Under the overwhelming pressure of Conqueror's Haki, the entire battlefield fell silent.
Pirates aboard the Beasts Pirates and BIG MOM Pirates ships collapsed one after another, unable to withstand the terrifying will descending from the sky.
The Conqueror's Haki clearly avoided Peach Garden, yet even so, Issho and Wyper felt their breathing grow heavy.
That alone proved how monstrous the user's Haki truly was.
Kaido and BIG MOM both turned toward the source of that power.
A massive pirate ship slowly sailed toward Peach Garden.
They recognized it instantly.
The Red Force, the flagship of Red Hair Shanks.
Standing at the bow was a one-armed man holding a sword, his presence dominating the sea itself.
There was no need to guess.
It was Red Hair Shanks, one of the Four Emperors.
"Shanks! What are you doing here?" BIG MOM shouted. "Are you planning to ruin our plans?"
Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Shanks' appearance was unexpected, and his actions clearly showed he intended to stop their assault on Peach Garden.
No one in the pirate world could truly understand how Shanks operated. He often felt less like a pirate and more like someone simply traveling across the seas according to his own will.
Because of that, BIG MOM did not immediately assume cooperation between Shanks and Peach Garden.
Instead, another thought formed in her mind.
Perhaps Shanks had also come to seize the Ancient Weapon after discovering Poseidon here.
Among the Four Emperors, only she and Kaido maintained a relatively workable relationship. Red Hair Shanks and Whitebeard had never stood on friendly terms with her.
Still, in the pirate world, interests mattered more than alliances.
Rolan's rise had already shaken the balance of the seas.
His strength placed him above ordinary Emperors, and with the Ion Tempest crew ruling Peach Garden, his influence continued to expand.
Across the world, people had begun using a new title.
The Four Emperors remained Whitebeard Newgate, Red Hair Shanks, Kaido of the Beasts, and Charlotte Linlin.
Above them stood one more figure.
The Emperor above Emperors.
Rolan.
His crew was acknowledged as the strongest pirate crew on the seas, while Peach Garden had become a nation capable of rivaling Mary Geoise itself.
BIG MOM refused to believe Shanks felt nothing toward such power.
Especially when an Ancient Weapon was involved.
She glanced at Kaido and saw the same suspicion reflected in his eyes.
After a brief nod, she spoke again.
"Red Hair, you're here for Poseidon too, aren't you?"
Her grin widened.
"Right now, you, Kaido, and I all want the Ancient Weapon. Since there's only one, how about we capture it first, then settle things between ourselves afterward? The winner takes Poseidon."
Shanks listened quietly, observing the battlefield before laughing loudly.
"Hahahaha! Charlotte Linlin, you really misunderstand me."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"I know the two of you came here with bad intentions, but I'm only here to protect Peach Garden."
"As for Poseidon, I'm not interested."
Kaido snorted.
In his view, Shanks was simply putting on an act to lower Peach Garden's guard before making his own move.
"Wororororo! That excuse might fool rookies," Kaido said mockingly. "Do you really think it works on us?"
Shanks did not look surprised by their disbelief.
"You two," he said calmly, "give me some face and leave."
Both Kaido and BIG MOM felt a subtle tension rise.
Across the seas, people joked that Red Hair Shanks possessed a mythical ability, making others give him face whether they wanted to or not.
Of course, no such Devil Fruit existed.
And they were Emperors themselves.
They feared no one.
"Urorororo! How much is your face worth?" Kaido laughed. "Can it compare to an Ancient Weapon?"
Shanks frowned slightly.
Seems there were still people in this world unwilling to back down.
He slowly drew Gryphon, pointing the blade toward Kaido and BIG MOM.
"Then it looks like you two really shouldn't stay in the New World."
"BIG MOM," Kaido muttered, preparing himself.
BIG MOM's aura surged as she prepared to attack.
A thunderous roar suddenly echoed across the sea.
"ROAR!"
Both Emperors instantly sensed danger.
"Not good!"
They turned at the same time.
The Giant Sea King was attacking again.
The ocean rippled violently as an enormous tail fin rose once more from beneath the surface.
Moments earlier, everyone aboard the Emperor ships had focused entirely on Shanks' arrival.
They had forgotten the true monster lurking nearby.
The tail fin swung down.
Bang! Bang!
With a devastating impact, both pirate ships were smashed apart instantly.
Wood, sails, and cannons exploded into fragments as pirates were thrown into the sea like falling stones.
"What?!"
Kaido and BIG MOM stared in disbelief at the remains of their fleets drifting across the water.
"Candy is super sweet!"
A voice suddenly rang out.
Orange candy rapidly spread across the sea from Perospero's cane, forming a massive floating candy platform nearly a hundred meters wide.
"That was close, Perorin~"
Luckily, he had activated his Devil Fruit ability before sinking.
Pirates scrambled onto the candy island while others dove underwater to rescue Devil Fruit users.
"Help! Cough, cough!"
"I almost drowned!"
"Damn it, cough!"
The once arrogant crews now floated helplessly across the sea in complete disarray.
Even Red Hair Shanks felt surprised by the destructive power displayed by the Sea King.
During his time as an apprentice aboard Gol D. Roger's ship, he had heard stories about Ancient Weapons.
But witnessing their power firsthand was entirely different.
Poseidon had not even fully awakened, yet it already possessed terrifying strength.
And according to Rolan, the most dangerous Ancient Weapon, Uranus, remained under the control of the World Government.
If this incomplete power was already this overwhelming, the fully realized weapons would be unimaginable.
No wonder the entire pirate world coveted them.
Possessing one meant absolute dominance over the seas.
BIG MOM observed the situation carefully.
Issho and Wyper still guarded Peach Garden from the air.
The Giant Sea King remained active.
Shanks and Benn Beckman alone were enough to stall both her and Kaido.
The battlefield had turned completely against them.
This operation had already failed.
Originally, they came to ambush Peach Garden.
Instead, they confirmed something far more valuable.
The key to Poseidon likely rested with those two princesses.
As long as they could lure them away someday, the Ancient Weapon would eventually fall into their hands.
BIG MOM snorted coldly.
"Hmph. We're leaving."
===
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