Shanks and Oboro's Showdown

At dawn, the Blood Pluton, bathed in the first light of day, traversed the clouds.

Soon, a dark shadow flew in from afar and landed on the deck.

Bare moved his limbs, and a pair of fleshy wings on his back slowly retracted and disappeared under his skin.

Surprised looks came from all around.

The abilities Bare received from the captain are not only useful... but also quite powerful.

"How about it?"

Oboro looked at Bare and asked.

"At least several dozen warships, with the navy making up only a small portion; they are all World Government ships," Bare grinned.

This shows how serious the matter is.

"We also lost some people, but fortunately the number was not large."

Dom also spoke up.

The crew members who died were mostly killed by government agents or One Piece crews.

The casualties were only a few dozen, which is acceptable.

"So..."

Oboro clapped his hands. "Congratulations! From now on, you've officially joined the Hell Pirates."

Yes... everyone killed the Celestial Dragons and passed the test.

"Then, the latest news... intelligence from Doflamingo's side."

"Someone has been searching for us."

Long held up one finger, emphasizing it.

"Who?"

Crocodile raised an eyebrow.

"Shanks and Kaido."

Oboro replied.

"They've joined forces?"

"It should be..."

Oboro nodded. "I'm afraid it's not just Shanks and Kaido, but even the World Government... Ever since the Sabaody Archipelago incident, when I killed the Celestial Dragons, Charlotte Linlin and Kaido have always had the intention of recruiting me. Especially after it was revealed that I could bestow divine power, they made many statements... They even sent people to the East Blue and participated in the subsequent Battle of Reverse Mountain. They've realized that they were tricked by me, and that I've been taking advantage of their situation... So, it's normal for these two to be angry with me."

"As long as I come to the New World, whether it's Kaido or Big Mom, they will definitely come looking for me... and give me a big gift."

"So, that's why we need the Joker's help, to temporarily infiltrate Dressrosa."

Oboro smiled and said, "It's not just Shanks, Kaido, and the World Government; maybe Linlin has joined their alliance too..."

The expressions on everyone's faces changed slightly.

With the Hell Pirates' resources, dealing with a single Yonko force would be no problem at all.

But now it's two Yonko joining forces, or even three... and the World Government is also involved, all wanting to gang up on one of them.

"This is going to be tough. If they catch us, we might be finished..." Kaka complained, not one to shy away from making trouble. "However, luckily, Captain, your ability is special enough to completely avoid being seen at sea."

What's the next step?

"Should we still take action against the Totto Land?"

"Let's avoid their sharp edge first...and return to Dressrosa." Oboro remained calm; he had anticipated this situation of being at odds with the entire world. "If there's anyone in the New World who can quietly help us hide, it's none other than Doflamingo. Firstly, his evil deeds haven't been exposed, he still maintains connections within the government, and he's still a Shichibukai. Secondly, he's been cooperating with Kaido for years, so he's practically Kaido's man... If there are any changes on Shanks' and Kaido's side, he'll know immediately. His Dressrosa is our best foothold."

"Oh."

The Crocodile sneered.

Now I finally understand why Oboro values Doflamingo so much... and even promised him huge profits.

"The Joker is exceptionally cunning, and I don't really trust him... He could betray us at any time," Crocodile said.

"No... He's completely tied to us now, and betrayal would do him no good. Most importantly, this guy is a madman... Now that the plan has progressed this far, he knows exactly which side to take."

Long smiled confidently.

Although Crocodile was familiar with Doflamingo, he was unaware of some of Doflamingo's experiences and ambitions.

"With your abilities, Captain, you could easily create a territory in the air like the Shiki did back then. Although the area wouldn't be that large, it would be enough for us to rest. For safety's sake... there's no need to go back to Dressrosa, is there?" Dorans added, as if he had just thought of something.

He was a little scared.

The main concern is the current situation of the Hell Pirates. At least for now, it's certain that Shanks and Kaido have joined forces... and they can't defeat them.

It would be terrible if it were exposed.

His words drew a cold look from Dom.

Dorans swallowed hard and didn't dare to say another word.

"Returning to Dressrosa is to further drag Doflamingo into this... That way, even if things are exposed later, the Joker won't be able to protect himself. Besides, with the captain's abilities, it doesn't matter where we are... We can leave the land and the sea at any time." At this moment, Rob Lucci, who had been silent all along, suddenly explained.

"Hattori... oh no, I should call you Rob Lucci... It seems you've finally abandoned the World Government and joined us."

Kaka patted Rob Lucci on the shoulder and said happily.

"..."

Rob Lucci remained expressionless.

Just as he expected, after entering the New World, Oboro most likely told the crew about his identity.

If the information had been revealed earlier, with his keen eye, he would have been able to discern some clues from the expressions of the others, thus becoming alert.

The God Slayer had calculated every step of the way.

The longer time passed, the more convinced he became of Oboro's schemes, even if he harbored hostility towards the God Slayer.

The same is true now.

There must be a reason for returning to Dressrosa.

All he could think of was making it difficult for Doflamingo to 'betray' him in the future.

"What's the panic... At worst, we'll just have a fight."

"It's too early to talk about who won or lost since there hasn't been a real fight."

Shiryu's tone carried a hint of murderous intent.

On the other side were two Yonko, and their ship also had two Yonko- level combatants... At most, there was a significant gap between the core combatants and the lower-level combatants on their ships.

Of course, if they really fought, their chances of winning would be very small.

The crew members each expressed their opinions... but the final decision on how to proceed still rests with Lung.

"Heh heh heh... Kaido, Big Mom, Shanks... do you think their alliance can last long, given their personalities? Leaving aside Kaido and Big Mom's personalities... even with Shanks, they won't completely trust him. After all, everyone knows Shanks is now Celestial Dragons. What if Shanks does something shady with the World Government, plotting to kill Kaido and Charlotte Linlin? Those are all possibilities... Kaido and Linlin won't be unaware of this. Furthermore... fundamentally, One Piece and the World Government are irreconcilable enemies. Their alliance is probably just a facade..."

"Seeing us first severely damage the Marine Headquarters and then kill so many Celestial Dragons, the World Government is in a complete mess... Kaido and Big Mom must be gloating. If we show ourselves now, their hastily formed alliance will be diverted... and their attacks will be focused on us. But if we ignore it and hide in the shadows, it won't be long before this alliance collapses on its own... without us even having to lift a finger."

"Kaido and Big Mom are both ticking time bombs... Shanks understands this, so he will definitely try to restrain the two Yonko during our brief cooperation at the beginning of our entry into the New World, promising huge benefits. Otherwise, his plan will fail if time goes on."

"And whatever the incentives offered to Kaido and Big Mom may be... it is definitely the Celestial Dragons who concede the benefits!"

"These two will not let this opportunity pass them by; they will be absolutely insatiable. In the short term, the World Government can satisfy their appetites... but in the long run, even the Celestial Dragons will not be able to bear such a loss of benefits."

"And during this time... our most important task is to rebuild Gran Tesoro."

"Do you understand?"

With just a few simple words, Long calmed everyone's anxieties.

If that's the case... Shanks and the others have essentially worked for nothing, and the Celestial Dragons are even forced to sacrifice their own flesh to feed the tigers.

Meanwhile, the Hell Pirates suffered no losses; they simply kept a low profile for a while.

It's a win no matter how you look at it.

That's brilliant.