The sun rose and the moon set. The war that had been raging on G-1 Island continued, with the skies and earth darkening as the roars echoed across the sea, never stopping for a moment.
On the sea a few kilometers away from G-1 Island, the massive Moby Dick stood silently on the thick ice.
The towering Whitebeard stood at the wide bow of the ship, quietly looking at the island in the distance that was flickering with light and darkness. The light of thunder and fire from the island was reflected in his pupils.
The war had begun.
Whitebeard had actually foreseen this great war, which would impact the direction of the entire world, even before it started.
Even if he had not agreed to ally with Shiki, Shiki would have still seen through his decision to do what he wanted to do.
That guy had always been the type of person who would go to any length to do something big.
Ever since Roger's death, the New World had indeed been a bit too quiet.
Even Kaido and Linlin couldn't stand the loneliness. With just a few words from Shiki, they had chosen to send out their forces.
The Marine bases in the New World had been continuously growing and expanding over the years, and they had indeed posed a certain level of threat to these great pirates who were entrenched here.
Listening to the constant roaring from a distance and the strong vibrations being transmitted through the air, Marco, who was standing beside him, couldn't help but look at his Pops.
"Pops, what do you think the final outcome of this war will be?"
Whitebeard was silent for a while before he gently shook his head. "It's hard to say, but the casualties on both sides will be extremely severe. Whether it's the pirate alliance of Shiki and Kaido, or the Marines, there will be a huge loss of personnel."
Marco pondered for a moment and said in a low voice, "Pops, do you think any top-tier powerhouses will die in this war?"
Whitebeard knew who Marco was referring to.
Kaido, Shiki, Charlotte Linlin, Kizaru, Akainu, Aokiji, Garp, and then Zephyr and Sengoku, who would arrive later.
Only these people could be called top-tier powerhouses.
Even someone like Wang Zhi couldn't reach this level.
Each and every one of them was a powerhouse who stood at the peak of the world. Every move they made could attract the attention of countless people.
Many times, the great incidents that happened on the sea often had their shadows in them.
Both their personal strength and influence had reached a level that was unimaginable for ordinary people.
The death of any one of them would bring a huge shock to the world.
However, how could a powerhouse die so easily in battle?
When a person's strength reached the level of Kaido and Akainu, even if they fought a battle to the death, it would take at least ten days to determine a winner.
Even for the ailing Zephyr and Shiki, no matter how weak they were, they were still top-tier.
Their foundations in Haki, martial arts, and swordsmanship were all there.
Seeing that his Pops did not answer, Marco no longer asked any more questions and stood there quietly.
Behind them, the deck of the Moby Dick was empty. There weren't many people.
They had only come because their Pops, Whitebeard, wanted to watch the war. They had no intention of participating.
So, in order to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, the Whitebeard Pirates had only come with a dozen or so main members, including the Division Commanders.
The distance between them and G-1 Island was three to four thousand meters. They couldn't see the battle on the island with the naked eye.
To know what was happening over there, they could only use Observation Haki to sense it.
And among the dozen or so people present, besides Whitebeard and Marco, the other thirteen Division Commanders, including Diamond Jozu, could not accurately sense the specific situation on the island.
After all, the various energy fluctuations caused by the fierce clashes over there were simply too violent, and the number of people participating in the war was too great, which caused a huge interference to the perception of Observation Haki.
In fact, even Marco could only get a rough sense of it.
Marco watched for a while and suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a dark figure standing by the ship's railing of the Moby Dick.
Marco was stunned. He turned and walked over.
"Ace, are you very concerned about this war? Is there someone you know there?"
Looking at Ace's absent-minded expression, Marco couldn't help but ask curiously.
Ace did not answer. What appeared in his mind were Garp's smiling face and the young Marine named Rorschach whom he had met in Mock Town and on Skypiea.
His Observation Haki was not as good as Marco's, so he couldn't sense where Garp and Rorschach were.
But the voices of Garp and Rorschach had been transmitted over here like rolling thunder.
Ace had not expected that this sea would have such a big war so soon after he had just entered the New World.
The competition on this sea was even more brutal than he had imagined.
Thinking of the power of Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, Shiki, and the others, Ace couldn't help but worry about Garp.
He hoped that stubborn old man would not get into any trouble.
Otherwise, he would definitely die of guilt.
For some reason, at this moment, Ace's heart recalled what the young Marine had said to him in Mock Town and on Skypiea.
