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

Chapter 402 The Storm Rises Again, the World's Number One!

a few days later.

A message, carried by the messenger bird of the World Economic Herald, flew to all corners of the world.

The already turbulent sea has been stirred up once again.

Chambord Islands.

Inside the extortion bar.

The 3rd World Martial Arts Tournament has begun!

"From all corners of the world to the new world, no matter where you come from or what your background is, as long as you are confident in your abilities, you can register and compete for the title of world's number one!"

Inside a bar.

A drunken pirate looked at the headline on the newspaper, and his drunkenness instantly subsided by more than half.

"It's not a big deal."

"after all."

"This is the third edition. Although the champions of the first two editions are strong, they cannot compare with those monsters standing at the top of the world."

"In the end, it's just an entertainment event."

"Drink, drink!"

His companion shoved a beer into the hand of the pirate reading the newspaper, only to find that the pirate's expression was almost blank, and his fingers were trembling as he pointed to a string of bolded annotations on the newspaper!

"The prize for the champion is..."

"The permanent pointer to the final island, Laugh Tale!"

boom--!
The wine glass fell to the ground and shattered, splashing wine all over everyone.

But it was the coolness brought by the alcohol that made them realize that everything they heard and saw was not a dream!

"Unexpectedly..."

"Such a thing actually happened?!"

"But in history, the only person who has ever reached the final island and had the opportunity to create an eternal log is the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger."

"Has Knight Gawain inherited the title of King and arrived at the final island?!"

"But why give up the opportunity to have everything when you clearly have it all?!"

Many people were puzzled, and some even made malicious speculations:

"Perhaps, the knight Gawain already obtained One Piece, and that's where his incredible power comes from."

Some people nodded in agreement, after all, if they were in that situation, they would definitely hold onto One Piece tightly.

Yet some still harbor illusions, coveting the legendary treasure.

"just in case……"

"I mean, what if, in the unlikely event, Knight Gawain really has no interest in One Piece? After all, if that man truly wanted everything in this world, he could have taken it with sheer force!"

"Why bother using One Piece?!"

"If I could obtain One Piece, wealth, fame, power—everything would be mine, and all my wishes would be fulfilled!"

As soon as the sound landed, the entire bar erupted in cheers.

Xia Qi sat by the window, a newspaper in one hand and a cigarette between the other. Smoke swirled around her, and it wasn't until the cigarette burned down to her fingers that Xia Qi came back to her senses.

She turned to look at Rayleigh, who was standing silently beside her, and couldn't help but ask:
"Did you create something like that after you arrived at the final island?!"

Rayleigh frowned:

"At that time, Roger gave an order that no one was allowed to create permanent pointers, and even if permanent pointers were created, they should be thrown into the sea."

"Logically, a permanent pointer to Laugh Tale shouldn't exist."

"unless……"

Rayleigh seemed to realize something, and his expression became somewhat complicated for a moment:

"Barrett?!"

"We arrived at the final island not long after, and that guy learned that Roger was dying. That's when he got off the ship."

"If we're talking about who's the prime suspect, then it's undoubtedly him."

between words.

Rayleigh turned to look outside the bar.

It was noon, and the sun was shining directly on the Sabaody Archipelago.

The ground temperature exceeded fifty degrees Celsius, and the distorted, evaporating air near the surface could be faintly seen.

The straw hat, shackled with sea stone, is undergoing Jabba's special training under the scorching sun. Although it is soaked in sweat and looks extremely disheveled, it does not complain at all, but rather seems to enjoy it.

After the Marineford War, Portgas D. Ace led the remnants of Whitebeard's crew back to headquarters to suppress the affiliated forces that were stirring up trouble because of Whitebeard's death.

Despite the immense pressure, including multiple serious injuries and near-death experiences, he managed to pull through thanks to sheer willpower.

As a result, Fire Fist Ace's combat power has also increased significantly. Although he is still not comparable to the Emperor of the Sea, he is still a top-tier powerhouse below the Emperor.

Although the Whitebeard Pirates are no longer as glorious as they once were and their territory has shrunk significantly, they have managed to establish a foothold in the New World, and the name Fire Fist has become increasingly well-known.

Straw Hat chose to stay in the Sabaody Archipelago to wait for his companions, while also receiving special training from Rayleigh and Jabba.

