Hearing this, Shano couldn't help but burst into laughter, and the laughter echoed across the sea, full of ridicule and disdain.
"Become a Celestial Dragon?"
He spread his hands. "I thought you'd offer some kind of extraordinary condition, but that's it? Become the same kind of person as those fat pigs in bubble hoods? What makes you think that's attractive to me?"
Shamrock Saint frowned slightly, his expression showing a trace of displeasure.
The two black-robed figures behind him also stiffened. They clearly hadn't expected Shano to refuse so directly—and even insult them.
Such audacity!
"Mortal, do you know what you're saying?"
Junzi couldn't help stepping forward, her voice cold. Her hand under the black robe lifted slightly. "To refuse the invitation of the Knights of God is to defy divine authority!"
Buzz!
Several bandage-like ribbons wrapped around her arms and quickly merged into a massive arrow within a second, shooting straight at Shano's chest.
Hmm?
Shano instantly noticed the strangeness of this arrow.
It seemed to contain some kind of rule-based power—a very peculiar and aggressive Devil Fruit ability.
He couldn't dodge it!
But...
He had no intention of dodging in the first place!
Shano's eyes gleamed red, and his body suddenly erupted with surging black-and-red Haki. The thick lightning tore through the night like a raging dragon and violently clashed with the arrow.
Crack!
The arrow was immediately consumed by the torrent of Haki and disintegrated. The remaining lightning crawled up the arrow's path back to its source—Junzi's arm...
Swish!
Shamrock Saint drew his sword, shouted, and blocked in front of her, stopping the attack.
But his palm was slightly numb—something that chilled his heart.
"You're too reckless, Junzi."
Shamrock Saint's voice was deep. "Anyone who can fight General Sakazuki on equal footing is not someone you can handle."
Junzi pouted, clearly dissatisfied.
Ignoring her, Shamrock looked back at Shano and said calmly:
"An extremely powerful Conqueror's Haki—almost on par with my own... but let's not go there. In short, a strong man with this level of potential is worthy of becoming the sharpest sword at my side. It's a waste for you to wander the sea. I'll ask once more—are you truly unwilling to join the Knights of God?"
"Not interested! If you want to fight, then stop spouting nonsense!"
Shano clenched his right fist wrapped in Haki and grinned, revealing his white teeth. "Let me see how strong you 'gods' really are!"
Saint Shamrock fell silent for a moment before chuckling.
"Typical."
He sighed slowly. "You mortals with extraordinary power always think you're above gods. You're not the first, and you won't be the last..."
"It seems that unless you're defeated, you won't willingly submit. In that case—huh?"
Just as Shamrock gripped his sword tightly, he suddenly furrowed his brow and turned his gaze toward the distance.
Shano followed his eyes instinctively.
What came into view was a massive pirate ship.
The End of the Curtain was already considered a large ship, but in front of this vessel, it looked like a tiny sampan.
Pink sails that stood out, a design like a layered cream cake, a skull flag with lipstick on it, and a figurehead at the bow that was softly humming a song...
"Queen Mama Chanter."
Junzi muttered, "BIG MOM's flagship. How troublesome."
Shano naturally recognized this legendary pirate ship and smiled.
First Akainu ambushed him, then the Knights of God appeared, and now one of the Four Emperors came to interfere…
Hah, how lively!
But thinking carefully, it wasn't surprising.
Among the Four Emperors, BIG MOM's territory was the closest to the entrance to the New World.
The Charlotte Family was large, well-organized, deeply tied to the underworld, and had excellent intelligence networks.
He and Akainu had been fighting here for almost an entire day, creating such a stir. It would be stranger if BIG MOM hadn't noticed.
"Let's withdraw."
Shamrock said plainly. "I have no interest in dealing with a Four Emperor in this situation."
He glanced at Shano again.
"Joining the Knights of God will benefit you. Think it over. We'll meet again. I hope your answer changes by then."
Shano raised an eyebrow, but before he could respond—
Crack!
Another huge bolt of black lightning fell from the sky. That same twisted, evil aura briefly spread, then vanished quickly.
The sea returned to calm.
The three black-robed figures had disappeared without a trace.
"Damn."
Shano snorted coldly.
He wasn't afraid of the deputy commander of the Knights of God who looked exactly like Red Hair, and didn't believe the man was stronger than Akainu.
But this weird ability to teleport in and out at will was truly annoying.
Could it be power bestowed by Im?
Shano narrowed his eyes.
It was manageable for now.
He only had one ship, so he could easily sense the arrival of enemies.
But in the future?
Once he had his own territory, what if they struck while he was away?
Seems like from now on, whenever he refreshed the system shop, he needed to keep an eye out for any items that could restrict this kind of teleportation ability.
As for the present...
The trouble with the Navy was dealt with. That massive ship arriving now—whether it brought new problems or something else—he'd have to meet it to find out.
Shano signaled to his crew aboard the End to wait, then used moon steps to fly alone toward the Queen Mama Chanter.
...
Holy Land, Marijoa
Atop the World Government's tallest office, the atmosphere was tense.
The Five Elders stood silently, passing intelligence reports from CP-0, each showing different expressions.
"They fought all night with no winner?"
"What terrifying growth speed."
"We'll need to re-evaluate his danger level."
Satan, wearing a flat hat, squinted. "Also, Figarland's son from the Knights of God seems to have taken a liking to this kid and tried to recruit him."
"Recruit?"
