Pirate Alliance, Brothers Reunited

"So, this is my fault too?"

Faced with Roman's words, what could the three CP0 elites do? Of course, they would:

"It's because I'm incompetent!" x3

The Celestial Dragons are infallible; the ones who are wrong are, of course, ourselves.

"Never mind," Roman turned to face the secret Den Den Mushi in his hand, "Leave this to me."

"······"

"Little Roman, this time the opponent is not Doflamingo, that traitor who trapped himself in the Birdcage, but Kaido of the Four Emperors, who is known as the 'World's Strongest Creature'."

On the other end of the Den Den Mushi were, of course, the Five Elders, who were at the pinnacle of world power, but this time they were all shocked by Roman's audacity.

Regarding Kaido: 'He suffered seven defeats, was captured 18 times while challenging the Navy and the Four Emperors alone, endured over a thousand tortures, and was sentenced to death 40 times. Even when hanged, he would break the chains; even when led to the guillotine, he would shatter the blade; even when stabbed by a spear, the spear would break.'

These boastful rumors about the sea are nothing but exaggerations. Garp's fists, Akainu's magma, Seastone, seawater, a second Devil Fruit... If Kaido could truly ignore these attacks, he wouldn't just be the 'World's Strongest Creature,' but the King of the World has conquered the Holy Land! However:

"Kaido is incredibly strong, Roman, you can't let your guard down!"

As the designated successor to the Five Elders, the Five Elders are still counting on elite Celestial Dragons like Roman to safeguard the Celestial Dragons' eternal hegemony. How could they possibly agree to his absurd plan to "take down Kaido"?

"My lords, please calm down. I am also aware of Kaido's strength. Since such a plan has been proposed, it is certainly possible for it to be realized."

"First, the BIG MOM Pirates have entered Wano Country, and Big Mom herself is currently fighting Kaido Onigashima; "

"Secondly, the Straw Hat Pirates are also actively contacting the samurai of Wano Country who are dissatisfied with Kaido and Orochi's rule, intending to assassinate them."

"Finally, I discovered that the Whitebeard Pirates had also secretly infiltrated Wano Country, and it seems their target is also Kaido's head."

With these three forces combined, even if the so-called 'World's Strongest Creature' was made of Seastone, how long could it withstand the attack?

"If everything is really as you say..."

"Please rest assured, gentlemen, watch how I teach these pirates who presumptuously call themselves 'Emperors' on the high seas a lesson."

"... Be careful."

What can the Five Elders do when faced with Roman, who is far away in Wano Country?

After all, "a general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders," and it's impossible to bring Roman back through a Den Den Den Mushi), so:

"You lot, during the Wano Country period, you will all obey Saint Roman!"

"Yes!" X3

The CP0 trio, who had been standing at the door as a backdrop, immediately answered in unison. They were originally the Celestial Dragons ' 'shield', and facing Roman, who was top-notch in both strength and tactics and was the designated next 'Five Elders', they had no psychological barriers to obeying him.

They're at least a hundred times better than those deliberately spoiled 'pigs' in the Holy Land.

"Very well, so your task is..."

"Roman, how much longer? I can't wait any longer!"

When he came to his senses, all he could hear was Luffy's incessant chatter, which made Roman rub his temples.

"Almost there, almost there—"

Indeed, it happened very quickly, because while Roman was busy contacting people everywhere, Big Mom and Kaido, who had already been fighting for two days and two nights, had already...

"Hahaha~~"

"Mmmmmmmmmm~~"

Two eight-meter-tall monsters, shoulder to shoulder, sang and danced, chugging wine and guzzling it down their throats. They laughed like two children weighing thousands of kilograms, leaving Queen, who was watching from the sidelines, completely bewildered.

"How did fighting turn into friendship?"

"Hey, listen up!"

Surrounded by the executives and top officers of the Beasts Pirates and the BIG MOM Pirates, Kaido and Big Mom raised their glasses:

"From this day forward, the Beasts Pirates will—"

"Form an alliance with my BIG MOM Pirates!!"

"The 'Fire Festival' will be the most wonderful feast!"

"That's right, it's an anniversary!!"

The two Four Emperors, who looked remarkably alike, formed Pirate Alliance in a seemingly childish manner, much to the astonishment of their respective crews. However:

"Once we join forces to conquer this world, the fighting will come first."

Amidst the speechless gazes of the group of officials, both of the seemingly mad Four Emperors were actually perfectly aware of the situation:

With his/her help, obtain that secret treasure, become the King of the Pirates, and then defeat him/her!

The treasures of Wano Country, plus the ultimate Greatest Treasure of Laugh Tale,

That is the true capital to rule this world!

"Very good,"

Faced with Roman tapping the table, Usopp was so terrified he lost his mind:

"Kaido really allied with Big Mom!! What's so good about that? Believe me, I'll scare you to death right now—"

"Humans cannot, or at least should not... Never mind, don't panic."

This time, however, not only were Usopp and Chopper already in tears, but the rest of the Straw Hat crew looked grave! Although Roman had previously confidently stated that Kaido would ally with Big Mom, they believed that a clash between the two Emperors of the Sea would be a cataclysmic, all-or-nothing conflict! There was no question of an alliance. But now:

"This is troublesome..."

"This is terrible news!"

"Hmph, it's just that we have half as many enemies."

