Undercurrents

Half of the year 1510 in the nautical calendar had already passed.

Dark clouds shrouded the world, making it difficult to breathe.

The chaotic New World fell silent, as if waiting for something.

Due to changes in the world situation, the Red-Haired Pirates recently returned to the New World. Surprisingly, Shanks has inexplicably lost his left arm, which few people have noticed, and his straw Straw Hat is also missing.

Many forces, seeing that Shanks had lost an arm and his strength had declined, began to covet the territory of the Red-Haired Pirates.

But the red-haired man displayed terrifying power, intimidating the entire sea.

Despite losing an arm, Shanks' strength did not diminish; on the contrary, it became even greater. Through numerous battles, he fully proved his power, reaching the ranks of the strongest overlords and becoming the most likely candidate to become the Sea Emperor. His fame soared overnight.

The protagonists of the New World today are the Flying Pirates.

Everyone knows that the Flying Pirates are about to make their move. A series of intelligence reports indicate that "Pirate Admiral" Golden Lion Shiki is about to go to war with the World Government.

The Flying Pirates' massive sky fleet has reached a terrifying number of 500,000, which includes not only the Flying Pirates' own forces and affiliated pirate crews, but also those allies who have agreed to act together with the Flying Pirates.

Such power is simply terrifying, and it is the foundation of Golden Lion Shiki's current dominance over the world.

Even though the Whitebeard Pirates' total strength was less than 100,000, the difference was still enormous, far exceeding the combined strength of the Big Mom Pirates, the Beasts Pirates, and the Whitebeard Pirates.

The Beasts Pirates have fewer members than the Whitebeard Pirates, while only the Big Mom Pirates possess a massive Homie army, two to three times the size of the Whitebeard Pirates.

The Flying Pirates are already gathering strength, ready to go to war at any moment. Their massive power also means that some information is difficult to hide and will be leaked.

Moreover, Golden Lion Shiki never intended to hide it. That's his charisma—looking down on everything, possessing an overwhelming aura. He wanted everyone to know and witness the great achievements he had laid out: defeating the World Government and the Navy to become the King of the World.

This is a war between the World Government and the Flying Pirates. The outcome of this war, in the eyes of countless people, will even determine which force will become the ruler of the world.

This is a war that everyone knows is about to begin, a war whose scale will even surpass the Golden Sea Battle.

The Flying Pirates, with Golden Lion Shiki standing on his throne, his dazzling eyes revealing a deep ambition.

The path to imperial power and dominance lies in this very moment.

"Hahahaha! Look! The future world will be ours!" Shiki laughed Haki, his lion-like aura exploding as he clenched his large hand in the air, as if he held everything in his palm.

Below him are his capable subordinates, his core force.

The pirates below each had their own thoughts and even significant conflicts and contradictions among themselves.

But they held Shiki in the highest esteem, submitting to Shiki charisma, Shiki charisma and ambition, and Shiki immense power.

As long as Shiki is still around, their disloyalty will not erupt; it will remain hidden in their hearts.

At the same time, they were also very excited. The Flying Pirates' ambition to become the King of the World and replace the World Government was something they had never dared to dream of before.

Now, it all seems to be happening right before their eyes.

Moreover, Shiki will reward them with the legendary Pure Gold after the war, giving it to the outstanding members, since the amount of Pure Gold is limited.

It's common knowledge that the Flying Pirates possess Pure Gold, but only Shiki, Rhine, and Chronos hold it.

Who can resist the allure of Pure Gold? This is also meant to motivate the members of the organization.

Furthermore, by using Pure Gold, the Flying Pirates gained the assistance of many powerful forces, including those in terms of intelligence, supplies, and personnel.

His goal was to obtain Pure Gold from Golden Lion Shiki and achieve immortality.

Having prepared for this long, Shiki has absolute confidence that his strength has grown to this point, and he is confident that he can even hold his own against the Navy.

Moreover, he still has two huge trump cards.

The "SIQ" drug has been successfully developed. Injecting it into wild beasts will greatly enhance their strength, even causing them to mutate and become incredibly ferocious, displaying terrifying destructive power and destroying everything in their path.

To this end, the Flying Pirates have prepared over 100,000 terrifying beasts, which will become even more ferocious after being injected with "SIQ".

Once these beasts are unleashed upon the Holy Land, Marine Headquarters, and even various Marine branches, the World Government, and the Marine forces, they can cause massive casualties and eliminate everyone except for the top-tier combatants in the first instance.

With the completion of research on the Ancient Weapon 'Uranus', which has been successfully put into use, Uranus can fire a terrifying energy cannon ten times after a single replenishment of its energy, a significant breakthrough compared to the initial single firing.

This number of attempts was enough to satisfy Shiki, and the power was also stronger than when it was first tested.

Uranus is his secret weapon. Although it may no longer be a secret to the World Government and the Navy, it is capable of severely injuring or killing top-tier combatants.

He had also witnessed the terrifying power of the Uranus firsthand.

