The Sea Is in Turmoil / White Sea

"Also, leak the news of Atlas killing the Golden Lion. The bigger the commotion, the better. Contact several newspapers, and it would be best to get Morgans involved too. I'm sure he won't let such a bombshell go to waste."

"Are you trying to force the Five Elders to resign...?"

"Hehe! There's no other way, it's an extra layer of insurance."

P. S. I hope this title won't clash with other books, right? What do you guys think of it? O(∩_∩)O

It's still the White Hou, I swear, I won't change it.

Chapter 154 The Seaquake

On the other side.

The massive Red Line lies across the Grand Line, a crucial passage. To enter the Grand Line from the East Blue, one must either pass through the entrance of Reverse Mountain or cross the Calm Belt, passing through the lair of the Sea Kings.

Meanwhile, a large warship flew directly over the Red Line and headed straight for the Grand Line!

Wow!!! Are we flying?

"Wow, it's so high! This is the first time I've seen the ocean from such a height!!"

"Is that the Red Line that Mr. Smoker was talking about? It's spectacular even from high above."

"Hey! Hey! Ace, are we almost at Marine Headquarters?"

Experiencing the feeling of flying high in the sky for the first time, the three Ace brothers were very excited and found everything around them very novel. They kept running around the deck of the warship, sticking their heads out and exclaiming in amazement.

"Brother Atlas, this must be the Golden Lion's power, right?"

Smoker was also quite intrigued. Although his Smoke-Smoke Fruit allowed him to lift his upper body off the ground to a certain height, it couldn't really be considered flying. Besides, this was the first time he had seen the Red Line from this angle.

"Well, I guess so."

Atlas withdrew his gaze from the three little ones and answered lazily.

It's not really a Float-Float Devil Fruit Ability, because his power is only stronger than Golden Lion's! Moreover, he discovered another effect: any non-living being controlled by his psychic powers will have permanent control like Golden Lion, provided that he himself doesn't faint or die.

At the same time.

A shocking piece of news was published in various newspapers and carried around the world by diligent News Coo.

Instantly, the sea boiled!

"The legendary captain of the Flying Pirates, the Golden Lion who escaped from Impel Down eight years ago, has reappeared in the world's sight!!!"

"No way, are you kidding me? How could a man like Golden Lion be defeated by a mere navy brat?"

"Two of the three legendary Pirates of the Old Era are already dead. Could Whitebeard be next?"

"The navy really stole the show this time, and its prestige has soared once again..."

The moment they received the newspaper, countless Pirates were initially incredulous, then their expressions gradually turned ashen. As the Navy grew stronger, their space for Pirates shrank.

Meanwhile, ordinary civilians rallied and spread the word. Although most of them may not know how terrifying Golden Lion was, the fact that this great Pirates who rivaled Roger had been eliminated by the Navy was undoubtedly an exhilarating event for them.

Sabaody Archipelago.

Area 13, Shakky's Rip-off Bar.

A woman wearing a spider-patterned top and with short black hair was busy cleaning the dusty chairs.

Rayleigh, with blond hair interspersed with a few gray hairs, sat at the bar, a glass of strong, aromatic liquor beside him, and an open newspaper in front of him.

Shakky wiped the tables and chairs as she frowned and looked at Rayleigh, "That guy Shiki was just killed by a young Marine like that?"

His tone was tinged with disbelief. As a former comrade-in-arms on the same ship, he knew the Golden Lion's strength all too well. How could a man like that be defeated by a Marine who was only in his early twenties?

Rayleigh picked up a glass from the bar, took a small sip, savoring the spiciness as it went down his throat, and slowly said, "That's no ordinary navy officer..."

"You mean... that navy officer who gave you a little trouble last time?"

"Hmm, but at that time his strength shouldn't have been enough to defeat Shiki. I didn't expect..."

Rayleigh looked emotional.