The kimono-wearing Nasujuro was surprised. "If that kid joins the Knights of God... it would be ideal. What was the result?"
"It didn't work."
Satan shook his head. "That brat rejected them outright. Just as Charlotte Linlin's flagship arrived, Shamrock returned to the Holy Land. But it seems he hasn't given up."
"Let him keep trying. We don't have the authority to meddle in Divine Knight affairs anyway."
Nasujuro adjusted his glasses. "But this battle... though Sakazuki didn't lose, from the overall perspective, the Navy lost face."
"Suppress the heat. Send someone to warn Morgans. The news about Shano and Akainu's clash can be reported, but the details—especially anything involving the Divine Knights—must be kept secret."
Shepard Ten Peter Saint said indifferently, "Also, gentlemen, I believe we should report this to Lord Im."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
...
The deepest part of Pangaea Castle – the "Room of Flowers."
At its highest point, the Void Throne loomed.
A tall figure cloaked in shadow strolled lazily along the flower path, bending down to smell a bloom.
Not far behind—
The Five Elders, the most powerful men in the world, knelt with their foreheads nearly to the floor, not daring to breathe.
"Finished talking?"
Im turned slightly, voice neutral—neither male nor female.
"Yes, my lord."
The middle elder spoke respectfully, "That's all the information we've gathered on Shano. In just over six months, he's grown strong enough to fight an admiral evenly. It's troubling. If this continues—"
"Does he carry the blood of D?" Im interrupted, pulling out a photo from the offered documents.
"Investigated thoroughly. No connection."
"What about Devil Fruit ability?"
Im's eyes rippled as they glanced at the boy in the photo.
"He doesn't have one. Just pure physical strength."
"Then why worry? Mum isn't concerned."
Im smiled ambiguously and walked slowly toward the throne. His cloak swept across the flower petals, and his voice echoed like a cold spring:
"To compete with the strongest of the sea at 18 is rare, yes—but it's happened before. He's not special."
"As long as that wall and that barrier still stand... no matter how fast he grows, it'll eventually stop. And that... will change nothing."
Im looked tired and waved a hand:
"Go now. Handle this yourselves. Mum isn't very interested. But... hasn't the New World been stable for a while?"
"Then let this little brat stir it up a bit. If it brings some fun... that wouldn't be so bad."
...
In the next two days—
A piece of eye-catching news spread from the New World across the four seas:
—The super rookie Shano, who caused storms in the first half of the Grand Line, has officially led his crew into the New World!
He also fought Admiral Akainu for more than ten hours—ending in a draw.
The specifics of the battle weren't disclosed. The report didn't even appear on the front page—only as a sidebar on page three.
This caused many pirates who only read headlines to overlook it, slowing the spread of public opinion.
But one thing couldn't be ignored.
Shano's bounty as the "World's Number One Swordsman" was updated just ten days later—
2.13 billion berries!
Though the increase wasn't huge, it crossed the 2 billion mark—a symbolically significant milestone.
You see—
Among the Four Emperors' subordinates, many pirates had over a billion in bounty. Even more, if you count retired veterans.
But those with bounties over 2 billion? Only a handful—even from Roger's era.
So this bounty upgrade was clearly the Navy signaling a new level of concern about Shano.
Thus—
Even though the World Government suppressed the news, even though the public chatter spread slowly this time...
With help from those with ulterior motives, Shano's title as "World's Number One Swordsman" still echoed across the seas, becoming a hot topic in taverns, ports, and back alleys!
His fame even began to rival that of the Four Emperors!
...
"Is the new generation's wave finally coming?"
Someone stood on a cliff, gazing at the stormy sea, and sighed:
"A rookie just entering the New World can draw with an admiral? That's unheard of."
"Yeah... last time someone like that appeared, wasn't it Red-Haired Shanks?"
"Now there's Shano too. Does that mean the Four Emperors might soon become the Five?"
Some didn't care about Shano's bounty—but worried about his title.
"What a mess. Another 'World's Number One Swordsman'? Wasn't that Mihawk?"
"Tch. That guy was the titleholder half a month ago. The Navy officially recognizes this new one now. Mihawk... must be pissed."
"Yeah, I'd be mad too. Damn, when will they fight? I can't wait..."
Of course—
Some people missed the earlier reports and only now began to learn about Shano's past glory.
For example—
On a small island in the North Blue...
In heavy snow, a submarine slowly surfaced and docked.
"Hey, Law! Let's go already. What are you doing?"
A white bear cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted at the figure standing at the shore.
The young man with a leopard-print hat didn't respond, just stared at the sky in a daze, lost in thought.
Only when his crewmates came up did he snap out of it. He rolled up the newspaper, tucked it under his arm, and smiled—a rare, bright smile.
"Hey, Bepo, Shachi, Penguin." Law grinned. "Let's leave the North Blue and head to the Grand Line, yeah?"
"Eh? Huh?! What's wrong?!"
Bepo panicked. "Didn't you say we had to train longer before we're ready for that guy? And why are you smiling like that? Are you sick?!"
The bear reached out its fluffy paw to touch Law's forehead and then touched its own...
"Your body temp isn't even human, idiot! What's the point of that?!"
The others' faces twitched, shouting with fang-like scowls.
"S-sorry..."
Bepo bowed his head, looking wronged.
"I'm fine, don't worry."
Law patted him on the shoulder, then looked up at the snowy sky. His eyes softened, filled with nostalgia.
"I just... really want to see someone again."