Holding two trump cards, how could he possibly lose? This is the source of his absolute confidence, coupled with his current terrifying power.

One by one, the ferocious beasts fell into a deep sleep through unknown means and were transported to the floating Sky Island like cargo.

Once injected with "SIQ," they will awaken and then go berserk; before that, they should be thrown out as weapons.

On the other side, Uranus had also completed its research. The missing part at the rear was successfully filled in by the Flying Pirates, who installed a large number of energy devices. Overall, it looked like a super-large scientific cannon, containing terrifying power.

The Flying Pirates' technical skill level meant they could only use Uranus as an alternative cannon, greatly reducing its power, and they no longer had the ability to control celestial phenomena.

Everything is ready, Flying Pirates are poised to set sail, awaiting only the orders of "Pirate Admiral" Golden Lion Shiki.

Meanwhile, the World Government and the Navy are also preparing to deal with the war that the Flying Pirates are about to launch.

The World Government's main forces were not concentrated; instead, they were dispersed. The agents were not the military, but they always operated in their own way. They acted early and infiltrated the Flying Pirates' massive fleet.

The total number of agents exceeds five thousand, and these agents all possess considerable strength. They represent the foundation of the current World Government, and if they were to unleash their full power, they would be a terrifying force.

It also contains some powerful CP0s.

Most of the army forces that were suppressing the Red Line were redeployed and dispersed to various parts of the Holy Land to prepare for the attack of the Flying Pirates.

The World Government does not want to use the Holy Land as a battlefield. Once war breaks out, the Holy Land will definitely be destroyed. Moreover, the Flying Pirates have a terrifying weapon like Uranus.

But there was nothing they could do about it, because the battlefield wasn't chosen by them, but by the Flying Pirates.

The Flying Pirates' powerful mobility in the air will definitely lead them to attack the Holy Land.

No matter what the World Government does, whether it launches a full-scale attack or heads towards the Sky Kingdom, the Flying Pirates will occupy Holy Land Mary Geoise symbolizing the World Government, in the first instance.

Since that's the case, it's better to treat the Holy Land as a battlefield and wait for the Flying Pirates to attack. This way, we can be better prepared and unleash our full power.

The Holy Land may be destroyed, but it can be rebuilt at any time. However, this war must be won.

The Holy Land is now a battlefield. Mary Geoise has become an empty shell. World Government officials, important figures, and Celestial Dragons have all left the Holy Land and fled to other places to avoid being killed by Uranus.

So what if the Flying Pirates have Uranus? They have the confidence to win.

In terms of combat strength, they far surpass the Flying Pirates.

Once Uranus is exposed, their hidden agents within the Flying Pirates fleet will step in and snatch Uranus back.

Besides, they're just pirates, a rabble. They've prepared for losses, but as long as they can get Uranus back, it'll all be worth it.

Once Golden Lion Shiki, their leader, is dealt with, this massive pirate force will crumble and be easily defeated.

The Marine Headquarters, with its elite forces gathered, including Marshal Sengoku, Garp, and Marine Admiral, has received information from the World Government regarding Uranus. While shocked, they have already prepared their response.

Even in imagination, the Ancient Weapon 'Uranus' possesses terrifying destructive power; its forces cannot be concentrated in one place, or they will suffer heavy losses.

Unlike the army, which is used as cannon fodder, the navy's strength is now extremely valuable, and it would be a great pity for it to die under the Uranus.

Therefore, in this war, the army constituted the vast majority of the forces, while the navy was relatively small, and they were dispersed throughout the Grand Line to prevent world turmoil and interference from other forces.

The World Government and the Navy are well aware that their enemies are not just the Flying Pirates, but also other forces.

In this battle, apart from Marshal Sengoku who needs to guard the Marine Headquarters, all six other top combatants will be deployed.

The Admiral, Garp, Zephyr, and even staff officer Tsuru, are among the Navy's top combat forces.

"Frieda, Borsalino, when the war begins, you two will go with CP0 Vice Chief Alastair to find Uranus. Once you find it, take control of it; if that doesn't work, destroy it."

At this point, a ruthless glint flashed in Sengoku's eyes. Such a thing should not exist, lest it affect the stability of the world.

Subconsciously, Sengoku didn't want the Uranus to fall into the hands of the World Government; destruction would be the best outcome.

Sengoku and his group were unaware that Uranus was National Treasure of the World Government, and the World Government had not mentioned it either, so destroying Uranus was no burden for them.

The Ancient Weapon 'Uranus', can only be used once, that is, when its tracks are revealed. If it is used more than once, the losses it suffers may be unimaginable.

The World Government and the Navy are absolutely determined not to allow Uranus to launch a second attack. They are prepared to sacrifice themselves, as they do not know just how terrifying Uranus's power truly is.

Having worked so hard to get to where it is today, they certainly don't want the navy to suddenly return to the difficult situation it was a few years ago.

Around the world, undercurrents are stirring. The Big Mom Pirates are gathering their forces, and their powerful children are ready to take shelter.