After witnessing the battle of the world's strongest monsters at Marineford, Straw Hat's original arrogance was completely shattered. This time, he was determined to train with his life on the line.

All for the sake of gaining enough power to protect his companions in an increasingly turbulent new world.

Jabba, on the other hand, intends to try and see if he can take this opportunity to unleash the true potential of the Gum-Gum Fruit.

However, it doesn't seem to make much sense at the moment.

After all, it is a powerful ability that no one has awakened for over eight hundred years. Even if you know the direction, it will take time to actually reach that point.

"If we get a permanent pointer as a prize from Barrett, then the world's number one martial arts tournament in Knight Gawain will really have some substance."

Rayleigh murmured softly:

"Perhaps this is also Luffy's chance."

Xia Qi understood, leaning against the bar, looking with interest at the straw hat being painstakingly repaired outside the window:
"Isn't it too early for him to fight against the world's strongest monsters?!"

"Shouldn't you know that?!"

"Even the power gathered under Knight Gawain's command is now comparable to the Rocks Pirates of yesteryear."

"It is said that besides Knight Gawain himself, there are also knights of the Round Table under his command who are comparable to naval admirals."

"That man known as 'Hundred Strategies' even defeated Wang Zhi."

"Speaking of which..."

Xia Qi glanced at Lei Li, seemingly unintentionally, her tone tinged with reproach:
"Wang Zhi was quite a troublesome guy back in the day!"

Rayleigh's expression stiffened, unusually flustered. Feeling the intense gaze on his head, he instinctively reached up and scratched his scalp.

"Mmm~!"

"That was decades ago."

"but."

"After all, one cannot become the strongest in the world by simply practicing hard. Even if one already has enough potential, one still needs countless battles to adapt."

Seeing Rayleigh's embarrassed expression, Xia Qi chuckled:
"That's right~"

……

……

……

New world.

IWC.

The sun sets in the west, and the setting sun is like blood.

The once magnificent palace has been reduced to ashes in the fire, and the earth is covered with countless corpses, stretching to the horizon.

The middle-aged woman, who had lost an arm, slumped onto what should have been her throne, silently watching everything in the distance.

With the help of Kaido, she regained control of Whole Cake Island.

What she couldn't understand was why those children who had once surrounded her would rather die for Katakuri than return to her embrace.

"Perospero, Smoothie, Cracker, Daifuku..."

The woman murmured her children's names, and ultimately, everything converged on her second son, who had brandished a rebellious spear at her:

"Katakuri!"

"Why?!"

Why did you leave me?

"If blood ties cannot connect a country, then what can we rely on?!"

"Whitebeard's adopted son, who's so childish?!" The old woman fell silent at the mention of Whitebeard.

Whitebeard is dead.

But those pirates who had no blood relation to him carried the banner of Whitebeard, and the Whitebeard Pirates were still known in the New World.

The old lady is not dead yet.

However, the kingdom she built with her bloodline has fallen apart, and she herself has been betrayed by her proudest child.

Even the middle-aged woman couldn't describe her feelings at this moment; she simply sat blankly on the throne, gazing at the distant land.

boom!
boom!
boom!
Heavy footsteps came from afar.

Kaido slowly walked over, carrying his spiked club:
"They got away."

"Lingling, you have a very good child. Katakuri is not far from being like you."

"In a way, this is a good thing."

The older woman's face turned cold:
"Stop making sarcastic remarks at a time like this. How much better can your daughter, who idolizes Kozuki Oden, be?!"

"Humph!"

Kaido snorted coldly, completely unconcerned:

"Strength is the only truth in this world. As long as she can pull me off the throne, what harm is there in handing over the Banner of the Beasts to her?!"

"The day I set sail, I was prepared to perish at sea."

"lets change a topic."

Kaido changed the subject, casually tossing a newspaper to Big Mom. She caught it, glanced at the headline, and her expression changed drastically:
"The permanent pointer to Laugh Tale? Such a thing actually exists?!"

"That is to say."

"If we get this, even without those few pieces of the Red Poneglyphs, we can still get One Piece?!"

"That's right~!"

Kaido nodded, but his expression suddenly turned serious.

After the initial shock, the woman gradually calmed down:

"Is it in the hands of Knight Gawain?"

"This is a bit troublesome."

Recalling everything that happened during the Marineford War, Big Mom's fear of Gawain reached an unprecedented level.

Both he and Kaido were once members of the Rocks Pirates.

