Kaido, the undisputed emperor of the sea, was finally rescued by Shano after much effort.
The battle high in the sky ended.
Such a short period of time was definitely not enough for Golden Lion and Bigmom to determine the winner.
Seeing the situation was dire, Golden Lion, believing Shano's strength had gradually recovered and he might join in at any moment, decisively abandoned the fight with Bigmom and, relying on the power of the Float-Float Fruit, quickly distanced himself.
Standing high in the sky, overlooking Cake Island below, he snorted coldly.
"Linling, Kaido, and that brat Shano!"
Golden Lion blew out a puff of smoke and bared his teeth. "You're lucky this time! But don't think it's over!"
If he were in his prime, he would never have left today, even if Kaido and Shano had fully recovered. It wouldn't matter.
It's just one against three!
Unfortunately…
He's old, his strength has declined. Since the island raid failed to achieve his goal, he had to retreat for now.
He waved his hand fiercely, and the remaining scattered fragments of the floating island, manipulated by his power, transformed into countless sharp rock spears, hurling them towards Cake Island.
While their power was far less than the impact of an entire island, it was still enough to cause considerable damage.
"Hey, Shiki! What else do you want to do, you bastard?"
Bigmom roared, brandishing his greatsword Napoleon, shattering and intercepting the incoming rocks.
Golden Lion had already seized this opportunity to completely shake Bigmom off, ascending higher into the clouds, his figure rapidly fading into obscurity.
Soon, he was reduced to a tiny speck on the horizon, leaving only his unbridled laughter:
"Hahaha, you thief, I'll be back! Today is merely the prelude to my return. When my grand plan is complete and I officially return, you will finally understand that after Roger is gone, this era should be called Golden Lion!!!"
Grand plan?
Was he referring to the nearly completed IQ Beast project?
Shano stood on the shore, stroking his wet dog head, squinting in the direction where the Golden Lion disappeared.
This old man…
As a contemporary who had competed with Roger and Whitebeard, his strength was naturally strong enough.
His record was also impressive.
He broke into the Marine Headquarters single-handedly, faced the combined forces of Sengoku and Garp, and fought for a long time, destroying half of Marineford.
However, ever since the Battle of Eto-Wol, when a steering wheel was inserted into his head, the old man's brain seemed to have been not working well.
Logically speaking, the mobility of the Float-Float Fruit is comparable to Kizaru's Pika-Pika Nomi. As long as he wanted to leave, even opponents of the same level would find it difficult to stop him.
As a result, he would rather be captured and taken to Impel Down and cut off his legs than escape on the spot.
This is a bit sympathetic. The top strongmen with strong spirits will always be unable to let go of their unwillingness and self-esteem.
But after disappearing for twenty years and preparing for twenty years…
The other party's means of revenge on this world is to conduct some kind of IQ beast research and release the beasts into the sea to give the world government a headache?
It doesn't make sense.
Anyway, Shano couldn't understand it.
"East China Sea…"
Shano's eyes flashed slightly.
In his impression, the Golden Lion's revenge started from the towns in the East China Sea.
However, if it continued according to the original timeline, Luffy would not have to worry about this before going to sea.
But the butterfly effect he set off after traveling to the present was really too big.
The Golden Lion showed up three years earlier, who knows if he would start implementing his plan in advance? And among those towns in the East China Sea that suffered, would there be the islands he was familiar with?
His hometown of Cocoa Village, Goa Kingdom, Shimotsuki Village…
He would never allow the Golden Lion to attack these places.
"I have to go back to the East China Sea soon."
Shano patted Gin. "It's a thief's job to steal for a thousand days, but you can't be on guard against thieves for a thousand days. We have to find the Golden Lion's base and destroy this old man, along with the entire Flying Pirates."
He couldn't help but sigh. Looking up at Gin's panting face, he smiled and said,
"It's been a whole year since I left the East China Sea. Hey, Gin, do you want to go back with me?"
A-choo!
Gin sneezed loudly.