Once the Flying Pirates fall into a slump and are defeated, they will immediately use the power of the Mirror-Mirror Fruit to arrive at the border near the Flying Pirates 'Flying Pirates territory and seize it.

In this respect, Big Mom has an absolute geographical advantage.

Besides the nearly six hundred islands in the Sky Kingdom, the Flying Pirates also have hundreds of islands in the ocean. Their vast territory is no less than that of the Whitebeard Pirates, and may even surpass it.

The Whitebeard Pirates were also prepared. Although Whitebeard might not have had such intentions, how could he remain indifferent to a group of children who were already eager to make a move?

The Beasts Pirates' territory doesn't border the Flying Pirates, and it's intertwined with other forces, especially the Whitebeard Pirates.

However, they were also prepared to expand. Since they couldn't take over the Flying Pirates' territory, they would take over the territory of other pirate crews.

The territories of various factions will change.

Once the Flying Pirates are defeated, it will inevitably be a feast for the senses.

But will the Flying Pirates lose? No one can guarantee that. Doesn't Shiki know the gap between the two sides?

What kind of trump cards do they possess that can bridge the gap in top-tier and high-end combat power between the two sides?

"Hehe! The impending frenzy." As a high-end combatant, Novoya was naturally summoned. Facing the overwhelming situation, he felt no fear, but rather some excitement.

A huge stage, and based on his performance after the war, he was likely to become Marine Vice Admiral, a significant opportunity that could save him several years.

As for sacrifice, he never considered it; he was unwilling to fight to the death, and his own safety was the most important thing.

"This will be a tough battle," Kakei Kake seriously. He would also participate in this war as a powerful force, and if he survived, he would be qualified to become Marine Vice Admiral.

But that's a matter for the post-war period; whether one could have survived the war itself is still a question.

"I hope you're still alive, Kake. After all, you're one of the few people in the Navy I can talk to." It sounded like a touching statement, but Novoya's teasing tone left Kake feeling nothing.

"Let's see if you can survive first," Kake, pursing his lips.

"Of course I will survive and preserve an important seed for the Navy."

Only Novoya could describe running away in such a refreshing and unconventional way. With his Justice as one pleases, Novoya would never hesitate to run when it came to it.

This was definitely going to be a tough battle for the Navy. The atmosphere was heavy, and any ordinary marine could feel that they were about to face Flying Pirates.

To bolster their fighting strength, the World Government also recruited the Shichibukai to join them in this battle.

Although it's called the Shichibukai, it's not at full strength yet. The members are: "Tyrant" Bartholomew Kuma, "Heavenly Yaksha" Doflamingo, "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk, "Sand Crocodile" Crocodile, and "Pet King" Breed, the captain of the Pet Pirates.

There were five people in total. However, apart from Doflamingo, Kuma, and Crocodile who agreed, Mihawk and Breed both refused the World Government's summons.

Doflamingo wanted to witness this battle firsthand, Kuma was a spy sent by the Revolutionary Army, Crocodile had his own plans. In addition, since his territory was on the Grand Line, he did not refuse in order to make things easier for himself in the future.

Whether they contribute or not depends on their mood.

Breed was scared and didn't want to fight the Flying Pirates. Becoming Shichibukai was mainly a privilege granted by the World Government, but it was impossible for him to fight for the World Government. Since that was the case, he might as well give up his Shichibukai status and, with his strength, go to the New World, where he could live a good life.

He is a Pet- Devil Fruit User, but unlike the Pet Pet Fruit ability of the former King of the Kate Kingdom, whose ability was more akin to a Beast Taming Fruit Pet Pet Fruit, this Kate Kingdom is different.

Because his abilities only work on animals.

Breed's abilities are even more domineering; she can create green collars to put around other people's necks, turning them into her pets, and she can control the behavior of her "pets" with her voice.

Neither animals nor humans can escape his control.

This ability, which involves enslavement, is terrifying. Although Breed herself is not strong, she has gathered a group of powerful "pets" through her abilities, making the pirate crew quite powerful overall.

He worked diligently and helped the Navy eliminate many pirates, which is why he became one of the Shichibukai.

As for the other "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk, he had no desire to participate in this war; it was meaningless to him. What did the war between the World Government, the Navy, and the Flying Pirates have to do with him?

Moreover, he didn't enjoy any rights granted by the World Government, and he wandered around the New World for a long time, while the Navy couldn't even enter the New World.

He's not that stupid to become a pawn for the World Government.

The Navy and the World Government were helpless and had no way to deal with this, as they were unable to send forces to deal with the Shichibukai at such a critical moment.

Neither the Breed Pirates nor Dracule Mihawk are easy to deal with, especially since the Breed Pirates have already escaped to the New World.

Mihawk was even operating within the Red-Haired Pirates' territory.

Even with the Shichibukai who had already arrived, they didn't have high expectations.

Meanwhile, an important meeting was held within the Night Pirates regarding this matter.