One Piece: The user of the Nen-Nen Fruit, who overturned the sea.

The banquet hall of the Beehive Island Palace is brightly lit today.

A huge long table stretched from one end of the hall to the other, and it was filled with delicacies from land and sea.

The top chefs on Beehive Island started preparing early in the morning, serving up a continuous stream of delicacies from the deep sea, specialties from Sky Island, and famous dishes from all over the world.

There was plenty of wine—Barrett brought out his private stash of the finest spirits.

The core members of the two pirate crews sat around a long table, their roles clearly defined yet harmonious.

On Roy Pirates' side, there were twenty or thirty people, including Bullet, Hawkeye, Tesoro, Crocodile, Kuma, Kyros, Moria, Savi, Yamato, Enel, Pea, the three Hancock sisters, and Law.

On the Red-Haired Pirates' side, Beckman, Yasopp, Lucky Roux, Ryme Jones, Mooster, Benk Punch, and Rockstar were all present.

The moment the glasses clinked, the atmosphere instantly exploded.

"Hahaha! Redhead! I heard your Lucky Roux has a huge appetite? Come on, let's have a contest!"

Burgess was the first to jump up, pointing at Lucky Roux on the Red-Haired Pirates' side, his eyes practically burning with fighting spirit.

Raki Lu looked up from behind the meat bone, glanced at Burgess's calf-like frame, and laughed until his eyes disappeared:

Are you sure?

The two hit it off immediately and each ordered three tables of meat.

Roast pork, roast beef, fried fish, stewed seafood—tables full of dishes were devoured in no time.

Raki Lu ate with practiced ease, not fast but never stopping, piling meat bones onto the table one after another.

Bages ate ferociously, picking up the whole roasted pig and gnawing on it, the bones crunching loudly.

The people around stopped drinking and all gathered around to cheer the two of them on.

In the end, the two of them swept the plates of meat off the three tables. Burgess lay on the ground, rubbing his belly and groaning, while Raki Lu gnawed on his fourth meat bone with lingering satisfaction.

No one knew who won, but the two looked at each other and burst into laughter at the same time, thus beginning a deep "friendship based on food".

Yasopp and Van Augur, holding wine glasses, huddled in a corner talking about sniping.

The two spoke softly, but occasionally a few words would slip out—ballistic correction, wind speed calculation, Armament Haki application, ultra-long-range sniping—

The snipers nearby listened with their eyes shining, wishing they could pull out their notebooks and take notes on the spot.

The two snipers shared very similar values ​​and found themselves getting along very well.

Near the head of the table, Roy and Shanks sat side by side.

Roy swirled his wine glass as Shanks recounted his experiences in the New World over the past three years.

From storming Shiki's territory to battling Whitebeard, and then taking on both Big Mom and Kaido—

Shanks spoke with great enthusiasm, occasionally slapping his thigh and cursing the old man, then praising his comrade.

Roy smiled, holding his wine glass, and nodded from time to time.

At the next table, Hawkeye and Shanks clinked glasses, and Hawkeye, unusually, spoke up:

"Have you come up with any new tricks lately?"

Shanks laughed: "You can see through nothing, Mihawk!"

"When will we have another match?!"

"Anytime is fine!"

The two clinked glasses and drank it all in one gulp.

After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere had reached its most lively point.

The banquet hall was noisy; some people were drinking contests, some were bragging, some were talking about swordsmanship, and some were talking about sniping.

The officers of the two pirate crews had long since become one, and there was no longer any distinction between them.

Just then, Shanks put down his glass.

His movement to stand up was small, but the moment he composed himself, the entire banquet hall fell silent.

That silence wasn't due to him using any domineering aura, but rather because everyone sensed it at the same moment—

This man has something important to say.

Shanks stood in front of the long table, facing everyone's gaze.

Then he turned around and looked at Roy in the main seat.

The alcohol in his eyes had completely faded, replaced by a pure, undisguised fervor.

"Roy."

His voice wasn't loud, but everyone could hear it clearly.

"Three years ago, in the Sabaody Archipelago, we didn't get to have a proper fight."

Roy put down his glass.

"In the past three years, I have traveled all over the New World, fought Shiki, Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaido."

I've encountered all sorts of powerful individuals and learned all sorts of things.

Shanks gripped the Griffin scabbard at his waist, its sheath gleaming faintly with gold under the light.

"But I've always wanted to fight you. From the past to now, I want to know just how strong you are now, the one who earned Captain Roger's approval and high praise."

I also want to know, between my pirate crew and your Beehive Island, who is stronger?

He drew the Griffin, and the moment the blade was drawn, a dark red arc of Conqueror's Haki flickered across its surface for a fleeting instant.

The lights in the entire hall flickered for a moment.

The main hall was completely silent.

You could hear a pin drop.

Shanks held Griffin horizontally in front of him, gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, and bowed his head solemnly to Roy.

"Roy—I, Shanks the Red-Haired, on behalf of the Red-Haired Pirates, challenge you and the Roy Pirates."

He raised his head, his eyes burning with a fighting spirit that seemed to pierce the ceiling.

"Fight a fair and square battle."

One-on-one cadre duels, plus our ultimate showdown.

Are you going to answer or not?

Everyone held their breath.

Barrett put down his glass, a glint of excitement in his eyes.

Lightning crackled around Tesoro, and a grin spread across his face.

Beckman slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, while Yasopp wiped the barrel of his sniper rifle.

Everyone looked at Roy, waiting for his answer.

Roy looked at Shanks—at the fighting spirit in his eyes, at his slightly trembling hand gripping the sword, at the undisguised desire on his face.

This man waited three years, not for a chance to catch up with old friends, but for an opponent who would give him his all.

Roy picked up his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

The sound of the wine glass slamming on the table was like the beating of war drums.

"good!"

Roy stood up.

"Tomorrow morning, at the central training ground on Beehive Island."

The Roy Pirates versus the Red-Haired Pirates—a fair and square fight!

Shanks grinned into a wide, radiant smile.

A deafening cheer erupted in the main hall.

Barrett clashed his fists together, and the aftershocks of his Conqueror's Haki made the wine glasses clink.

Tesoro had already floated into the air, lightning crackling between his fingers.

Yamato shouldered the spiked club, his eyes gleaming.

Hancock clenched her fists, her fighting spirit burning within her.

Beckman watched the group of enthusiastic guys and silently took a drag of his cigarette.

The battle between the New World's top pirate crews has been decided.

…………………………………………………………………………………

The following morning, at the central training ground on Beehive Island.

This massive training arena was personally designed and supervised by Barrett three years ago; the entire site was carved from a single block of natural volcanic rock.

With a diameter of nearly two kilometers, the ground is paved with specially made sea stone and other mixed materials.

It can withstand the impact of battles at the general level. The stands around the training ground extend upwards in a tiered fashion.

It was already packed with people—