Chapter 482 Shanks, Roy Is Coming!
"Hmm?"
"Someone's finally here?"
Ryuunosuke, who had been watching the crew train on the deck, rose to his feet and turned toward the horizon. And it wasn't just one group approaching. As Poseidon he could hear every whisper of the ocean. The creatures below became his eyes, transmitting a message loud and clear.
Roy and Shanks were closing in.
And if those two met again… sparks were guaranteed.
"Captain, who's coming?"
"Is there going to be a fight?"
Uvogin, closest to Ryuunosuke, had heard his quiet mutter. If another ship was approaching now, conflict was almost expected. The crew had been honing themselves through constant sparring, especially with Kaido and Sevian serving as dedicated punching bags. But training was still different from a true fight to the death.
"It shouldn't be a battle."
"Everyone stay on the ship. I'll take a look."
With that, Ryuunosuke leaped from the Eternal into the air, gliding across the sea.
---
"Is that a World Government ship?"
"Why are they here now?!"
Jesus Burgess—ever alert—had spotted the vessel. And the direction it sailed matched the route toward Ryuunosuke and the Dragon Hunter Pirates.
Were these government dogs heading for them as well?
And this was not far from Ryuunosuke's current position. If they kept going, contact was unavoidable. A single ship, no matter who was aboard, would be wiped out instantly if targeted by the Dragon Hunters.
More importantly, the Dragon Hunters had broadcast their voyage live across the seas. Anyone with a functioning brain would know sailing this route meant running straight into Ryuunosuke.
Unless…
they had another goal entirely.
"They've spotted us too."
And then Shanks froze. "Imu."
He rose to his feet. From across the water, he saw the silhouette on deck. A cold, unfamiliar pressure clung to that ship.
Imu was here.
Shanks had expected a government emissary, not the shadowed sovereign of the entire world.
"Shanks, should we attack?"
"If it's just Imu, we might be able to kill him right here."
Ben Beckman exhaled smoke, eyes sharp with calculation.
But Shanks fell silent.
"…Let's wait."
"They know who we are. If they don't act first, neither should we."
"Too late for that," Lucky Luox laughed, chewing on a chicken leg. "Looks like they're heading right for us anyway."
The World Government ship drifted closer. Tension rose among the Red Hair Pirates. They were famous enough that even the government would recognize them instantly.
But whoever stood on that deck did not fear them at all.
"Shanks!"
A steady voice drifted through the sea fog.
"Lord Roy!"
Shanks shot to his feet.
If Imu had come, Shanks might not have been surprised.
But Roy?
Roy had never left Mary Geoise in centuries.
"It seems you remember me."
"When we last met, you were still a child."
Roy's gaze ran over Shanks' crew, who were all poised for battle.
"Are you going to meet the Dragon Hunter Pirates as well?"
"Yes."
"We're heading for Raftel, so we intend to join Ryuunosuke's fleet."
"Lord Roy… are you also seeking him?"
Shanks couldn't hide his confusion.
Their relationship was terrible—even "enemy" felt too gentle.
"Yes."
"I have a transaction to discuss with Captain Ryuunosuke."
Roy paused, looking into the distance.
"But at this point… we may not need to go to him."
Because a man was already approaching.
Footsteps echoed across the sea.
Each step froze the surface solid beneath it.
No aura. No killing intent.
Yet none of them dared think he was weak.
It was Ryuunosuke.
"You two know each other."
"In that case, do you want to talk together?"
"Or separately?"
He walked closer, smiling calmly.
Roy had warned he was coming, so Ryuunosuke was ready.
Shanks arriving was unexpected—but welcome.
Ryuunosuke always felt Shanks hid a lot.
His sudden rise to Emperor, his unexplained ties to the World Government, even his random appearance in the East Blue—none of it made sense.
But the Dragon Hunter Pirates had grown far beyond imperial classification.
So whatever Shanks was planning mattered little now.
"I'll pass," Shanks said. "We just want to travel to Raftel with your crew."
"All we need is your permission."
Originally, he might have called him "little Ryuunosuke."
Not anymore. Not with this man's presence.
"You want to go to Raftel?"
"Fine. Speak with Najenda and tell her I agreed."
Ryuunosuke turned toward Roy.
"Lord Roy, shall we talk on your ship?"
"Please," Roy said, making an inviting gesture.
Shanks watched as the two boarded the World Government vessel.
He didn't understand.
These two had once tried to kill each other.
Yet now they were speaking calmly—almost casually.
"Shanks… it seems the World Government has made some arrangement with the Dragon Hunter Pirates."
"This deal must relate to Raftel. Are we still going?"
Ben Beckman's caution was justified.
If the Dragon Hunters and the Government joined forces, any pirate fleet following behind would be walking straight into a trap.
Shanks clenched his fists.
"We're going."
His voice was firm as iron.
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