The Opening Ceremony of the Paramount War
"You mean to talk about Ace, right?" Judging from Shanks's expression, Tianqi already knew what he was going to say. Besides Luffy's matter, the only other thing that could make Shanks so troubled was Ace.
Ten years have passed and Luffy's Straw Hat Pirates have sailed the seas, while Ace, the son of Pirate King Roger, has joined Whitebeard's Pirates and become the second division commander.
"Yes, Captain. Because Teach betrayed the Whitebeard Pirates, Ace went to chase him but was ambushed by Blackbeard. Now he's been captured by the Marines, and I think I need to go there, Captain..." Shanks felt very embarrassed to have to do something else at a time like this.
Upon hearing this, Tianqi narrowed his eyes slightly. Shanks' ability to know so much must have been due to a message from Whitebeard Newgate. Knowing that he might not go to Marine Headquarters with him to rescue people, he secretly contacted Shanks, the vice-captain. Whitebeard's little schemes are really shrewd.
"Captain, it's fine if I don't go, since Whitebeard and the others should be enough!" Seeing Tianqi hesitate, Shanks quickly tried to smooth things over. After all, he was Tianqi's crew member and ultimately had to listen to the captain.
"Heh, a Whitebeard Newgate whose strength has declined, it's impossible for him and his crew alone to challenge the Marine Headquarters and rescue people..." Tian Qi hesitated again at this point. To be honest, going to Pangaea City to face Imshanks and the others wouldn't be of any help. Since that's the case, it's better to let them do something meaningful.
"Since the Whitebeard Pirates are going to Marine Headquarters to rescue people, let's go with them. You can hold off the Marines. Shanks, remember, as the captain of the Conquest Pirates, you must consider the consequences before you act. Don't sacrifice everyone's lives in vain, understand?" Tian Qi said earnestly.
"Yes, don't worry, Captain, I will definitely consider the consequences!" Shanks nodded. Since Tianqi was going to pass the captain's position to him, he would definitely not let Tianqi down.
After discussing a few more minor matters, Shanks also left the captain's cabin. Tianqi watched Shanks's retreating figure and shook his head slightly. Shanks always makes foolish mistakes when it comes to Luffy and Ace. If he doesn't correct this flaw, Conqueror Pirates might be a bit troublesome. However, Shanks is the only one in the entire Pirate Crew qualified to be the captain, so everything can only be entrusted to him.
However, at that moment, a message came from the system.
[Ding! Final mission: Defeat the World King Im, successfully complete the mission and unlock time travel]
"This mission has finally arrived!" Tianqi smiled upon hearing the system's voice. Just as he had expected, the duel with Im was indeed the time for him to leave.
After thinking for a while, Tianqi asked again, "System, could you go to a more powerful place next time you travel through time? This One Piece world is a step below Hokage, so it's not very useful for improving my strength. Could you go to a more challenging place next time?"
Faced with Tianqi's request, the system did not immediately respond. Instead, it relayed the matter back to the Dark Abyss. Only after receiving instructions from the Supreme God did the system provide an answer.
[Ding! The host's request can be fulfilled, but some reminders are necessary. As requested by the host, the preset route has been skipped. The host will face an opponent with mythical power next time. It's not too late to back out now.]
"Mythical power?" Tianqi was slightly surprised to hear that the next place he was going to was a world with mythical power, but he would not regret it. Rather than wasting time in such a low-level world, it was better to go to a place where there were rivals to train.
"No need to say anything more, my decision is final, and I'm really looking forward to the power of mythology!" Tianqi shook his head without any regret.
Since Tianqi did not change his mind, the system directly locked the coordinates of the next time travel location.
"Oh right, system, I can still take people with me this time, right?" Tianqi asked again, thinking of Hancock. If he couldn't take people with him, that would be too troublesome. He couldn't just abandon Hancock like that.
[Ding! By the request of the Supreme God, the host may bring two people with them in each world]
"That's good, that's good!" Hearing that he could bring people, and even two Tianqi, he was completely relieved. Since he could bring people, he had nothing to worry about.
The Conqueror was connected to the Redford, and two giant snakes were pulling the Conqueror. The Conqueror pirates were having their final banquet on the Conqueror. Various foods and drinks were laid out on the tables. Tianqi sat in the main seat at the front, with Hancock and Shanks on either side of him.
"I believe you've all heard Shanks say that Ace, the son of Pirate King Roger, has been captured by the Navy. As Edward Newgate, a division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Ace certainly won't stand idly by. So, this time, you'll all be under Shanks's complete command. Shanks will join forces with the Whitebeard Pirates to fight against the numerous Navy forces, and you'll all go with him!" Tian Qi said calmly to the crew below.
