The New World, the Wano Country.
Onigashima.
Kaido was drinking with Queen.
Suddenly, a Den Den Mushi rang. Kaido stopped, picked up the Den Den Mushi, and answered it.
"Oh, bastard... old woman, what's the matter?"
" Kaido, don't forget you still owe me a huge favor."
Kaido calmly took a large gulp of sake. "Hiccup... You're still the same as always. What's up?"
"That bastard Shiki has recovered his body and even become younger. You should know how strong he is."
" Shiki? That old bastard actually had such an opportunity? Wow... This world is getting more and more interesting!" Kaido.
The Big Mom roared angrily, " Kaido, did you even hear me? Shiki isn't like before this time. Today he defeated Ochoku of Hachinosu and slaughtered the entire Hachinosu!"
"Oh..." Kaido's eyes narrowed slightly. Despite his seemingly careless appearance, he was actually quite shrewd.
Although the Beasts Pirates do not currently border Golden Lion's territory, it doesn't mean Kaido is unappreciative of this former Second Division Commander.
" Linlin, what do you want?"
"Shall we join forces and test Shiki's strength?"
Kaido did not refuse the suggestion from the Big Mom.
The two quickly discussed and agreed on a plan to probe each other.
East Blue.
Dawn Island, Foosha Village.
Beckman looked at today's World Economy News Paper, his face extremely grim.
"What is it now?" Lucky Roux asked, gnawing on a chicken leg.
"We're in big trouble." Beckman turned to Shanks, who was chatting with Luffy, and his headache worsened. " Shanks, I need to talk to you about something. Let's go outside."
Shanks, who had already lost an arm, saw Beckman's solemn expression, comforted Luffy, and then asked the landlady to bring him a large plate of grilled meat before getting up and walking outside with Beckman.
The two arrived at the coast.
" Shanks, here's today's newspaper, take a look!"
Shanks took the newspaper, flipped through it for a while, and his expression also became somewhat serious. " Golden Lion has actually returned!? And he's even regained his youth and physique, this is troublesome..."
Beckman knew part of Shanks ' plans.
After guiding the child, the other party planned to go to the New World to start their conquest and prepare for future plans.
Unfortunately, Golden Lion's sudden rise to prominence has introduced considerable uncertainty into Shanks ' plans.
After all, the Golden Lion's power was too terrifying. Now that he has returned, he has immediately been hailed as the Emperor of the New World.
As for why Shanks didn't choose to become the Fifth Emperor, the reason is very simple: the territory in the New World is limited.
Apart from the portion of the sea controlled by the World Government and the Navy, the remaining sea areas must be subtracted from Elbaf and a large part of the human-restricted areas.
The remaining territory can only accommodate a maximum of four pirate forces at the level of Sea Emperors.
Of the current Four Emperors.
Whitebeard was known as the World's Strongest Man and had a good relationship with the Roger Pirates, Shanks would definitely not try to take over his territory.
Charlotte Linlin's Totto Land is a self-contained entity, and Shanks is well aware of her affair with Kaido.
Kaido equally formidable. With his Azure Oni Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon and Kaido bloodline, his Haki, physical skills, and Devil Fruit are all top-tier, and his subordinates are also very powerful.
Needless to say, Shiki the Golden Lion is legendary for nearly driving the Roger Pirates to the brink of defeat. His Float-Float Fruit- Float Fruit's island-smashing attack was so powerful that even forces with fixed territories couldn't withstand it.
Moreover, this Golden Lion, who had regained his youth and was in perfect physical condition. No matter how confident Shanks, he didn't believe that the Red Hair Pirates could go toe-to-toe with Golden Lion.
The sudden change in the New World.
This put Shanks in a dilemma.
To ensure the person he made the promise to can reach the Laugh Tale safely, he must protect them in the most dangerous New World. But now, entering the New World means he must wage a full-scale war against one of the Four Emperors and completely defeat him before he can take his place.
Moreover, time waits for no one.
Given the current situation, the Golden Lion's Sky Empire will soon expand rapidly, dividing up the remaining territory of the New World.
Shanks is now regretting staying in the East Blue for too long. Even if he rushes to the New World now, it will still take about half a year.
Six months later, the daylilies were all too cold.
Paradise.
Sabaody Archipelago.
Shakky's Rip-off Bar
"That Golden Lion guy has actually regained his youth?" Rayleigh exclaimed in shock.
Shakky looked at Rayleigh with a cold smile, "You'd better be careful. I feel that Golden Lion has changed a lot. He even easily defeated Ochoku. Given the grudges between your Roger Pirates and him, if you show up in front of him, you'll probably be killed by him."
"Hehehe... I'm retired..."
"Really? If Shanks were to encounter Golden Lion, are you planning to just stand by and watch?" Shakky reminded her.
Upon hearing this, Rayleigh immediately realized. " Shanks..."
He knew, of course, what Shanks had been plotting and was also preparing to seize the throne of the Sea Emperor in the New World.
Shakky gazed intently out the window, as if she could already sense the oppressive atmosphere before the storm.
" The Sky Empire has fully taken over Ochoku's territory, and its next step is likely to be outward expansion. Given the location of the Hachinosu sea area, if they don't go to war with Whitebeard and Linlin, they can only expand westward to the Harif Sea..."
Rayleigh was silent for a moment, then finally shook his head. "Let the young people handle their own affairs!"
"That's for the best, I don't want to collect your corpse."
"How heartless! Shakky..."
"Hehe, let's settle the bill for today's drinks first! Old Ray, the coating craftsman..."
North Blue.
Aike Island.
The Donquixote Family's secret headquarters.
At this moment, Doflamingo was looking at the newspaper in his hand. Although his face was expressionless, his eyes behind his glasses were full of apprehension.
Noah's interference prevented Law from the Donquixote Family, which in turn prevented Rosinante from taking Law out for medical treatment. With this mole in the picture, many of the Donquixote Family's plans were ruined by Tsuru.
Even now that they have become Shichibukai, the Donquixote Family's awkward situation remains unchanged.
Moreover, Diamante's death caused Doflamingo to lose a core combatant.
The Donquixote Family is much weaker now than in the original timeline. They even postponed their plans to enter the New World, only recently arriving to plot against the Dressrosa Kingdom New World.
However, Golden Lion's sudden rise to prominence put pressure on Doflamingo.
If the Golden Lion also sets his sights on the Dressrosa Kingdom, then his plan will completely fall apart.
This put Doflamingo in a dilemma as well. Continuing to act according to the original plan would bring enormous uncertainty; but if he didn't continue according to the plan, the manpower and resources he had invested would be wasted.
Doflamingo was caught in a dilemma.
However, after struggling with his decision for a while, he made a decision and instructed his subordinates to continue with the previous plan.
Doflamingo was clearly gambling that Golden Lion would be wary of the World Government and the Navy and wouldn't extend his reach to the Dressrosa Kingdom.
Of course, Doflamingo also had another option: to seek cooperation with other Four Emperors forces. He wouldn't even mind if Golden Lion was willing to cooperate.
Meanwhile, the other Underworld giants were also silently observing the Sky Empire's next move.