He stared at Shano resentfully. Returning to the East China Sea didn't really matter. All he wanted now was a hot bath, then a warm nest, and a bucket of strawberry milk.
Pulling that huge hunk of muscle from the bottom of the sea was exhausting!
"I can see the longing and yearning for home in your eyes," Shano nodded, deeply moved. "You really do understand me. Okay, it's decided then."
Back to the East China Sea!
Once the remaining loose ends of this trip to Cake Island were cleared, they would set off!
After dealing with the Golden Lion, Bell-mère could be brought over.
His stubborn adoptive mother had never ventured beyond the East China Sea in her entire life.
He remembered his childhood, when he and his two little followers, Nokigo and Nami, were busy cultivating the orange orchard…
The woman always said with a smile that when she saved enough money and became a millionaire, she would take her children on a journey beyond the East China Sea, especially to the Grand Line to broaden their horizons.
And now, he had earned a reputation, no longer the rookie who would flee in panic at the slightest call of the navy's admirals. He now had his own territory in the New World.
He had the ability, and the time, to fulfill her wish.
…
Night.
As dusk fell, the impact of the morning's apocalyptic vision of the island falling from the sky gradually faded.
The residents were still in shock, but they gradually resumed their normal activities, and Cake Island gradually returned to its former tranquility.
On the renovated rooftop open-air square, Bigmom personally hosted a banquet.
It was a celebration of the tea party's successful conclusion without incident, and also a farewell for the Fallers and their companions who were about to leave the island.
Shano and Kaido were not seated.
Several kilometers away, the crescent moon illuminated the two figures on the shore.
"Hey, Shano!"
Kaido sat cross-legged on a rock, untied the wine gourd from his waist, and subconsciously tried to throw it over, but then, as if remembering something, he withdrew his hand in frustration.
He tilted his head back and drank the wine by himself, staring at the dark horizon in the distance. Two streams of white smoke blew out of his nose, and he said in a muffled voice:
"What are your plans next?"
Shano leaned against a tree trunk beside him, his arms folded across his chest, and sneered when he heard the words: "What? You haven't given up yet, and want to pull me to be your deputy?"
"Uh-huh!"
Kaido opened his arms and laughed wantonly, "If that's the case, I'm willing to do anything you ask me to do, but I'm not an idiot! This battle has made me realize that a guy like you will never be inferior to others!"
"I'm glad to know."
Shano's eyes were also cast at the distant horizon. "We are not the same kind of people. As for future plans? It's very simple: keep sailing, get stronger, expand your own power, and then…"
"Do the things you wanted to do when you were young but don't dare to do now."
Kaido's pupils shrank slightly.
"Oh? You even know this. It seems you know me better than I thought!"
He looked unconcerned and snorted coldly, "How arrogant! Hey! Who do you think you are? The second Joy Boy?!"
"Joy Boy or something like that? You liked to brag about yourself like that when you were young, right? I'm not interested, but I'm still young, younger than your daughter. Don't compare me to you."
Shano grinned, glanced at him, and pointed to his heart. "When a person has ambitions, he will eventually give it a try."
"…"
Kaido was silent for a while and let out a long breath.
"I really want to strike you down, but just as you said, just thinking about your age makes me feel like I'm not qualified. After all, when I was a teenager, I often couldn't fill my stomach and would often go to the Navy prison to eat!"
He casually put away the wine gourd, stood up, and laughed heartily.
"This time, I helped you, and you saved me once. We're even now. The next time we meet, it'll probably be an all-out war between the Beasts and the Fallen. On the battlefield, I won't show mercy!"
"Same here," Shano said calmly.
As a martial arts fanatic, Kaido's punches were hearty and satisfying, just to his liking.
But as Kurozumi Orochi's backer and the de facto ruler behind Wano Country…
This guy was the standard boss who must be defeated.
That Oden was a piece of shit when it came to governing a country, but Kaido was even worse. He couldn't even sustainably exhaust the resources.
Forget about being compared to Bigmom's meticulously managed Totto Land.
Throughout the New World, none of the other sea emperors or the territorial pirates were more unreliable than him.
