Crash, crash, crash—
The huge ship in the distance cut through the waves at great speed, and its shape slowly became clearer.
The first thing everyone noticed was the pirate flag flying from its mast—a skull with two large swords crossed behind it, giving it a rather dangerous look.
The people aboard the Moby Dick relaxed a little when they recognized it, though they did not lower their guard completely.
Smiles appeared on several faces, but not all of them were friendly.
Some carried clear confidence and provocation.
"That's Shanks's ship! Ahahaha! Ace, it's Shanks!"
An excited shout came from the middle deck.
Yuto looked over and saw a young man who seemed full of energy.
There was a scar on his face, and bandages covered much of his body, showing that he had suffered serious injuries.
A straw hat was tied securely against his back. From the care he showed it, the hat was clearly very important to him.
"So that guy came to join the fun too? He really has plenty of free time."
The one answering him was Ace.
Freckles covered Ace's face, and he was fairly handsome. He also looked slightly older than the young man with the straw hat.
"HEY! SHANKS!"
The straw-hatted youth shouted at the top of his lungs without caring that the entire ship could hear him.
"Come on, Luffy. He can't hear you from that far away. Just sit down and wait until he comes aboard."
Ace looked at Luffy with a helpless smile, though the fondness in his eyes was easy to see.
That was only natural.
After all, the two of them were brothers.
"Oh, right. Then I won't shout."
Luffy seemed to realize this a little late. He crossed his arms and stared eagerly at the approaching ship.
The two brothers made no effort to lower their voices, so Yuto could hear their conversation clearly from the rear deck.
He turned toward Whitebeard.
"That's Ace?"
Yuto already knew the name.
Whitebeard had mentioned Ace before while drinking in the restaurant, and Yuto also knew that the war against the Marines had begun because of him.
Whitebeard grinned and leaned his huge body back in the chair. One hand rested on the armrest while the other supported the side of his face.
"That's right. He's my hopeless idiot of a son."
His rough voice carried clear affection.
The way he looked at Ace was like a father watching a troublesome child who had made a serious mistake.
Yuto nodded and did not ask anything else.
The distant ship finally reached the Moby Dick.
Just as the two ships were about to pull alongside each other, a figure suddenly jumped down from the other vessel.
It was a one-armed man with red hair. He carried a huge jar of alcohol in his remaining hand, and the jar looked heavier than his entire body.
A long sword hung at his waist, while three claw marks crossed over one eye and gave him a fierce appearance.
The pressure around him was powerful, almost the same as what Yuto had felt when he first met Whitebeard.
It was the presence of someone who stood at the top.
An ordinary person might lower their head without even realizing it.
The man ignored the pirates around him and looked directly toward Whitebeard on the upper deck.
His eyes carried the calm confidence of someone used to ruling the sea.
Yuuka, who was sitting beside Yuto, raised her eyes toward him.
A slight change appeared in her emerald gaze, and her brows drew together as though something about the man annoyed her.
For a moment, the air around her became cold enough for Yuto to notice.
He instinctively turned toward her.
The moment Yuuka felt his gaze, her expression returned to its usual calm, and the chill disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.
Yuto noticed the change but said nothing.
"Gurararara! You're awfully arrogant, Red-Hair brat. You step onto my ship with that attitude. Are you looking to die?"
Whitebeard stared straight at the red-haired man, though his eyes briefly moved toward Yuuka.
A small trace of surprise and caution could be seen deep within them.
Shanks carried the jar toward Whitebeard at a relaxed pace.
The pirates moved aside without even realizing it, opening a wide path for him.
A calm smile rested on his face, but every step carried heavy pressure, making it feel as though something enormous was moving toward them.
Shanks looked up at Whitebeard.
"I'm not here to cause trouble. I only came to join the banquet. What do you say, Whitebeard? I even brought good alcohol."
As he spoke, Shanks glanced toward Yuto's group.
He was surprised and confused.
For a brief moment earlier, he had felt a serious threat, as though some ancient beast had noticed him.
The feeling had come from the people seated above, but he could no longer tell who had caused it.
The pirates reacted differently to his explanation.
Some remained cautious, some looked confused, while others simply found the whole thing strange.
Even so, everyone kept watching Shanks closely.
"Gurararara! Since it's a banquet, I'll let you join. But I have honored guests here tonight. If you have any other plans, I'll treat it as a declaration of war against the Whitebeard Pirates."
Whitebeard's words surprised Shanks.
His eyes moved toward the group seated above once again.
'Honored guests...