"I hope you don't regret the decision you've made today."
"Regret?"
Ace looked at the constant roars and bright lights coming from a distance, his mind in turmoil.
Seeing that Ace did not intend to respond, Marco didn't mind. He smiled gently and was about to go into the cabin to get a chair for Whitebeard to sit on.
It was at this moment that his expression suddenly turned serious. He abruptly looked at the dark sea behind the Moby Dick.
Over there, on the frozen ice, a figure with a fluttering robe had appeared at some point.
Marco looked closely and his heart was shaken. He couldn't help but blurt out.
"Red-Haired!"
Hearing the words "Red-Haired" from Marco's mouth, the absent-minded Ace snapped out of it. He looked in the direction of Marco's gaze, but there was no one on the ice.
But the next instant, at the bow of the Moby Dick, on the deck next to Whitebeard, a one-armed man with red hair suddenly appeared out of thin air.
"So that's Red-Haired Shanks? Luffy's benefactor." Ace's eyes narrowed.
At this moment, Jozu and the other Division Commanders, who were staying at various places on the ship, were also alarmed by the arrival of Shanks's presence. They all rushed out and gathered behind Whitebeard.
Marco was the first to fly to Whitebeard's side and frowned as he looked at Shanks.
"Red-Haired, what are you doing here?"
"Hmm? It's Marco. Haha, do you want to come to my ship?" Seeing Marco, Shanks opened his mouth and laughed.
"Don't be ridiculous, Red-Haired." Marco rolled his eyes.
This guy Shanks said the same thing every time he came to their Moby Dick.
He was really persistent.
"Gurararara, poaching my crew right in front of me, kid. You're just as annoying as that bastard Roger."
Whitebeard turned and looked down.
"Hehe, I can't be compared to Captain Roger."
Shanks smiled, then suddenly raised his eyebrows and glanced at Ace, who was standing behind the Division Commanders.
A hint of surprise flashed in the depths of his eyes. He then looked at Whitebeard and said in a deep voice, "Whitebeard, I came here this time to ask you to stop this war together with me."
"Red-Haired, you want to stop this war?" Marco and the others were all surprised.
Whitebeard's face, however, showed no surprise, as if he had already guessed the purpose of Shanks's arrival.
Shanks nodded.
"Yes, the scale of this war is too big. The casualties it will bring are something the world cannot bear. No matter which side ultimately wins, it will bring an unpredictable outcome to this era. And no matter what the outcome is, it will never be a good thing."
"Why? Isn't it a good thing for us pirates if the Marines are driven out of the New World?" Rakuyo asked in confusion.
Shanks shook his head. "On the surface, the Marines being driven out of the New World by Kaido and the others does seem to be very friendly to the pirates of the New World. But don't forget what kind of personalities Kaido and Charlotte Linlin have. Once their pirate alliance achieves ultimate victory, the New World will have to be re-divided. Under the stimulation of the huge prestige brought by this victory, those previously indecisive pirate forces in the New World might all join their ranks. Think about it, will the New World still be as calm as it was before?"
"And Wang Zhi, he will definitely gather a large number of pirates and become the fifth sea emperor of the New World. Not to mention Shiki. Whitebeard, you wouldn't be unaware of what kind of person that guy is, would you?"
As Shanks spoke, he sighed and said, "If Shiki and the others win, then this war will definitely not be the last one. It will become the beginning of a series of wars that will sweep the world. Just think about how many innocent people will die because of this."
Everyone fell silent.
Indeed, what Shanks said made sense.
In the perception of Marco and the others, Kaido and Charlotte Linlin were indeed the kind of people with a headstrong personality and a reckless style.
"Then… what if the Marines win?" Jozu interjected.
"If the Marines win, then this great pirate era, which has yet to fully blossom, will dissipate into a bubble. Having defeated the allied forces of several great pirate crews, they will gain unparalleled confidence and prestige. At that time, the Marine branch bases in the New World will expand to several, or even dozens of times their current number, spreading out in various kingdoms and sea areas in the New World."
Shanks turned his head to look at G-1, and his voice became deep. "The bubble coating technology on Sabaody Archipelago has already been blockaded by the Marines. It has become extremely difficult for pirates to enter the New World from Paradise. If even the New World becomes the domain of the Marines in the future, then we, without a continuous supply of fresh blood, will probably be swept away one by one by the continuously growing Marines."
