"So eager to seize the pirates' lifeline?"
Gawain gently shook his head at Newgate's heartfelt words.
No, Newgate.
The reason I decided to wage the next war against you after you had all gathered is because...
Because I not only don't want to take your lives, I even want to force you to unite in my presence!
At this point, Gawain raised his wine bowl and toasted Newgate.
After setting down his wine bowl, Gawain continued.
"Do you know what it means to force all the pirates in the New World to unite under external pressure?"
The harm you bring to the New World will actually be much less than what you originally caused.
Although I blocked the Grand Line first, there's no doubt I want the Grand Line, New World... I want it too!
Even the most expansive, the Four Blues, which even the World Government struggles to completely control, and the Four Blues whose Affiliated Nation are exceptionally arrogant and wicked!
I will eventually bring them all to my possession!
Your statement, the one that temporarily preserves the lifeline of pirates.
When you said that, you didn't care at all whether I agreed or not.
I'm confident I can defeat you, but if I want to wipe out your three emperor teams, along with legendary pirates like Ochoku...
Especially if I were to be even more ruthless and ensure that none of you could escape...
That just means my dream was a bit too unrealistic!
To be honest, Newgate, when I started this war, I didn't leave you any chance of meeting me!
But even the team I led, even the team that my Dark Bird Ship and the navy assembled together.
We cannot possibly capture you all at once.
If you're determined to leave, no one can keep a monster here.
Don't worry, the pirates' fate won't end when the war ends.
After all, a massive system like One Piece, even if it were to disappear, could only vanish under the influence of politics.
War is merely a necessary means before politics can be implemented.
After saying that, Gawain raised his glass again.
Across from him, Newgate smiled with satisfaction, for this was the answer he had been looking for.
He turned his head, picked up the flask, and spoke to Shanks.
"Did you hear that, Shanks? Gawain never thought we could win."
This kid's arrogance is even greater than Roger's back then.
"Even if he's arrogant than Captain Roger, you don't think he's arrogantr than me, right, Newgate!"
Shanks smiled and raised his wine bowl, continuing to speak to Gawain as he did so.
"After all, haha, just like Gawain thought we couldn't possibly win."
And I, too, never thought we would lose!
At this point, Shanks' wine bowl clinked hard against Gawain's.
Gawain took back the wine bowl and, before drinking, looked at Shanks with Gawain interest.
"Shanks, you're really outrageously arrogant."
Even if we only consider the number of monsters on both sides, you don't have much of a chance of winning, right?
Let me put myself in your shoes. You think you won't lose, and I think I won't lose either. So, if I were you...
Just then, Gawain, who had been pondering, suddenly froze, and his gaze toward Shanks became slightly more cautious.
Noticing Gawain's gaze, Shanks grinned and tossed his hair.
"See, it seems you thought of that too."
Because the conditions for victory are different for both of us!
Let me calculate the time... haha, it's probably about time now.
"If nothing unexpected happens, your plan is about to encounter a slight mishap!"
Bubbles!!!
Just as Shanks finished speaking, the Den Den Den Mushi in Gawain's arms suddenly rang.
Upon hearing the Den Den Mushi's voice, Gawain frowned and silently turned Den Den Mushi off.
He had no intention of answering this kind of call... which, in Red-Haired Shanks' eyes, was destined to make him lose his composure!
At the same time, looking at Gawain, whose expression was slightly serious, the Red-Haired Shanks nodded slightly.
"It's okay if you don't answer; you'll find out later."
Let me be frank with you. Right after my entire pirate crew arrived, Linlin and I met up and made a few small arrangements.
About twenty minutes ago, just as the three of us rushed over to invite you, my navigator, along with the musician and the girl from the Big Mom's crew who can walk through mirrors, went to a place that was not particularly important to you, and that you had never assigned anyone to personally protect.
As for the harvest...
I think my partner has gotten enough Dyna Stone!
At this point, Shanks raised his right hand and slammed it heavily on the small table in front of him.
