"Long time no see," Shanks greeted, his back turned to Kaido. He showed no fear of being attacked by the strongest creature in the world. Instead, he beamed a smile at Rayleigh and Shakky.
"Mr. Rayleigh. Miss Shakky."
"Shanks," Rayleigh replied, his sharp eyes softening instantly.
"Not bad," Shakky added.
"The boy of yesteryear has become a towering overlord of the seas."
Looking at Shanks' familiar face, the legendary Dark King lowered his guard. For a moment, he wasn't the retired killer, but an old man catching up with a junior.
"Compared to Captain Roger, I'm still far from a match," Shanks said, shaking his head. Thinking of Ben Beckman and Rem Jones, a hint of sadness touched his expression. "Just as you said, Mr. Rayleigh. The Great Pirate Era that Captain Roger started is at its breaking point."
"Who could have predicted a sea tyrant unable to protect his own crew," Rayleigh said, his voice low. "Not even their bodies."
"It's not your fault," Shanks said. "It's Rosen."
"A monster unlike any the pirate world has seen. Even Joy Boy probably wouldn't be a match for him."
Unlike his aggressive demeanor toward Kaido, Rayleigh showed the tolerance of an elder toward Shanks. Even in the cruel world of the Great Pirate Era, connections mattered. Luffy's future passage through the Grand Line relied on backers at the pinnacle of the sea. Shanks's were Rayleigh and the scattered remnants of the Roger Pirates.
"Rosen."
Hearing the name, Shanks felt an immense, crushing weight, like the Red Line itself pressing down on his heart. The pressure was suffocating. Just the name alone could make a Conqueror's Haki wielder feel the burden of a mountain.
"Kaido," Shanks took a deep breath, suppressing the pressure. He focused on the two pirates. "Mr. Rayleigh is not an enemy, but a friend. Your fight is meaningless. Gentlemen, please give me some face and let this end, okay?"
"A fight?" Rayleigh scoffed. "No. I simply want to see what kind of power the Four Emperors, standing at the pinnacle of the Great Pirate Era, truly possess."
Rayleigh knew the gravity of the situation. That was why he had returned to the world of the living. Ultimately, it was the flaw of sea kings. When encountering other rulers, especially those of the Emperor level, they instinctively unleashed their Conqueror's Haki as a greeting before discussing business.
"A force capable of forcing the remnants of the old era to abdicate," Kaido muttered.
Kaido's heart held not just the crack in his chest from Lawson, but also a deep well of cunning. As a trendsetter of this era who had faced the Admiral directly, he understood the situation's gravity. After confirming Charlotte Linlin's death, he displayed less of the unbridled arrogance of his original self and gained a more composed demeanor. After all, he couldn't be considered invincible right now.
With Shanks offering a way out, Kaido readily withdrew his Conqueror's Haki, though he retorted to Rayleigh, "Thank you!"
Shanks breathed a sigh of relief. Aside from lacking the title, he was a king at the pinnacle. He understood the temperament of tyrants like Kaido and Rayleigh. If they were on his side, they were easy to talk to. But toward other kings, even those of equal rank, they were arrogant and looked down on everyone.
"The Roger Pirates," Kaido asked, still gripping his spiked club. "Is it just you alone? Or... those old guys left behind by Roger? Are they all too old to walk?"
"I am old," Rayleigh retorted, "but taking on the Beasts Pirates shouldn't be a problem."
Kaido remained silent, his grip tightening on the Wano-forged club.
"Mr. Rayleigh," Shanks stepped in front of Kaido, his face full of shame. "I'm truly sorry. Captain Roger entrusted his straw hat to me, yet I couldn't even preserve the era he ushered in. I need you to return to the world stage."
In his view, it was his own weakness that had drawn Rayleigh back into the conflicts of the Great Pirate Era.
"Do we need to say all this between us, Shanks?" Rayleigh shook his head. "Besides wanting to preserve the Great Pirate Era for Roger, I have personal motives for returning. After all, there's still a score to settle between me and Rosen."
"Settling a score?" Shanks was stunned.
If he remembered correctly, Rayleigh had retired almost as long as Rosen was old. The two should have had no connection, let alone enmity. Kaido, standing nearby, also perked up his ears.
"You should have heard of the name Hachi," Rayleigh noticed Shanks' confusion and didn't hide anything.
"I remember. He's your savior," Shanks nodded.
"One of Rosen's subordinates killed Hachi," Rayleigh explained.
"Hehehehehe!" Kaido laughed. "Even one of Rosen's subordinates didn't respect you... As expected, getting old is useless."
Kaido, learning the full story, immediately mocked Rayleigh. There was no helping it; pirates were inherently enemies. Back during the God Valley battle, he had been beaten quite thoroughly by the Roger Pirates.
