Due to Red-Haired Shanks' reappearance, all division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates were present.

"Pops, what is Shanks here for again?"

Thatch, the 4th Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, glanced at the slowly approaching Red Force and said in confusion.

"Hasn't he been acting a bit too frequently lately? Last time, when Shiki led the pirate alliance to invade his territory, although Shiki was ultimately forced to retreat in disgrace due to Zunesha's appearance, shouldn't he be in his territory reassuring his people right now?"

"He must be here because of Shiki breaking into Impel Down!"

Marco, the 1st Division Commander standing nearby, chimed in with a grave expression.

"Have you all read today's newspaper? Although Shiki released several vicious criminals from Level 6 after breaking into Impel Down, Orion showed up in time and executed them all in Absolute Hell."

"With Shiki gone, Orion will surely launch another purge in the New World! And now, with only Pops and Shanks remaining as two of the Four Emperors in the New World, given the Navy's current morale and continuously expanding combat power, even if Shanks' Red-Haired Pirates are known as one of the strongest pirate crew in the world, they won't be able to hold out alone!"

Hearing this, all the division commanders present fell silent.

The world's situation had indeed undergone earth-shattering changes.

As Orion, the new Fleet Admiral put it, the world's dynamics had long since shifted between offense and defense.

After a brief silence, Marco glanced around at the division commanders, then looked up at Whitebeard and continued.

"Pops, Shanks is most likely here to find out your stance, and he might even want to form an alliance with the Whitebeard Pirates to deal with the upcoming situation! If that's really why he's here, what will you do, Pops?"

As soon as Marco finished speaking, a member of the Whitebeard Pirates suddenly leaped onto the deck of the Moby Dick and shouted.

"Shanks is here!"

.....

At the same time.

The Red Force came to a stop on the sea about a hundred meters away from the Moby Dick.

Immediately after, Shanks, clad in a cloak and with his saber Gryphon at his waist, jumped off the deck carrying a large jar of aged fine wine and landed steadily on a small boat waiting nearby.

Watching the figure approaching alone on the small boat, the Whitebeard Pirates' division commanders all moved to the edge of the deck, looking down at the slowly approaching Shanks.

Marco promptly reminded them, "All crew members below the rank of vice-commander, evacuate the Moby Dick!"

Following Marco's reminder, the crew members under the various division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates swiftly leaped away, retreating to the decks of their respective ships anchored around the Moby Dick.

At the same time, Shanks, dragging the huge wine jar, leaped up and landed steadily on the deck of the Moby Dick. With a warm smile, he waved and said.

"Hello, division commanders! No need to be so tense. I'm just here to catch up with Whitebeard!"

With that, Shanks dragged the wine jar forward, walked up to Whitebeard, and sat down cross-legged opposite him.

"Shanks, if you're here because of the New World situation and want to form an alliance with me, I suggest you give up that idea right now!"

Whitebeard did not give Shanks a friendly look, his voice so low it was as if he had encountered a sworn enemy.

"The last one who came to me seeking an alliance is now buried in Absolute Hell! The Grand Line is already the Navy's domain—even the World Government has to yield to them, let alone you and me!"

"The tree may prefer calm, but the wind will not subside, Whitebeard!"

Shanks tossed the wine jar beside him to Whitebeard and continued.

"I believe you've seen what Fleet Admiral Orion intends to do. One of his goals is to purge the Grand Line! In the New World now, aside from you and me, even the underworld emperors have pledged loyalty to Orion. Under such circumstances, how could Orion, who is determined to eradicate pirates, allow us to continue dominating the New World alone?"

"One of his goals?"

Whitebeard caught the wine jar but did not drink from it.

Instead, he placed it beside him and fixed a piercing gaze on Shanks.

"Aside from purging pirates, he has other objectives?"

"It seems the Whitebeard Pirates' intelligence work is quite lacking."

Shanks smiled faintly and continued, "Based on Orion's actions over this period, he is not the kind of Fleet Admiral content to remain subordinate. Although the World Government chose to compromise after his military coup, what he wants is far more than just entering the halls of power. From the series of reforms he has implemented in the Holy Land, it's clear that he not only aims to purge pirates but also to reshuffle the World Government's internal structure, particularly targeting the Celestial Dragons."

