Chapter 390: Shiki Declares War
"It's about to begin again.
There are too many Overlord-level Great Pirates now.
This war will decide who is the true Sea Overlord."
Looking at the information in his hand, Hades knew that the peaceful New World would once again be thrown into turmoil.
Indeed, how could the New World allow so many Overlord-level Forces to exist?
Or rather, why should you be on the same level as me?
With so many Sea Overlords, the title of Overlord has become far too cheap.
The arrogant Shiki would not allow this.
Before, he hadn't grown to his peak, his Faction hadn't expanded, and the gap wasn't obvious, so Shiki endured.
But now, Shiki not only wanted to establish an advantage in strength but also in Territory.
Starting from April of Sea Calendar 1492, thirteen Pirate Fleets of the Flying Pirates were dispatched simultaneously.
Along with numerous Affiliated Pirate Groups, they respectively attacked the adjacent Islands within the Flying Pirates' sphere of influence.
The war had begun, without needing any reason.
The Flying Pirates needed to occupy more Territory and rule over a wider Sea Area.
The Territories ruled by the Five Peaks Pirates, John Pirates, and Silver Axe Pirates, three Sea Overlords, were simultaneously attacked by the Flying Pirates.
In a short time, with irresistible force, over a dozen Islands were occupied by the Flying Pirates.
For a time, the trend of The Great Sea rapidly shifted.
A few Islands were nothing to a Sea Overlord who possessed four or five hundred Islands.
But this was a "slap" directly to their faces.
The Pirate Flags they left on those Islands were burned, replaced by the Flag of the Flying Pirates.
Burning a Flag on The Great Sea is a signal of declaring war, something no Great Pirate can tolerate.
"The wind is rising!"
The war began.
The Overlord War initiated by the Flying Pirates had started.
"That guy Shiki, if you want to fight, then fight!"
Accompanied by the terrifying Conqueror's Haki that enveloped the entire Island, Wang Zhi let out a roar.
The Five Peaks Pirates prepared their armaments for war.
Their powerful Cadres and Great Pirates who shook The Great Sea all took action, leading vast Pirate Fleets towards the North.
Frankly speaking, Wang Zhi was very wary of Shiki and the Flying Pirates.
The strength of the Flying Pirates was an undeniable fact.
It wasn't just an absolute advantage in military strength, but also an absolute advantage in the number of high-end combat power.
No matter how you look at it, the potential of the Flying Pirates is greater than that of the Five Peaks Pirates.
Young Pirates on The Great Sea are more willing to join Shiki "The Golden Lion"'s command than Wang Zhi's.
This can be seen just from the number of Affiliated Pirate Groups.
The Five Peaks Pirates only have over twenty Affiliated Pirate Groups.
The Flying Pirates, on the other hand, have over a hundred Affiliated Pirate Groups.
Not to mention the various small factions attached to the Flying Pirates.
Over the years, the strength of the Flying Pirates has been continuously expanding.
Even after experiencing a period of war, which led to a decrease in military strength.
However, through the tempering of war, the overall combat strength of the Pirate Crew has increased.
This is true for all Hegemon-level Pirate Groups; the purpose of the previous wars was originally to train their troops.
But the speed of military strength restoration and the speed of overall strength enhancement are far incomparable to the Flying Pirates.
The number of Strongmen in the Flying Pirates is far more than just the Three Giants and the thirteen Fleet Captains.
In the situation where Overlord-level Great Pirates in the New World are rapidly expanding, Pirates who were expelled, who didn't escape or face downfall, if they wanted to join a Hegemon-level Pirate Group, their first choice would be the Flying Pirates.
With the covert support of various Superpowers, the presence of the Flying Pirates is continuously expanding.
The cooperation between the Underworld Forces and the Flying Pirates alone allows the Flying Pirates to gain significant benefits.
More importantly, facing the fragmented New World, some Pirates and Pirate Crews who are not qualified to participate in the Great Sea Struggle are extremely eager to recreate the glory of the Rocks Pirates.
In fact, the development of the Flying Pirates has always been under the flag of the Rocks Pirates.
In terms of influence, the fragmented New World today, with all the Overlord-level Great Pirates combined, cannot compare to the Rocks Pirates.
The impression left by the Rocks Pirates is simply too deep.
And in the current New World, only the Flying Pirates have this ability and qualification.
Shiki "The Golden Lion"'s ambition is well-known, and the Flying Pirates also embody the yearning of countless Pirates for the era of the Rocks Pirates.
Besides Shiki's personal strength and charisma, this is the main reason.
"Ze hahahaha! Wang Zhi, long time no see!"
Accompanied by a familiar loud laugh, at the border between the Territories of the Flying Pirates and the Five Peaks Pirates, the two Pirate Crews finally met.
King meets King.
The overwhelming Conqueror's Haki swept towards the Five Peaks Pirates.
"Hmph!"
Wang Zhi stroked his long beard, and an equally powerful aura erupted instantly.
The two auras collided on The Great Sea, and the entire Sky was clearly divided into two Worlds.
Shiki "The Golden Lion", with unparalleled Haki, led the Flying Pirates to simultaneously wage war against the John Pirates, Silver Axe Pirates, and Five Peaks Pirates, three Hegemon-level Pirate Groups.
The first one he personally dealt with was the Five Peaks Pirates.
In the other two Sea Areas.
Shiki "The Golden Lion"'s Deputy, Reinhardt, personally led an Army to face the Great Pirate "Captain John".
"Titan" Atlas directly confronted the Great Pirate Silver Axe.
The eyes of the entire World were focused on these three Battlefields.
One couldn't help but be amazed.
Shiki "The Golden Lion" was simply too forceful, daring to wage war against three Hegemon-level Pirate Groups simultaneously with the Flying Pirates alone.
Moreover, these were not weaker Overlord-level Forces like the Tyrant Dragon Pirates, Devil Pirates, or "Monster Legion".
Instead, they were Core Cadres of the Rocks Pirates, veteran Strongmen, and among the World's top tier Overlord-level Forces in the New World.
Shiki naturally didn't expect Reinhardt and Atlas to defeat his two old opponents.
That was impossible; they were still too young.
However, they just needed to hold them off.
Once he defeated Wang Zhi, he would take action again to successively defeat Silver Axe and John, establishing his supreme Overlord status.
And for Reinhardt and Atlas, this was also a tempering experience, facing enemies who were stronger than themselves.
Both Reinhardt and Atlas are Devil Fruit Users with flight ability.
If they wanted to run, they could retreat at any time, which was why Shiki was at ease.
Regarding the development of the Flying Pirates, both the Five Peaks Pirates, the John Pirates, and the Silver Axe Pirates were blocking the way.
They obstructed the Flying Pirates' path of expansion towards the South and Southwest.
Inevitably, they became the enemies of the Flying Pirates.
(end of chapter)