Doesn't that mean...
This guy is now truly the number one under the Four Emperors?
...
Somewhere in an unknown sea, on a deserted island.
A group of seemingly unremarkable pirates were searching the island, while two rookie lookouts with bounties of 100 million each stood guard above.
On a large rock, a red-haired middle-aged man was engrossed in reading a newspaper.
"The World's No.1 Sword Master, huh? Looks like that guy really pissed off those Navy Headquarters folks, resorting to such underhanded tactics!"
Shanks laughed heartily, "I wonder how Mihawk will react when he sees this!"
He thoroughly enjoyed the report, especially the cover featuring a twisted-faced close-up of Kizaru, which made him laugh so hard the first time he nearly passed out.
As for Mr. Rayleigh...
Why did he end up fighting with that kid?
How strange, is there something he's betting on in this new era too?
Shanks scratched his head, instinctively glanced at his shoulder.
...
Totto Land, Ten Thousand Nations.
"Ma ma ma ma ma!!!"
The plump figure on the gigantic sofa tossed away the newspaper, "Do as I say, Katakuri! How can we not find a way to recruit such an exceptionally talented young man?"
"Ma ma ma, speaking of which, that boy's looks aren't too bad either, I feel like handling it myself..."
"Katakuri, help me think, which of my precious daughters would be better to marry him? Forget the really ugly ones; it would disgrace the family and surely be rejected!"
"Hmm... Custard? She is a bit too old, but some young men do like older women, so maybe as a backup..."
"Smoothie wouldn't be bad either; that girl is always so willful. Try persuading her more, see if she's willing to marry him."
The plump figure above spoke in a self-absorbed manner, seemingly very interested.
Below, Katakuri squinted slightly, remaining silent.
Using sisters as a tool for marriage alliances again...
This endless cycle is truly tiresome.
However,
Compared to many hasty marriages, this time he truly did not want to oppose.
That guy indeed has stunning strength, with the ability to change the New World's dynamics.
Also, a man who can constantly protect two of his sisters is quite trustworthy.
"I will talk to Smoothie, Mom, don't worry."
He finally nodded, speaking in a deep voice.
"That's my good Katakuri, ma ma ma ma ma!!!"
...
Shimotsuki Village.
At the highest mountain peak of the island, two young figures sat on the grass, surrounded by scattered newspapers.
"Just over half a year..."
The green-haired boy gritted his teeth, his fist clenched so tightly that it crackled, eyes full of frustration.
"Kuina, that kid, can already tie with a Navy Grand Admiral? Just over half a year, and she's already so famous, I'm so jealous of her!"
"Damn it! Back at the dojo, I used to have such close fights with her, and now the gap is this wide! Wah wah wah wah! So frustrating!"
He kicked a tree trunk nearby to vent his anger, breaking it in half with a single kick.
"It's a Grand Admiral substitute, you idiot Green Algae Head, and didn't you lose to her over five thousand times, where's the close fight?" Sanji wiped his saber, scornful.
"Shut up, damn Curly Eyebrow! Be careful, I'll kick you to death!"
"With your clumsy leg technique, can you do that? My One-Sword Style Swordsmanship isn't just for show!"
The two started arguing again, both proficient in both swordsmanship and leg techniques, long used to belittling each other's skills.
In truth, though, Zoro primarily uses the Dual-Sword Style, while Sanji focuses on leg skills.
As they argued, they began to fight, only collapsing breathlessly to the ground as the sun began to set.
"Hey, Zoro." Sanji suddenly spoke, staring at the sunset horizon.
"Hmm?"
"Let's set out to sea early, leave when the snow stops early next year."
"Huh?" Zoro was startled, turning to look at Sanji, "Are you serious?"
"Of course! Don't you want to catch up to Big Boss Shano?"
Sanji crumpled a newspaper, angrily throwing it into the sea, "Forget about Kuina, the gap between us and Nami and Nojiko is widening, probably they can knock us out with one punch, how can we be satisfied!"
"Do whatever you want, I just don't want to wait until we're adults to officially set sail. By then, we might not even see their shadows!"
Zoro was silent for a moment, then slowly grinned, a wild smile breaking across his face: "Sounds perfect to me!"
"Then we'll set sail early next year, form our own pirate gang, go to the Grand Line, head to the New World!"
"I want the whole world to know—"
"The future World's No.1 Great Sword Master is Roronoa Zoro... Ah, ow! Damn Curly Eyebrow, why did you hit me?"
"What pirate gang! Do you want to be those plundering and pillaging guys, it should be an adventurer's guild!"
"Right, right..."
...
Fishman Island.
Located directly beneath the Holy Land Mary Geoise, ten thousand meters deep under the sea.
If you choose not to cross the Red Earth Continent, but dive under the sea to enter the New World, this island is a must-pass point.
About eight to nine thousand meters underwater.
After several days of traveling, the Endgame, having reached this point, continued to sink.
The bubble coating surrounding the ship's hull deformed slightly under deep sea pressure but remained mostly intact.
"Wow! Is that Fishman Island? So beautiful!"
Nami leaned over the ship's railing, eyes shining as she gazed at the distant dream island wrapped in a giant double-layer bubble.
At this depth, there should technically be no light.
But on Fishman Island, there is an enormously large Sun Tree Eve that absorbs sunlight through its top and transmits it through the trunk, funneling collected light and air towards the roots.
Thus, Fishman Island has a complete ecological cycle.
There are day and night cycles, a pleasant temperature, and even normal humans can reside here year-round.
At this moment,
Beyond the Sun Tree Eve, the distant scene was lined with countless luminous corals and deep-sea fish swimming along the beach, illuminating the bubble like a dream.
A group of girls gathered, mesmerized.
Meanwhile, Shano, with his legs crossed, sat in the open-air sword dojo on the second floor, observing the scenery while toying with a purple Devil Fruit.
Its surface was covered with snail-like spiral patterns, its shape resembling a pineapple.
This Devil Fruit was found while rescuing slaves at the auction house, detected by the radar.
The thing had rolled under the podium, where three directions were tightly blocked by planks.
Had it not been for a very short dwarf among the slaves, Shano would've had to squat to free the explosive collar and might never have found it.
Just goes to show...
Good people are rewarded?
Or maybe it's not a reward yet?
Shano glanced at Robin, initially thinking the fruit was the highly sought-after Logia-type Dark-Dark Fruit.
But after consulting this encyclopedic big sister, he learned that it was actually a rarely seen Zoan-type Fruit in history—the Fly-Fly Fruit.
Its pattern slightly differed from the Dark-Dark Fruit but was so similar, it's hard for an untrained eye to differentiate it.
Turning into a fly...
Redhead or Greenhead? Adult or larva?
Seems disgusting no matter how you look at it, no wonder the fruit isn't even in the Devil Fruit encyclopedia, with no historical significance.
Those who've eaten this Devil Fruit probably feel shame in revealing their power.
"How could I use this..."
Shano shook his head, about to stow the Devil Fruit when Smoker's voice suddenly called out:
"Hey, Big Bro, take a look over there, that ship... it seems to be flying Whitebeard's flag?"