Chapter 342: The King of the Four Seas, Shane
The wind howled, the waves crashed.
Shane finally looked away from the direction of Mary Geoise. He had enjoyed the battle enough. Imu's defeat meant that this creature could no longer pose as a god, looking down on the sea with that high-and-mighty attitude. It also meant that the World Government's greatest reliance and confidence had been severely shaken!
Next, once he improved further and was confident he could defeat Imu's main body, it would be time for the Curtain Call to ascend to the Holy Land and fight the final battle against the old order!
As for now… "Time to head back. I wonder if I can make it in time for the clean-up," Shane grinned.
He had been so worried about not making it in time that as soon as he was out of the Five Elders' sight, he had spent 2,000 points to use the territory teleportation function, teleporting to the closest Curtain Call territory to Sphinx Island. From there, he had set out, cutting his travel time in half, and barely managed to arrive in time to foil the Five Elders' plot to turn Whitebeard into a demon.
But now… several hours had passed. Whitebeard, who had left long ago, should have arrived by now, even if he was rowing with a Supreme Grade Blade. The war was probably over, and he wasn't needed. There was no need to waste points just to save a little time.
"Let's go!" Shane stretched, feeling the surge of power in his body. The one-time Saiyan Blood Factor had improved his overall strength in every aspect. Before, facing an Admiral/Yonko level powerhouse, he would have had to put in some effort, as they were still in the same general tier. But now, the levels were completely different! Opponents of that caliber were little more than speed bumps to him. Dealing with them was just a matter of a few punches and kicks!
BOOM!
Shane's figure vanished, leaving only a spreading sonic boom. He was faster than when he arrived, a black-and-red bolt of lightning tearing through the sky, heading straight for the battlefield.
Earlier, on the main battlefield.
"Dammit!" Saint Nusjuro, in his giant skeletal horse form, let out an angry whinny, his eyes filled with terror. Just now, he had clearly felt his master's presence disappear… no, rather, leave the Blue Sea and return to the Holy Land. But either way, it meant that Lord Imu's vessel had been defeated!
How is that possible! That was their master in person! H-how could she lose? Could that guy, that man, really have become that strong?!!!
"It's not a good habit to be distracted in battle," a cold female voice came from above.
Angewomon spread her eight wings, her golden bow drawn taut, a holy arrow aimed straight at Nusjuro's forehead. She shouted, "Absolute Holy Arrow!"
Bad! Nusjuro's face changed. He didn't have time to block!
WHOOSH!
The arrow shot through the air, striking Nusjuro squarely in the forehead. Holy energy and immortal power clashed violently, making a sizzling sound of corrosion.
"Aaargh!" Nusjuro roared in pain. Although he managed to withstand the arrow in the end, a large hole was burned into his forehead, black blood flowing freely. He swung the cursed sword, Kitetsu, trying to counterattack Angewomon, but his movements were noticeably slower than before.
Previously, he had been able to hold off Angewomon alone despite the elemental disadvantage because his basic abilities were superior to hers. But this arrow had significantly weakened him, and he was struggling to keep up.
I can't keep fighting like this! Nusjuro endured the pain and looked up, letting out a reluctant roar. "All forces, retreat! Retreat!"
The order echoed across the battlefield, stunning all the Marine officers.
"Huh? Retreat?!" Greenbull, who was fighting Fujitora, looked back in disbelief. "My lord, what's going on? Didn't you say reinforcements were arriving any minute…" He had been holding on just for that. And now?
"The situation has changed! Shut up and follow orders!" Nusjuro shouted, swinging his sword with all his might to force Angewomon back temporarily. Then he turned his gaze to Akainu.
"Sakazuki!" Nusjuro roared. "Follow orders! Cover the retreat! Immediately!"
These fickle old men! Akainu's face was as dark as iron, but as a soldier, he ultimately threw a full-power punch, knocking Aokiji back, and roared to the entire army, "All ships, turn around! Break out and retreat at all costs! Officers of Vice Admiral rank and above, cover the rear! Aramaki, make us a path!"
"Yes, Senior. It's frustrating… but we have no choice!"
RUMBLE—
A massive amount of vines surged from beneath the Marine fleet, turning the terrain back into sea while helping the warships turn around.
Just then… WHOOSH!
A golden light appeared on the horizon, blindingly bright, causing countless people to look up.
"That's… Admiral Kizaru!"
"No mistake!"
"The Admiral is finally here!"
Hope rekindled in the eyes of the Marine soldiers. This is the reinforcement! But as the golden light drew closer, they were horrified to see—
BOOM!
Kizaru fell from the sky, crashing heavily onto the ground, tumbling out of his elemental form and spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"GURARARARARA!" Whitebeard's laughter followed from the distance. His massive figure used Moonwalk to shoot into the sky, his Murakumogiri wreathed in black-and-red lightning as he slashed down! "Lucky me! To run into you on the way back, Kizaru brat! I won't let you off so easily for attacking my hometown!"
No way. So the Admiral had been chased all the way here! The Marines looked at the battered Kizaru, then at the black-and-red light in the sky, wanting to cry. What can we say? Just stay away from the Admiral and run for your lives!
Meanwhile, Marine G-5 Base.
On the smoke-filled battlefield, Smoker chewed on a cigar, his jitte resting casually on his shoulder, white smoke swirling around him. He looked at the two defeated Marine Vice Admirals at his feet. They were soaked in blood, struggling to catch their breath and get up.
"Give it up, you two," Smoker shook his head. "Your base's fleet has been completely destroyed by us. The Curtain Call's flag is flying from the highest point of your base. As for you two, even together, you're no match for me. The war is over!"
