The Straw Hat crew packed their bags and set off for Dock Town.
"Damn it, why am I the only one whose bounty is a drawing!" Sanji fumed, holding his wanted poster.
"Alright, 300 million Berries! It's already amazing to get this much for your first time. My first one was only 30 million!" Luffy said, putting a hand on Sanji's shoulder, comforting his wounded heart.
"But this doesn't even look like me!" Sanji collapsed to the ground like a boneless rag doll, "I'm going to be laughed at by ladies all over the world!"
"Doesn't it look pretty similar?" Zoro glanced at him, though he also felt a bit like laughing.
"I said I was just a reporter, and even though the photo is pretty, why am I a wanted criminal too!" Nami was on the verge of tears.
Luffy teleported over, "What does it matter? Following us, you'd get caught even without a wanted poster."
Nami: "..."
Chopper also came up to Luffy, pushing his wanted poster at him, tears streaming down his face in excitement, "I'm a pirate too, and I fought like a man, but why is my bounty only 50 Berries!"
Luffy ruffled Chopper's head, "Because your role is a pet! Just try harder next time, you can definitely become a great pirate with a bounty over 100 million!"
"Really?" Chopper was no longer angry, looking at Luffy excitedly.
"Of course!" Luffy averted his gaze, his expression a little unnatural.
Meanwhile, Robin looked at the disheveled Luffy, a faint smile on her face... However, a few days ago, an earth-shattering event occurred in the New World.
In a certain sea area of the New World,
A ship with a red dragon figurehead cut through the waves, heading straight forward.
Around it, there were shipwrecks everywhere.
Soon after, two massive ships met, their Four Emperors flags fluttering.
"Pops, Pops, Red Hair says he wants to see you!" A random pirate said to the colossal figure.
Whitebeard, with an IV drip in his arm, took a big gulp of sake, "Let him come over! That kid probably brought some good sake!"
Soon, the two pirate ships began to draw close.
"Red Hair is coming, young ones step back, your bodies can't handle it!" A man with a pineapple-shaped hairstyle calmly advised.
"Can't handle it means...?"
"Boom--!"
As a foot stepped onto the Moby Dick, an invisible aura rose.
Onboard, crew members collapsed one after another, losing consciousness.
As Shanks's figure appeared on the Moby Dick, those still conscious were undoubtedly battle-hardened pirates.
"Don't panic, they just fainted."
"Half-baked mental fortitude can't stay conscious in front of that man."
"Still the same, such strong Haki!"
On the ship, Shanks slowly walked, dragging a sake barrel taller than himself, and cracks even appeared on the ship's edge.
Arriving in front of Whitebeard, Shanks looked up, revealing his iconic Red Hair and three scars.
"My apologies, a bit of an intimidating entrance on an enemy ship."
Whitebeard stared at him, "Seeing your face makes the wound that bastard left on me ache!"
Shanks sighed.
"I brought healing water, I have no intention of fighting, I want to discuss something with you."
Whitebeard crossed his arms.
"Are those words from someone exuding Haki? Bastard! Hahahaha!"
At this moment, Marco fixed his gaze on Shanks.
"Red Hair, what have you done?"
And Shanks met his gaze.
"It's Marco of the First Division! Want to join us?"
Marco glared at him, looking displeased.
"He doesn't seem to be here for a fight, let's leave them alone for a while." Whitebeard's tone was light but full of authority, and everyone reluctantly retreated... The two sat opposite each other. Shanks poured the sake from the barrel into a large bowl, then threw the barrel towards Whitebeard.
Whitebeard caught it with one hand, taking a quick glance.
"This is West Blue sake, not exactly top-shelf stuff, is it!"
Shanks smiled faintly.
"I've traveled all the seas of the world, and nothing surpasses sake brewed with water that permeates the skin. This is sake from my homeland, try it!"
Whitebeard took a heavy sip.
"Not bad. Roger, Garp, Sengoku, there are far fewer people who truly know the sea now. Is that interesting red-nosed kid who was with you, who was just a brat on Gol D. Roger's ship back then, dead?"
"Buggy? That's quite nostalgic!"
"A man of your caliber came back from the East Blue having lost an arm. Everyone was surprised, who cut it off?"
Shanks touched his empty left sleeve with his right hand, as if recalling something that brought joy to this emperor of the sea.
"I gambled it... on the New Era!"
"Whitebeard!" Shanks's tone became serious, "I've been through countless battles, sustained innumerable scars, but the only one that aches now... is this one!"
"The one who wounded me is your son, Teach. I wasn't careless, you must know what I'm about to say? That guy has always been waiting for his chance, he neither...!"
The surrounding atmosphere suddenly changed, the previously clear sky now covered with dark clouds.
"What do you want me to do? That's the main point, isn't it!"
"Stop Ace! To be able to serve as the commander of your Second Division at such a young age, Ace is strong, I know that! But...?"
"Ah hahahaha!" Whitebeard laughed uproariously, "The snot-nosed brat has become quite eloquent! That guy committed the unforgivable crime on a pirate ship of killing a comrade! He broke the iron rule! You're still 100 years too early to tell me what to do."
Whitebeard took a heavy sip of sake and flung the sake barrel away.
Shanks teleported out of the way, his face grim, silent. He picked up the sake bowl and gulped it down.
He slowly stood up, placing his right hand on the hilt of his sword, drawing it out an inch.
"Boom!"
Haoshoku transformed into dark red lightning, tightly coiling around the Supreme Grade Blade, Gryphon.
"It will become an era that no one can stop, this rampaging era!"
"There's nothing to be afraid of, I am... Whitebeard!"
Whitebeard gripped his Supreme Grade Blade, Murakumogiri, beside him, dark red lightning also coiling around it!
The two swords clashed, yet there was no actual collision!
"Boom!"
Dense dark red lightning surged from the Moby Dick.
The clash stirred up thousands of waves.
The sea within a ten-mile radius surged with waves, and hundred-meter-high waves were everywhere.
Even the treasure ship made from adam tree began to be affected by these two Haoshoku auras, showing cracks.
"What's happening? Are they fighting?"
"No, that man wouldn't be so impulsive!"
"Negotiations must have broken down!"
An extremely dazzling dark red light shot from the two weapons towards the sky.
Instantly, the entire sky seemed to be torn apart.
In a moment, both men retracted their weapons.
Suddenly, a hundred-meter-high wave rushed towards the Moby Dick.
Red Hair turned and left.
Whitebeard clenched his right fist, a milky white orb of light enveloped his fist, then he assumed a crouching stance.
He threw a punch.
"Crack~ Crack!"
The space seemed to be ripped open in several places.
A powerful dimensional impact force slammed into the giant wave.
In just an instant, the giant wave dissipated.
The sky returned to its clear state.
But neither man's mood was beautiful anymore!
...On the other side of the world,
Banaro Island,
It had already been reduced to ashes, as if an extremely terrifying battle had erupted on this island!
"Captain Ace! You ultimately lost. It's a pity, if you had agreed to conquer the world with me, it wouldn't have come to this!" Teach slowly stood up, enduring his severe injuries.
Around him, Burgess, Laffitte, Van Auger, and Doc Q tightly surrounded Ace.
"That's impossible, Teach!" Ace lay on the ground, glaring at Teach, "My choice has always been to uphold Whitebeard as King!"
"Zehahahahaha, is that so?" Teach laughed maniacally, "Then I'll hand you over to the World Government! Straw Hat? You're really lucky!"
"This is fate!" Van Auger maintained his prophetic demeanor.
The era is about to explode!