"See, Gawain, the conditions for our victory are different."
The victory you seek is one that inflicts a significant enough damage on the entire pirate camp to suppress our desire for further expansion.
And the victory that we pirates pursue.
The victory we seek is not to directly force you to reclaim the Grand Line.
The victory we desire is extremely humble, just enough... to make you and the World Government hesitate to act!
Dyna Stone cannot be used as leverage to force you and the Navy to abandon the war.
But in a way, this Dyna Stone is enough to give me Shanks, another kind of face!
As for you, Newgate, although you've already decided to die, please believe me.
Now is not the time for you to die, because you are truly the backbone of the pirates.
If their backbone is simply removed, then... a pirate without a backbone will be unable to shoulder the responsibility of sharing the burden with Gawain.
In short, we will not lose tomorrow's war.
If we are truly on the verge of defeat, then the Dyna Stone will become my tool to coerce Mary Geoise in exchange for higher-level orders from Mary Geoise.
Don't worry, Gawain, I have no intention of embarrassing you.
Therefore, Mary Geoise's phone call will serve as a buffer for our future, and at the same time provide a reasonable way out for both of us!
Of course, you might think that Shanks can only preserve his remaining dignity by relying on the little bit of secret he knows that shouldn't be known by pirates.
"Let me put it this way: I have no intention of truly destroying the world. The Dyna Stone in my hands is really just a stepping stone. And the war between you and me, even without the Dyna Stone, won't be as optimistic as you think!"
At this point, Shanks slapped his thigh, then waved to Newgate.
"You know what, Newgate? For us pirates, there are just too many ways to win."
Because we're pirates, we really have the right to disregard morality.
As for Gawain, he has too many things on his mind, and coupled with his identity as Celestial Dragon, he himself is their biggest weakness and Achilles' heel!
Shanks turned around, smirking and narrowing his eyes at Gawain.
"In the war two days from now, we will not make any unnecessary war plans."
Let me tell you, after the war began...
Whether it's me, Newgate and Linlin, or Ochoku and my old friends from Captain Roger's ship.
None of us monsters have any intention of competing with any opponent this time!
You've almost severed the lifeline of the pirates, and you've truly united the pirates currently here.
Then you can imagine what kind of things these united pirates are capable of!
I don't care how you plan tomorrow's battle. For us pirates, once the war begins tomorrow, it will be the end!
We see no enemies, we only see you!
No matter how the war begins, the core of this war is only yourself!
I will unleash all the monsters to gather together, with you Gawain, as their sole target, ensuring that the core of the war is always built upon you!
Your eyesight has improved considerably; you might actually be able to withstand all of our attacks.
So what? Even if it means getting injured, we'll put enough pressure on you!
You are the master of the Dark Bird Ship, the role model of the Celestial Dragon, and the banner of a new maritime power.
We can use underhanded tactics, we can outnumber the enemy, and we can do many, many more things.
But you can't!
Even if you win, the existence of the Dyna Stone ensures I have leverage in negotiations!
In this war, as long as you are unable to fight anymore, or if you flee left and right, or even if you only need to retreat slightly.
Then you've already lost!
Would you trade your personal image for victory in war?
But this is a war with no victory!
Similarly, I hope there are no losers in this war!
Unlike Newgate and Linlin, I am far from old. I can still do many things, especially finding enough slates to find my goal, Laugh Tale.
I need time, I need a sufficiently stable period of time.
I don't want to waste my time being a lazy bum in this war swept up by the pirate tide.
Whether you block the Grand Line or not, it's none of my business.
But I need a sufficiently stable sea, only such a sea will not waste my time!
So, Gawain, promise me one thing.
Promise me you'll turn a blind eye a little, meaning you'll open up a route that's only good for pirates to sneak away to the New World.
That route won't embarrass you, but it can completely silence the pirates. You understand the principle of surrounding three sides while leaving one open. As long as there's even a sliver of hope, those bastards in the New World won't be making such a ruckus like they are now!