The two of them had just returned to Sabaody from Amazon Lily. One reason was to escort the three Hancock sisters to Amazon Lily, and the other was to receive intelligence that the navy stationed in the Sabaody Archipelago was Atlas.

So, to prevent that guy from harassing him every day, Rayleigh practically packed his things overnight and took Shakky to Amazon Lily Shakky. He had witnessed Atlas's Observation Haki before, and if he wanted to, he could definitely find his hiding place, and then he wouldn't have any peace.

Shakky, being from Amazon Lily, could come and go freely. Even though Rayleigh had saved Hancock and her companions' lives, he was not allowed to enter Amazon Lily. So he ended up living on an island near Amazon Lily for several months. Fortunately, the island had relatively abundant resources, so he didn't have to worry about food and drink.

They had finally waited for Atlas to leave Sabaody, only to receive this news.

Rayleigh suddenly felt that the rest of his life was going to be a bit difficult...

On the Moby Dick in the New World.

Marco looked at the newspaper with disbelief, seemingly unable to accept this outrageous fact for a moment.

"Gurararar~ What happened, Marco?!"

Whitebeard, leaning against the throne beneath the mast, noticed Marco's expression and casually asked a question.

"The Golden Lion is dead!" Marco raised the newspaper in his hand.

"Didn't the Golden Lion disappear without a trace eight years ago after escaping from Impel Down? Could this be a false report from the Navy...?"

"Wow~ How is that possible? That guy used to be someone who could rival Pops!"

"Who possesses the ability to kill Golden Lion? Could it be the Navy?"

Upon hearing this shocking news, the first reaction of the Whitebeard Pirates was disbelief. Many of them had followed Whitebeard for years and had witnessed the power of the Flying Pirates. It was hard for them to accept that such a man had died so suddenly.

"Shiki? Who is that...?"

A hint of melancholy appeared on the Whitebeard face.

"Kanos Atlas, that damn navy bastard!"

Marco gritted his teeth, but at the same time felt a little relieved. Thankfully, Vista arrived in time, otherwise he...

Thinking of this, Marco couldn't help but shudder.

"Gurararara, is it that Marine again? He's grown so fast."

Whitebeard still remembers that time eight years ago.

The Golden Lion, who had just escaped from the Impel Down, approached him.

"Gurararara, I never thought you could actually escape from Impel Down, Shiki!"

Whitebeard was somewhat surprised, but seeing Golden Lion's legs replaced by prosthetics, he couldn't help but feel a sense of shared sorrow.

"Hahaha! That kind of thing doesn't matter anymore, Newgate, let's join forces and conquer the world!"

"Forget it, that's not my dream!"

Whitebeard shook his head and refused.

"How could I be so bored as to be so attached to such trivial matters! (Novel, group [9♀8?0.2,0*5?8.5}6) I'm so dazed, so easily distracted by these feelings!"

"I'm getting old after all..."

Whitebeard seemed to be thinking of that once unrestrained and flamboyant lion.

P. S. I only learned about Shakky's identity from other people's speculations, so please just take it with a grain of salt.

Chapter 155 White Sea

Mary Geoise, Room of Authority.

Five old men with different appearances took their seats in turn. Opposite them was Sengoku, who wore frog-shaped glasses and had a braided Sengoku. However, the atmosphere between the two sides did not seem to be very harmonious.

"Golden Lion is dead? Why didn't your navy report it to the World Government immediately?!" Saint Dexter, with his black hat and white hair, questioned Sengoku.

The other Five Elders remained silent, only casting questioning glances at Sengoku.

Since Kong retired from the limelight, Sengoku has taken over all matters concerning the Navy. Although the man in front of him outwardly obeys the World Government's orders, in recent years the Navy he leads has shown signs of defying the World Government's control.

"I've come here to report this matter to you all..."

Sengoku remained composed and did not lose his composure despite Saint Dexter's questioning.

"Then why did the World Economy News Paper know about it before we did?"

Saint Dexter's face was grim.

