One Piece: Blue Scale Admiral

"In my personal research, I call the form exhibited by a Mythical Zoan user who has successfully awakened and completely mastered the power of awakening the Mythical Zoan the Mythical Form, which is a mythical creature with the power of the Mythical Zoan."

"And the special form that occurs after a failed awakening, but without losing oneself, and instead merges with the desires within the body in another form, is called the demon form."

"Whichever of the two methods succeeds, the user's true form will evolve into a mythical creature, thereby gaining near-infinite vitality and lifespan."

"Of course, these are all just my personal speculations, and there are no actual cases. Luo Xia, I think you still have a good chance of completely mastering the awakened Qilin form. When that time comes, will you manifest as a demon from mythology or a god? I'm really looking forward to it. Work hard, young man!"

Chapter 699 A Chaotic New World

The park, the new transvestite paradise, Kamabakka Kingdom.

"Shanks boy, want some juice?"

Ivankov handed Shanks a glass of freshly squeezed watermelon juice.

Shanks smiled and accepted the newspaper, thanking him. He then continued reading the newspaper spread out in front of him, remarking with some emotion, "I didn't expect the Navy to have some magnanimity, actually sending Whitebeard's body back to his home island, Sphinx. Marco, Vista, what are you going to do next? Stay here, or come back to the New World with us?"

He looked at Marco and Vista, who were sitting to the side wiping away tears.

Marco gripped the newspaper tightly, looking at the familiar comrades announced as dead or captured, and at Whitebeard standing dead on Marineford Island. He couldn't suppress the sorrow and pain on his face.

Hearing Shanks' question, he slowly shook his head and looked at Dragon sitting beside him, saying, "I am truly grateful for Mr. Dragon's rescue. But my father's body needs to be buried, so Vista and I must return to Sphinx Island first. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will definitely repay Mr. Dragon's life-saving grace."

He then looked at Sabo, whose hands were wrapped in heavy bandages, leaning blankly against Koala's chest, silent like a wooden statue, and said in a heavy voice, "Sabo, I know you are very reluctant to part with Ace. But I still hope you can allow us to take Ace's... body back. We want to bury him with Dad. I think this will allow Ace and Dad's souls to rest in peace."

Marco's voice brought Sabo, who had been silent for several days, back to his senses, and tears welled up in his reddened eyes.

He bit his lip, nodded silently, and said in an extremely hoarse voice, "Yes, that's fine. Ace... he must also really want to go back to the place where he lived his adventurous life."

"Thank you for your understanding," Marco said earnestly.

At that moment, Reiju, who had been a member of the Revolutionary Army for more than two years, walked in from outside with a group of people.

"Boss, the Red-Haired Pirates are here."

Behind Reiju were Beckman, Lucky Strike, Yasopp, and others—members of the Red-Haired Pirates.

"Shanks, this..." Beckman looked at Marco and Vista in the hall, and even his usually calm and composed nature couldn't help but feel a little angry.

The once mighty Whitebeard Pirates were now reduced to just Marco and Vista.

Moreover, both of them were injured, and even Marco, who had the power of the phoenix, looked much older than when they met in the New World not long ago.

If Marco, who was in his forties before, looked like a young man in his twenties or thirties, now he looks even older than Shanks and himself.

"It's all that damned Zephyr's fault! If he hadn't interfered with our journey, we wouldn't have been delayed and wouldn't have been able to reach the park on time. If Gabu hadn't managed to get Shanks out of the water and head to Marineford alone, Shanks probably wouldn't have been able to arrive before the war ended."

Lakiru clenched his fists in anger.

Yasopp sighed and shook his head, saying, "There's nothing we can do. Who would have thought that old guy would be able to obtain the Golden Lion's power? Although we're not afraid of him in a fight, it's too simplistic to use the Float-Float Fruit's power just to hinder our actions."

"What did you say? Zephyr has obtained the Golden Lion's power?" Ivankov's eyes widened in surprise.

Hearing Yasopp's emotional words, everyone in the hall was shaken.

Even the composed Dorrag couldn't help but let his eyes flicker slightly.

Golden Lion's ability, the Paramecia-type Float-Float Fruit, is capable of world-destroying power, and its performance is in no way inferior to, and perhaps even stronger than, the Gravity-Gravity Fruit of One-Smile.

Anyone who has experienced the G1 naval battle can deeply understand the despair and helplessness of being bombarded by dozens of islands that blot out the sky.

Shanks, as a member of Roger's pirate crew, has a particularly deep understanding of this.

During the Battle of Eddwar, if it weren't for that sudden, massive storm that affected Shiki's abilities, the Roger Pirates would probably have been the ones to lose.

