How can I become the Pirate King if you don’t work hard?.

Chapter 352 The Prelude to a New Era
time flies.

A few months later.

The great battle that took place in Britannias did not spread throughout the world as Gawain had expected, nor did it trigger a new wave of turmoil or even push him into the limelight, making him a true challenger to the Four Emperors.

Under the suppression of the World Government, the entire ocean was eerily quiet, without the slightest disturbance.

However, it was not as calm as it appeared on the surface.

Within the borders of the world.

The place was devastated, with the wreckage of pirate ships and corpses emitting a foul stench everywhere.

A major battle has just ended.

Scattered pirates from Whole Cake Island walked expressionlessly behind the battlefield, finishing off any remaining enemies or comrades with a bullet.

Katakuri stood solemnly in the center of the battlefield, gazing into the distance.

After the old woman disappeared, even though the top brass of Whole Cake Island, led by Katakuri, tried to cover it up, the truth eventually came out.

Originally, the affiliated pirate crews that had submitted to Whole Cake Island because of Big Mom's power began to stir up trouble throughout Whole Cake Island after learning of Big Mom's disappearance, and even joined forces with foreign enemies to gradually encroach on Whole Cake Island's territory.

In just a few months, the Wan Kingdom's front line retreated again and again, and nearly half of its territory fell to the enemy.

But they held on in the end!

The continuous battles were like whetstones, sharpening Katakuri, the sharpest sword in Whole Cake Island.

Shedding their superficial restlessness and reborn, their already formidable combat power has reached new heights.

At this moment, Katakuri was covered in blood, his face was solemn, and his aura had undergone a complete transformation compared to a few months ago.

Shedding its original irritability, it now subtly displays the bearing of a ruler, gradually encroaching upon the territory of the older woman.

"Katakuri-nii-san."

Smoothie sheathed her longsword and approached Katakuri.

Originally, she harbored some resentment towards her elder brother, who was also one of the Three Heavenly Generals, and even had a hidden thought of replacing him.

But now all those thoughts have vanished, leaving only boundless awe.

Katakuri has never lost a single battle in his series of battles, including against top-tier fighters like Wang Zhi, who once stood shoulder to shoulder with Big Mom.

With formidable strength, strategic vision far surpassing Big Mom's, and a more popular style than Big Mom, Katakuri has become the undisputed new king of Whole Cake Island after Big Mom's disappearance!

"The northern front has been stabilized, and in the east, Dafu and Kelijia are still there, and have even begun to launch a counter-offensive to reclaim lost territory."

"We have already seen the dawn of victory in this battle."

Smugi paused, then continued:

"We have decided that after the great battle, we will support you, Katakuri, as the new king!"

"Instead of..."

"That woman."

When the topic of the older woman came up, Smuji's eyes showed fear, but even more so resentment and a kind of disgust that came from the depths of his soul.

Originally, the old woman was cruel to her children, but she could at least be considered fair in rewarding and punishing them.

The idea of ​​eating one's own child was still beyond Smugi's comprehension and utterly repulsive.

Not only her, but also all the high-ranking members of the World Kingdom, and the most outstanding children born to the old lady, felt a chill from the bottom of their hearts after learning about this from Perospero.

There was absolutely no objection to Katakuri inheriting the throne.

Moreover, Katakuri has already proven during this time that he is qualified to bear the fate of Whole Cake Island!
"it is good!"

Katakuri responded, then his pupils contracted slightly as he looked up at the distant sea and gripped the trident tightly in his hand!
despair--!
The crisp sound startled Smugi, who turned around abruptly.

In the distance, a familiar figure could be seen riding on white clouds, speeding along the sea surface.

The man had only one arm and was in a terrible state, but his bloated body, pink hair, and repulsive face were unforgettable to Smuji.

Smugi opened his mouth, his eyes filled with unspeakable fear:
"Mother……"

"Mom~Mom~"

The middle-aged woman, returning to her homeland, saw two figures on the distant battlefield, and her eyes lit up:
"Katakuri!"

"Smuji!"

"I am back!"

But what awaited her was not the scene of her children paying homage that she had expected, but a trident that pressed down like a mountain!

Crimson lightning crackled in the void!
A violent burst of Conqueror's Haki erupted from the trident, causing the sea surface to collapse. Its immense power made the old woman's pupils shrink.