"Alright, let's leave this matter at that for now. Tell me, what exactly do you want with us, Sengoku?"

Saint Nazzaro interrupted Sengoku, Sengoku was about to explain.

He knew in his heart that Sengoku, known as Tactician, must have prepared countless arguments before coming to meet them. Their questioning here would only widen the rift between the Navy and the World Government, and would be pointless.

"I'm here primarily to discuss the promotion of Kanos Atlas."

"Oh? You mean Kanos Atlas, the Marine who defeated the Golden Lion?"

None of the Five Elders are fools. When Sengoku mentioned a name that was somewhat unfamiliar to them, they knew it must be related to the recent Golden Lion.

"That's right, Atlas's achievements are already more than enough. He also arrested Crocodile, a former Shichibukai."

"Oh? Is that so?" Saint Dexter narrowed his eyes, as if Satori something. "He's the same navy officer stationed in the Sabaody Archipelago, isn't he?"

Saint Dexter remembered that a large number of Celestial Dragons had come to them in tears, but they were busy dealing with the aftermath of Fisher Tiger's attack on Mary Geoise, so they delegated the task to World Government officials. Unexpectedly, Sengoku single-handedly shouldered all the pressure...

"There should only be three Candidate Admiral in the navy, right?"

"He's just Candidate Admiral, not a real Admiral. His achievements are more than enough!"

Sengoku did not back down at all, his eyes meeting Saint Dexter's.

Silence!!!

Silence again!

The five old men carefully considered their options, then exchanged glances. Saint Nazzaro spoke calmly, "Sengoku, regarding the promotion of Kanos Atlas to Candidate Admiral..."

"The five of us agreed, but..."

We don't want this to happen again!

"Rest assured, the Navy will always fulfill our duties."

Sengoku gave a perfunctory guarantee, then turned and left the location of the world's highest power.

"Damn it, Sengoku's navy is becoming increasingly disobedient. He pretends to be obedient to us, but his underhanded tactics are becoming more and more frequent!"

"That's right. Ever since we forced him to issue the Buster Call to Ohara, he seems to have become resentful towards us," said Saint Jiménez hadn't spoken until now.

Saint Nazzaro, "But the Navy cannot function without Sengoku right now. All we can do is delay his rise to power. However, the Navy is ultimately just a facade for the World Government, and that's about all Sengoku can do."

They understood perfectly well that a Candidate Admiral was just a minor general; the actual power of Candidate Admiral was not much greater than that of a regular Vice Admiral, so they didn't care much about adding a seat.

The Grand Line is located at an altitude of nearly 7,000 meters above the sea.

The warship, under the influence of Atlas's power, was sailing slowly. Since they weren't in a hurry to go back, they decided to go along with the wishes of the three Ace brothers and enjoy the beautiful scenery from the sky for a while longer.

At such high altitudes, ordinary people would experience a significant decrease in physical ability due to the thin air, but the soldiers on the warship were all selected through rigorous training, and even Ace and his companions only felt slightly uncomfortable.

"Vice Admiral Excellency, report! Ahead... ahead appears to be a sea!"

The navy officer on the watchtower suddenly reported down to Atlas.

"The sea? How could that be! This is a full 7,000 meters above the ground! Are you kidding me?!"

Even Smoker, who had witnessed many strange and unusual things on the Grand Line, couldn't help but find it hard to believe when he heard such outrageous news.

"Don't get excited, Smoker. He's telling the truth. If I'm not mistaken, that should be the legendary White Sea ahead."

Atlas was also surprised. He hadn't deliberately headed towards the Sky Island; he had always followed the Eternal Pose of Marineford, occasionally taking a detour to satisfy the three little ones' curiosity. He never expected to arrive at the White Sea by such a coincidence.

"Mr. Atlas, what is the White Sea?"

Sabo was always one to ask questions when in doubt, so the sudden appearance of a term he had never heard of before piqued his curiosity.