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On the other side of the sea, aboard the Red Hair Pirates' ship—
"This is troublesome," Shanks muttered as he lowered the newspaper in his hand. A rare seriousness lingered on his face. "I didn't expect the Marines to use Doflamingo's removal as an excuse to drag Ikki into the war against Whitebeard. And the surprising part is that he actually agreed. Could it be that he's after Whitebeard's Supreme Grade Blade?"
Yasopp walked over and set a glass of wine in front of him.
"Captain, don't you think you're reading too much into this? Doflamingo's just being replaced by Ikki. Sure, he defeated Golden Lion Shiki, but that wasn't the Shiki of old. He was nowhere near his prime."
"You can't look at it that way, Yasopp." Shanks rested a hand on the hilt of Gryphon and shook his head. "I have a very bad feeling about that man. I think he might end up shaping the course of this era for decades to come. Who knows? Maybe one day he'll even set his sights on my sword."
Yasopp stared at him in disbelief.
"Come on, Captain. He's a bounty hunter. I've never heard of a bounty hunter becoming someone capable of influencing the entire sea. Standing alongside the Four Emperors? That seems impossible."
"Shanks is right."
The voice came from behind them. Benn Beckman approached, a cigarette between his fingers.
Yasopp blinked. "Even you think so, Beckman?"
"I've been paying attention to him since he first appeared." Beckman glanced out at the sea. "For some reason, major events keep revolving around him. At first, I thought he'd stay away from a historic event like the war between the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates. I didn't expect him to get involved after all."
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"And honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he does something shocking at Marine Headquarters."
Turning toward Shanks, he asked, "So what are you planning to do?"
As the vice-captain of the Red Hair Pirates, Beckman understood Shanks better than anyone. He knew there was no way Shanks would simply sit back and ignore this development.
"Set sail," Shanks said as he rose to his feet and looked toward the horizon. "We're heading for the first half of the Grand Line."
The crew immediately turned their attention toward him.
"Not long ago, Ikki crossed Kaido because of what happened in Dressrosa. That lunatic isn't going to let it slide. I'd like the chance to meet Ikki myself, but I can't ignore Kaido either. For now, we'll take things one step at a time."
His gaze sharpened.
"And stay ready. We may have to fight at any moment."
The Red Hair Pirates sprang into action at once.
Meanwhile, in Wano Country—
On Onigashima, the Beasts Pirates were in chaos.
"That bastard Ikki destroyed the Donquixote Family!"
"He even captured Jack!"
"I'll make him pay for this!"
Kaido roared as he smashed his sake gourd against the ground. The vessel shattered instantly, spilling liquor across the floor.
"Prepare the ships! We're setting sail!"
Before long, news of the Red Hair Pirates' and Beasts Pirates' movements spread across the New World.
The reactions were immediate.
Large forces, small crews, underground organizations, and independent pirates all turned their attention toward the gathering storm.
Everyone could feel it.
Something huge was about to happen.
Elsewhere, Dracule Mihawk slowly lowered the newspaper in his hand.
"So you're coming to Marine Headquarters, Ikki."
A hint of interest appeared in his eyes.
"How intriguing. It seems I'll finally get to meet you. Now I have one more reason to participate in this war."
As memories of Gion's Moon Breathing swordsmanship surfaced in his mind, anticipation flickered within him.
He found himself looking forward to Ikki's arrival even more than before.
Among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, however, Boa Hancock's reaction was completely different.
Clutching the newspaper tightly against her chest, she blushed furiously.
"Wonderful! I'll finally get to see Lord Ikki again!"
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
Blackbeard Teach's reaction, on the other hand, was far less pleasant.
"What the hell are the Marines thinking?" he snarled. "That man's joining the war?"
With a furious roar, he tore the newspaper to pieces.
The memory of Ikki killing one of his men in Mock Town on Jaya still burned in his mind.
For a brief moment, killing intent flashed across his face.
Then he forced himself to calm down.
No.
Not now.
The priority is Impel Down.
I need powerful allies.
Drawing in a deep breath, Teach suppressed his anger.
Far out at sea, a lone raft drifted across the waves.
A tall man wearing red sunglasses stood upon it, staring at the newspaper in his hand.
Donquixote Doflamingo.
The former ruler of Dressrosa.
The man whose empire had been shattered by Ikki.
"Fufufufufu..."
A grin spread across his face.
"Interesting. Very interesting."
His eyes narrowed.
"So this is the Marines' plan? They kick me out and replace me with Ikki. In the end, they're still trying to turn him into one of their dogs."
