The Beasts Pirates, Whitebeard, and Marine Headquarters—these three forces were the main players in this war. As for the escaped prisoners from Impel Down and the Revolutionary Army, they didn't hold any decisive power at all.
As long as the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates were willing to stop fighting, the battle would naturally come to an end.
But the problem now was the unexpected factor—Kaido. That battle maniac's personality wasn't suited for mediation.
Shanks had anticipated the situation where he might have to mediate the war.
Suppose he said to Kaido: [Stop, or we'll be your opponent!]
That sentence might carry some deterrence for others, but for Kaido, it was a joke.
[Worororo, that's great! Let's fight then]
Kaido would most likely respond that way and enthusiastically start a new war. That wasn't the situation Shanks wanted.
But there was one piece of good news: the Beasts Pirates had a rather unusual dual leadership system.
In any other major force, such a system would be almost impossible—two people wielding authority in one force? It'd be absurd for there to be no internal conflict. Yet in the Beasts Pirates, this system somehow worked.
According to the insider information provided by Uta, Arceus held immense influence within the Beasts Pirates. Even Kaido would take his opinion into account. That gave Shanks another idea.
The aftermath from the explosion just now further strengthened this thought. By redirecting the shockwaves skyward and refraining from a second attack, it was clear—compared to Kaido, this was undoubtedly a pro-peace figure.
None of the Four Emperors were fools. Even Charlotte Linlin, as she is now, was once an exceptionally shrewd individual. Though perhaps bearing too many children gradually warped her temperament into something increasingly erratic.
And Red Hair's reputation had always been a strange thing. Aside from Buggy, people who didn't give him face often encountered inexplicable misfortunes. Moreover, the backlash varied in severity depending on their own strength.
But Red Hair himself didn't care much about face. Sometimes his actions could even be described as "humble." Among the Four Emperors, he remained an enigma.
Big Mom, who built Totto Land; Kaido, who advocated for war; Whitebeard, who longed for family—these three all had clear goals. Only Red Hair—his purpose and identity remained elusive.
"Captain, what should we do now?"
"You guys head to the battlefield first, but don't escalate the war any further. I'll be there shortly."
Shanks parted ways with his subordinates and walked alone onto the path that Genesis had to pass through.
"Excuse me, mind if I come aboard to talk about something?"
"Dad, it's Uta's adoptive father—should we let him on?"
Out on the ice surface, Shanks waved his arm toward Genesis like a hitchhiker trying to catch a ride.
This could be considered a small courtesy in the world of pirates—approaching the enemy ship alone was a way to show sincerity and was generally more likely to be accepted.
"Let him come aboard. I'm curious to hear what he has to say."
Genesis didn't stop moving, but once he got Yamato's approving gesture, Red Hair had already appeared on the deck of Genesis and laid eyes on the one in charge.
"Red Hair Shanks, what do you want?"
There was no need for Arceus to speak—Queen had already stepped forward on his own to play the role of interrogator. Shanks didn't mind and got straight to the point.
"Sir Arceus, may I ask what outcome you hope for in this war?"
"Hey hey, Red Hair, don't think too highly of yourself! Does Lord Arceus need to explain his intentions to you?! Just because your daughter is a popular diva and has brought us a lot of profit, don't think that gives you the right to give us orders!"
Queen's words gave Red Hair no face at all, but Red Hair's reaction remained calm. He simply observed Arceus's response—if the subordinate dared to speak that way and the leader didn't stop him, then it meant the leader had tacitly approved of what was said.
Shanks just didn't understand how Queen had managed to connect this kind of matter to Uta.
"I came here in good faith. There's no meaning in letting this war go on. Both the Marines and Whitebeard have already suffered massive casualties."
"Your Beasts Fruits are doing business—turning the seas into a complete mess serves no purpose, does it?"
"I know you're looking for something. I don't know where it is, but I can lend a hand. I've got a lot of people under me—we can help search within our territory. That's got to be somewhat useful."
"I have no particular interest in this war, but Kaido's matter isn't over yet. His goal is a fight to the death with Whitebeard. Once the battle ends, he naturally won't interfere with things here anymore."
Red Hair got a relatively good outcome—at the very least, the other side had no intention of escalating the war further.
Right now, with the Whitebeard Pirates having deployed all their elite forces, and with no one interfering, Jack and Olga had likely already taken over most of Whitebeard's territory. Whitebeard's withdrawal was within Red Hair's expectations, so he straightforwardly made a suggestion.
"In that case, I'll help Kaido deal with those interfering with him. In return, once his battle is over, can this war be brought to an end? Of course, what I said earlier still stands."
That terrifying attack was enough to obliterate Marineford. If it were unleashed again, no one could guarantee the safety of those on the island. So Red Hair deliberately positioned himself as the weaker party, proposing this deal in the form of a trade—and first laid out what he could offer.
According to Uta, the other party was easy to talk to—as long as the conditions were reasonable, he wouldn't make things difficult.
"Sure."
This had been the Beasts Pirates' goal from the start. Even without Shanks, once the battle was over, Kaido wouldn't continue further. Now that a sucker had willingly come to their door, it was essentially free labor.
Ideally, Red Hair wanted the fighting to stop immediately—but he couldn't make that happen. Too many top-tier powers were involved in this war, so the only thing he could do was join one side in order to make the other stop.
It was just a shame that the Five Elders had started to suspect him—otherwise, they might've informed him of their decision already. If Red Hair were to learn that the World Government had already decided to end the war, one could only imagine what kind of expression he would make.
As Red Hair and Arceus reached an agreement and moved toward the center of the battlefield, Marineford had already been split clean in half. Relying on the terrifying power of the Quake-Quake Fruit, Whitebeard had forcefully shattered the island.
"Pops! What are you doing? Come back!"
"Gurararara, no need, boys—listen up! This is the last order from your captain! The rest of you—return back to the New World alive! Whatever happens to me is my own choice."
"No matter what happens to me, none of you are allowed to seek revenge!"
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