"This is... Conqueror's Haki engulfing me?!"

Several months later, Katakuri had already developed combat power close to his own.

She had anticipated the day when Katakuri would grow to this level, but she never expected that Katakuri would turn his spear against her.

"Katakuri, do you know what you're doing?!"

Enraged, the old woman raised her hand and summoned Napoleon, who unleashed a horizontal slash imbued with Conqueror's Haki, colliding with Katakuri's thrust from a distance!

boom--!
The violent torrent caused the sea surface within a radius of several hundred meters to suddenly collapse!

The overwhelming Conqueror's Haki tore the sky apart, and crimson lightning spread through the void. Countless unconscious sea kings surfaced, only to be swallowed by the sea in the next instant!
The woman gritted her teeth, but when she looked up, she only saw a pair of bloodshot eyes filled with murderous intent!

"you……"

"I know, of course I know!"

Katakuri remained unmoved, gripping his trident even tighter:

"Mom, no, Charlotte Linlin, you shouldn't come back to Treasure Country. You're not welcome here!"

"In the end what happened?!"

The woman looked completely bewildered, having no idea what had happened.

On the distant sea, more and more pirates from all over the world are gathering, including elites such as Smuggler, Conte, and Owen.

They were originally children conceived by an older woman, but now all she sees in their eyes is hatred and fear.

Although she didn't know what had happened, the woman knew exactly what she needed to do to regain power under these circumstances!
"Katakuri, you should know what the consequences of disobeying me are!"

The woman had already decided to use absolute force to suppress all dissent, and she would never tolerate it, even if the opponent was her best child!

Zizzi——!
A violent, domineering, and noisy outburst—the auntie is using all her strength!
She lost an arm, but she was still a king who once commanded the winds and rains on the sea, and she had absolute confidence in her own strength!
Katakuri also had reasons why he couldn't afford to lose.

Standing behind him were his younger siblings. If he were to be defeated, these younger siblings might one day become food for the old woman who had lost her life!

I cannot lose!

I will not lose!
In the next instant, the two overwhelmingly powerful auras converged once more, and the dissipated domineering energy raged across the sea like a whirlwind.

All the elite troops from various nations stood guard on the coastline, awaiting the outcome of the battle.

Whether the old king will defend his authority or the new king will rise to power through bloodshed, they await the answer and anticipate their fate!

"Katakuri, you have to win!"

in the corner.

Brulee couldn't help but shout:
"We must win!"

“That’s right!” “We’ve had enough of living in fear of our mother every day. I want to live a different life!”

"Win or lose, we're on your side!"

"Come on!"

……

The voices from the crowd on the shore grew louder and louder.

The battle between the two intensified, causing the sea to churn, islands to tear apart, and clouds to be dispersed from the sky!
The outcome of this battle remains unknown.

But what the world knows is that from then on, Big Mom completely disappeared, Katakuri lost an eye, and was crowned the new king of Whole Cake Island.

Under Katakuri's leadership, Whole Cake Island actively shrank its sphere of influence and regained a foothold in the New World, but its prestige was far from what it had been at its peak.

The four emperors, as they are known to the world, have once again become a three-way power struggle.

There were also rumors that Knight Gawain was qualified to stand on equal footing with the other three, but this was never confirmed due to his status as a Shichibukai.

Shortly after the war ended, Katakuri received an invitation from the World Government to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

The person he replaced was Edward Weevil, the second Whitebeard, who has been confirmed dead at the hands of former Admiral Zephyr, the commander of the G5 Marine base.

now.

Somewhere in the new world.

A dilapidated warship lay quietly at rest in the harbor, gazing at the distant sunset.

In front of the warship, there is a row of tombstones, densely packed like a forest.

These are the tombstones of fallen marines, or more precisely, the tombstones of trainee recruits who have not yet obtained naval status.

They hadn't even embarked on the path of justice before they perished at the hands of pirates.

Zefa placed a human head in front of the tombstone, then sat down and drank alone in silence.

Glug—!
After downing the sherry, Zefa couldn't taste the liquor on his tongue.

