The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

Chapter 390 One Man Suppresses Four Emperors: This Is Not Just a Slogan or a Title of Honor

In the New World, on the deck of the Red-Haired Pirates, aboard the Red Fox.

A gentle sea breeze was blowing. Shanks stood alone by the railing at the bow of the ship, the cuffs of his white shirt casually rolled up, and the hem of his black cloak swaying gently in the wind.

With the famous sword "Griffin" hanging from his waist, he gazed at the sea, seemingly lost in thought.

Since he officially ascended to the position of one of the Four Emperors, especially based on his previous battle against Marine G-10 Barrett...

The prestige he had built by using the G-10 to intimidate all sides had indeed cleared away a lot of trouble for him, and his territory had also ushered in a rare period of stability.

However, such scheming is easily uncovered; once that guy has some free time...

"Boss!"

Just as Shanks was pondering, a loud voice broke the silence on the deck.

Lucky Roux, a portly man wearing small sunglasses, waved a newly received intelligence report and shouted loudly...

"Something's wrong! Something seems to have happened on our territory!!"

Shanks turned around upon hearing the shout.

Ben Beckman was sitting leisurely in the middle of the deck, with a half-empty bottle of rum on the small table in front of him.

He then exhaled a long smoke ring, his fingers flipping through several newsletters, and picked up where Larry Road left off, adding in a steady tone, "It was done by a newbie."

"Fire Fist Ace, Portgas D. Ace." Beckman paused slightly as he pronounced the name.

"This guy caused quite a stir before entering the New World, and his bounty was not low. He is considered the most prominent supernova rookie!"

However, after entering the New World, his whereabouts have been somewhat strange, mainly lingering in the waters near G-10...

Logically speaking, they shouldn't have suddenly appeared on our territory and engaged in such provocative behavior..."

"What's so hard to understand?"

At that moment, the ship's doctor, Hongo, walked over with a wine glass and interjected with a smile.

They must think that 'Skyquake' Gern is too tough to crack!

He took a sip of his drink and continued, "Every greenhorn who just entered the New World thinks about taking down a big shot to prove that he is qualified to become the Pirate King."

Besides, he's the man who arrested the Pirate King!! Of course, it's definitely because of a toll, haha!

That guy probably loitered around G-10 for a while, without even seeing Gern, or maybe he saw something.

Finally, she faced reality and realized that challenging that man was simply courting death.

Hongo shrugged, his tone slightly teasing: "So, he turned his attention to us instead."

After all, we've only recently ascended to the throne of the Four Emperors. To some newcomers, we might seem like easy targets, haha!

A few soft chuckles from the crew echoed across the deck, and the atmosphere seemed to lighten up a bit.

But as Shanks listened to his companions' analyses, his brow furrowed slightly.

Instead of immediately expressing his opinion, he walked to the small table next to Beckman, picked up the bottle, poured himself a full glass of rum, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Ace..." Shanks put down his glass, repeating the familiar name softly, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

Incidentally, pirates in the New World generally don't pay special attention to what happens in the first half of the Grand Line.

Unless there are special reasons to be concerned, just like Shanks later kept a close eye on Luffy's growth.

Otherwise, most of the information was obtained through newspapers delivered by newsbirds.

The World Economic News Agency doesn't publish its newspaper on a large scale for every event, unless it's a major event that could shake the world.

That's why they report on it so extensively, making it known to everyone.

Shanks tapped his fingers lightly on the wooden table, making a soft tapping sound. His relaxed expression faded slightly as he pressed on, "How far has he progressed?"

“It’s caused quite a stir.” Hongo’s expression darkened, his previous ease gone: “According to reliable sources, five or six islands have already been forcibly planted with the Spade Pirates’ flag.”

"Five or six seats?!" Raki Lu, who was biting into a leg of meat, forgot to chew and looked surprised.

Upon hearing this, Shanks' eyes narrowed, and his usual easygoing demeanor was instantly replaced by a sharp edge.

He then slowly straightened up, his right hand instinctively pressing on the hilt of Griffin's knife.

"This is no small matter..."

The new world order is built upon power and prestige.

The authority of the Four Emperors is the foundation for maintaining their immense power and protecting their territories; they cannot be easily challenged.

