On the vast, boundless sea, a fleet in V-formation cut through the waves, advancing at full speed toward distant waters.
Red Force.
The red-haired man had just hung up his Den Den Mushi with an expressionless face.
"Tch, so the negotiations fell through."
Lucky Roux, with his big belly and permanently holding a large bone of meat, mumbled unclearly while taking a fierce bite. "I thought we could take it easy this time and team up with Big Mom to deal with that Kaido guy."
Yasopp, wearing a star-patterned cloak and carefully cleaning his beloved gun, looked up with a grin. "Now we might have to face attacks from two Emperor crews."
"That's because our captain is terrible at conversation."
Building Snake, with a red dragon tattoo on his right neck and wearing sunglasses, complained bluntly: "If only Shanks could sweet-talk women like Beckman does."
"Hahaha!"
The crew immediately burst into laughter.
They clearly weren't taking the threat of potentially facing two Emperor crews seriously.
"You bastards, enough!"
Vice-captain Ben Beckman's temple throbbed with veins as he nearly bit through his cigarette.
After the jokes subsided, Beckman collected himself and became serious. "Shanks, we can't completely ignore Charlotte Linlin's threat."
Confidence was confidence, but while they could strategically despise the enemy, they had to tactically respect them.
With their current strength, dealing with just the Beast Pirates alone would already be quite taxing.
"Mm, I understand."
Shanks gripped and released the hilt of his sword Gryphon repeatedly. After pondering for a moment, he raised his Den Den Mushi again.
"Hello?"
An aged voice came from the other end.
Marine G-10 Base.
This was one of the Marine's foremost fortresses in the New World.
Top floor of the base building, Base Commander's office.
At this moment, the highest commander of this base, Vice Admiral Base Commander, stood respectfully to one side, not daring to breathe heavily.
Despite his high position and authority, in this suddenly crowded office, he could only rank fourth in status, and that wasn't even counting the important figure on the other end of the call.
A huge New World sea chart hung on the office wall. A man with a round afro was concentrating on comparing newly delivered intelligence, constantly marking and drawing on the chart while occasionally communicating quietly with the person on the phone.
The other two important figures in the room seemed to have their attention elsewhere rather than on the storm about to sweep the New World.
"Garp-san, is it really okay to leave Luffy with Teacher Zephyr?" Admiral Aokiji Kuzan, wearing green eyeshades on his forehead, asked with barely concealed worry.
He didn't want to speak ill of Teacher Zephyr, but ever since two years ago when Zephyr's training ship was nearly massacred by an unknown swordsman pirate, his personality had become increasingly problematic.
The former "Non-Killing Admiral" had become more and more extreme and unpredictable.
Kuzan didn't want to judge whether this change was right or wrong, but putting a kid who constantly talked about becoming Pirate King under the current Zephyr's guidance... was that really wise?
"It's fine. Hahaha, that's Zephyr we're talking about." Garp picked his nose carelessly, laughing without a care in the world.
At this moment, far away, a certain rubber brat who spoke carelessly was experiencing "loving education" from his senior disciples, occasionally crying out in pain.
"Keep it down, you two."
Sengoku looked helplessly at the pair, who were chatting about child-rearing issues as if no one else was around.
If not for Kizaru being on a mission and Akainu's personality being unsuitable for this task, he really wouldn't want to bring these two along.
Just then, Vice Admiral Tsuru interjected from the phone. "Sengoku, to what extent does the World Government want us Marines to intervene?"
Sengoku took a deep breath, refocusing on strategic deployment. "Currently, the best scenario would naturally be for the Red Hair Pirates and Beast Pirates to fight until they're both severely weakened, then we Marines strike to capture them all."
"The worst outcome would be the Whitebeard Pirates and Big Mom Pirates getting involved to profit from the chaos, eventually developing into a war that engulfs the entire New World."
It wasn't that he didn't want to see those so-called Pirate Emperors beat each other senseless, but he feared New World chaos would spread to the Grand Line and the Four Blues.