Sometimes, I really wish Roman wasn't so 'reliable'.

Nami rubbed her forehead in exasperation. "Facing two Four Emperors crews, even with the most confidence..."

"I haven't even given up hope, so what are you all despairing about?"

Roman rolled his eyes. "Think back to when we faced Crocodile Enel. Back then, if they got serious, we wouldn't have had a chance to fight back. But now..."

To put it bluntly, if the Straw Hat crew were to fight with all their might, they could easily cripple a Four Emperors crew!

"Besides, we're not fighting alone; we have an ally Trafalgar Law— "

"If you want to die, don't drag me down with you!"

Luo looked utterly devastated.

"And there are also powerful 'Bad People' heroes to help—"

"For the Commander-in-Chief, we will fight to the death!"

A resolute expression...

"I'm telling you, even the people who devised this plan haven't given up hope, so stop acting like you're already in your coffins!"

Forget it, there's no need to hide it now.

Roman knew perfectly well why everyone here looked like they were ready to die together—the difference in strength between the two sides was simply too great! Even the Straw Hat crew, the Bad People, and the local resistance samurai could at best put up a fight against the Beast Pirates, and now another Four Emperors crew had joined the fray...

Isn't this just suicide mission?

"Alright, it's about time, so I'll give you a sneak peek."

With a snap of his fingers, Roman, who was about to "reveal" something, immediately stopped his antics and listened attentively. After all, Roman had always appeared to be in complete control; it would be strange if he didn't have a backup plan. But what could possibly be capable of rivaling the Four Emperors' crew?

"On the day of the final battle, another 'Four Emperors' will join."

?!

"Is another Kaido- like figure coming?"

Tama's master, the Tengu Swordsmith 'Hitetsu', was completely stunned! Is it that the strong on the high seas have become worthless, or is there some Greatest Treasure hidden in Wano Country that has attracted these top experts to flock here?

"Don't worry, the people who came this time are on our side."

"Could it be Shanks?"

Luffy frowned, but didn't seem happy.

"I made a promise with Shanks that I would return this straw Straw Hat to him when I became a great pirate, but now—"

It's not time yet. In Luffy's mind, only becoming the King of the Pirates can truly be considered...

"Don't worry, it's not the Red-Haired Pirates coming."

?!

"Could it be the Blackbeard Pirates? Roman, what are you doing—"

Sanji was the first to panic. Blackbeard, as the culprit who killed Luffy's brother Ace, was practically a taboo subject for the Straw Hat crew. Normally, everyone tried to avoid mentioning him in front of Luffy, so why was Roman doing it?

"It's not the Blackbeard Pirates either."

???

"If it's not the Red-Haired Pirates, and it's not the Blackbeard Pirates, then what other pirate crew dares to call itself Four Emperors?"

"Oh dear, it seems we've been forgotten."

?!

As a confident voice rang out, the doors to the hall opened automatically, and a man in a suit walked in. He had black hair, bright eyes, and freckles on his cheeks that did not detract from his gentle smile, especially when his gaze fell on Luffy.

"Yo, Luffy."

Just like back in Alabasta,

"Ace... Ace... Ace!!!"

Clang,

Stunned Luffy even collapsed to the ground, staring incredulously at the man who walked in. The other Straw Hat crew members also looked on in shock, wondering if this was another one of the Red Earl's... But as one figure entered...

'Phoenix' Marco, 'Diamond' Jozu, 'Flower Sword' Vista, Blenheim, Lakyo...

"This... this... is impossible..."

Just as Luffy was dumbfounded, a petite figure rushed over!

"Brother Ace ~~"

Thud!

He knelt down and let the little girl rush into his arms, her cries and snot filling the air as she sobbed.

"Brother Ace, I'm so glad you're alright! That person—"

The sulking little girl turned and pointed at Luffy, who was still frozen in his pose.

"He said you're dead, that's terrible!!"

"Tama,"

Touching the little girl's dry, malnourished hair, Ace sighed again, lamenting his past impulsiveness. So many promises remained, so many people expected of him, yet two years ago, he was preoccupied with questioning the meaning of his existence...

That's so stupid.

"That's my brother,"

?

"Two years ago, I did indeed die in front of him."

?!

"Hey, hey, hey?"

Tama subconsciously reached out and touched Ace's chest. The strong beating was even transmitted through his clothes to her palm, so why...?

"Waaaaah! Roman, tell me this is true!!"

Roman sighed as Luffy grabbed him, tears and snot Luffy down his face.

As expected, Ace was Luffy's lifelong regret. However:

"It's true,"

"Simply put, I used my 'Copy Ability' and 'Underworld Ability' to save Ace's life during the Marineford War..."

Snap!

"Hey, you bastard!"

Zoro, his face contorted with rage, grabbed Roman by the collar.

"Why didn't you tell Luffy sooner? Don't give me that nonsense about training your mind, or I'll never forgive you!"

"It was my request,"

Ace stepped forward to separate the angry Zoro and helped Luffy up from the ground.

"If you have any complaints, please direct them at me—"

Bang!

However, before Ace could finish speaking, a figure embraced him tightly.

"That's great... that's great!!"

"Ace, Sabo, you're both alright... Waaaaaah~~~"

Facing the 'King of the Pirates' crying like a child in his arms, Ace gently patted the other's shoulder.

"Luffy, I'm back."