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Neptune's meaning was perfectly clear:

Fish-Man Island was under the protection of the World's Strongest Man. Even if you, the Thunder Emperor, wanted to run wild—you had to consider the venue.

"Is Whitebeard threatening me?" Arthur sneered.

"That is not the intention. Captain Whitebeard only wishes to speak with you," Neptune said, giving a look to a soldier at his side.

The soldier understood and, with the Den Den Mushi in hand, walked over.

His loyalty to Fish-Man Island allowed him to temporarily forget his fear.

Arthur took the Den Den Mushi, which had a crescent-moon-shaped mustache, and a cold smile spread across his face.

"Old man Whitebeard? Long time no see. It's Arthur. I hear you wanted a word with me."

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"Lightning brat..."

On the Moby Dick, somewhere in the New World, all the division commanders were gathered around their father.

The scene was silent, so tense that one could feel the oppressive atmosphere even across the vast seas.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF FISH-MAN ISLAND. THAT IS NOT A PLACE YOU CAN ACT WITH IMPUNITY," Whitebeard said in a low, heavy voice.

He had a friendship with King Neptune of Fish-Man Island. Even setting that aside, he had to consider the honor of his own son—the shark fish-man, Namur.

"HAHAHAHAHA, Old man Whitebeard, who do you think you're ordering around?" Arthur's expression was indifferent. "I was originally only planning to stay here for two days. But just for those words, now I have to do something."

"The scenery of Fish-Man Island is beautiful. I like it very much. What I mean is, from now on, this place is my territory. If you have a problem with that, feel free to come..."

"I'll be waiting for you right here."

"Growing more and more arrogant, are you?" Whitebeard gently put down his wine gourd. "The last time, I failed to take your head to avenge my fallen son. It seems this time, I will get my wish. Just wait on Fish-Man Island."

"SONS! SET SAIL! WE'RE GOING TO KILL THAT LIGHTNING BRAT!"

The Whitebeard Pirates set sail from the depths of the New World.

Arthur tossed the now-silent Den Den Mushi back to the incredibly burly King Neptune and said calmly, "You understand my meaning now, don't you, King Neptune? After I defeat Whitebeard... Fish-Man Island will belong to the Thunder God Pirates."

In a world where you have nothing without power, you can't even protect your own country. You have to live according to the whims of the emperors who sit on high.

Strength is the foundation of everything.

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A year after the start of the Great Age of Pirates, the biggest event should have been the meeting of the three great emperors—Arthur, Kaido, and Big Mom—to discuss the division of territory.

However, the sea has always been vast and turbulent.

The storm never ceases.

It will not stagnate just because of a temporary calm.

"Thunder Emperor" Arthur, on Fish-Man Island, ten thousand meters under the sea, had once again challenged the World's Strongest Man, Whitebeard.

At this very moment, on the Red Line, a military force completely different from the Marines—the Army—had also suffered a devastating blow.

Corpses were strewn everywhere, a river of blood flowed. A man in a bright red robe, a blooming blue flower on his chest, held a bat-shaped umbrella that dripped continuously with blood.

Red the Aloof, Patrick Redfield, was rendered incomparably dazzling against the backdrop of blood. The wicked smile on his lips seemed to mock the desperately resisting Army Fleet Admiral before him.

With the strength of one man, he had completed the grand feat of crushing the entire Army.

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Holy Land, Mary Geoise.

Inside a magnificent, luxurious palace.

"USELESS!!" A massive roar shook the palace.

"A BUNCH OF WEAKLINGS! EVEN MORE INCOMPETENT THAN THE MARINES!" Peter roared in anger.

"THE MILITARY BUDGET ALLOCATED TO THE ARMY EACH YEAR, IF NOT MORE THAN THE NAVY'S, IS AT LEAST COMPARABLE! AND THE ENTIRE ARMY WAS KILLED BY RED THE ALOOF ALONE?? OUTRAGEOUS!!" Nusjuro's eyes bulged with rage.

No matter how they looked at it, they couldn't imagine that at the beginning of the new era, the Red Count, a remnant of a bygone age, could single-handedly defeat the entire Army, which was filled with powerhouses.

A single man.

If the pirates learned of this, how arrogant would their unstoppable flames become??

"SO MANY LEGIONS, AND THEY COULDN'T STOP A SINGLE MAN?? ARE THEY GETTING PAID FOR NOTHING??"

"Now is not the time to be angry. We should be thinking about how to take down Redfield and restore the authority the World Government has lost,"

"The entire Army was helpless against Redfield. What else can be done?" Warcury asked.

"If the Army can't do it, we can only hand the matter over to the Navy," Saturn said.

"If the Navy is also powerless, it will be necessary for the World Government to reduce the future military budgets of these two armies. Resources should not be wasted on trash."

"The face of the World Government has been completely lost by this trash..."

"LET KONG HANDLE IT. HE AND REDFIELD HAVE FOUGHT FOR SO MANY YEARS WITHOUT A VICTOR. THIS TIME, HE MUST RESOLVE THIS DISASTER. IF HE SUCCEEDS, THE POSITION OF COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF WILL BE HIS. IF HE FAILS, HE CAN GET THE HELL OUT OF THE FLEET ADMIRAL'S POSITION!"

"THE WORLD GOVERNMENT DOES NOT SUPPORT WEAKLINGS."

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Marineford.

The sound of the alarm from the Justice Tower spread throughout the island. The highest echelons of the Marines convened once more.

From Fleet Admiral Kong, to Admiral Sengoku and the others, to the powerful Vice Admirals like Garp and Tsuru, and finally to the next generation, the three Admiral candidates Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan.

The originally empty conference room was packed to the rafters. Every officer's face was extremely grim. Even the jovial Garp had put away his smile, a sign of the severity of the situation.

"The Five Elders have spoken. This time, we must arrest Redfield, no matter the cost," Kong said. He knew that Redfield's actions this time had thoroughly enraged the World Government.

Once this behemoth, which had stood for eight hundred years, began to move, the consequences would be terrifying to the extreme.

"Fleet Admiral Kong, how many men do you need? Let me, Garp, and Zephyr go," Sengoku said, his face grim.

Just like the last time they tried to arrest Arthur, it was impossible to use a large number of people against a solo operator. Only by sending an absolute elite force could they decide the outcome of the battle.

With too much cannon fodder, they would be distracted, unable to unleash their full power.

"This time, if... and I say if, the operation fails—"

Kong took a deep breath and looked around, his gaze finally landing on Garp and Zephyr. "—then I will recommend Sengoku for the position of the next Fleet Admiral. Do you have any other opinions?"

"Bwahahaha! If you want to be free, you don't need this high position," Garp said, his heart still broad and magnanimous, his disdain for the position of Fleet Admiral clear.

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