On the Moby Dick—
Whitebeard sat calmly on the deck, surrounded by members of the Whitebeard Pirates. All of them wore solemn expressions, as if awaiting something important.
Whitebeard, however, looked as carefree as ever, downing a barrel of liquor without a care in the world, as if nothing could possibly concern him.
After a while, a crewman came running up in a panic, shouting,
"Pops! The Red-Haired Pirates' ship is approaching!"
"Gurarara... That was fast. Let that red-haired brat come aboard."
The officers of the Whitebeard Pirates immediately sharpened their focus. They all knew that the man who was about to set foot on the ship possessed one of the most powerful Conqueror's Haki in the entire sea.
Of course, they had no idea that Shanks had already lost in that regard... to Kaito.
As a wave of crew members suddenly collapsed without reason, Shanks boarded the Moby Dick. Empty-handed, he walked straight up to Whitebeard.
Whitebeard frowned, visibly displeased.
"Hey, Red-Haired brat, you come aboard my ship and don't even think to bring some good booze?"
Shanks didn't look great either. His face was dark and somber. With a sharp flick of his right hand, he tossed off his black cloak—revealing his left sleeve, which hung completely empty.
The sight made the Whitebeard Pirates widen their eyes in shock.
Shanks—the man they considered to be on par with Whitebeard himself—had lost an arm?
Why hadn't there been any word of this across the seas?
Even the usually carefree Whitebeard furrowed his brow. Though he always referred to Shanks as a brat, he'd never underestimated his strength.
Now, Shanks had come to him missing an arm.
This wasn't just some casual visit.
Whitebeard slowly set down his barrel and asked in a low voice,
"Red-Haired brat, what happened to your arm?"
Shanks reached for the severed stump of his left arm. He could still feel the burn searing deep within. He knew he'd never forget that purple lightning—the power that had nearly taken his life.
And the man who wielded it... Uchiha Kaito.
With a bitter smile, Shanks sat down on the deck and spoke slowly,
"I ran into Shikiryū in the East Blue... that terrifying new Marine. He blasted this arm off with lightning. I nearly died fighting him."
Silence fell over the entire deck of the Moby Dick. Everyone stared blankly at Shanks, seated across from Whitebeard.
Marco shouted in disbelief,
"Hey, don't joke about that!"
But deep down, Marco already believed it.
Ever since Kaito had first made his name during his battle against Rayleigh in Sabaody, Marco had been the one watching Kaito closest among all of Whitebeard's crew.
He had witnessed Kaito kill Whitebeard Jr., defeat Golden Lion Shiki...
That terrifying new Marine had left a real impression.
Marco had even tried bringing it up to Whitebeard, but the old man just brushed it off.
To Whitebeard, Kaito was nothing but a young Marine upstart. He didn't even take Akainu seriously, much less a mere rookie.
Whitebeard Jr.? Just a brainless brute with raw power. Golden Lion? A washed-up has-been.
But this was different.
Shanks—one of the Four Emperors—had lost. Badly. To Uchiha Kaito.
Even with all his confidence, Whitebeard couldn't imagine doing that much damage to Shanks himself.
And now a so-called "Marine brat" had done it.
This wasn't something he could just laugh off.
What's more, Shanks losing like this had major implications.
He was one of the Four Emperors—the very pillars holding up the balance of power in the sea.
One of them falling meant that balance could collapse entirely.
Whitebeard's expression darkened as he asked,
"You're saying this Shikiryū really has that kind of power?"
Shanks let out a bitter laugh and dropped another bombshell.
"Even though I don't want to admit it... yes. His power far surpasses mine. And before he fought me, he had already defeated Kaido. That news came from Kaido's daughter. Apparently, for reasons no one knows, he even spared Kaido's life."
"..."
Every single member of the Whitebeard Pirates—including Whitebeard himself—fell completely silent.
They were numb.
Even Blackbeard, standing behind Marco, looked shaken.
He had been lurking in the Whitebeard Pirates for over a decade, waiting for the perfect moment to steal the Dark-Dark Fruit.
And now, hearing this kind of news from Shanks… he suddenly felt like even staying here might be dangerous.
Clenching his fists tightly, Teach silently vowed to get that fruit as soon as possible.
Only then would he stand a chance of protecting himself.
Whitebeard reached for his barrel to calm himself with another drink, only to realize it was already empty.
Irritated, he tossed it overboard and looked at Shanks with a grim expression.
"So... what are you planning to do?"
Finally, Shanks had been waiting for this moment.
He hadn't come here just to talk up Kaito—he had a far more important reason.
Meeting Whitebeard's gaze, he said slowly and clearly,
"With a monster like Shikiryū on the Marines' side, no single Emperor crew can stand against them anymore. So I propose we form an alliance."
"What?! Are you kidding me!?"
Whitebeard was naturally against the idea. Form an alliance? That would make it look like he was afraid of the Marines!
How could the "Strongest Man in the World" accept that?
But Shanks had anticipated this reaction.
He knew Whitebeard's weakness well—his "family."
Deliberately glancing around at the Whitebeard Pirates nearby, Shanks said,
"I think you've seen what Shikiryū does to pirates. If you really go up against him… do you have any confidence you can protect these people from him? You really want to watch them all die at his hands?"
The mention of his family made Whitebeard's expression falter.
That was his obvious soft spot.
It hadn't always been, of course. When he was in his prime, who would dare threaten his family?
But after witnessing Kaito's terrifying feats…
Even Whitebeard had to admit—it might not be enough.
And if he couldn't even protect his crew, what did his pride matter?
Seeing that Whitebeard was wavering, Shanks pressed the advantage.
"It's just a nominal alliance. If nothing else, it'll make the Marines think twice."
Whitebeard said nothing, clearly torn.
At that moment, Marco stepped forward and delivered the final push.
"Pops! Just do it. That Shikiryū is stronger than we expected. We need to be cautious."
Whitebeard looked at Marco with a complicated expression.
He had already been leaning toward agreement.
He just needed one excuse from his family.
In his eyes, neither his life nor his pride mattered compared to his children.
Teaming up with Shanks really was the best way to protect them now.
Finally, he lowered his proud head and said in a low voice,
"Alright, Red-Haired brat. I'll agree to the alliance."
"A wise decision."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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