"Captain, I want to know, if we're going to deal with the Navy, where are you going next?" Ryuma of Ryuda asked suspiciously, sensing that his captain was about to do something big.
"You all go and hold off those ants from the Navy, while I'm going to deal with the Five Elders who sit high above the Holy Land and the World King Im!"
Everyone's heart skipped a beat when they heard that they were going to deal with the Five Elders and the King of the World. They didn't know anything about the King of the World, Im, but they did know about the Five Elders. They were the five strongest people who were above the Navy, and each of them had the strength of Pirate King. Apart from the captain, who dared to say that they could deal with these guys?
"Captain, the Five Elders are already incredibly powerful, not to mention the World King Im. Do you really not need our help?" Beckman, who had been silent until now, was also very worried when he heard that the captain was going to deal with six powerful figures.
"The Five Elders are quite strong, but I don't take them seriously at all. Apart from Im, the others are just warm-up for me. You guys follow Shanks and finish what you need to do, then leave with him. You can't help me fight Im!" Tianqi shook his head and didn't ask the others for help. With their strength, they really couldn't help him.
Everyone knew they didn't have the captain's strength, and helping would only make things worse. However, as members of the Conqueror Pirates, not being able to contribute made them feel very sad.
The banquet featured fine wine and delicious food, but no one seemed to enjoy it. Despite being expected to be happy and drunk, no one drank alcohol, and they barely ate any of the food.
As the banquet ended, Tianqi looked at the remaining wine and food on the table and shook his head slightly. This farewell dinner had been incredibly difficult to eat.
"Tianqi, everyone seems to be in low spirits. Is it really a good idea for us to leave like this? Should we reconsider?" Even Hancock felt a little reluctant to part with her companions who had weathered the storms together.
"Some things are bound to have to be done sooner or later. It doesn't matter whether you do them sooner or later. They've been living under my protection for so long, it's time for them to grow up. The ocean is their destination, not mine!" Although Tianqi himself was a little reluctant, he had to do what needed to be done, not to save the world, but for his family and companions.
While the Conqueror Pirates were feeling down, the Navy was also making tense preparations. The Five Elders also left the palace to prepare for the approaching enemy, which was not the Whitebeard Pirates but the Conqueror Pirates. Ten years had passed, and Im had also awakened from his slumber. Upon waking, he instructed the Five Elders to greet the approaching person outside the Holy Land of Mary Joe.
While the Navy was making tense preparations, the entire Whitebeard Pirates also set out, with thousands of people heading towards Mary Joe, the sacred site of the Marine Headquarters.
"Dad, can we really manage to rescue Ace with just this many people?" Marco, the captain of the First Division of the Marines, was also feeling uneasy, not because he was afraid, but because he was worried.
"Whether it works or not, we'll only know after we fight. Our Whitebeard Pirates will never abandon any crew member. Even if Ace were captured, or even if you were captured, I, Whitebeard, would still send the whole crew to rescue you. This is the spirit of our Whitebeard Pirates: never abandon or give up on anyone!" As he said this, Whitebeard picked up his sake jug and took a big gulp of sake. At the same time, he also hated Teach, that traitor.
He treated Teach very well, but Teach betrayed him, ambushed and injured him, escaped from the Whitebeard Pirates, and joined some Shichibukai. It was also because of this guy that Ace was captured by pirates. If you had to say who Newgate hates the most, there is no one else besides Teach.
Marco was deeply moved by Whitebeard's words. It was precisely because of Whitebeard's treatment of him as family that he was willing to give everything for the Whitebeard Pirates. However, thinking of Ace, Marco asked softly, "Uncle, do you know what Shanks' intentions are? Ace was entrusted to our care. It wouldn't be right for him not to come, would it?"
"Hehe, you don't need to worry about that. News has already come from Shanks' side. Their Conqueror Pirates are heading towards Mary Joe, the holy land of the Marine Headquarters. Shanks will definitely not be absent if Ace is captured!" Whitebeard chuckled. The Conqueror Pirates, as a Pirate Crew with two Yonko-level members, are the strongest pirates on the sea, even though they are few in number. No one can ignore their existence.
"The Conqueror Pirates are coming too? That's great! With them joining, getting back to Ace is a sure thing!" Marco smiled when he heard that the Conqueror Pirates were also getting involved. The name of the First Emperor Demon Eye Uchiha Tianqi, was not just for show. With him around, rescuing Ace wouldn't be a problem.