"Cough… Junior Brother Smoker!" On the left, Vice Admiral Kesa coughed up blood and gritted his teeth. "You really are strong now… If you were willing to return to the Marines, the position of Admiral candidate would be yours. You have a bright future ahead of you. Do you have to follow the Curtain Call down this dark path?"
"Still so stubborn? What nonsense are you talking about? You're the ones walking down a dark path!" Smoker snorted disdainfully. "Even Master Z has left the Marines. Don't call me 'Junior Brother' anymore, you people who still work for the World Government!"
THUD!
The jitte came down, knocking the two struggling Vice Admirals out cold.
"Tie them up!"
"Yes, Mr. Smoker!"
Just then, a Den Den Mushi rang. "This is Smoker."
Smoker answered the call, listened for a moment, and raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is the war on the main front over? A complete victory?" He exhaled a puff of smoke and grinned. "I just finished up here too. Looks like we can report and celebrate together."
"I, leading the Sixth and Seventh Divisions of the Combat Corps, have completely conquered Marine G-5 Base!"
…
The setting sun was red as blood. The majestic fortress of G-1 Base had changed flags.
"Yes, the victory is decided," Shiryu of the Rain wiped the blood from his blade and sheathed it. He lit a cigar and reported coldly, "This is the First, Fifth, and Ninth Divisions of the Combat Corps. Marine G-1 Base has been defeated, the fortress breached, and fully occupied!"
…
"This is Second Division Captain Trafalgar Law. Please report to the captain for me." The man in the spotted hat sighed and reluctantly high-fived the grinning mohawked youth in front of him. Then he continued into the Den Den Mushi, "Marine G-13 Base has been captured by our division and the Fourth Division."
…
"This is Nojiko, leading the Third and Tenth Divisions of the Combat Corps. Marine G-14 Base has been completely destroyed and occupied by us!"
…
"Hey, hey, is anyone listening? This is Sanji… Get lost! Mosshead, who cares if your stomach is growling! Can't you see I'm reporting… Cough, hello? Report! Marine G-9 Base, we've successfully taken it!"
…
Since the horn of the new era had sounded, the surging tide seemed never to stop. And so, at the end of August in the year 1517 of the Sea Circle Calendar, a small event and a major event occurred simultaneously.
The small event was that an island named "Sphinx" sank completely into the sea, disappearing from the ocean forever, becoming a speck of dust in the river of history. Few paid attention to it.
The major event was different. —The World Government suffered an unprecedented defeat in the war against the Curtain Call Adventurers and the Whitebeard Pirates! Not only did the main force of over fifty thousand elite troops suffer heavy casualties, with less than half escaping, but the Curtain Call's main force also took the initiative and completely conquered the Marines' seven New World bases!
What did this mean? It meant the Marines were completely driven out of the New World. For the first time in 800 years, the World Government had lost control of an entire sea! And the Curtain Call… became the first existence in 800 years to defeat the World Government in a head-on confrontation and stand as an equal power!
With the operations of the World Economic Journal, detailed news of this war hit the headlines the next day. Countless News Coos took flight, spreading it across the four seas at a terrifying speed. From the East Blue to the North Blue, to the Grand Line… The world shook!
Of course, after this war, the World Government also used the newspaper channels it had recently taken control of to release its own version of the results, covering up much of its failure, and taking the opportunity to raise the bounties on the Curtain Call. The original five top officers all received an increase of 200 million Berries, which wasn't a big change. But Kuzan, the former Marine Admiral who had defected to the Curtain Call, was given a bounty of 4.035 billion Berries by the Marines. He broke Angewomon's record, becoming the "pirate" with the highest initial bounty.
As for Shane himself, he was upgraded by the World Government to "The World's Most Terrifying Rebel Leader," and his bounty skyrocketed by another billion, reaching a staggering 7.3 billion Berries!
Unfortunately, after so many major events, even with the World Government's efforts to cover up and remedy the situation, their credibility had hit rock bottom. Even the citizens of the affiliated nations were mostly more willing to believe the news released by the Curtain Call. What did it matter if the bounty was set high or the title seemed dangerous and scary?
After this war, amidst countless discussions of shock, panic, or ecstasy… the man's prestige and reputation had climbed to an unprecedented peak! At the same time, people began to feel that simply calling him the "World's Strongest Swordsman" or a "Yonko" was no longer enough to describe his power.
And so, unknowingly… in the word of mouth of the people, in the whispers of the sea breeze, more and more people, in more and more places, began to use a title that better expressed their awe. They called the man named Shane—
"The King of the Four Seas"!
As soon as this title appeared, it was accepted by countless people. After all, throughout the history of the Sea Circle Calendar, no one had ever been able to pull the Celestial Dragons from their altar, defeat Marine Headquarters head-on, and shake the foundations of the World Government like Shane had! Even the most rebellious, most traditional people had to admit, holding their noses—
The new era had truly arrived! And the master of this era, the leader of this era… was Shane!
Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
Chamber of Flowers.
A slender black figure stood silently before the Empty Throne, spiraling pupils reflecting the headline of the newspaper pasted on the wall. It prominently displayed Shane's wanted poster, and next to it, the glaring new title, King of the Four Seas, was specifically marked.
"Heh…" An ambiguous chuckle echoed in the empty hall.
King of the Four Seas? It reminded Her of the descendant of Davy Jones who had called himself the "King of the World" all those years ago.
But… "A mere mortal, daring to call himself 'King'?" Her voice suddenly turned cold. Before the words fell, the newspaper turned to ash in a sudden burst of black-purple flame.
"Enjoy your moment in the sun."
"My world will soon be complete. Then I can leave this room. I'd like to see… just how long you can keep up this arrogance."