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"To Whitebeard!"
The entire tavern erupted.
The sound of clinking glasses rose and fell, mixing with the aroma of ale and rum.
Old pirates had red eyes, young pirates trembled with excitement, they raised their glasses high, cheering for Whitebeard's courage and resolve.
At the "Red Coral Tavern," the proprietress Machi wiped the counter, quietly dabbing away tears from the corners of her eyes.
She remembered twenty years ago, when the Whitebeard Pirates passed by, how the giant-like man had gently held the sick orphans and said he would take them to see the Sea.
His smile was so warm, it could dispel all gloom.
"Crazy..." In the corner, a hooded man muttered softly, but a smile played on his lips. "Truly an incredible madman."
The atmosphere throughout the tavern was warm and excited.
...
Red-Haired Shanks stood alone at the bow of the Red Force, the setting sun casting a long shadow behind him.
He stared intently at Whitebeard's imposing declaration of war video on his phone screen, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter. The sea breeze ruffled his red hair, but could not blow away the gloom in his eyes.
"This old stubborn man..." Shanks murmured softly, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the scar over his left eye, a "souvenir" Blackbeard had left him years ago.
Blackbeard handing Ace over to the Marines, his underlying purpose was to make Whitebeard fight the Marines, using the Marines' blade to kill those he wanted to kill. This move truly lived up to Blackbeard!
He then clicked on Whitebeard's TikTok homepage, hesitated for a moment, and pressed the "Follow" button. Then he quickly drafted a private message:
[Newgate, let's talk. This war will destroy the current balance.]
After sending, Shanks held the phone in his palm, his thumb unconsciously tapping the body.
One minute... five minutes... ten minutes passed, the message status consistently showed "Unread".
Shanks's mouth twitched slightly, Benn Beckman had never seen the Captain show such an expression, it was a complex emotion mixed with annoyance and worry.
He sighed softly, just about to speak, but heard Shanks suddenly let out a cold laugh, his fingers tapping rapidly on the screen:
"Heh..."
[Do you think you're the only one who values family? This war will plunge countless islands and families into a sea of fire!]
Waves crashed against the hull, making a dull sound. The bright "Unread" mark on the screen was reflected in Shanks's eyes, he took a deep breath and sent a third message:
[Final warning, if you insist on starting this war, I will personally stop you.]
After sending this message, Shanks abruptly threw the phone to Beckman beside him. His red hair danced wildly in the wind, like a burning flame.
"Prepare to set sail." Shanks's voice was terribly low. "Full speed ahead to Marine Headquarters."
Beckman caught the phone, looked at the unread private messages on the screen, and sighed silently. "Are you really going to intervene?"
Shanks gripped the handle of Gryphon, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon. "Since he won't reply... I'll tell him in person."
"....."
Just then, the phone suddenly vibrated.
Beckman looked down to check, his pupils suddenly contracting. "Shanks, there's bad news."
Shanks took the phone Beckman handed him, the screen clearly showing the latest intelligence:
[Beast Pirates are on the move! Kaido has transformed into his Azure Dragon form and left Wano Country!]
"Damn it!" Fury ignited in Shanks's eyes, his knuckles white as he gripped the phone. "Kaido, that madman, wants to take advantage of the chaos!"
Beckman exhaled a smoke ring, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness. "He wants to gain benefits when the Marines and Whitebeard are both heavily damaged."
Even though Shanks was angry, there was nothing he could do at the moment.
Kaido's action was to completely overturn the New World. After careful consideration, Shanks decided to go and stop Kaido, absolutely not allowing this battle to break out.
He tightened his grip on the handle of Gryphon, just about to order a change of course, when his peripheral vision caught sight of an incredible scene appearing on the sea in the distance.
A Sea King with a body size comparable to a small island was breaking through the waves, its massive body stirring up layers of huge waves on the sea surface, like a moving mountain.
And sitting right on its broad head was a man with his legs crossed!
The man was casually eating a chicken leg, occasionally patting the Sea King's head to direct it, clearly treating this massive Sea King as a mount.
"Is that...?" Shanks squinted his single eye, suddenly his body trembled. "How could it be him?!"
Beckman's cigarette fell onto the deck, he widened his eyes, his tone carrying a hint of shock. "How could he be..."
"It really is Ron..." Shanks's voice was low and heavy, his fingers unconsciously rubbing Gryphon at his waist.
The afterglow of the setting sun cast a golden edge on Ron's white robe, his casual posture completely out of place in this sea area on the verge of war.
Beckman quickly walked to Shanks's side, the glow of his cigarette tip flickering in the twilight. "The former Admiral expelled from the Marines... what exactly was he plotting during the time he disappeared?"
Shanks shook his head, he also really wanted to know.
"Full speed ahead!" Shanks suddenly ordered, Ron's sudden appearance here must have a reason. "We must catch up to him!"
The sails of the Red Force instantly filled, the hull cutting through the waves, rushing forward at an amazing speed.
Yasopp adjusted the sail angle on the mast, Lucky Roux had already prepared the ropes.
As the distance closed, Ron's figure became clearer.
.....
On the blue sea,
Ron lay leisurely on top of the giant Sea King's head, his fingers scrolling on the phone screen.
Suddenly, the Sea King beneath his feet let out a low moan, shaking the phone in his hand slightly.
"Hmm?" Ron raised his head in confusion, only then noticing the red pirate ship rapidly chasing from behind.
He squinted his eyes, recognizing the Red Hair figure at the bow.
"Red-Haired Shanks?" Ron raised an eyebrow, gently patted the Sea King's rough skin. "Little King, stop for a moment."
The Sea King let out a long "Ooh" sound, its massive body slowly came to a stop, stirring up ripples on the sea surface.
The Red Force quickly caught up.
As the distance between the two sides closed, Shanks's pupils suddenly contracted. The man lazily lying on top of the Sea King's head was completely different from the sickly former Admiral in his memory.
Ron's skin had a healthy glow, his aura was as steady as the sea. Where was the slightest hint of the weakness he showed when he was removed from the Marines years ago?
"Something wrong?" Ron spoke casually, but his eyes were still fixed on the phone screen, his fingers occasionally sliding.
Shanks finally came back to his senses, he took a deep breath. "Whitebeard is heading to Marine Headquarters, this war will change the entire world's structure." He looked directly into Ron's eyes. "Give me face, I hope you can go and stop him."
"W-what???"