His gaze swept over the faces of the various Division Commanders, whose expressions were changing, and then he looked up at Whitebeard.
"So, before the situation develops to that point, we must stop it as soon as possible…"
"Do you think… we can stop them from fighting now?"
Whitebeard looked at G-1 in the darkness.
Shanks followed his gaze. His powerful Observation Haki instantly swept over an area of dozens of kilometers, taking in everything that was happening on G-1 Island.
After just a quick look, his face changed.
"This…"
Whitebeard sighed, and his old voice echoed on the deck.
"It's useless. No matter who goes to mediate now, they will be torn apart by the enraged parties. For two days and three nights, this war has already killed too many people."
"And, as expected, the main forces of the Marines are about to arrive."
At the top of the Red Line, in the Pangea Castle's Authority Room.
The Gorosei were sitting around a table with a world map on it, frowning as they looked at the location of G-1 Island, which was marked with a red cross. They still couldn't make up their minds to press the Mother Flame strike button.
"What's the situation of the war in the New World?" Saturn said in a deep voice, crossing his hands and holding his cane tightly.
"There's no contact. The Transponder Snail we called has no signal. It can be imagined that the island is now rampant with various energies, interfering with the communication waves of the Transponder Snail, causing us to lose our judgment." Nusjuro looked at the sword in his hand and pushed up his glasses.
"What did the CP0 we sent say?" Peter touched the world map with his finger and looked at Saturn.
"They can't get close to the main battlefield. G-1 is already a hell. The main forces of the pirates have all retreated from the island. Those weaklings can't even get involved in the battle between Shiki and Akainu. Hmph, I think that even without using the Mother Flame, that island is about to be sunk."
"What a bunch of useless people!"
Peter was so angry that black flames burst from the top of his head.
Just then, an exceptionally tall and burly figure rushed into the Authority Room from outside.
Behind that person, there were several Holy Land Guards in armor, who were sweating profusely as they tried to stop him, but they were all thrown off.
Seeing the person who had rushed in, Saturn frowned and scolded, "Kong! What are you doing? Who allowed you to enter the Authority Room without being summoned?"
In front of the group, an extremely burly old man with two thick arms, a large cloak, and a rooster-like hairstyle was none other than the Commander-in-Chief of the World Government's armed forces, Steel Bone Kong.
When Kong, who had rushed in, saw the world map on the table in front of the Gorosei and the G-1 Island marked with a red X on the map, his face instantly changed.
"Gorosei! You don't really want to use the Mother Flame to strike G-1, do you?"
"Kong! This is not something you should be concerned about…" Saturn tapped his cane.
"If I don't, who will!"
Unexpectedly, Kong directly interrupted him and said in a voice as loud as rolling thunder, "I am the Commander-in-Chief of the three armed forces! The Marines are responsible for maintaining peace in all the affiliated countries of the world. You wouldn't be unaware of how many excellent Marine officers who uphold justice are on G-1 Island right now, would you? Garp, Akainu, Kizaru, Aokiji, Gion, Fujitora, Rorschach, they are all there!"
Kong was a little agitated, and even his burly body was trembling.
"If you activate the Mother Flame to strike, and they are sacrificed because of it, the Marines will suffer an unprecedented loss. At that time, who will maintain justice in this world? Are you adults going to take action yourselves?"
"Insolent!"
With a loud bang, Nusjuro slammed his hand on the table in front of him.
The terrifying force created a three- to four-inch-deep palm print on the thick tabletop, which was made of some unknown metal.
In the sunken palm print, a deep black flame was burning and leaping.
The loud noise scared the Holy Land Guards in the room. They knelt and prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling all over.
Nusjuro stared at Kong with cold eyes and said in a cold voice, "What we do is not for you to direct. Kong! Do your own job."
Looking at the Gorosei's indifference, a hint of sadness flashed in the depths of Kong's eyes.
This cold regime truly made him feel suffocated.
Perhaps sensing Kong's change in emotion, Saturn coughed and said in a deep voice, "Kong, don't worry. We're just being cautious. The Mother Flame strike is only the worst-case scenario. Haven't Sengoku and the others already gone there? We should hear from them soon. How about this, if you're not at ease, just wait here."
Saturn just said this casually.
But as soon as he finished speaking, he saw Kong, the dignified Commander-in-Chief of the three armed forces, lift his cloak and actually sit on the floor of the room next to them, quietly looking at the world map in front of them without saying anything else.
End of Chapter)
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