The flame in his heart did not dissipate with the avenging of his great grudge. On the contrary, when he saw the tombstone in front of him, it burned even more fiercely, as if it was about to burst out of his body and burn everything in sight to ashes.

"Alcohol will only make the fire in your heart burn even brighter."

A deep voice sounded behind Zephyr. He turned around and saw Fujitora sitting upright to the side.

"A lifetime?"

A slight smile appeared on Zephyr's lips:
"The eyes of the body have perished, but the eyes of the heart can see even more; your insight is becoming increasingly keen."

Fujitora shook his head, a gentle smile appearing on his face:

"Now I somewhat regret blinding myself in the first place."

"After all, in this world, besides those dirty and ugly things, there are also people like Gawain."

Even pirates have warm hearts.

When Gawain was mentioned, a smile also appeared on Zephyr's face:
"That kid caused quite a stir in Britannias."

"It is said that even the combined forces of Big Mom and the Knights of God were defeated by him. Such combat power would be comparable to Whitebeard and Roger even in our time. He has already qualified to become king."

"Pity."

"If I had encountered this talent sooner, I could have recruited him into the Navy, and things wouldn't have come to this..."

Halfway through his sentence, Zephyr abruptly stopped, a self-deprecating smile appearing on his face:
"It's not necessarily a bad thing that he became a pirate. The Navy's justice has been mixed with too many other things, and it has lost its original purpose, becoming a tool for the World Government to control the sea."

"what."

Fujitora nodded slightly.

The two fell silent for a moment.

Only the human head in front of the tombstone emitted a foul stench that wafted into their nostrils, causing them to frown slightly.

That was the head of Weevil II.

Fujitora recognized him.

That was a month ago, when Zephyr personally chopped it off.

a long time.

Fujitora said solemnly:
"Attacked the Seven Warlords of the Sea without the permission of the World Government."

"This would undoubtedly give them a reason to take action against us, and it's not impossible that they might even shut down the G5 branch directly."

“Mr. Zephyr, your actions this time were somewhat impulsive.”

Zephyr shoved the bottle into Fujitora's hand and looked up at the warships in the harbor.

The setting sun.

The old warship, too old to sail, still stands like an unyielding mountain, sheltering the clusters of tombstones in the harbor.

Sunlight falls on the sea, casting dappled shadows, like broken gold, or like the sea stained with blood, a deep crimson.

Zephyr slowly spoke:
"You should know what a lifetime is, right?!"

“In the past few months, sea levels have risen by several centimeters worldwide, and much land has been submerged.”

"But do you know why?!"

Fujitora sat up straight, quietly waiting for Zephyr to continue.

"The royal city of Avalon in Britannias, along with everything within a radius of hundreds of kilometers, vanished completely, as if it had been dug out."

"Although the World Government has concealed the information, from what I have received, the destruction of Avalon was the work of the World Government."

"And there is only one thing that can do this, and that is ancient weapons!"

"In other words, the World Government may already possess an ancient weapon, which means that the Navy is no longer as important to Mary Geoise as it used to be."

“In this situation, whether I kill Weevil or not, they will not continue to allow us to continue our actions, even though most of the current high-ranking naval officers are my students.”

"What the World Government needs is not a navy that upholds justice, but a navy that considers its own will as justice!"

Fujitora fell silent for a moment, knowing that Zephyr was right.

Now, under Zephyr's leadership, the G5 branch has become increasingly aggressive, even clashing head-on with the World Government on several occasions.

If it weren't for Zephyr's immense prestige within the Navy and Sengoku's support from above, the G5 branch would have been disbanded long ago.

But now that ancient weapons have reappeared, they have become the Sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of all powers on the sea.

Mary Geoise no longer needs to rely on the power of the navy to dominate the world; a single cannon shot is enough to wipe any dissenting forces off the map.

It's no longer the world government that needs the navy, but the navy that needs the world government.

A troublemaker like Zefa naturally became the best target for establishing authority.

Fujitora suddenly realized.

Several months ago, why did Kizaru fail in the Future Island operation, and after Vegapunk and Sentomaru escaped, he was immediately suspended by the World Government?

Success or failure is normal, but suspending a naval admiral from duty because of it is an unprecedented level of disciplinary action!

Fujitora gripped the Yakuza Wire at his waist:
"What do you want to do?!"

(End of this chapter)