I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 315 The Red Hair Arrives

The redhead and the white-bearded man have been friends for many years.

Although they didn't meet often, Shanks knew a little about Whitebeard's physical condition. Seeing him again now, Shanks looked somewhat surprised.

"Whitebeard, your illness..."

"Gurarararar~ Surprised?"

"This is all thanks to the 'Dimensional Pirates.' Come, Shanks, let me introduce you to these new friends."

The white-bearded man let out his signature laugh, then put his arm around the red-haired woman's shoulder and came to Uchiha Hikaru and her group, solemnly introducing them one by one.

There is a reason for this solemnity.

Initially, Whitebeard only held Uchiha Hikaru and Esdeath in high regard because of their strength, which was comparable to that of the Four Emperors, and because of Yamato's status as "Ace's friend."

So now, his attitude towards the "Dimensional Pirates" is one of genuine admiration and gratitude.

Although "Demon Transformation Agent 2.0" is currently still in the clinical trial stage.

However, Kikyo and Tamayo had already performed two surgeries on Whitebeard, removing several tumors and other lesions, and also used the "Purifying Light" technique. After these treatments, several of Whitebeard's long-standing ailments were alleviated to varying degrees, and his physical condition was much better than before, even showing a noticeable difference in his complexion.

In theory, if this treatment is used for several more rounds, Whitebeard's condition may not be completely cured, but he should at least live for another three to five years.

This result surprised and delighted Whitebeard.

He even had the urge to adopt Kikyo and Tamayo as his daughters.

of course……

They were all rejected.

Kikyo has always been a quiet and independent person. After experiencing the upheaval fifty years ago and being "resurrected," she has become even more indifferent to family ties and has no intention of finding another family member for herself. Therefore, she politely declined Whitebeard's suggestion.

And Tamayo...

"I'm sorry, it might sound a bit unbelievable, but I'm actually over three hundred years old, no longer a young person. Being your daughter or something... is a bit inappropriate."

Tamayo said this in an apologetic tone.

"?"

Whitebeard was a little confused.

From his perspective, it's hard to imagine that Ms. Tamayo, who looks to be only in her twenties or thirties at most, is actually several hundred years old.

Moreover, this "several hundred years old" doesn't mean she lived in a coffin like Uchiha Hikaru, but rather she truly experienced hundreds of thousands of days and nights. If we were to rank people by their physical age, Tamayo would probably be more than the great-grandmother of the entire Whitebeard Pirates, and even the entire "Dimensional Pirates."

Going back to reality.

Red-Haired Shanks listened to Whitebeard's introduction, glancing hesitantly at Uchiha Hikaru and the others. He seemed somewhat surprised by their age and gender—pirates of this age were already rare, and aside from Boa Hancock's Kuja Pirates, it was seldom to see a group of so many girls on this sea—but he still greeted them politely.

"So it's Captain Bulma and First Vice-Captain Uchiha Hikaru... It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You're Shanks?"

Bulma looked the redhead up and down a few times: "He looks pretty handsome, just a bit old."

"...?"

The redhead, born in Roger's era, is already 37 years old at this point in time.

Although he is almost two and a half generations younger than the other three Emperors on average, he can no longer be considered very young.

Compared to Bulma, Hikaru Uchiha's focus was mainly on Shanks' height.

At 1.99 meters tall, he can be considered a rare "normal person" on this vast sea.

After the formalities were over.

Esdeath let out a soft breath and spoke calmly, "Hey, I heard you're one of the 'Emperors of the Sea,' on par with Kaido and Whitebeard?"

"Um?"

Redhead instinctively tried to be modest: "It's just empty fame that others talk about, nothing to brag about..."

"Come on, let's fight."

Esdeath raised her hands, cracking her wrists and neck, her eyes gleaming with eager fighting spirit: "I've already experienced the strength of Kaido and Whitebeard, and with you, that makes three 'Emperors.' I can sense that your strength is quite impressive. Come on, let me see just what the pinnacle of this sea truly is."

"……ha?"

……

If we were to rank the Four Emperors based on their overall strength, it's hard to say where Shanks would rank, but he definitely wouldn't be number one.

but……

If we change the sorting criterion to domineering cultivation level...

Then the red hair is undoubtedly number one.

Even at his peak in his youth, Whitebeard would probably have had a hard time defeating him.

As Roger's adopted son and the only one among the Four Emperors who has never eaten a Devil Fruit, his Observation Haki is almost on par with Roger's. He can "see" and "hear" the future for a period of time in an instant and react accordingly.

—For example, in the original story, he made a move before the Kid Fruit awakened, destroying the entire fleet with a single strike.

As for Conqueror's Haki, Shanks has also mastered a powerful skill called "God's Evasion," which combines swordsmanship and Conqueror's Haki.

As for now...

"This is……"

Before Esdeath could even begin to freeze the sea, Shanks seemed to foresee something, abruptly turning around to look at her with a shocked expression: "You actually... have this ability? What's your relationship with Aokiji?"

"Hmm? You mean that admiral?"

Esdeath raised an eyebrow.

She was very familiar with the name Aokiji.

Even before entering the world of One Piece, Yamato had mentioned him, and after arriving here, he frequently heard about him from Jack the Drought, the Photo King, and the Whitebeard Pirates. This person, whose abilities and fighting style are supposedly remarkably similar to his own…

Esdeath was very curious.

"Yes."

Shanks' expression turned serious: "There are indeed Devil Fruits with similar abilities in the world, but fruits within the same system must follow a hierarchy of mutual restraint... But Miss Esdeath's ability seems too similar to Aokiji's. If I hadn't recently seen information about Aokiji, I might have thought that you stole the 'Ice-Ice Fruit' from him."

"Yeah?"

Esdeath narrowed her eyes slightly: "Do you know where that guy named Aokiji is?"

I guess so.

"Then...can you tell me his location? I'm very curious about his existence."

(End of this chapter)