Kevin looked at Ace.
He didn't meet the conditions.
Kevin had no interest at all, even if he had the potential to become an Admiral or Emperor level, due to his gender.
His first reaction was: Scram!
"Young man, try to surpass me. I'll be waiting for you on the sea." Kevin patted Ace's shoulder.
Anyway, saying a sentence wouldn't cost him anything.
Anyone can be a life coach.
This was a refusal.
Ace wasn't disheartened; instead, he was incredibly excited: "I will definitely do it!"
Ace pounded his chest repeatedly.
The dream in his heart was incredibly firm.
Shanks looked at the giggleing Ace and curled his lip.
Then he looked at Kevin in confusion: "Why did you refuse?"
He believed that Kevin must also understand the potential of the kid in front of him, yet he cruelly refused, which was unimaginable.
Red-Haired Shanks couldn't understand.
There was no reason to refuse.
"Kevin, you're not going to stop taking in crewmates, are you?" Red-Haired Shanks said to Kevin earnestly: "On the sea, crewmates are very important. You have good crewmates, but too few. If you're going to the New World, it's not enough."
Red-Haired Shanks glanced at the Tomorrow on the shore.
Even Shanks envied Gyon's existence.
He estimated that Gyon would not be weaker than Benn Beckman, and her future growth potential was even higher.
But besides that, only Hancock alone could hold her own.
Let alone compared to the major powers in the New World, they couldn't even compare to the Red Hair Pirates.
"If it's an all-out war, you'll lose."
Red-Haired Shanks was full of confidence.
Yasopp and the others also proudly raised their heads.
It was a foregone conclusion.
With more people, they would definitely win.
"I will still recruit crewmates." Kevin wasn't worried.
Although there weren't many female powerhouses on the sea, there were still some.
Yamato, Big Mom's daughters, were all targets.
Coupled with finding powerful Devil Fruits to enhance their combat power, Kevin believed that soon, the overall combat power of the Sun and Moon Pirates would not be inferior to the Emperor Crew, and might even surpass them.
Red-Haired Shanks looked at the Tomorrow with complex eyes.
Seeing Makino, he was more concerned than Kevin about whether the Sun and Moon Pirates' overall strength could protect Makino.
Suddenly, Red-Haired Shanks noticed something suspicious and said in surprise: "Kevin, you wouldn't only recruit female crewmates, would you?"
"Is there a problem?"
Red-Haired Shanks showed a strange expression.
No problem, but there had never been such a large Pirate Crew on the sea.
"Then on the sea, you'll find fewer crewmates and have fewer choices." Red-Haired Shanks didn't approve of such recruitment conditions.
It was too strict.
Female powerhouses are too rare.
Compared to the Sun and Moon Pirates,
the Red Hair Pirates are just a bunch of men, without a single woman. It's not that Red-Haired Shanks is biased against women, but rather that he hasn't encountered any female pirates worthy of joining his crew.
One can imagine the difficulty of only recruiting female crew members.
Red-Haired Shanks found it hard to believe that the Sun and Moon Pirates' overall strength would increase.
"It seems you won't have the chance to surpass us," Red-Haired Shanks stated with certainty.
"That's not necessarily true."
As long as he recruits the women he values as crew members, they will definitely surpass the Four Emperors.
Moreover, the main objective below is to recruit crew members.
Red-Haired Shanks couldn't fathom the source of Kevin's confidence.
He also found it difficult to inquire further.
He silently prayed for the Sun and Moon Pirates, wishing them good luck.
....
....
On the Tomorrow.
Momousagi Gyon frowned slightly: "We are being underestimated."
"But it's a fact; if we were to go all-out, we would lose."
The Red Hair Pirate Crew also has few members, but they are far more numerous than the Sun and Moon Pirate Crew.
They are all powerful combatants.
The Sun and Moon Pirate Crew's Makino and Koala, for instance, have almost no strength.
"I will become Kevin's strongest right-hand," Hancock declared with determination.
She needed to become even stronger.
Together with Gyon, she would become Kevin's left and right arms.
Beside her, Makino's eyes dimmed slightly.
Although the time was short, she had come to enjoy the experience of drifting on the sea, and everyone's personality was very good.
She had even thought that it wouldn't be bad to continue following the Tomorrow out to sea.
However, the thought of her own lack of strength made her feel a little inferior.
...
At the same time as the banquet,
the Marine Headquarters on the Grand Line was brightly lit.
"Kevin actually went to the East Blue, and Red-Haired Shanks is there too; they even had a major battle," Sengoku said, throwing a pile of newspapers to the Marine high-ranking officers.
Boom!
The news exploded like thunder in everyone's ears.
Both Kevin and Red Hair were strong individuals that the Marines could not underestimate.
Their conflict's
impact was only second to a Sea Emperor's war.
"It's best if they both perish," Akainu gritted his teeth. He was seated at the very end; according to rank, as a mere Rear Admiral, he wasn't qualified to attend the meeting.
Many Marines' eyes lit up with pleasant surprise.
It was truly possible.
If they could both perish, it would be the best news for the Marines, eliminating two of the fastest-growing Pirate Crews in the sea at once.
"Don't fantasize. We just received news that their battle has ended, with no clear victor. They're probably having a banquet now," Sengoku said, having obtained first-hand information.
He threw the latest photos to everyone.
"No clear winner? Kevin is already as strong as Shanks?"
Akainu couldn't help but clench his fists.
He had grown stronger again.
If this continued, he truly wouldn't be able to deal with him.
Garp, yawning, casually picked up a photo and blinked.
He rubbed his eyes vigorously.
Then he looked at the photo again.
He was stunned.
In the photo, there was Ace. A reporter had secretly snuck close to take the picture, as Kevin and Red Hair didn't care about being exposed.
With a thud, he fell backward with his chair onto the floor.
-------------------------------
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