The edge of Shanks's territory.
Thousands of meters above ground, a massive fleet hovered in the sky.
All the flags flying above bore the same emblem — clearly... this was the floating fleet led by Skarn.
On the fleet.
Law activated his Devil Fruit power, his hands moving constantly.
Pa!
"Alright."
Law clapped his hands, signaling Drake that he could go.
But that last movement of Law's... Drake faintly felt something was off.
He subtly pulled out a small mirror... and the veins on his forehead bulged:
"Bastard! What the hell is this supposed to mean!!!"
Drake pointed furiously at the bandage wrapped around his head... and the giant bow tied on top of it!
Enraged, he was about to charge forward.
Law quickly used his ability to dodge away and said:
"Looks good! Looks good!"
Drake held back his fury:
"Looks good my ass! Get back here!!!"
One chasing, one fleeing... full of energy, nothing like the exhausted men who had just fought pirates not long ago.
Da da—
The sound of leather shoes landing on the deck rang out.
They landed beside Skarn, who smiled and nodded at the newcomer.
He waved his hand.
The massive fleet slowly began to move... heading toward Shanks's territory.
"What's the mission this time?"
"Destroy as much as we can."
"Just the way I like it..."
...
The New World, G-14 Branch.
After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Sakazuki turned and walked toward the fortress.
Inside the office.
Enel, wrapped in bandages, was slumped on the sofa, his legs propped up on the coffee table as he munched on an apple.
After being bandaged up and finding nothing to do, he wandered in here.
Ka ka—
The sound of the doorknob turning echoed.
Sakazuki's voice came from outside:
"How are you holding up?"
A moment later, the man in the fiery red suit stepped inside.
Enel casually tossed the apple core into the trash can:
"Nothing serious."
"A bit of rest and I'll be fine."
Sakazuki chuckled lightly:
"Learned your lesson?"
Enel spread his hands helplessly:
"This lesson hurts way too much."
"By the way... where are the others?"
Sakazuki sat down at his desk:
"They went to carry out other missions."
Enel looked puzzled:
"It's not over yet, is it?"
Because in the final part of the plan, Enel was supposed to destroy the communications and block Knock from receiving any information.
Then Sakazuki would drag Knock into a clash with Red-Haired Shanks.
That way, once Kaido's invasion was nearly complete, the overall situation would be decided.
Knock wouldn't be able to turn things around.
But because Enel was severely injured, that last part was cut short.
Now Kaido had just begun his attack on Knock's territory.
And Sakazuki had already sold him out... telling Knock in advance and pulling their people back.
It couldn't even really be called betrayal... after all, between pirates and the Navy, there were no real "teammates" to begin with...
What should have been a situation where Knock couldn't turn the tide, due to Sakazuki's early warning...
Had turned into a drawn-out entanglement of a war... and even dragged in Charlotte Linlin and Red-Haired Shanks.
Mhm... a Four Emperors free-for-all.
Sakazuki crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair:
"Plans never keep up with changes."
"Kaido dragged Charlotte Linlin in to split the cake together."
"Knock can't hold them off alone, and Red Hair will definitely step in."
"So his turf is left wide open."
"Once we plunder it, that'll be the end of it."
"The Four Emperors' battle won't end any time soon."
"After this, I can focus on getting ready to be promoted to Fleet Admiral."
Enel's mouth twitched...
"With scheming like this... can those two really put up with it?"
"They're still Emperors, after all."
Sakazuki said:
"Even if they can't, they'll have to."
"You think Charlotte Linlin and Kaido will spit the meat out after it's already in their mouths?"
"As long as they don't give up this profit..."
"Knock and Red Hair won't have their hands free."
He turned toward the window, his gaze deep and distant.
In the past, the Four Emperors had maintained a balance, tacitly agreeing not to cross certain lines.
But now, with the situation cracked open, Charlotte Linlin and Kaido had devoured islands and wealth — there was no way they'd spit it out.
In the past, when they maintained the balance, it was yours.
Now that the balance was broken, there was nothing to hold them back. It's theirs now — and if you want to take it back, there's no way.
Stalemate and chaos were inevitable.
Would Knock be willing to accept it? No.
But it wouldn't change anything.
Even with Knock's power plus the Red Hair Pirates' strength combined...
Facing the pirate crews led by two tanky monsters like Kaido and Linlin, the outcome would be hard to decide.
After this war, Knock's and Red-Haired Shanks's forces would be drastically weakened.
Charlotte Linlin and Kaido's forces were deeper and stronger, but that was exactly what Sakazuki wanted to see.
Among the Four Emperors.
Only Knock and Shanks were the most rational, the most level-headed — and therefore the most troublesome.
One was a cunning overlord who had clawed his way up from nothing, dominating the New World's underworld for years.
The other was Red-Haired Shanks, raised under Roger and Rayleigh, with a crew of sharp minds.
That was precisely why Sakazuki wanted to weaken the two of them.
Compared to those two...
Charlotte Linlin and Kaido, while powerful, were both a bit unhinged.
Obsessed with their dreams... their personalities riddled with flaws.
Their flaws were countless.
The nun's photo, obsession with sweets, heavy drinking, lust for war...
Even with great strength, it didn't matter — their weaknesses made them easy to control.
Enel picked up another apple, tossing it lightly.
He seemed to have thought of something and looked at Sakazuki:
"Hey... old man."
"If I really died this time."
"Would you be sad?"
Sakazuki withdrew his gaze from the window:
"Maybe."
Enel sighed helplessly:
"Would you avenge me then?"
Sakazuki chuckled softly:
"Maybe."
Enel covered his face:
"Ah—"
"So half-hearted..."
"That hurts."
Clutching his chest dramatically, as if stabbed in the heart... he slumped sideways on the sofa.
Sakazuki shook his head with a small laugh, then stood and walked to the window.
A light sea breeze blew in, bringing a cool touch.
Facing the fiery sunset, his broad back seemed to hold up the sky, the cloak of justice on his shoulders fluttering gently in the wind...
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The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg. 414 chapters in total