On the Red Power, Red-Haired Shanks was engrossed in reading the intelligence report handed to him by Beckman.
Beside him, Beckman pursed his lips worriedly.
"Even with all our efforts, it looks like we're about to collapse..."
Shanks, haha, could you have imagined back then that the Pirate Era might actually end in our hands...?
This is really something to look forward to!
"Yes, it's definitely something to look forward to."
Shanks nodded, then shook his head, and handed the intelligence back to Beckman.
"Morgans really brought us some big news. My old captain has actually crawled back from his grave and is charging towards my territory with Newgate, Kaido, and Linlin's group."
If I'm not mistaken, Teach should have received this information as well.
As Whitebeard's son, that guy must be in a dilemma. After all, I know what kind of person he is, so I know very well how much he had to bear that he didn't want to bear in order to get his current territory and status.
Will my next enemy be Roger? I'm so looking forward to it! Even if it's just a clone of Captain Roger, I really want to challenge the captain I remember.
But Teach...
How could someone like that be willing to be Whitebeard's son?
It seems that the two of them are truly destined to kill each other, father and son.
At this point, Shanks took a deep breath.
Beside him, Beckman exhaled a puff of smoke and then sighed.
"Should I contact Dragon? It's probably time for him to make a promise to us."
Although we don't know how powerful the clones of the Four Emperors and the Pirate King are.
But since Gawain was willing to let the four of them, along with some old guys whose combat power had declined, come here to fight us in a final battle, their combat power, even if not as monstrous as their original forms, must at least be at the level of monsters.
Therefore, this time, we are most likely to fight the final battle.
At this time, Dragon should appear, after all, he is the one who least wants to see Gawain- style dictatorial government continue to control the world.
Right?
"Indeed, but I think we don't need to look for him; he'll come over on his own soon."
After all, Morgans was able to send us the intelligence because Gawain gave his permission. Since I received such intelligence, Teach and even Dragon should not have been forgotten by Gawain.
At this point, Shanks grinned and gently patted the hilt of his sword with his remaining hand.
"Beckman."
He continued.
"This is no simple intelligence; it's practically a challenge from Gawain."
I will certainly not shirk my challenge, but what displeases me is that Gawain didn't even come in person.
Does that mean he no longer respects me after defeating Imu?
Does he think I'm no longer worthy to be his opponent?
Although I told myself that this was just Gawain's arrogance, in reality, we all knew very well what kind of person Gawain was, so it might not actually be arrogance.
He... may have really gained something from that war, so much so that... he's even unwilling to fight me one-on-one anymore.
This guy..
Shanks let out a long sigh, then looked sadly at the sea. For some reason, he seemed to remember something, and suddenly turned around and patted Beckman on the shoulder.
"You know, Beckman, sometimes I feel like the moment I saw Gawain, my whole being seemed to have been changed."
Sometimes, even in my dreams, I see that everything Gawain has now is actually everything I should have had.
Of course, that's absurd; it sounds like I'm jealous of that guy.
But... sigh...
In my dreams, I even have the chance to fight alongside Luffy.
I even dreamt that the kid became one of the Four Emperors like me, but ultimately gave up his dream of becoming the Pirate King, saying things like, "It's better not to be Pirate King like that," haha.
In short, this is so absurd, just treat it as a joke.
By the way, everyone, get ready for battle! Roger and those old guys are coming in strong now. Let's see what these veteran legends are all capable of!
Just as Shanks was preparing for battle, on Blackbeard's Beehive Island...
Teach took the intelligence Marco handed him and immediately slammed his fist on the table.
"Damn Gawain, damn the New World Government, and those damn scientists!"
These guys actually dared to desecrate Pops's corpse! They actually created a younger version of Pops!
What is this? This is a slap in the face to me, Blackbeard! How dare they insult my most beloved Pops like this!
Those bastards deserve to die!
Marco completely agreed with Blackbeard's words, and this time he was genuinely angry!
Whitebeard has always been Marco's deepest, most cherished possession, and now someone dares to touch that possession!
What? You're saying it's possible that the Whitebeard is real?
How could that be? My Pops died in the war a long time ago, not to mention that the current Pops is actually a younger version of himself!
This must be Gawain's evil plan. This guy, who was originally favored by his Pops, has indeed fallen so low after becoming the King of Mary Geoise that he has even forgotten his Pops!
For a time, Blackbeard's Grand Fleet was in high spirits, and everyone wanted to take down that fake Pops Blackbeard as soon as possible!
Without Teach needing to do anything to motivate them, everyone was ready to go and charged towards Shanks' territory.
Who told Shanks' territory to be the first to border that group of people?
Teach couldn't wait to use this battle to completely unite the Grand Fleet, which was currently divided on its own agenda!
On the other hand, within the Revolutionary Army...
Dragon held the message delivered by the seagull, staring at it intently.
Beside him, the Okama King Ivankov laughed loudly.
"Using a group of legendary pirates to start a war against the last two Emperors of the Sea of the New World?"
That brat Gawain really knows how to kill by destroying one's spirit!
That's interesting, really interesting. How did he manage to clone a guy like that?!
Look at the photos, those old guys all look so young, even the Big Mom look sexy and beautiful!
Would such clones possess combat capabilities? If so, how many times stronger would they be than their original counterparts at their peak?
I have a not-so-good guess, Dragon: if those guys really had the power of those people at their peak, Shanks and Teach definitely wouldn't be able to hold on.
If Shanks and Teach both fall, then the last force in the world that could potentially shake Gawain's rule will soon crumble along with them.
Without the last pirate, our Revolutionary Army alone wouldn't even be able to defeat the original World Government, let alone the powerful and well-equipped Gawain Government, which even defeated the old World Government!
