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Every pirate who enters the New World dreams of reaching the top.
But with insurmountable mountains blocking their path, they are forced to band together, relying on the strength of others. The most common path is an alliance—a temporary truce to achieve a shared victory, after which each takes what they desire.
It was the same path a future generation—Luffy and Law, Kid, Hawkins, and Apoo—would one day take.
They were the most lawless of men, but after witnessing the true terror of the Yonko, even they were able to set aside their differences and join forces.
It wasn't a question of courage. It was a decision made only after truly understanding the horrifying power that resided at the pinnacle of the world.
Gecko Moria and Mad Treasure were no different.
Even knowing Arthur was injured, his strength nearly gone, with only a single subordinate at his side, they still chose to form an alliance.
At the end of the day, it was a proof to how terrifying Arthur truly was. Even a wounded emperor was still an emperor. He had to be treated with caution.
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"Jararararara! Let's go! Only by taking the head of Thunder Emperor Arthur can we secure our place in the New World!" The chains on Mad Treasure's body rattled as he grinned, leading his subordinates out of the bar.
"Those who hesitate are lost. It seems I am one step ahead of them all. Kishishishishishi!" Moria let out a sharp, piercing laugh and followed close behind with his own crew of misfits.
The two crews marched in a menacing procession toward the beach at Grove 13. All the residents and merchants along the way scattered, clearing a path as if the Celestial Dragons themselves had descended upon the island.
For a long time after the great duel, nothing of note had happened on the Sabaody Archipelago. So now, seeing so many pirates moving together, the attention of everyone on the island was instantly captured.
Under the fearful, hateful gazes of the residents, Mad Treasure's crew and Moria's pirates finally arrived at the beach. In the distance, they could see the small steel boat anchored in the sea.
On its deck, Arthur lay casually, reading a newspaper.
"Kishishishishi! He's all alone! The wounded Thunder Emperor!" The excitement in Moria's voice was palpable, and his underlings grew agitated. Swords were drawn and guns were loaded.
They waited only for the order to charge.
"CLANG! CLANG!"
The iron chains on Mad Treasure's body were pulled taut with immense force, letting out a resonant clang. He was equally unable to contain his excitement. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
A Yonko, traveling alone, and grievously wounded...
"Jararararara! A little welcoming gift, if you please, Naomi," Treasure said, the glint in his eyes shining from behind his sunglasses.
"Hic."
The archer, Naomi, let out a drunken hiccup.
Her eyes were hazy, but as she slowly put down her wine flask and took up the bow on her back, her hands were perfectly steady. She nocked three arrows, their tips embedded with the faint, ominous glow of Dyna Stones, and drew the bowstring back into a perfect, full moon.
"FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!"
The arrows tore through the wind, aimed directly at the steel boat. Upon impact, the explosion would blast the ten-meter-long vessel to smithereens.
The world, for a moment, seemed to freeze.
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Far away, beyond the Grand Line, in the West Blue—Arthur's home sea—a pirate crew, still unknown to the world, was about to be born.
The West Blue was not only Arthur's home.
The former apprentice of the Roger Pirates, Red-Haired Shanks, had also been born here.
After witnessing Roger's execution—the event that had single-handedly launched the new era—Shanks had returned to the West Blue to quietly build his strength. He had not, like the others, rushed impatiently toward the Grand Line.
It was a move that showed a rare self-awareness.
Having battled across the world under Roger's command and witnessed so many powerful figures, Shanks had a clear understanding of his own shortcomings.
At the time, he couldn't even defeat the commander of a Yonko's crew.
Only after his contemporaries—Mihawk, Crocodile, and Moria—had begun to make their mark on the New World did he finally make his move.
The most important part of a pirate crew was its members.
The first thing Shanks did was gather his comrades. He had heard of a man in Syrup Village in the East Blue and went there to find his first crewmate and sniper—Yasopp, a marksman so skilled he could shoot the antennae off an ant from a hundred feet away.
Yasopp saw Shanks's invitation as the sea calling to him. With a man's dream in his heart, he left his wife without a word and set off with Shanks.
After that came the first mate, Benn Beckman, and the cook, Lucky Roux.
One by one, other skilled members joined their ranks.
At that moment, the Red-Haired Pirates were officially born.
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On a certain island...
"LET'S FEAST!!"
Cheers erupted as the core members of the Red-Haired Pirates drank and ate, a lively, boisterous scene.
"Shanks, when are we heading to the New World? I hear things are heating up over there... Besides, we're years behind the other Supernovas of our generation. It's time to set off."
The men of the sea always dreamed of adventure. Now that the crew was formed, it was time to set sail, wasn't it? In terms of numbers, the Red-Haired Pirates were small, but in terms of ability, each of them was an elite. They didn't believe they would lose to anyone.
"I hear that Thunder Emperor Arthur is only a few years older than you, Shanks, and he's already one of the four emperors..." Lucky Roux said, a hint of envy in his voice as he chewed on a chicken leg.
"Arthur?" Shanks smiled faintly, not answering directly.
He recalled the man he had met on Roger's ship—domineering, arrogant, and rude, but with a strength that was truly overwhelming.
'I've never forgotten the promise we made back then,' Shanks thought.
A showdown in fifteen years. Six years have already passed. It might not even take that long.
He had learned more than just Haki during his time with the Roger Pirates. Confidence, an unyielding spirit, a broadened perspective—these were things that every member of Roger's crew possessed.
Shanks respected Arthur's strength, but not his methods. Compared to Arthur's madness and wanton recklessness, Shanks had a more carefree spirit, something now etched into his very soul.
"No need to rush," Benn Beckman said, his voice calm as he took a drag from his cigarette. "We'll go to the New World eventually. But now is not the time... Our strength isn't weak, but it's still not enough to face those emperors. Do you want to spend your life on the run?"
"We wait," Shanks said, his voice firm.
He slid his saber, Gryphon, back into its sheath. "First, we'll tour the four seas. When the time is right, we will head for the Grand Line. And that time... is not far off."
"Alright, we'll listen to you. You're the captain, after all," Yasopp said with a nonchalant shrug.
"So we can't get off this pirate ship now?" a crew member asked jokingly.
"Sorry. You can never leave the Red-Haired Pirates."
"HAHAHAHAHA! THEN KEEP THE DRINKS COMING!!"
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