That would destroy the good situation the Marines had painstakingly maintained in the Grand Line and Four Blues for years.
Moreover, he had another secret mission.
"Sengoku, the others don't matter, but Red Hair Shanks must survive."
This was a direct order from the Five Elders, the World Government's highest authority. Unquestionable and irrefutable.
Sengoku naturally couldn't resist, only silently accepting the order.
As for why the World Government's highest authority would have some secret connection with a pirate...
Only children asked about right and wrong; adults only considered benefits and harm.
"What a mess!"
Sengoku sighed with infinite weariness.
He really should retire early.
"Sengoku, Sengoku..." Vice Admiral Tsuru's repeated calls from the phone pulled him from his chaotic thoughts.
"Ah? What were we discussing?" Sengoku came back to his senses, somewhat apologetically scratching his head. "Anyway, the World Government requires the Marines to prioritize stability above all. Unless we can guarantee completely eliminating entire Emperor crews, otherwise..."
Vice Admiral Tsuru sighed. "I understand. That leaves us with only one choice."
Given the World Government's requirements, they could only monitor for now.
What to do afterward?
They could only adapt to circumstances.
Under such demands, achieving military success would be like dancing on a powder keg about to explode.
Very frustrating, but those were the rules.
While enjoying World Government funding, the Marines had to follow World Government arrangements.
After Vice Admiral Tsuru helped formulate an action plan, she hung up.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku turned around, his face solemn. "Orders!"
Kuzan, Garp, and the G-10 Base Commander reflexively stood at attention, awaiting Sengoku's command.
"Immediately assemble two-thirds of available warships with full supplies and depart now!"
Sengoku's finger heavily marked an unnamed small island on the chart.
That was the location Tsuru had calculated as the most likely battleground between the Red Hair Pirates and Beast Pirates.
While various forces stirred across the seas, Wano Country was also filled with fighting spirit.
Germa 66 Kingdom. Vinsmoke Judge contributed an entire batch of elite clone soldiers.
The weapons factories in Udon worked day and night, craftsmen sweating as they frantically produced armor and weapons for pirate minions and newly joined clone soldiers.
Rusukaina Island.
This small island forcibly transported by Kaido had received some unexpected visitors.
"How long can your Dango-Dango Fruit effects last now?"
Kai asked Babanuki beside him.
That's right. The fruit capable of taming beasts had been successfully found under the Beast Pirates' intensive search and given by Kaido to his trusted secretary.
Babanuki respectfully replied, "For complete obedience, I can guarantee seven days. After that, the effects will gradually weaken."
Kai nodded with satisfaction. "That's enough. Begin making dango."
He paused, adding, "Be careful not to be too harsh. Keep it around fifty beasts."
Exhausting resources wasn't advisable.
After all, this beast army was more of a surprise force, effective initially but lacking for prolonged warfare.
"Understood."
Babanuki accepted crisply, then led a prepared team of skilled pirates to execute the mission.
After Babanuki and his team left, with only Kai remaining, a sudden breeze swept through the forest clearing without warning, stirring up fallen leaves.
"Long time no see, Kai." A gentle, deep male voice quietly spoke.
"Next time, could you announce yourself before appearing?"
Kai glanced irritably at the unexpected visitor. "Dragon."
"Next time, definitely."
Dragon apologized somewhat, then changed topics. "Is the cooperation you mentioned last time still valid?"
"Oh? Had a change of heart?" Kai's lips curved. "Weapons trading is certainly no problem. I can even additionally provide what you need most urgently: food."
With Wano's consecutive harvests, handling surplus food had become a new headache for Kai.
Too much. They couldn't finish it all.
"That would be wonderful."
Dragon's eyes immediately blazed with joy. Kai's problem was exactly the Revolutionary Army's most urgent need.
Revolutionary work, besides necessary force, fundamentally relied on winning hearts and minds.
Nothing was more effective at winning people over than offering a bowl of hot rice when they were starving.