"I'm getting old," Rayleigh's eyes turned cold, and he gripped the hilt of his sword, "but I can still handle a good-for-nothing like you."
"Miss Shakky," Shanks intervened again, changing the subject. "What's the situation outside?"
This was the reality of Emperor-level pirates. Even with a formidable enemy like Rosen, encounters were mostly verbal battles with the possibility of a full-blown fight at any moment. Unlike the Marines—where the three Admirals might be bitter enemies but shared a sense of justice—at least until the Whitebeard Pirates were defeated—they united against a common enemy.
"Three things," Shakky lit a cigarette as she walked. "But all bad news. At least, that's true for you."
"Is there any worse news than the deaths of Whitebeard and Big Mom?" Kaido scoffed, though a shadow of gloom crossed his eyes.
"Yes," Shakky nodded.
"The first is the battle between the Marines and Whitebeard and Big Mom. As far as I know, the Marine Headquarters deployed only a thousand men and wiped out two Yonko crews, plus the Golden Lion. And the Marines' casualties were less than half."
As soon as she finished speaking, Kaido's expression changed. The Whitebeard Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates, if they went all out, numbered over 60,000. One thousand against sixty thousand, with less than half casualties. Such strength completely exceeded his preconceived notions about the Marines.
"How did they do that?" Shanks asked, astonished.
"That's the second thing," Shakky said. "The Naval Science Unit. Although it's only a thousand-strong unit, all members are equipped with combat suits and possess the ability to fly, as well as control fire, lasers, and lightning. Besides that, several Mythical Zoan-type Azure Dragon users have appeared among the Vice Admirals. Of course, there are also several Mythical Zoan-type Buddha users."
Shakky glanced at Kaido. As expected, upon learning that the Marines had Mythical Zoan-type Azure Dragon users other than himself, and more than one, Kaido's expression turned grim, radiating a murderous aura that seemed to freeze the air.
"Miss Shakky," Shanks took a deep breath. "And the third thing?"
"The fallen Marines," Shakky looked at Kaido and Shanks, dropping the bombshell. "All of them have been resurrected. Not a single one is missing."
"What?" Kaido's eyes widened, an expression of disbelief on his face.
"How is this possible?" Shanks also looked shocked.
"Although I also think it's impossible, it's a pity. This is the truth. Rosen has developed the Arms-Arms Fruit to a higher level, possessing the ability to trample even death," Shakky spread her hands.
"Invincible," Kaido murmured, his pupils contracting slightly.
After hearing this, everyone fell silent. Whether it was the former Empress of Amazon Lily, the Pirate King's right-hand man, or Shanks, they were strong. Rayleigh and Shanks were the strongest at the pinnacle of the pirate world, possessing an invincible spirit. No matter who they faced, they had the confidence to draw their swords and defeat their opponents. Even those bearing the title of the strongest.
But now, when Kaido said that Rosen was invincible, they didn't even have the thought to refute him. Because Rosen was the undisputed invincible force in the pirate world. Whether it was a one-on-one duel or a group attack, whether it was scheming or ambush, he was absolutely unbeatable. The Four Emperors. The Marines. The Revolutionary Army. The World Government. The Celestial Dragons. And the various countries of the world. In the eyes of the world, Rosen was synonymous with invincibility.
"Even if he truly is invincible, don't forget," Rayleigh surveyed the crowd, noticing the oppressive atmosphere, and said, enunciating each word clearly: "Before Roger, who would have believed the Grand Line could be conquered? Pirates are beings capable of creating miracles, even eras."
Hearing Rayleigh's words, the oppressive feeling in everyone's hearts lessened considerably.
"So?" Kaido gave Rayleigh a deep look. "You, a relic of the old era, what do you intend to use to preserve the Great Pirate Era? To reassemble the Roger Pirates? Or to form an alliance with us?"
Although he had never fought Lawson, Kaido believed Rayleigh was aware of Lawson's terrifying power. Yet, despite this, Rayleigh showed no pessimism, daring to return to the seas and stating that Lawson alone could not bear the weight of world power and the Great Pirate Era. Was this mere boasting, or did he have something to rely on?
He leaned towards the latter.
"Or perhaps an Ancient Weapon," Kaido uttered a weighty and alluring phrase. That was the Ancient Weapon. This was the only power he could think of that Rayleigh could rely on. At the same time, this was one of the reasons Gol D. Roger's crew was recognized as a powerful pirate force. Besides conquering the Grand Line and possessing Conqueror's Haki surpassing even the Four Emperors, Roger also knew of the Ancient Weapons. Add to that the unknown One Piece. All of this combined made the Pirate King a figure above the Four Emperors.
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