"They're really lucky. If the Neo Navy, hastily established by Zephyr, was only a mid-level force in the New World, weaker than the Four Emperors, it's different now that they have the Float-Float Fruit ability. This kind of strategic power is enough for them to gain a firm foothold in that chaotic land of the New World."

Shanks remarked.

He then looked at Ivankov, who was sitting opposite him enjoying his meal, and asked, "Mr. Ivankov, when you came out of Impel Down, weren't you pursued and intercepted by the Navy? You just said that Bucky... went with Barrett?"

Ivankov popped a whole watermelon into his mouth, juicing it as he chewed, and nodded indistinctly, saying, "We weren't stopped because there were a few fish-man boys in our group who could communicate with whale sharks. They summoned the whale sharks and let us hide in their mouths, escaping through the sea. However, when we came out of Impel Down, I thought I sensed Kizaru's presence. As for Bucky the Clown, well, he did follow Barrett."

“Barrett…” Shanks chewed on the familiar name, a shadow involuntarily rising in his eyes.

"What's wrong? Shanks, you seem worried about Buggy. This Barrett, he must be that devil's heir, right? The guy who was on the Pirate King's ship with you back then, weren't you comrades? If you're worried about Buggy staying with him, why don't you go to the New World and bring him back later? I don't think Barrett would stop you from doing something so small, would he?"

Yasopp noticed the worry in Shanks' eyes and couldn't help but speak up.

However, Shanks shook his head slightly upon hearing this.

"You're oversimplifying things, Yasopp."

"You don't know Barrett. He's not someone you can easily deal with. Aside from fighting and killing, he's always been indifferent and doesn't care about camaraderie at all. When he boarded the Oro Jackson, it was only to challenge Captain Roger. He doesn't respect anyone but Captain Roger. Now that Captain Roger is gone, he's a beast unleashed. If you want him to listen to you, you'll have to beat him into submission. Otherwise, just wait to be destroyed by him."

Lakiru muttered, "Wouldn't that be better? With your strength, Shanks, you could just fight him directly, defeat him, and then bring Buggy back, saving us all that trouble."

"If only it were that simple." Shanks shook his head. "Do you think the title of 'Devil's Heir' is just for show? He's a monster, a freak who could fight Rayleigh to a standstill at fifteen. And now he has a bunch of outlaws from Infinite Hell around him, right?"

He looked at Ivankov across from him with an inquiring gaze.

"Hiss... He can fight Rayleigh to a draw at the age of fifteen? Really? Isn't that even more monstrous than Lieutenant General Bluescale?" Yasopp gasped.

"Hehe, Shanks boy, you guessed right. Because Barrett boy was too strong, when the Infinite Hell broke open, many, well, about a hundred, desperados voluntarily followed him. Oh right, there was also the old monster who left with him. He was an old acquaintance of your Roger Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates, the Lone Red, Barlowley Clydefield."

Ivankov's casual words caused Shanks, Beckman, and the others to change their expressions.

“The Red Earl. How come even that monster…” Beckman took a drag of his cigarette, his voice grave. “That guy has the ability to eavesdrop on other people’s thoughts, and his swordsmanship is no less than that of the Golden Lion. But thankfully, he should be at least over seventy years old now, right?”

“It should be more than that. He was a monster from the Rocks era, and he set sail even earlier than Captain Roger,” Shanks said.

"That's good. At such an advanced age, they don't pose much of a threat to us." Yasopp breathed a sigh of relief.

"Even without him, those hundreds of criminals from the Infinite Hell would be enough to give us a hard time. The new world is probably already in chaos."

As Beckman spoke, he turned his head to look at Dragon, seemingly wanting to get some latest news from him.

Dragon glanced at Koala, who was holding Sabo. Koala understood his meaning and said crisply, "You guessed right. The New World is much more chaotic than when the Whitebeard Pirates were around. More than two hundred powerful escaped convicts have gradually regained their strength and are now conquering and seizing territory in the New World. The seas without the Whitebeard Pirates' suppression and protection have become the hardest hit areas, causing the most chaotic struggles. The second most chaotic area is the Totto Land seas, which have only recently stabilized. As for the Beasts Pirates, there are reports that Kaido recently killed several great pirates who tried to invade his territory. These were all old guys with bounties of hundreds of millions or even billions of Berries. He has also recruited more than a dozen criminals, expanding the mid-to-high-end combat power of his pirate crew."

"As for Barrett, whom you are concerned about, he has taken over Kronos, also known as Beehive Island, and officially established a new pirate crew called the Devil Pirates. He himself serves as the captain, and the first mate is Red Earl."

"There's also the Ward Pirates, the World Destroyers. They recently fought a battle with Bullet's Devil Pirates and were soundly defeated. After that, they withdrew from the waters around Rocky Port and went to Totto Land. They are currently fighting with the Beast Pirates, the G5 Marine Branch, and the NEO Marines for control of Totto Land."