Whitebeard was one of them, and at that time, he was second only to Captain Rocks in the Rocks Pirates.

No one knows better than Grandma how strong Whitebeard was in his prime.

But this monster was easily suppressed by Gawain during the Marineford War; the difference between them can only be described as terrifying.

Even now, when the old lady recalls it, she still finds it unbelievable!
She looked up at Kaido:

"You fought that guy before, didn't you?"

"How is the result."

Kaido didn't say much, he just raised his hand and unbuttoned his shirt.

A gruesome slash mark ran down his right shoulder and across his waist and abdomen from his massive chest, almost cleaving him in two.

Even though Kaido's injuries had healed, Big Mom could still feel the ferocity of that battle.

Kaido said solemnly:
"The dragon scales were severed, the flesh was ripped open, many organs were cut in half, and even the heart was damaged..."

"That battle was the closest I've ever come to death in my decades of life."

"If Quinn hadn't risked his life to use the plague to stop the knight Gawain, I wouldn't be back now."

The older woman opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a word. The thought of joining forces to forcibly seize the permanent pointer vanished before it could even leave her lips. She muttered to herself:

"Then let's..."

Kaido grinned, and even though he was injured to this extent by Gawain, there wasn't a trace of defeat in his eyes:
"Knight Gawain went to great lengths to build this stage, so someone has to take the stage."

"Then I'll go and see who is truly the strongest in the world in this era!"

The old lady's eyes sparkled with delight:

"You're still the same as you were back then, you haven't changed."

Kaido's smile vanished:
You've changed a lot.

"Who can say for sure about such things? It's just that the sea is about to be stormy again."

The older woman sighed:
"The Great Pirate Era, which Roger started, was brought to its climax by the combined efforts of Whitebeard and Zephyr. Now, Knight Gawain is going to be the final pusher, completely igniting this era!"

"Humph~"

Kaido snorted coldly:
"The World Government will not stand idly by in this matter."

"Compared to us, they are the ones who are least able to stand by and watch One Piece be born; that thing could really threaten their position."

"Even the Five Elders, and even Im on the Void Throne, cannot tolerate this!"

"That's right~"

……

……

……

call--!
The messenger bird skimmed over the crimson continent below, flapping its wings to fly towards the next sea.

The Red Line divides the world into two parts, like a giant red serpent encircling the entire planet.

Red Earth Summit.

Mariejoia.

In Pangu City.

Tap! Tap! Tap—!
Amidst a flurry of footsteps, the CP leader knocked on the door of the Five Elders' office, handed a newspaper to Satan, and then knelt down beside him.

Crash-!
Satan opened the newspaper, and after reading the contents, Shuangzhou suddenly crumpled the newspaper into a deformed shape:
"Knight Gawain..."

"What on earth is this guy planning to do?!"

"To actually make something like this public, doesn't he think the world is chaotic enough already?!"

The other four people gathered around, looking at the contents of the newspaper with frighteningly gloomy expressions.

Nasujiro gripped the long sword at his waist, his entire body radiating murderous intent.
"They actually used the permanent pointer from the final island as a prize for the martial arts tournament?"

"really."

"This guy is anything but a law-abiding citizen!"

"If I had known, I should have nipped him in the bud, otherwise things wouldn't have developed to this point."

Peter Saint glanced at him, his eyes also filled with an indescribable anger:

"There's no point in saying all this now."

"Even if we are unwilling, we have to admit that the guy has become a huge force."

"Besides..."

"At this point, neither the Navy nor we have the resources to fight the world's strongest pirate crew!"

Nassou is burning with rage:

"Then what do you think we should do?!"

"Do we need to be mindful of his feelings when we act?!"

The sound fell to the ground.

A moment of silence fell over the surroundings, and four pairs of eyes stared intently at Nasshouro Sei, making the latter feel extremely uncomfortable.

a long time.

Sacred Vochuli spoke:

"Let's try to gauge his opinion first."

"correct."

"Didn't CP0 just promote a new guy recently?! Let him go."

"Rob Lucci?"

Mazsan frowned:
"He had previously concealed the fact that a third party had invaded Impel Down, so his background is probably not clean. Lord Im found out about this by going to Impel Down and getting it out of Blackbeard."

Sacred Vochuli sneered:

"That's exactly what I want—his uncleanliness!"

(End of this chapter)