This was more useful than a hundred empty words.
However, the Revolutionary Army always fought guerrilla warfare. Even after successfully helping regions overthrow tyranny, they usually returned governance to local people rather than controlling directly.
This led to the Revolutionary Army's supply situation, especially food, being perpetually tight.
Only a few places like Shimotsuki Village were willing to provide substantial food supplies, but villages were still villages. Their "substantial" amounts were drops in the bucket for the Revolutionary Army.
Now, with Wano Country backing them, the Revolutionary Army's food problems could finally ease.
"You've really helped me tremendously." Dragon's stern face rarely showed a genuinely relieved smile.
"Just mutual benefit."
Kai showed a meaningful smile. "Besides, in some sense, we're allies."
He had a feeling that after this great battle with the Red Hair Pirates, the Beast Pirates would definitely attract World Government attention.
When that happened, perhaps they'd need the Revolutionary Army's help diverting attention.
"Oh?" Dragon seemed puzzled.
From his recent investigations in Wano, Kai might qualify as a good ruler but definitely had no intention of liberating the masses.
He clearly wasn't on the Revolutionary Army's path.
Normal cooperation was fine, but an alliance needed questioning.
"Don't you want to overthrow the World Government?" Kai directly addressed the core issue.
"Are you serious?"
Dragon's gaze sharpened, looking at Kai in disbelief. "You're a major figure in an Emperor crew, ranking, if not second, then third or fourth in the Beast Pirates."
In his view, Kai had absolutely no need to risk overthrowing the World Government. That was definitely a venture where risks far exceeded benefits.
To this, Kai simply said calmly, "I hate having someone sitting above me."
"Until the World Government falls, our interests align. Don't doubt it."
Dragon said seriously, "You want to become World King?"
"What's wrong with that?" Kai asked frankly, his voice full of powerful confidence. "I don't think my rule would be worse than the current World Government."
In this world of comparing who was worse, whether World Government member nations or non-member nations, the suffering of common people was the norm.
Kings who could be called "good rulers," like King Riku III and Cobra, were few and far between.
Even by Kai's standards, they fell short of being truly good rulers. They just cared for their people and didn't cause trouble.
They couldn't lead their people to stable, prosperous lives.
Hearing this, Dragon's expression stiffened. He found himself temporarily unable to refute.
Kai's governance of Wano clearly exceeded most countries on these seas.
Wano's people not only enjoyed the peace most people on these seas could only dream of but also had jobs that could support them.
Though people's lives weren't easy, they had stable income and holidays that let them breathe.
"Regardless, before overthrowing the World Government, let's cooperate."
Kai extended his right hand with a friendly smile.
"I couldn't ask for more." Dragon also smiled, reaching out to shake hands.
No matter what, at the current stage, establishing stable cooperation with a powerful force like the Beast Pirates was definitely more beneficial than harmful for the Revolutionary Army.
As for future paths, they'd compete on merit when the time came.
Kai seemed to remember something, quickly adding, "Oh, right. Cooperation aside, don't expect me to sell you weapons and food at cost."
Dragon had no objections, nodding lightly. "Of course, fair trade is fine."
That was enough.
After all these years of Revolutionary Army activities, they weren't really short on money but lacked channels to convert money into resources.
After exchanging contact information, Dragon was about to transform into wind and leave.
But Kai suddenly called out, "You should have a young man named Sabo, right?"
"Yes, do you know him?" Dragon was puzzled.
Sabo was from the Goa Kingdom and shouldn't have connections with Kai.
Kai explained, "I have a companion named Ace. He, Sabo, and Luffy are sworn brothers. Please pass along a message: Ace is doing well and misses him very much."
If not for meeting Dragon this time, he'd have forgotten Ace had a brother in the Revolutionary Army.
"So there's such history? I'll deliver the message."
Dragon nodded and departed as wind.
This way, Sabo probably wouldn't suffer the pain of remembering everything only after losing someone.
Kai's lips curved slightly upward.