As everyone was talking, suddenly, Reiju, who was standing at the entrance of the hall, received a phone call, and her beautiful eyes were filled with shock.

She took a deep breath, strode forward, looked at Dragon, as if she wanted to say something, but then hesitated and glanced at Shanks.

Dragon's eyes flickered slightly, and he said in a low voice, "Don't worry about it. Shanks is our guest. Reiju, just say what you need to say."

Reiju nodded slightly, meeting the gazes of everyone in the hall, and said in a solemn voice, "Everyone, I have some bad news to tell you. Rayleigh, the Hades, has... died in battle."

"Wh...what?!"

Chapter 700 Shanks in Pain

With a crash, the chair behind Shanks overturned, and he abruptly stood up, his face filled with surprise, looking at Reiju.

The impact of Reiju's words on Shanks' mind was so strong that he couldn't suppress the terrifying aura within him, which involuntarily emanated outwards, causing the walls, tables, chairs, and floors in the hall to crack.

Those who were slightly weaker, such as Reiju and Koala, showed signs of discomfort on their faces.

Beckman quickly stepped forward, tugged at Shanks' arm, and whispered in his ear, "Shanks! Calm down!"

Shanks took a few deep breaths before slowly suppressing the terrifying aura he had involuntarily released. A look of bewilderment and disbelief appeared in his eyes as he looked at Reiju, whose face was somewhat pale, and asked urgently, "What...what did you just say? Uncle Rayleigh...what happened to him?"

Reiju took a deep breath, steadying her dizzy body, and recounted the information transmitted from the Den Den Mushi in detail, causing everyone in the hall to change their expressions.

"A few days ago, Hero Garp chased after Rayleigh to Amazon Lily and fought him one-on-one. Rayleigh died after his heart was pierced, and Hero Garp's throat was also pierced. Although he survived by chance, he seems to have fallen into a long coma and has been sent back to Marine Headquarters by Vice Admiral Bluescale."

“Rayleigh…it’s…is the Navy trying to wipe us out completely?” Marco’s eyes were filled with even deeper sorrow.

Marco was truly grateful to Rayleigh for going to Marine Headquarters to support them.

Although the Whitebeard Pirates were ultimately destroyed, Marco would never forget Rayleigh's kindness.

He had planned to find some time to help Rayleigh treat the burns he had suffered from Akainu, but who would have thought that he would hear such terrible news so soon afterward.

"Hero Garp killed Dark Lord Rayleigh? What astonishing news! Two legends from the old era clashed, one fell, the other was seriously injured and unconscious. It was a lose-lose situation." Ivankov shook his head and sighed.

Shanks, after hearing this shocking news, stood there dumbfounded.

Even someone as composed as him felt a deep sadness welling up in his heart, and a heart-wrenching pain surged through him.

"Uncle Rayleigh..."

His eyes reddened somewhat uncontrollably, and he thought of the warm moments he had spent with Rayleigh.

In Shanks' mind, Rayleigh was the most mature and steady elder in the entire Roger Pirates.

It seems that as long as Rayleigh is around, the Roger Pirates can overcome any difficulties they encounter.

He held Rayleigh in the highest esteem and respect. Even though he was in the New World, he always worried about Rayleigh's health and often called Rayleigh's Den Den Mushi.

But now, the vice-captain who was respected and loved by all the members of Roger's pirate crew has died such a tragic death.

This caused Shanks immense heartache, leaving him unable to breathe.

What made Shanks even more depressed was that it was Garp who killed Rayleigh.

If the murderer were Akainu or Rorschach, he would be filled with boundless killing intent, determined to avenge Rayleigh's death.

Cop...

He is Dragon's father and Luffy and Ace's grandfather.

Shanks originally planned to have Rayleigh be Luffy's teacher for the next year or two, teaching Luffy how to use Haki.

But now, Luffy's grandfather has killed Rayleigh...

No one could fathom the complex emotions surging within Shanks at that moment.

Anger, disappointment, pain, sorrow, guilt, longing, bewilderment...

Overwhelmed by a flood of emotions, Shanks stood frozen in place, lost in thought, for a long time.

Dorrag looked down at the table in front of him and fell silent.

Beckman and Yasopp exchanged glances, unsure how to comfort Shanks.

As veteran members of the Red-Haired Pirates, they were well aware of how much Rayleigh meant to Shanks.

A long silence fell over the hall.

After a long while, Shanks took a deep breath, snapped out of his daze, and regained his composure as one of the Four Emperors of the New World. He concealed the complex emotions on his face and replaced them with an aura of imperial majesty.