Meanwhile.

On the sea in another direction from the island, a large two-masted ship drifted with the waves, maintaining a safe distance from the island ravaged by the rampaging beasts.

If Dragon were in these waters at this moment, he would undoubtedly be on high alert at the sight of this two-masted ship.

Because this was no ordinary vessel—it was the Red Force, the flagship of the Red Hair Pirates led by one of the Yonko of the New World, Shanks.

On the deck of the Red Force, the entire crew of the Red Hair Pirates stood in solemn silence, gazing at the smoke-covered island ahead.

At the bow, their captain Shanks—wearing a saber at his waist—held a telescope.

As he observed the densely packed civilians gathered at the port and the Marine warships arriving one after another to evacuate them, the tension on his face gradually eased.

"Impressive! They managed to rescue the civilians from that town so quickly!"

Shanks handed the telescope to Benn Beckman beside him and asked, "What do you make of these rampaging beasts?"

Beckman pondered for a moment before replying, "The frenzied creatures appearing in the East Blue are almost identical to those I remember from an island long ago. But that island vanished sixteen years ago. Some speculated it sank into the sea, while others thought it might have been carried towards the sky by a knockup stream, like Jaya Island back then."

"Now it seems that island didn't sink or become a Sky Island—it was taken somewhere unknown by someone."

"And there's only one person capable of moving an entire island."

"Shiki, with his Float-Float Fruit powers?" Shanks frowned slightly. "If it really is Shiki, who's been missing for over a decade, making a comeback… then he must be in the New World right now!"

"Boss!"

Just then, Lucky Roo hurried over to Shanks, his expression grave.

"We just spotted a dragon ship in another part of the sea!"

"Dragon ship?" Shanks instinctively glanced back at the dragon-shaped figurehead of the Red Force.

"Boss, it's not our ship," Lucky Roo said with a twitch of his lips before continuing.

"It's the dragon ship of Revolutionary Army leader Dragon."

"Dragon is in the East Blue too?" Shanks narrowed his eyes.

First, Garp's Marine warships appeared at the port of the town across the way, then they deduced that the mastermind behind the East Blue's rampaging beasts was the long-missing Golden Lion Shiki—and now the Revolutionary Army's leader had shown up.

It all felt like a gathering of legends.

"That's not the main issue, Boss" Lucky Roo said through a mouthful of meat, chewing vigorously.

"The real problem is—Admiral Borsalino is also on that ship."

"Borsalino? On Dragon's ship?" Shanks' eyes lit up, and he turned to Beckman.

"What do you think?"

"Stop asking me everything!" Beckman replied sternly. "You're the captain!"

"And you're the vice-captain!" Shanks walked up to Beckman with a grin.

"Lighten up, Beckman. Analyze this—why would a Marine Admiral be on the same ship as the Revolutionary Army's leader?"

"Two reasons!" Beckman raised two fingers and said calmly, "Either Borsalino has been in contact with Dragon all along, or he might even be a mole for the Revolutionary Army. After all, Dragon once served at Marine Headquarters and fought side by side with Borsalino and that batch of Marine officers!"

"Can't rule out that possibility!" Shanks put away his smile and asked, "What's the second reason?"

"Of course, it could be that he's following the Fleet Admiral's orders to prepare for the recruitment of the Revolutionary Army!"

"I believe the second possibility is the most likely. From Orion's actions since becoming Fleet Admiral, it's clear he doesn't just want to cleanse the seas and rid the world of pirates—he wants all forces across the Four Seas and the Grand Line to submit to him!"

"In a way, Orion is just like Rocks from back then and later Shiki—all harboring ambitions to rule the world. The only difference is that Orion has a unique advantage over the other two."

"Unique advantage?" Shanks blinked. "Because he's the Fleet Admiral?"

"No," Beckman waved his hand. "That's just one part of it. The real advantage is that someone in the Holy Land wants him to grow stronger, even hoping he'll eventually replace the Five Elders and take control of the World Government!"

At this point, he continued, "The Holy Land is currently undergoing a power reshuffle. If Orion can make the Revolutionary Army bow down, combined with his absolute control over the Marines and the loyalty of millions of soldiers, he will undoubtedly rise above the Five Elders!"

"But why would the Holy Land willingly hand over power? That's what I can't figure out!"

"Could it be that some individual or faction in the Holy Land isn't worried about Orion going rogue and replacing them as the supreme authority of the World Government?"

"Or perhaps this person or faction is confident they can eliminate Orion after using him to complete the power reshuffle?"

Here, Beckman suddenly looked up at Shanks.

"Hearing this, you should be able to guess who this person or faction in the Holy Land might be, given your familiarity with its power structure."

"What do you mean? The boss knows the power structure of the Holy Land?"

A crew member suddenly leaned in, eyes wide as he stared at Shanks.

"Boss, have you been to the Holy Land?"

Shanks didn't answer, merely narrowing his eyes.

Not only had he been to the Holy Land, but he had also lived there for a time.

If there truly was such a person in the Holy Land, it could only be the one he had once overheard his brother Shamrock mention—Imu.

After a brief silence, Shanks suddenly shook his head and laughed.

"Whether or not such a person exists in the Holy Land, let's focus on our current situation first! Shiki has returned after disappearing for over a decade, and he's bound to bring a storm of bloodshed to the Grand Line..."

"Hmm?"

Before he could finish, Shanks' pupils constricted sharply as a vision flashed before his eyes.

In the vision, Shiki—golden hair flowing, standing atop two swords—descended from the sky.

Using his formidable Devil Fruit powers, he lifted all the ships of the Red Hair Pirates' allied fleets into the air.

Behind the domineering, levitating Shiki, countless warships emerged from the thick fog on the sea—some belonging to pirates Shanks had never heard of, others to crews that had been active in the New World in recent years.

It was clear that Shiki had already recruited these active pirate forces in the New World and was about to invade his territory, forcing the pirate crews under his command to submit.

The moment he caught the glimpse of the future scene, a cold glint flashed in Shanks' eyes, and his killing intent surged to its peak in an instant.

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