"The Pirate King?"
At first, people were deeply dismissive.
They did not believe pirates could have a true king.
But looking back, even Garp, who had nominally defeated Rocks, had died, while Shane had returned once again.
Of the New World's three great pirates, only one had not been utterly defeated.
The Holy Knights had been crushed before, and even Saint Saturn of the Five Elders had once had his soul separated from his body.
Once they came to their senses, all pirates had to admit that a king who stood above them had been born!
"Hey! How about joining forces? If we beat that guy, we can rightfully become the King of the Sea!"
"Damn it! Can anyone really collect a bounty that high?"
"In all these years, this is the first time I've seen a king emerge among pirates. If we can kill him, we can have everything in the world!"
Many things had never depended on whether someone actually possessed them. If everyone believed Shane had them, then he truly did.
After he was called the Pirate King, challengers would come in an endless, countless stream.
That had been one of Marine Headquarters' plans all along.
They wanted to push Shane to the mountaintop, while countless people climbed up from its foot, inspiring in them the ambition to take his place.
At that point.
The pirates would fight among themselves and splinter apart!
Hachinosu.
The Black Pearl sailed into port.
Shane's journey had come to a temporary end.
A new gale was already brewing.
Zunesha stood there imposingly, with some wounds on his body as well.
The debris on the sea proved to the world that a war had broken out here.
"Rest, Zunesha!"
Shane pressed a hand against Zunesha's knee.
He first repelled his exhaustion and