'Did Whitebeard mean them?'
'Who exactly were these people?'
Questions filled Shanks's mind.
As a fellow Emperor of the Sea, he understood how serious the words "declaration of war" were when they came from Whitebeard.
Although his thoughts were racing, his smile remained calm.
Before he could reply, a loud shout interrupted him.
"SHANKS!"
Shanks turned toward the voice.
The moment he saw who had called him, surprise appeared on his face. Then his lips curved into a truly happy and relieved smile.
"Luffy! What are you doing here?!"
Shanks stared at him with both shock and joy.
"I passed out after the fight, and then Whitebeard brought me back with him."
Luffy laughed loudly.
Beside him, Ace shook his head helplessly. He had tried to stop Luffy from rushing forward, but Luffy had broken free.
Even so, Ace also looked a little proud.
His little brother had truly grown.
"You were there too? That really is surprising."
Shanks had gone to Marineford during the war, but he had arrived too late. By then, the Whitebeard Pirates had already left.
The Marines' later reports were vague and heavily edited, so he did not know exactly what had happened.
That was why Luffy's words surprised him so much.
"Yeah! I almost died, but everything worked out in the end."
Luffy scratched his head and laughed as though he were talking about something unimportant.
Shanks slowly released a breath, and his expression became softer.
"That's good. We'll talk later. I'm heading up first."
He lifted the jar again and continued toward the rear deck.
When Shanks reached Yuto's group, he casually placed the jar down.
Boom!
The heavy sound made it clear just how much it weighed.
Several girls looked surprised.
Yakumo Yukari watched Shanks with a pleasant smile, while a strange light moved within her purple eyes.
No one could tell what the youkai sage was thinking.
Yuuka glanced at him once, then quickly lost interest.
She only cared about people she considered strong.
Anyone weaker than her was not worth much attention.
Yuto was an exception, of course.
He was her "prey."
"Oooooh! You can tell just by looking that this alcohol is amazing!"
Compared with everyone else, Suika was easily the most excited.
As an oni who loved alcohol more than almost anything, the sight of such a huge jar was enough to make her eyes shine.
"Hahaha! You want it that badly? Then drink as much as you like!"
Shanks slapped the side of the jar.
The lid flew off, and the entire container shot toward Suika like a ball kicked with great force.
It moved fast enough to smash into someone violently, but Suika simply reached out and stopped it with one finger.
She made it look as easy as catching a drifting feather.
For someone who could destroy a mountain with one punch, the jar probably did feel that light.
Shanks's pupils narrowed slightly.
The force behind his throw had been much greater than it looked, so Suika's easy response genuinely surprised him.
"Gurararara!"
Whitebeard chuckled, looking entertained.
"Red-Hair brat, you didn't come here only to join my banquet, did you?"
Whitebeard stared at Shanks with a wide grin, though his eyes remained sharp.
Shanks smiled and stepped forward.
The smile slowly faded, and his expression became more serious.
"Why couldn't that be the reason?"
"Gurararara! Because I never invited you."
Whitebeard remained relaxed, resting his head against one hand, but his eyes never left Shanks.
Shanks pulled slightly at the corner of his mouth and straightened his back.
The pressure around him became sharper, like a sword slowly being pulled from its sheath.
"You're right. There is something else I want to ask you."
Shanks stood in front of Whitebeard, who remained seated.
Even then, Whitebeard was still almost a full person taller than him.
As the two Emperors faced one another, the mood around them became heavier.
A careless sentence or decision from either man could affect the entire world and throw the sea into chaos.
However, Suika had already lost patience with their serious talk.
She plunged one hand directly into the jar, scooped up a large amount of alcohol, and drank it without hesitation.
Once she finished, she raised her arm and shouted happily,
"Great booze!"
Her shout immediately broke the serious mood between Whitebeard and Shanks.
"Gurararara!"
Whitebeard burst into loud laughter, and a wild grin spread across his face.
"Whatever you want to ask can wait until the banquet is over, Red-Hair brat! I'm entertaining honored guests right now. I don't have time to waste on your serious talk!"
Shanks gave him a helpless smile.
"If they're honored guests, then I won't ruin the mood with serious questions. But I'm still joining the banquet."
"Gurararara! Two Emperors holding a banquet together—if the Marines nearby hear about this, they'll probably scare themselves half to death."
Whitebeard laughed with open confidence.
Shanks only smiled.
Yuto, however, became thoughtful.
'Emperor of the Sea...'
That title sounded pretty impressive!
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