Marineford War: I Will Stand in the Sky

Yone glanced at the Charlotte family members who were standing there dumbfounded in the distance, then turned to Katakuri and said, "Do you need me to help you deal with your brothers and sisters?"

Katakuri's eyes narrowed, and he quickly replied.

"Lord Yann, I will absolutely not allow them to affect your plans."

Yann stared at Katakuri for a few moments, then slowly nodded under Katakuri's slightly tense gaze, revealing a gentle smile as he spoke.

"Don't be nervous. Since I made a promise with you, I will not kill any members of the Charlotte family..."

After a pause, Yann continued, "I'm just worried that you don't have enough power to control the Charlotte family."

[Chapter 780. Straw Hat and Red Hair]

Katakuri breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing this and quickly replied, "Lord Yann, rest assured, now that Mother has been defeated, I am fully confident that I can persuade them."

"Ah."

Arn responded, then ignored the Charlotte family members and, as agreed, left the Mirror World with Brûlée and Enel, leaving the white giant egg behind.

Only after Arn left, and Charlotte Katakuri, whose fame spread far and wide across the seas and who even dared to rebel against Charlotte Linlin, finally dared to breathe a sigh of relief.

However, Charlotte Katakuri glanced at the giant white egg beside her, and a relaxed smile appeared on her face.

From then on, the dark cloud that had always hung over the Charlotte family finally dissipated, and they no longer had to worry that their brothers and sisters would be swallowed whole by Charlotte Linlin simply for saying the wrong thing.

Finally, Charlotte Katakuri looked at her brothers and sisters and couldn't help but smile gently, murmuring something to herself.

"The rest... is to try my best to convince my brothers and sisters to accept this reality and to deliver the giant white egg to the designated location as soon as possible according to the plan."

"As for the war that is about to engulf the entire ocean, it will have nothing to do with the Charlotte family..."

……

On the other side, on a relatively remote deserted island in the New World, the "Red-Haired Pirates," whose every move could change the situation of the entire sea, are stationed there.

However, compared to the usually cheerful and relaxed atmosphere of the "Red-Haired Pirates" in the past, the members of the "Red-Haired Pirates" now mostly looked quite solemn, and the executives kept looking at "Red-Haired" Shanks, as if they were waiting for something.

Something's not right...

"Red-Haired" Shanks put down the latest newspaper in his hand and began to speak.

“This situation is very strange. I have a strong sense of foreboding. Everything is developing too rapidly, as if there is an invisible hand pushing everything from behind.”

"I feel the same way, but..."

Ben Beckman, sitting next to Shanks, also frowned and said, "We have absolutely no idea who's manipulating things behind the scenes."

"That's why I feel something is very wrong."

"Red-haired" Shanks said solemnly.

"At the beginning, with the combined strength of the Marine Headquarters, the Whitebeard Pirates were practically going to their deaths, but then Tefimo Yann actually died. That incredibly terrifying man just died like that..."

"In this way, the Navy Headquarters has not only lost an important combat force, but it has also created a huge rift between the Navy Headquarters and the Seven Warlords of the Sea. How could such a coincidence happen?"

After a pause, Shanks continued.

"Moreover, the World Government and the Navy Headquarters actually announced in advance that Ace was the captain's son, which led to Vice-Captain Rayleigh and some retired crew members taking action, as if they were deliberately trying to escalate the scale of the battle."

Ben Beckman nodded and added, "Furthermore, there has been no movement from the World of Warcraft region, which is completely out of character for Charlotte Linlin. It's very likely that Charlotte Linlin has already taken action in secret."

Upon hearing this, Yasopp, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but gasp and exclaimed in surprise.

"In that case, wouldn't the battlefield then be a gathering place for the Marine Headquarters, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the Whitebeard Pirates, the Big Mom Pirates, and the former crew of Roger's pirate ship? Aside from the Revolutionary Army, which has been silent for a long time, almost all the top powers on the entire sea would be involved, right?"

These words caused Ben Beckman and Shanks to stand up immediately, exchange glances, and see the same guess in each other's eyes.

"Red-Haired Shanks murmured. "If we've ruled out all the impossibilities, and if there's a force driving all this, then it seems to be only the Revolutionary Army, right?"

However, Ben Beckman shook his head and analyzed the situation rationally.

"But... even if the Revolutionary Army has recovered a lot of strength in the years since its defeat in Wano Country, it's impossible for Dragon to have enough power to secretly promote so many forces, right? And even if the Revolutionary Army wanted to take back Wano Country, they wouldn't need to make such a big show of it."

"That seems to make sense..."

Shanks nodded, having to admit that Ben Beckman's statement made sense.

The scale of the war that is about to break out has completely surpassed all the wars of the past few decades, and is comparable to the Battle of God Valley. Regardless of the outcome, it will inevitably lead to a dramatic change in this sea.

Then, Shanks hesitated for a moment before speaking with unwavering resolve.

"No, we must try to stop the Whitebeard Pirates from reaching Marineford. If the Whitebeard Pirates cannot reach Marineford, this war will end..."

However, before Shanks could finish speaking, Hawkeye Mihawk's voice rang out from afar.

"Shanks, instead of thinking about stopping the Whitebeard Pirates, you should think about how to meet the challenge that is coming."

Shanks, the "Red-Haired" man, froze upon seeing Mihawk's unconscious smile and asked, "Mihawk, are you planning to stop me?"

Hawkeye Mihawk slowly walked up to Red-Haired Shanks, glanced in the direction of Shanks' severed arm, and then spoke.

"I have no interest in fighting you with a missing arm."

