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Upon hearing this, Ron smiled and then tossed out a pot of fine wine,
"Twenty-year aged brew," Ron's voice clearly reached them, "This time, it's on me."
"Gurarararara, Ron , I heard you were kicked out of the Marines. How about joining this old man's crew?"
This unexpected move caused an uproar among everyone present.
Sengoku on the execution platform watched, his eye twitching: "Since when did these two...?"
Garp, however, burst into laughter: "Interesting! Too interesting!" He slapped the railing forcefully. "You bastard Ron, you were actually hiding such good wine! How come even I didn't know? You cheat."
"...."
On the battlefield where the sea wind howled, Ron's appearance was like a massive rock thrown into a calm lake, stirring up a thousand ripples.
The reactions of the various factions differed, with undercurrents surging.
And under everyone's watchful eyes, Kaido's face grew increasingly grim, his fingers squeezing the sake gourd until it creaked, the fury in his eyes almost turning solid.
"Hmph!"
A deafening cold snort suddenly exploded. Kaido slammed the sake gourd heavily onto the deck, sending amber liquid splashing everywhere.
"Ron!" he roared, his voice full of disdain. "This isn't some tavern for you to reminisce!"
The pressure from his giant dragon form erupted again, but this time it was clearly directed solely at Ron.
Kaido's dragon scales shimmered with a cold blue light under the sun. He continued to roar, "Want to drink? Wait until that old man finishes this fight!"
Immediately, he abruptly turned his head to look at Sengoku on the execution platform, a horrifying grin suddenly stretching across his fierce face: "Hey! Luban!" This deliberate address made Sengoku's face instantly turn dark. "I've supported you so many times, how about I play support for you this time too?"
Kaido's gaze fixed directly on Whitebeard, and what he said caused an uproar among everyone: "Let's take care of this old geezer first, we'll settle our accounts later!"
These words were like a bomb exploding in the center of the battlefield.
The Marine soldiers exchanged glances, simply unable to believe their ears. The mighty Four Emperors Kaido, the Kaido of the Beasts known as the "World's Strongest Creature," actually proposed to cooperate with someone?
"What kind of joke is this!" Vice Admiral Onigumo exclaimed.
But others clearly didn't think so. Instead, they looked at the battlefield thoughtfully. If Kaido genuinely wanted to cooperate, their losses would be minimized, and they could even take down a Four Emperors!
However, while cooperating with pirates was shameful, it wasn't as if they hadn't done it before.
As long as they could win the battle!
The change in the Marines' stance immediately made the Whitebeard Pirates tense, because if the two sides joined forces, they absolutely wouldn't win, and might even be completely destroyed!
Marco immediately transformed into his Phoenix form and ascended: "Kaido! Have you no shame?"
Even the usually calm Hawkeye Mihawk furrowed his brow, his hand unconsciously gripping the handle of his Black Blade Yoru.
This kind of behavior was indeed a bit shameless.
Whitebeard, however, burst into laughter, slamming Murakumogiri heavily onto the deck: "Gurarararara... Kaido, have you finally admitted that you can't beat this old man alone?"
Kaido: .....
Ron stood atop the Sea King's head, the purple patterns glowing on and off as if they were about to come alive.
The purple devil patterns actually reacted to Kaido's beast form, giving off a feeling of eagerness, a desire for a fight!
He calmly watched Kaido, his voice not loud but clear enough for everyone to hear: "Twenty years have passed, and you're still so disappointing, Kaido."
These words were like a sharp sword, directly piercing Kaido's most sensitive pride.
On the Beast Pirates' battleship, King, Queen, and others had already adopted fighting stances, waiting only for their captain's command.
The air on the battlefield seemed to freeze. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the next development in this century-long standoff.
The atmosphere on the sea surface suddenly became tense.
Kaido's proposal for cooperation was like a thunderclap, causing all factions to show expressions of disbelief.
Sengoku was so angered by Kaido's "Luban" that the veins on his forehead bulged, but what shocked him more was Kaido's proposed cooperation.
The Fleet Admiral immediately realized the danger. If the Marines allied with the Beast Pirates to deal with Whitebeard, even if they won, the lunatic Kaido would absolutely not follow any agreement afterwards.
However, it would indeed reduce the Marines' losses. Cooperation... might not be impossible.
"Kaido, you..." Sengoku was about to speak but was pulled back by Tsuru.
"Don't fall for it," Tsuru warned in a low voice, her expression difficult to read. "He's testing our limits."
On the Whitebeard Pirates' side, Marco and Jozu were constantly on guard, Vista drew his twin swords, and sneered, "A mighty Four Emperors teaming up with the Marines? Truly getting more and more shameless."
Whitebeard himself was unusually calm. He just gave Ron a meaningful glance: "It seems someone is more popular than this old man, gurarararara..."
Upon hearing this, Shanks' mouth curved into a sharp smile. He placed a hand on the famous sword "Gryphon" at his waist, his entire being radiating a sharp edge like a drawn sword.
"Kaido," his voice wasn't loud, but it carried a terrifying Haki. "If you insist on starting this war..." Gryphon slowly unsheathed three inches, a cold glint appearing. "Then let me be your opponent."
These words were like a thunderclap exploding over the sea. The pressure of Conqueror's Haki spread outward as if it were solid.
The seawater around the Red Force ship sank. Seemingly under immense pressure, Benn Beckman gave a knowing gesture, and the Red Hair Pirates' officers immediately formed a battle formation.
Kaido's dragon eyes suddenly contracted, the muscles on his face twisting into a fierce expression: "Red Hair!" he growled through clenched teeth. "Since when were you and Whitebeard in cahoots? Two mighty Four Emperors actually teaming up to deal with me?"
Upon hearing this, Shanks let out a light chuckle, but his gaze grew even sharper.
He casually drew Gryphon completely, the tip of the sword angled toward the sea: "Teaming up?" His tone carried a hint of disdain. "I simply can't stand your method of taking advantage of the situation."
"Besides... I also want to know, after all these years, your strength..." He deliberately paused, a layer of dark red Haki appearing on the sword blade. "...has it declined?"
These words completely ignited Kaido's rage.
"You're courting death!" (T/N; Finally)
He roared, his body instantly expanding. The massive giant dragon soared into the sky, the flame clouds beneath its claws churning violently. The entire sea area boiled with his fury.
But Shanks remained completely unfazed, his gaze only growing colder. With every step he took, a ripple of dark red Haki spread outward.
"If you want to fight... I'll see it through." Battle intent burned in Shanks' eyes.