usopp was also a bit shocked looking at the distance. He saw the pirate ship where his father Yasopp was: "The Red Hair Pirates are over there too..."
"Shanks, huh?"
Luffy gazed far ahead from the pirate ship. His arm suddenly stretched out, directly grabbing the mast of the ship, then he jumped onto it, gazing far ahead at these pirate ships: "I see Shanks and them! And Ace is there too!"
The captain of the Straw Hat Pirates...
Didn't seem to be here to fight the Konoha Pirates. He was more like a newcomer here to broaden his horizons and join in the fun.
In comparison...
Another pirate crew was evidently more low-key.
The Blackbeard Pirates silently hid in a corner.
"Zehahaha..."
"The opportunity truly comes unexpectedly..."
Blackbeard Teach's eyes were filled with malice, grinning sinisterly with several gaps in his teeth, which made him look particularly fierce: "I didn't expect those Konoha guys to claim themselves as King of the World to judge the world..."
"This is indeed an enemy against the whole world..."
Rain Shiryu stood beside Blackbeard Teach, gazing far at that Black Island, feeling a bit eager: "Those monsters are truly terrifying..."
Rain Shiryu loved fighting and slaughter.
The actions of the Konoha Pirates were quite to his liking.
Rain Shiryu always regretted escaping from Impel Down too late. He never found a chance to join the Konoha Pirates and ended up following the ambitiously driven Blackbeard Teach.
"This is a perfect opportunity for us..."
Blackbeard Teach suddenly clenched his fist, revealing a greedy smile at the corner of his mouth: "As long as we wait for the ability users and those Konoha monsters to fight to the death, I can obtain any ability we want..."
For others...
This will soon be a battleground for challenging Konoha!
For the Blackbeard Pirates, this will be their hunting ground!
Blackbeard Teach bit off a rum cork and poured a big gulp of rum into his mouth, looking toward the forefront of this sea. His gaze seemed to pass through a pile of pirate ships, seeing the Moby Dick of the Whitebeard Pirates at the front!
That ship was where Blackbeard Teach lived for more than twenty years...
The captain of that ship...
Was the man he once admired the most!
Now, Blackbeard Teach most wanted to replace this man!
"Zehahaha..."
Blackbeard Teach's hand suddenly crushed the yet-to-be-drunk bottle, ignoring the debris falling on himself, unconcerned about the bottle shards piercing his hand.
This man, most afraid of pain...
At this moment, didn't care in the slightest about the pain in his hand!
"Pops..."
Blackbeard Teach's eyes held a frenzied smile, his gaze fixed dead ahead, chanting the title he once called his former captain, as if he could also see the old man he once respected dearly: "With how pathetic you are now, you can't possibly be a match for Konoha. Pops, you shouldn't have continued living long ago..."
"Let me replace you instead..."
"Let me inherit your era..."
Blackbeard Teach's laughter grew slightly unhinged: "Zehahaha... This old era should have ended long ago, Pops... Let me step on your corpse, and I will certainly defeat those Konoha monsters and become the new... King of the World!"