Across a certain stretch of the Grand Line, the Sunagakure Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates officially crossed paths. The Shukaku and the Moby Dick dropped anchor, facing each other across the open water.
"The Moby Dick has way too few cannon ports—only around thirty or so. Even though you possess terrifying strength, Senior Whitebeard, upgrading your ship's firepower is still very necessary."
The current Shukaku boasted over a hundred massive heavy cannons, making it the most fire-heavy pirate ship of this era. Paired with its revolutionary, futuristic engineering, even the highest-tonnage battleships of Marine Headquarters could not compare in sheer artillery output.
Because of this, Shiraishi expressed open disdain for the Moby Dick's almost primitive cannon count.
"Gurararara... Artillery is nothing more than window dressing. Rely too much on those toys and you'll end up like Golden Lion Shiki."
That sharp rebuttal instantly shut Shiraishi up. Everyone was well aware of the outcome of the Battle of Edd War: the Golden Lion Pirates, despite holding absolute numerical victory, were nearly wiped out simply because an unexpected storm struck the sea.
In one single sentence, Whitebeard managed to roast both Shiraishi and Shiki simultaneously, leaving no room for counterargument.
Still, since Whitebeard didn't care, Shiraishi didn't press the matter further. Whitebeard was monstrously powerful on his own; primitive naval artillery meant nothing when he wielded the absolute devastation of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
Gazing out toward the horizon, Shiraishi and Whitebeard sat side by side on the deck. Everyone else kept a wide distance from the two, fearing they might get caught in any potential fallout.
"The Great Pirate Era is upon us."
"Gurararara! Roger's dying words certainly threw these seas into chaos. But he isn't the only driver pushing this new era forward—aren't you one of them too?"
Whitebeard and Shiraishi each held a massive wooden sake bowl, drinking heartily. As two of the most prominent pirates currently making waves across the Grand Line, the scene of them sharing a drink was secretly photographed and immediately transmitted back to Marine Headquarters.
"Every pirate pursues something different. Roger had his path, Whitebeard has yours, and I have chosen mine."
Whitebeard took a heavy swig of sake before speaking up out of nowhere: "Is it the same path as Golden Lion Shiki and his crowd?"
"I have no intention of conquering or ruling these seas. But in order to achieve my true objective, I must secure enough bargaining chips."
After brief consideration, Shiraishi laid out his intentions with upfront candor. Whitebeard showed no suspicion, gulping down his sake in long, satisfied swallows.
On these treacherous seas, anyone aiming to become a powerhouse—regardless of their underlying motive—had to be direct and unabashed. Otherwise, they wouldn't accomplish a thing. Having grasped Shiraishi's stance, Whitebeard burst into a hearty Gurararara laugh and continued drinking with him.
"Before we go any further, let me confirm one thing."
Whitebeard slowly stood up, his massive frame exuding immense pressure. As a surge of Conqueror's Haki rolled forward, Shiraishi's body reacted instinctively, his hand tightening around his silver blade instantly. After a brief standoff, Whitebeard brought his bisento down in a sudden, explosive strike.
A flash of silver light erupted as Shiraishi barely parried the blow, taking several steps back to fully absorb and dissipate the crushing weight behind Whitebeard's strike.
"Brat, you're not bad at all... There aren't many pirates out there who can block a swing like that."
"In that case, can Senior Whitebeard clarify your intention now?"
After a long silence, Whitebeard pulled out a sea chart and tossed it to Shiraishi: "Fish-Man Island, along with a portion of the territories in the New World, are under my personal protection. Even your Sunagakure Pirates are forbidden from encroaching upon them."
Shiraishi examined the rough map of the New World. It was essentially an agreement to demarcate their respective spheres of influence. Looking at the territory distribution, although the Whitebeard Pirates controlled nearly a quarter of the New World, their overall stance remained conservative, rarely initiating aggressive expansion.
As an established veteran of the sea, Whitebeard was surprisingly straightforward in accepting the emergence of new pirate forces, embracing Shiraishi's crew without hostility.
To put it accurately, Shiraishi and his crew—having completely turned Loguetown upside down—were thoroughly to the old man's liking.
"So, your Sky Island Corridor... might come in handy for my crew from time to time."
Establishing a cooperative footing with the Whitebeard Pirates didn't conflict with Shiraishi's current goals. However, he was surprised that news regarding his Sky Island Corridor had already leaked.
"Possessing a Sky Island Corridor that bypasses the underwater route straight from the Sabaody Archipelago was bound to draw attention. As for the exact source of the leak, even I don't know."
There were originally only two ways to reach the New World. The first was to submit a formal request to the World Government to cross directly over the top of the Red Line via the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. This required abandoning one's ship, costing a fortune, and taking immense time to process, though it was extremely safe.
The second method involved coating the ship with Resin from the Yarukiman Mangroves, diving 10,000 meters below sea level, and navigating through the massive cavern beneath the Red Line via Fish-Man Island. This route was notoriously perilous.
Now, a third route had unexpectedly opened up: traveling through the White Sea of the Sky Island Corridor to drop directly into the New World.
Because Shiraishi possessed artificial islands and precise altitude-control technology, the Sky Island route was vastly safer than diving down to Fish-Man Island.
It was easy to foresee that countless pirates would soon try everything in their power to enter the New World via the Sky Island Corridor.
Shiraishi chuckled softly: "The White Sea is equally dangerous. It only covers a small portion of the sky in the New World, and the areas suitable for a safe vertical descent are also concentrated near Fish-Man Island."
Regarding the leak of information about the Sky Island Corridor, the Vinsmoke Family was the prime suspect, though Shiraishi's instincts told him they weren't behind it.
"Next up... it's time for the banquet."
In truth, without needing Shiraishi's prompt, Ace was already drinking with several members of the Whitebeard Pirates. Having been away for two decades in this timeline, Ace felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity and affection toward many of them.
However, the moment his eyes fell upon Blackbeard Teach standing among the crew, his gaze instantly turned razor-sharp. A surge of intense killing intent erupted from him, causing the surrounding crew members to instantly drop into alert stances.
Teach, the target of this hostility, was completely bewildered. He couldn't understand why this masked warrior from the Sunagakure Pirates hated him so intensely, though the glare left him feeling deeply uncomfortable.
Seeing the atmosphere between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Sunagakure Pirates turn tense, Shiraishi stepped forward and clapped a hand on Ace's shoulder, signaling him to calm down.
Noticing the protective stance of the Whitebeard Pirates—including Pops himself—shielding Teach, Ace let out a cold snort. Transforming into a column of raging fire, he departed the Moby Dick and returned to the Shukaku, refusing to take any further part in the banquet.
A few days later...
Somewhere in the sea of the East Blue, Emporio Ivankov picked up the latest newspaper. Skimming through the front page, he froze in shock: "Hee-hahaha...! No way... This bounty...!"
The Battle of Loguetown had catapulted the Sunagakure Pirates to global fame in a single day. Their five core combatants had fought Marine Headquarters to a standstill without losing ground, even simultaneously clashing with the legendary pirate Patrick Redfield.
Following several days of deliberation, Marine Headquarters officially issued updated bounties for Shiraishi and the entire Sunagakure Pirates.
Even Moyade, their navigator, had been slapped with a massive bounty of 56,000,000 Beli.