"If he can't even tolerate dissent within the World Government, how much less could he tolerate us, the Four Emperors! Even if your dream is to build a big family, it doesn't change the fact that you are a pirate!"

"Even if you abandon your identity as a pirate and lead your sons to find a place to settle down and live out your years in peace, Orion still has a reason to eliminate you!"

"That reason is your immense influence!"

"As long as you live, your influence will persist, guiding countless admirers to take to the seas."

"Most importantly, even if you die, as long as it's not at the hands of the Navy, your influence will continue for a long time."

"So, your fate can and must only be to die at the hands of the Navy!"

"Because they need to eliminate you to intimidate the budding pirate forces in the Grand Line."

Upon hearing this, Whitebeard fell silent.

After a brief silence of a few seconds, Whitebeard uncorked the wine jar and raised it to his lips, drinking heartily.

Having satisfied his craving for wine, Whitebeard cast aside the displeasure he had felt upon first seeing Shanks.

He tossed the empty wine jar into the sea and laughed heartily, "Gurararara, the wine is good wine, but every time I see your face, it makes the old wounds on my body ache faintly!"

Pausing slightly, Whitebeard suddenly stood up, an invisible pressure surging forth and enveloping Shanks entirely.

"Shanks, an alliance with you is not within my considerations!"

"However, since you're already here, why not help me clear up some doubts?!"

Feeling the overwhelming pressure and the unique aura of the world's strongest man, Shanks maintained his smile and replied calmly.

"You want to know why Orion can bypass the five elders to carry out sweeping reforms in the World Government?"

"The reason is simple!"

"The true ruler of the World Government is not the Gorosei!"

"It is Imu, who resides year-round in the Flower Chamber of the Holy Land and seeks to ascend the Empty Throne as a dictator!"

"Imu's existence was the World Government's greatest secret before Orion appeared. But since Orion emerged and successfully launched a military coup, Imu's presence has become semi-public. Anyone with keen perception could sense it."

Surprisingly, Whitebeard showed no shock at the revelation of Imu's existence and spoke calmly.

"Fifty years ago, Rocks broke into the Holy Land during the World Conference. After slaying an Admiral and returning to the Grand Line, he began recruiting crew members everywhere. After I joined the Rocks Pirates, Rocks once said that to defeat that person, one would need to possess at least two Devil Fruits!"

"The person Rocks mentioned back then must be this Imu you speak of."

Pausing briefly, Whitebeard suddenly showed a look of realization and turned his gaze to Shanks.

"So, the reason Orion launched the military coup was also because he learned of Imu's existence! Ultimately, Orion chose to remain in the World Government because Imu reached some kind of agreement with him!"

"Or perhaps, Imu doesn't care about how Orion reforms the World Government or purges pirates. The reason for making an agreement with Orion is that Imu needs his assistance!"

"If that's truly the case, it means Imu fears something!"

Shanks hadn't expected Whitebeard to deduce this far.

He looked up in surprise and said, "For Imu, who controls the World Government from behind the scenes, to feel fear—I can only think of two possibilities!"

"First, Rocks D. Xebec, who infiltrated the Holy Land back then and escaped unscathed! He might still be alive!"

"Because Rocks D. Xebec also had another name—Davy D. Xebec. He was a descendant of Davy Jones!"

"Hmm?" Whitebeard's eyes sharpened.

Having once followed Rocks, he naturally knew about this identity.

Before the God Valley War, Rocks had met with King Harald of the Giant Kingdom Elbaf and revealed this identity to him.

However, only he, Harald, and a few others knew this secret.

Shanks was just an infant back then and couldn't possibly have known it.

Though surprised by Shanks' intelligence-gathering ability, Whitebeard showed no sign of it and asked impassively.

"What else?"

"Aside from that, the only thing that could make Imu—who controls the World Government from the shadows—so fearful as to need external assistance, is the legendary—"

At this point, Shanks suddenly raised his head and declared shockingly.

"Sun God! Nika!"