So, Dragon, shouldn't we make a move?
At least try to save those two boys Shanks and Teach!
At this point, Ivankov anxiously awaited Dragon's reply.
Meeting Ivankov's expectant gaze, Dragon for a moment, then nodded emphatically.
"If we go back to the past, I am willing to let us lie low, even if we suffer a blow like Ginny's, I must lead you all to lie low."
Because in the past, we were constantly growing stronger, while the World Government was constantly declining and weakening. It was a situation of one rising as the other fell, and I have that kind of confidence.
But now..."
Dragon took a deep breath and gave a wry smile.
"Now, it's us who are constantly weakening. After Gawain's approach was widely promoted, it gained too much support from young people. Even Sabo... no longer has faith in our approach!"
The mere fact that Gawain ruthlessly attacked the nobility and held the sword to the necks of the Celestial Dragon was enough to send 99% of the blindly devoted youth into a frenzy.
Those young people only know how to sing praises of the collapse of the aristocratic class, unaware that Gawain has simply concentrated all the power that was previously held by those nobles into his own hands!
Such behavior is actually far more dangerous than that of the aristocracy, because it creates a terrifying situation where if Gawain makes a mistake, the whole world will be dragged down with him!
I cannot allow the world to develop in that direction, so no matter what, even if I am condemned as a fool who is going against the tide, I will do my best to make my voice heard in Gawain!
This time, the Revolutionary Army must stand up, Ivankov!!!
As soon as he finished speaking, Dragon frowned and clenched his fist tightly.
"The pirate forces have been driven to the last corner by Gawain, and they have no room to retreat."
Once the pirates have temporarily disappeared, we will be the only ones left to bear Gawain's gaze!
Even if it's just to preserve our lives, we must join forces with the last pirate!
Hopefully, this time, we can at least secure one victory against Gawain!
"Pass on my orders!"
"I'm listening, Dragon, my hormones are pumping!"
Ivankov shouted excitedly, while Dragon solemnly gave the order.
"Notify the four armies of the southeast, northwest, and southwest that all army commanders and chiefs of staff gather near the Red Force. Under no circumstances should the Red-Haired Pirates be allowed to be defeated by Gawain's men!"
I will be the first to rush to the battlefield. You all need to mobilize and get there as quickly as possible to provide support!
Finally, I conveyed my words to all members of the Revolutionary Army.
May you all have great military success!!!
Eleven days later, in the Red-Haired Shanks Territory of the New World.
Roger's small Dark Bird Ship slowly came to a stop in front of the Red Force.
Looking at the imposing ship in the distance, Roger laughed heartily, then proudly said to Rayleigh.
"See that, Rayleigh? That's the brat who's inherited my ambition!"
Look at what he's become now! This restrained but powerful Conqueror's Haki is even stronger than mine!
No wonder he's the little devil I picked up; he's a natural-born successor to me, haha!
It's wonderful to have lived to see this guy grow up to be like this!
With such a descendant, even death wouldn't be something I'd be afraid of!
"Right, right?"
Rayleigh nodded repeatedly beside the proud Roger.
Meanwhile, aboard the Red Power.
Shanks looked at Roger with great surprise and said to Beckman beside him.
"I thought they would be some kind of poorly made clones, but they are so realistic!"
No, it's not just realistic, because I really felt the Conqueror's Haki that belongs only to Captain Roger!
Although I never had the chance to fight the captain back then, I lived by his side every day, so I knew Captain Roger very well!
And the guy across from me, laughing so heartily, looked exactly like Captain Roger in my memory!
Whether it's his personality, his spirit, or his Conqueror's Haki and his eyes!
Everything was telling me that it was definitely Roger!
Just like other characters such as Newgate, Linlin, and Kaido, they give me the same feeling as the real Newgate and Kaido!
By the way, I can't comment on Linlin. Was she really that beautiful when she was young?
Are you sure she didn't secretly get a face transplant?
Women are truly amazing creatures. Men usually get more handsome with age, so why did Linlin, who was so beautiful when she was young, turn out like that when she got old?
It must be the malice of fate!
"Right, right?"
Beckman nodded in agreement, knowing that Shanks wouldn't listen to anything he said at this point!
At this point, Shanks had met Roger.
The only thought that could still exist in his mind was to have a good, satisfying fight with Roger!
And just as Beckman had predicted, Shanks and Roger, after a deep exchange of glances, didn't even linger for a second before angrily breaking through the armored squad and charging towards each other with their swords in hand!
Roger gripped his sword with both hands, Ace roared.
"Divine Departure!!!"
Shanks Griffin, gripping Gryphon tightly, roared in response.
"Divine Departure!!!"
Clang!
Just as the two swords clashed, Roger laughed and said to Shanks.
"As expected of the brat I taught, there's no way to break his moves. They look exactly like my own!"
But Shanks, how did you lose your hand? As a top swordsman, how could you lose an arm?
It must be really unpleasant not being able to wield your sword with both hands, right?
Looks like you've really had a tough time these past few years, hahaha!!!
Amidst the laughter, Roger suddenly exerted force with both hands, instantly forcing Shanks to retreat repeatedly.
At the same time, Shanks unleashed his Haki Conqueror's Haki, which instantly compensated for his slight lack of power, allowing him to regain his footing in the air.
"This is truly astonishing! You look exactly like the captain! If I didn't know better, I might have thought you were the captain who crawled back from the dead!"
If you weren't so much younger, I'd even think the execution back then was a joke. The so-called death of the Pirate King was nothing more than a drama where the captain treated everyone like Joker!
Now I'm actually quite grateful to Gawain for creating you.
Of course, I'm even more grateful to you!
Thank you for taking on this battle with me as captain!
I'm so... excited like this for the first time in a long time!!!