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Time passed, and under the unrelenting assault of the Beast Pirates, the Red Hair pirates quickly reached their limit.
Fatigue, hunger, and mental exhaustion.
Their physical functions rapidly declined in all aspects.
"I… I can't hold on any longer."
Yasopp's lips were cracked, and his head felt heavy. As a sniper, he was more adept at killing enemies from a thousand meters away, carrying out decapitation strikes, rather than wielding his beloved sniper rifle in close-quarters combat with a group of savages.
But his bullets had long been exhausted, and as fatigue accumulated, negative statuses like hunger, thirst, and pain came one after another.
He'd already reached his limit.
"Hold on, Yasopp!"
Beckman roared anxiously, but facing the strong assault, he couldn't spare any attention to help, only watching helplessly as his crewmates fell one after another.
There were less than ten of them in total, while the enemy forces exceeded thirty thousand. This was an unfair war from the start.
The current situation was within expectations.
The true key to this war lay in the outcome between the two captains. What they needed to do was hold off the enemy officers and hold on until Red Hair defeated Kaido!
Deep within the island.
The pirates risked their lives to deliver fine wine to the battlefield.
"Wororororo!!!"
Kaido laughed heartily, picked up a wine barrel, and chugged the wine down his throat. Then he raised the barrel, inviting Red Hair.
"That was refreshing. Do you want some?"
"I'm thirsty, as it happens."
Red Hair picked up a wine barrel and drank.
After fighting to this point, both sides had already used all their trump cards, their stamina was severely depleted, and the injuries on their bodies had accumulated to a terrifying extent.
"Next is the end!"
"Indeed."
The final round!
"Woo hahahaha!"
Kaido drank an entire barrel of wine, a drunken blush appearing on his face. He suddenly burst into laughter, his emotions gradually becoming extreme.
Drunken Dragon Eight Trigrams!
"Wororororo!"
Kaido instantly stepped forward and accelerated, appearing before Red Hair. He grabbed his kanabo with both hands, his entire body like a coiled bow ready to unleash.
Both his speed and strength had increased compared to before.
"Ragnarak: Infernal Dragon!"
The kanabo slammed down!
Red Hair's gaze deepened, and he swung his sword to block!
"Clang!"
Accompanied by a piercing hum, Red Hair's body sank, his legs embedding into the ground, as if a great mountain had pressed down upon him.
So heavy!
"Wororororo!"
Kaido laughed heartily as he twisted his body and kicked Red Hair flying!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"
Several rocky mountains were consecutively smashed through!
In the contest of strength, Red Hair was clearly at a slight disadvantage.
"Woo woo woo~~"
Kaido looked in the direction where Red Hair disappeared, and suddenly burst into tears.
"By killing you, there's one less person in this world who can contend with me head-on. Damn it, leave me alone for a while, waaaah~~"
Drunken Crying.
At this moment, all forces on Lodestar Island were awaiting the result, and their thoughts were surprisingly consistent.
The victor must be Kaido!
Red Hair, once one of the Yonko, wasn't much weaker than Kaido. Several years had passed, and Red Hair's Haki had become even more formidable, so either side could win their duel.
But the Beast Pirates were no longer just a Yonko crew. They were also the leader maintaining the collective interests of the entire underworld.
In the great treasure battle, all parties relied on the Beast Pirates' goodwill, following behind them to see if they could get a share.
In reality, the Pirate King's battle had long since had a result. Compared to finding Laugh Tale as a way to become Pirate King, more pirates believed in the law of the jungle.
The Beast Pirates being the strongest pirate crew had long become a consensus in the underworld. All that was missing was the title of "Pirate King."
The only uncertain factor was probably whether the title of Pirate King should go to Kaido or the more revered Daichi.
Therefore, the pirates could not tolerate any unexpected situations. If the Red Hair pirates were unwilling to exit gracefully, then they wouldn't mind making the Red Hair pirates exit gracefully!
Battlefield, edge.
Red Hair was embedded within the mountain wall, crimson blood overflowing from his mouth.
"Cough, has the era changed?"
Observation Haki being too strong also had its drawbacks.
Red Hair wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a sense of desolation welling up in his eyes. He could clearly feel the malice the pirates were directing at them.
In his memory, pirates should've been a scattered mess, hostile to each other. Yet, at this moment, the pirates on the island were surprisingly harmonious, even under the temptation of the great treasure.
Someone had bound them together.
And that person...
Red Hair's mind conjured Daichi's figure, and he smiled bitterly.
"What a terrifying man!"
Clearly, it was Daichi who'd connected the underworld through interests. This was undoubtedly the new era of the underworld.
And they'd been abandoned by the era.
Red Hair clutched his empty sleeve, his mind momentarily dazed.
"I bet it on the new era!"
More than ten years ago, Windmill Village.
He'd bet his left arm there, but now it was the new era created by Daichi, and Luffy, on whom he'd placed great hopes, had been defeated by Daichi.
His life or death was unknown.
The Nika he'd hoped for did not appear!
He'd brought his crewmates here with the greatest purpose of alleviating pressure for Luffy, giving Luffy a chance to grow into Nika.
As long as Luffy became the savior Nika, he could unite all races and change the current terrible world.
He knew the legend of Nika and firmly believed that Nika was the only way to defeat Imu and save the world.
But the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
He lost.
The price was everything he had.
"Wororororo!!!"
The Azure Dragon was approaching!
Red Hair gripped his sword, looking up at the evil dragon in the sky.
"Roger-sensei..."
Three hours later.
Red Hair Shanks fell in battle, and the Red Hair pirates were defeated and fled.
"Finally… it's over."
Facing such a result, all factions breathed a sigh of relief. Only one person shed tears over Red Hair's defeat.
Inside the Cross Guild's ship cabin.
"Shanks, you bastard!"
Buggy was crying like a baby.
He knew very well that in the final stage, whether it was a Yonko or a star player, anyone could be eliminated, but hearing of Shanks's death, he still found it hard to accept.
He envied Shanks but also genuinely trusted Shanks, always believing in his heart that Shanks would inherit Captain Roger's mantle and become the King of the next era.
"Pat-a."
Someone pulled back the curtain.
It was Mihawk.
Buggy lost his usual fear and glared at Mihawk.
"Are you here to mock me?!"
"I don't have that kind of time."
Mihawk sat on the sofa, picked up red wine, and took a large gulp. He, who always maintained decorum, rarely showed such a rough side.
Red Hair was his close friend.
But given his current position, he couldn't offer assistance, and given Red Hair's personality, he wouldn't have wanted him to interfere in this battle.
Mihawk looked at Buggy, his emotions complex.
He hadn't expected that the one who'd mourn his close friend with him would be this useless guy.
Just then, Mr. 3 burst in.
"Buggy-sama!"
Mr. 3 was covered in sweat, urgently saying, "The Beast Pirates sent Red Hair's corpse, saying they're entrusting the burial arrangements to you."
"Bury… Shanks."
Buggy was stunned for a very, very long time.