He crushed the newspaper and tossed it into the sea.
Turning toward the distant horizon where Dressrosa lay, his gaze became icy.
"Ikki... this isn't over."
His smile grew colder.
"I wonder what kind of expression you'll have when you return. And what about your people? What kind of faces will they make when they see their kingdom in ruins?"
A cruel laugh escaped his lips.
Meanwhile, aboard a Marine warship sailing toward Marine Headquarters—
Ikki and Gion stood near the bow, chatting casually as they watched the sea pass by.
Not far behind them, the Explorer followed closely.
Inside the ship's training room, Nico Robin was in the midst of her final breakthrough training.
Among all of Ikki's companions, she was the only one who still had nutritional supplements remaining from the supply he had given her. While the others trained in the sword-training chamber, Robin remained alone in the gym, circulating her life force and tempering her body.
Well, not entirely alone.
Two people were watching her.
One was Ginrummy, who had stayed aboard the Explorer.
The other was Belo Betty, who had developed a strong curiosity about Robin's training.
As promised, Belo Betty had boarded the Explorer and was accompanying Ikki's crew to Marine Headquarters.
No one treated her coldly.
After all, everyone knew Ikki had allowed her to stay because she had gifted him one of the Twenty-One Great Grade Blades.
Some, like Robin, were even quite friendly toward her.
According to Ikki, that blade had brought him enormous benefits, and one of those benefits was the nutritional supplement Robin was currently consuming.
Robin gripped a massive barbell and lifted it repeatedly.
Steam rose from her body.
Sweat soaked her clothes.
The sight left Ginrummy baffled.
"That's strange," she muttered. "Is this really that tiring? Aren't those just normal weights?"
Curious, she picked up a nearby dumbbell.
It felt absurdly light.
Despite Robin's barbell being much larger, Ginrummy couldn't understand why she looked as though she were pushing herself to her absolute limit.
"You're new here, so it's normal not to know," Belo Betty said with a smile, crossing her arms. "The equipment isn't all the same. The weight differences are huge. The ones we're using are relatively light. Robin's equipment is among the heaviest on the ship."
Ginrummy rolled her eyes.
"New here? You're new here too, you know. Stop talking like you own the place."
"Hehe. You never know." Belo Betty grinned mischievously. "Maybe one day I'll become one of Ikki's partners. If that happens, I might have more authority than you. And if you don't work harder, you could end up being nothing more than the crew's maid."
As she spoke, her gaze drifted deliberately toward Ginrummy's maid outfit.
Ginrummy's face immediately reddened.
Normally, she dressed far more boldly. Even after wearing the uniform for quite some time, she still hadn't fully adjusted to it.
"Anyway," Belo Betty continued, shifting her attention back to Robin, "her aura really is getting stronger. And I have a feeling it has something to do with that special life potion she mentioned."
The moment she finished speaking, Robin's aura suddenly surged.
It was as if an invisible wall had shattered.
A powerful wave of life force burst from her body.
Both Belo Betty and Ginrummy froze in shock.
Robin had broken through.
Her life force cultivation had reached an entirely new level.
Far away, Ikki immediately received a notification from the system, along with the reward granted for one of his partners achieving a breakthrough.
Robin exhaled slowly before smiling.
"If you're curious about what I drank, you'll have to ask Captain Ikki." She paused and chuckled. "Actually, that's not quite right. Only one of us would be allowed to know."
Wiping away the sweat covering her body, she calmly headed for the bathroom.
Belo Betty watched her leave.
Should I ask Ikki?
Would he actually tell me?
Lost in thought, she remained where she stood.
Meanwhile, another thought had taken root in Ginrummy's mind.
Could someone like me really become one of Lord Ikki's partners?
She hesitated.
Then she remembered Jack, who was still imprisoned aboard the Explorer.
Her wavering resolve instantly hardened.
I have to try.
No matter what.
At the very least, becoming a member of the Explorer would be far better than returning to the Beasts Pirates.
When she had first been captured, she had been terrified.
But after spending time with Ikki and his crew, her perspective had slowly changed.
Compared to the oppressive atmosphere of the Beasts Pirates, life aboard the Explorer felt welcoming, relaxed, and free.
Now that she had become Ikki's exclusive art model, she had no desire to leave.
She wanted to become a true member of the crew.
She wanted the same opportunities Robin and the others had.
She wanted the chance to become stronger.
Determination filled her eyes.
Without another word, Ginrummy turned and headed for the door.
Belo Betty watched her leave, curiosity flickering across her face.
Then she quietly followed after her.