"So what do you mean?" Shanks asked.

Meanwhile, Hawkeye Mihawk pulled a wanted poster from his pocket and tossed it to Red-Haired Shanks. Shanks took the poster, opened it, and saw a picture of Monkey D. Luffy on it.

"Red-haired" Shanks asked, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"The brat you're watching is heading this way, his target is the 'Roadmap History' in your hands," Hawkeye Mihawk said coldly.

"what?"

Shanks was taken aback at first, then said in a daze, "How did Luffy know I have the 'Road Poneglyph'? And he's challenging me now, that's too hasty..."

"It's not just you..."

Hawkeye Mihawk smiled slightly and said, "That brat named Ying has also issued a formal challenge to me, and the battle will take place right here..."

"This is not just the usual challenge between the Supernovas and the Four Emperors, but also a battle for the title of 'World's Greatest Swordsman'!"

[Chapter 781. Luffy vs. Shanks!]

As soon as Mihawk uttered those words, even the "Red-Haired Pirates" couldn't help but take notice.

Given Mihawk's personality, he would absolutely face any swordsman who challenges him for the title of "World's Greatest Swordsman" without holding back!

Let alone Luminous, even if it were "Red-Haired" Shanks, Mihawk would not hold back at all in a duel.

After all, given Mihawk's pride, holding back in a duel with the "world's greatest swordsman" would not only be an insult to the challenger, but also an insult to himself and the title of "world's greatest swordsman."

At that time, it will definitely be a battle to the death...

But isn't that Ying a crewmate of Luffy? Did they already have this kind of preparation when they just entered the "New World"?

And what's going on with Luffy?

How did he know I was on this island? And how did he even possess the "roadmap history text"...?

Shanks, the "Red-Haired," frowned, momentarily hesitant.

For "Red-Haired" Shanks, he was willing to sacrifice an arm and worked hard to stabilize the situation on the seas for more than ten years, all in the hope of Luffy's growth!

Although Shanks still believes that Luffy has only been at sea for a few months, and even if he ate that Devil Fruit, he shouldn't be able to reach that level so quickly, but...

This is undoubtedly a good opportunity. Now that Luffy has truly reached that level, the moment the captain has been waiting for has finally arrived.

Just as the usually decisive and domineering "Red-Haired" Shanks showed a rare look of hesitation, Ben Beckman, seeing this, seemed to realize something and asked him a question.

"Mihawk, where did you get this information from?"

“About two weeks ago, the Revolutionary Army guys found out the information I had given them,” Mihawk replied.

Ben Beckman's eyes widened in shock. "We were just stationed here two weeks ago, ready to observe the situation and intervene..."

"Red-Haired" Shanks frowned and said, "So, what we consider to be secretive operations are all under the Revolutionary Army's surveillance?"

"Could it be... that the Revolutionary Army is really pulling the strings behind all this?" This thought resurfaced in Ben Beckman's mind.

"That's not necessarily true..."

"Red-haired" Shanks pondered for a moment, then guessed.

"Don't forget that Luffy's father is that dangerous guy Dragon. He knows about my relationship with Luffy, so it's not surprising that he's been secretly monitoring us..."

After a pause, Shanks, the "Red-Haired," said with a smile.

"However, it seems our plan to intercept the Whitebeard Pirates will have to be canceled. Since Luffy is coming to challenge us, how can we just ignore him?"

"Tsk, whatever, just don't bother me from now on."

Mihawk said coldly, then sat cross-legged in a corner and closed his eyes, clearly preparing for the upcoming duel and clearing his mind of unnecessary distractions.

……

About a day later, the Going Merry, with a ram's head prow and the Straw Hat Pirates' flag flying, slowly approached the deserted island.

On the deck, all the Straw Hat crew members had solemn expressions, as if they were all ready for battle.

Luffy turned to look at his crew, then adjusted his straw hat and said in a rare, deep voice, "Crew members, let's go."

Immediately, Luffy jumped off the coast first, leading his crew toward the center of the deserted island.

Soon, a group of pirates who seemed to be having a banquet appeared in front of the Straw Hat crew. The first one that caught Luffy's eye was "Red-Haired" Shanks, who was drinking without any regard for his image. The rest were the famous officers of the "Red-Haired Pirates" known as the "Iron Wall," and "Hawkeye" Mihawk, who was sitting to the side with sharp eyes.

"Yo, Luffy, long time no see!!"

"Red-Haired" Shanks raised his wine bowl and waved to Luffy.

Upon hearing this, Luffy couldn't help but break into a bright and genuine smile, saying, "Hehehe, we finally meet, Shanks!"

As Shanks looked at Luffy's unusually familiar smile, he vaguely saw a familiar shadow emerging behind Luffy.

"Yes, it's great to see you again."

"Red-Haired" Shanks muttered something under his breath, then, holding two wine bowls in one hand, he led his subordinates to the Straw Hat crew. He glanced at Luffy's companions behind him, lingering particularly on Sora and Luminous for a moment.

Then, Shanks, the "Red-Haired," handed one of the bowls of sake to Luffy, smiling as he said, "Luffy, are you planning to keep your promise and become a great pirate to return the straw hat?"

"Ah~"

Luffy took the wine bowl, responded, then took the straw hat from his head and stared at it intently, saying...

"Although I don't think I'm any great pirate yet, Shanks... I need the 'Road Poneglyph' in your hand."

"Hahaha, the 'Road Poneglyphs'? That's the necessary stepping stone to reach the 'Final Island' Laugh Tale and become the 'Pirate King'."

Shanks laughed loudly. "Luffy, are you so eager to become the Pirate King?"