"Does he know my identity?"
Hearing Li Yuan's words, Shanks was extremely shocked.
It was only two years ago when the Celestial Dragon came to find him that he learned about his own identity. Hearing Li Yuan say this, it was clear that he also knew about Shanks being a Celestial Dragon.
"Rest assured, Lord Li Yuan, I, Shanks, am a renowned pirate. I was adopted by Captain Roger at a young age and grew up on a pirate ship, so I naturally won't align myself with the World Government. I intend to inherit Captain Roger's will and sail the world!"
Shanks said firmly.
He had already rejected the World Government before, and now he certainly could not acknowledge himself as a Celestial Dragon!
"Hahahahaha, it seems Roger did not misjudge you!!"
"Since that's the case, let's talk about the second matter. You know that all the pirates in the New World have already formed an alliance to jointly confront the World Government and the Navy. The only ones missing from this alliance are your Red-Haired Pirates!"
"Now, on behalf of the Infinite Pirates, I invite your Red-Haired Pirates to join the pirate alliance and fight against the World Government with us!" Li Yuan said with a smile.
"Indeed."
Upon hearing Li Yuan's invitation, the members of the Red-Haired Pirates felt a heaviness in their hearts. Had this choice finally come? "Lord Li Yuan, I would like to ask, what will this pirate alliance do next?"
Shanks asked seriously.
"Since you haven't agreed to join the pirate alliance yet, I naturally won't tell you."
"However, I also understand that your Red-Haired Pirates are quite similar to the former Roger Pirates, having little interest in territory."
"So I can tell you in advance that if you join the pirate alliance, your task will be to block the Navy at Marineford, preventing them from leaving. You won't need to participate in anything else."
"Once everything is over, you will also receive a generous reward!"
"Of course, this task will involve other pirate crews alongside you, so you won't have to complete it alone."
Li Yuan smiled.
"…"
Hearing Li Yuan's words, the entire Red-Haired Pirates fell silent, contemplating what he had said.
"Alright, we, the Red-Haired Pirates, agree!"
After ten seconds of thought, Shanks finally agreed.
In fact, Li Yuan had already made a concession. If the Red-Haired Pirates were to continue being ungrateful, it would be a sign of disrespect to Li Yuan.
Faced with the overwhelmingly powerful Li Yuan, the Red-Haired Pirates had no choice but to agree; they were simply outmatched!
"Hahahahaha, welcome to the pirate alliance! This is our Infinite Pirates' special Den Den Mushi. I will use this to contact you later."
Li Yuan handed a large mobile phone to the Red-Haired Pirates and then left with Esdeath and the others.
"Dad, since the Red-Haired Pirates might lean towards the World Government, why not just eliminate them directly? That way, we wouldn't have to worry about any hidden dangers!"
Esdeath said, puzzled.
"There is no one in this world without hidden dangers. Even those pirates in the current alliance have their risks. Eliminating them is not the best solution; the best solution is to make them useful for ourselves!" Wei Zhuang said calmly.
Hearing Wei Zhuang's rebuttal, Esdeath couldn't help but glare at her brother. In the past, he never dared to contradict her, but after all these years, he had grown some wings!
Facing Esdeath's glare, Wei Zhuang remained unfazed, steady as a rock. He was no longer the younger brother who was often oppressed by his sister.
"Hahahahaha, Esdeath, don't always be so fond of fighting and killing. As Xiao Zhuang said, as long as we can make them useful for us, it's fine. Besides, the Red-Haired Pirates won't stir up much trouble."
Li Yuan laughed.
"But Dad, weren't you also prepared for the 'if the Red-Haired Pirates don't agree, then eliminate them' plan?"
"Otherwise, you wouldn't have let us come with you. After all, the Red-Haired Pirates are no match for you, and you could easily defeat them."
"But to completely wipe them out and leave no chance for escape would require our help," Esdeath pouted.
"Sister, Dad has his plans in secret. Since it hasn't happened yet, you shouldn't say it in front of him; it makes him feel awkward," Akame interjected.
"Esdeath saying it isn't awkward; the awkwardness comes from you, Akame, for directly stating my embarrassment!" Li Yuan thought to himself as he listened to his two daughters.
"Akame, I heard you want to build the largest food island in the New World. I feel that the Infinite Pirates' funds are a bit tight lately, so let's halt that food island project; it really isn't that useful."
Li Yuan said with a half-smile, looking at Akame.
"Ah, Dad, no! That food island was something I begged Mom for a long time to agree to build for me. How can we just stop it like that?"
"Dad, I was wrong!!"
Upon hearing Li Yuan's words, Akame's expression changed instantly, and she immediately grabbed Li Yuan's arm, acting like a child again.
That food island was her plan to invite the best chefs from around the New World to open shops there. She envisioned being able to eat the finest delicacies from all over the world right there. It was such a wonderful island; she couldn't let the project be halted. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to travel the world and would miss out on many culinary delights!
"Little one, do you think I can't handle you?"
Seeing Akame's adorable demeanor, Li Yuan couldn't help but smile.
"Ah, it seems we can't escape after all!"
Beckman looked at the Hades Pluto ship leaving and couldn't help but sigh.
"Well, there's no need to be so pessimistic. After all, our task is just to block Marineford. When the time comes, we can team up with two other major pirate crews from the New World, and the task won't be that difficult."
Yasopp said optimistically.
"That's true, but this feeling of being threatened is really unpleasant. Ultimately, we are still too weak. Once we become as strong as the Infinite Pirates, we won't need them at all. Then we can freely roam the seas!" Shanks said.
"I say, Captain, your ideals are quite grand. First, as Captain, before you talk about defeating Li Yuan, at least you should have the ability not to be defeated by him!" Beckman couldn't help but criticize Shanks.
"Hahahahahaha, that's not easy, but I believe I won't be inferior to him in the future!" Shanks said confidently.
(End of Chapter)