When his companions' collective strength grew even greater, a head-on battle would sooner or later ensue between the Enders, led by him, and Kaido's Beasts Pirates!
"Then it's time for me to go!"
Kaido stomped his foot on the reef, his massive body suddenly expanding and deforming, instantly transforming into the enormous blue dragon that obscured the sky.
"As for you, grow stronger, Shano!"
Kaido, fully transformed into a dragon, soared into the air, looking down at Shano on the shore, his dragon eyes gleaming with a fierce fighting spirit.
"I'll be waiting for you on Onigashima! You can't do anything to me now, but when the time comes, don't let me down!"
The sea breeze suddenly picked up, and Kaido raised his head and let out a deafening dragon roar, the sound scattering the clouds for miles.
He gave Shano one last, deep look, then twisted his dragon body, stirring up a cloud of mist as it rushed toward the horizon.
Under the moonlight, the giant cyan dragon shrank smaller and smaller, eventually becoming a single cyan star on the horizon. A faint, wild laugh could be heard drifting on the wind.
"Uh-huh…"
———
Atop the Cake Castle.
Bigmom, smiling and clinking glasses with Bonnie, suddenly turned his head, as if sensing something, and gazed towards the horizon.
"You're leaving now, Kaido…"
She snorted coldly. "You'd rather have a private drink with that brat than say goodbye to me in person?"
They were all gone.
Glancing around, aside from the few who had left, the other long tables were empty, a cold and deserted scene.
The tea party guests had long since dispersed, and even the children of the Charlotte family had gone their separate ways.
The vast open-air plaza seemed eerily empty.
Isn't that what life is all about? Constant comings and goings, separations and reunions.
Just as she couldn't understand why the nun and her childhood friends had suddenly abandoned her, just like her own parents…
Now.
Everyone she could call her friends was gone again: Dufeld, Stussy, Umit…
And so on…
Bigmom pinched her chin, pondering. Why did she feel like she'd forgotten someone among these people?
Hmm, who was it?
————
In late January of the 1517th year of the Sea Circle Calendar,
two major events unfolded almost immediately in the New World.
First, Captain Shano of the Fallen Pirates battled Kaido, the Beast Master, at the Bigmom tea party. The battle lasted five days and nights, ultimately exhausting both, with no clear winner!
Second, the legendary pirate of the previous era, Shiki the Golden Lion, returned after seventeen years. His appearance was extremely high-profile and arrogant, leading him to attack Cake Island.
The two events overlapped significantly in location, timing, and the prominent figures involved.
So, naturally, the newspapers merged into a single, hyped news campaign.
The news broke…
Public opinion erupted, the world was shaken!
From the four seas to the Grand Line, people everywhere could be heard discussing the event, some excited, some terrified, some anxious, some proud…
There was a small hiccup.
For some reason, the World Economic News, the newspaper monopoly, was much slower to react than usual.
Local tabloids had already fueled the public's excitement.
It took several days for the World Economic News, as if it had just woken up, to scramble to follow suit.
But good things come late, and giants are giants after all. Somehow,
the World Economic News, somehow finding its way, published a wealth of firsthand photos in the newspaper.
They included the tea party prelude, the head-on clash between Shano and Kaido, powerful close-ups of the scene, and even close-up shots of the three emperors of the sea facing each other…
The coverage was comprehensive and detailed, instantly sending World Economic News's sales skyrocketing, setting a new record since the beginning of the new year!
Yes, three Emperors of the Sea.
Besides the veterans Kaido and Charlotte Linlin, Shano was officially recognized alongside the two Four Emperors for the first time, becoming the new Emperor of the Sea!
This title was even approved by the World Government.
It's not just an infinity of proximity, not nearly equal, and certainly not hype or fanfare. It's a genuine, undeniable rivalry. He's the true, recognized king of the seas!
And because of this,
the bounty on Shano, which had been stuck at a critical juncture, has finally been broken through, reaching a new level.
"The World's Greatest Swordsman," Shano, now has a new bounty…
3.276 billion berries!
Life or death, no matter the consequences!