Once you do that, the pressure on your side will be much lighter than it is now, and Grandpa Rayleigh can occasionally take a half-day break.
If you back down even slightly, then whatever the outcome, I will no longer be a burden to you.
Otherwise, for me,
Whether the pirates win or lose, I will never get the peace I crave!
If the pirates win, then damn it, these guys who were first suppressed and then rebounded will be like every bastard who quit smoking and then started smoking again, with an even greater addiction to wreaking havoc on the world and causing trouble!
If the pirates lose, then before all the pirate monsters are dead, wars similar to those two days later will break out one after another.
Pirates aren't easily defeated. As long as one person tries to gain something for nothing, they won't disappear. They'll just keep causing trouble for someone like me who craves peace and quiet, using situations like this one!
They are indeed the source of the trouble, but you are the cause of the trouble, Gawain!
I respect your choice and decision. I don't mind if you win; I'd rather the sea become the way you want it to be!
But you need to understand that you should also show me some respect, my friend.
At least let me live a little more comfortably. Even if I'm destined to fail, I need to go far enough to see the future clearly!
At this point, Shanks raised his wine bowl, his gaze towards Gawain filled with a chilling coldness.
As for Gawain, he met Shanks's cold gaze.
He slowly raised his wine bowl, then clinked it together heavily!
"You have a good plan, and the Dyna Stone, which is something that Mary Geoise cannot hand over to me for control, is enough to cause me trouble."
Especially when those extremely dangerous weapons are in your hands, Shanks.
Its danger becomes even more unpredictable!
Even as he said this, Gawain still harbored some dissatisfaction.
Could Gawain possibly not remember a weapon like Dyna Stone?
That's a real nuclear weapon from the One Pirate World, a super nuclear bomb that can destroy an island once it explodes.
The problem is, given Gawain's status, he has no right to demand the Dyna Stone!
What is Gawain's identity?
Although he was Celestial Dragon favored by the Five Elders, he was ultimately a challenger who had always planned to overthrow his superiors!
The Five Elders treated him very well, but only if he kept his methods of subjugation within a fairly benevolent framework!
Bottom beats top?
No problem!
The Five Elders are very welcoming.
Achieve results, enhance strength, and prove yourself.
So you can challenge the rules at any time, kick one of them out, and become the new Five Elders?
But what do you need the Dyna Stone for?
You are not another country; you yourself are part of Mary Geoise and the prospective leader of the World Government.
What you need to do is keep proving yourself, not seek out explosives like the Dyna Stone, which is top secret even to the World Government and could trigger a civil war at any time, or even destroy Mary Geoise and the entire world!
Gawain had known about that thing for a long time, but he never revealed that he knew about it.
The Celestial Dragon didn't know about the Dyna Stone either. Only some admirals in the Navy who had personally guarded it, as well as CP0 and Marine Admiral, barely knew anything about it.
You, junior, want to Dyna Stone?
What do you need that for?
Is this a coup d'état? Or a rebellion?
If that thing were used in other countries, it would immediately cause a huge uproar.
But if used in Mary Geoise, it would be a complete disaster!
In other words, even if Gawain obtained the Dyna Stone, he would have almost no way to use it. He has a much stronger foundation than the Dyna Stone, so he doesn't need, nor can he demand, that the Dyna Stone be one of his trump cards.
So, is it possible that Gawain arranged for someone to guard the Dyna Stone?
Are you kidding me? The secret the Five Elders have kept hidden for so long has just been revealed to you, and you're even guarding it?
Why are you sending more troops to guard the Dyna Stone? Are you sure you're there to guard it, and not to seize it and force the emperor to abdicate?
Are you trying to flip the card table?!
In short, it was a forbidden zone that even Gawain had difficulty accessing, and Gawain was not surprised that Shanks had obtained such information.
Shanks is also Celestial Dragon was released to the sea by the Five Elders.
The key point is that Gawain chose the path of benevolence, while Shanks chose the path of tyranny.
Their choices, perspectives, identities, and influences differed.
Gawain and Shanks are not the same!