Especially since Shanks had only recently ascended to this position, countless eyes were secretly watching to see if he could truly secure his "emperor's" throne.

If such blatant acts of seizing islands and raising flags are ignored, not only will he become a laughing stock, but he will also attract more greedy hyenas to covet his territory.

Prestige must be defended with strength!

Shanks' gaze swept over the core crew members on deck, and without further hesitation, his voice clear and powerful, echoing across the deck.

"Change course! Let's go over there..."

As he spoke, he paused, a confident smile curving his lips—the domineering aura of a sea king.

"Let this unruly newcomer know that this vast ocean... is not a playground for him to fool around in!"

"Oh!!!"

.........

Meanwhile, on the edge of a village square where the Spade Pirates' flag had just been forcibly planted...

Ace leaned against a dilapidated low wall, his brow furrowed, watching an old woman squatting not far away, selling fruit at a stall.

Guern was chatting and laughing, and even helped someone pick up the scattered oranges.

The golden sunset cast a warm glow on Gern's tall, imposing figure, which stood out starkly from his surroundings.

Not long ago, he was a bastard who encouraged him to burn the Four Emperors' flags and seize the island, but now... Ace felt a strong sense of separation.

"Really... I can't understand this guy." Ace muttered to himself.

This guy can be as cold as ice at times, crushing everything.

Sometimes he acts like a rogue, making unreasonable demands.

But at this moment, he's behaving like a... mild-mannered passerby?

Which side of him is the real him? What is his true purpose?

"It's normal that you don't understand." A slightly mocking voice came from the side.

Ace turned his head and saw Enel squatting on the wall nearby, casually tossing a grape he'd swiped at him.

Her long earlobes swayed slightly with her movements, her pupils glanced sideways at Ace, and a smile curved her lips.

“Because he’s here…” Enel said with a low, mocking tone, “this lawless new world… can have even a little bit of laughable ‘justice,’ can’t it?”

Upon hearing this, Ace turned his head, his eyes filled with even more confusion.

"Tch~" Enel let out a disdainful chuckle, tossing a grape into his mouth. "You so-called pirates, fighting tooth and nail to get into the New World..."

All those loud slogans are just for finding ONE PIECE, for that 'Pirate King' throne, aren't they?

Dreaming of wealth, fame, power, and the freedom to control this vast ocean?

He jumped off the wall and walked up to Ace, exuding a sense of pressure. "But so many years have passed, and the number of pirates flooding into the New World is countless, like a swarm of locusts crossing a river."

But look, how many people here can maintain their ridiculous dreams and eventually touch that throne?

“As long as I’m in front of that man…” Enel tilted his head slightly, gesturing with his eyes to Guern, who was still chatting with the old woman in the distance.

"All inflated ambitions, all burning dreams, will ultimately either be crushed, or..."

As you can see now, the only option is to take a detour and bully the seemingly easier targets.

Ace remained silent.

He understood Enel's unspoken message and knew that he wanted to become the Pirate King.

The towering peak that lies before the finish line, Gern, is one that must be crossed no matter what.

But the fact is, no one has succeeded so far.

Because not everyone is as persistent as Luffy!

However, it is precisely because of the existence of this insurmountable peak that this most chaotic and powerful sea area is forcibly endowed with its unique characteristics.

An invisible bottom line has been drawn, maintaining a fragile yet crucial order.

The strongest "evil" (by pirate standards, Gurn is an absolute villain who hinders dreams) has become the cornerstone of maintaining a certain "justice" (order and bottom line) in this sea.

This extremely contradictory reality made Ace feel a tightness in his chest, and the brief moment of pleasure he had felt when he burned the flag and planted his own flag earlier vanished.

At this moment, in the face of a grander reality, it seems so pale and... naive.

So he raised his head and looked again at Gern's retreating figure...

This ocean is far more complex than he imagined.

This man was far more profound and terrifying than he had ever imagined.

One man suppresses four emperors

This has never seemed to be a slogan or a title of respect...

Chapter 391 Let's 'reward' him with a fiery punch!

A few days later, the Red-Haired Pirates' Red Voss slowly sailed into its territory, the harbor of Partha Island.

Shanks was the first to jump off the ship, and his gaze was immediately drawn to the eye-catching spade pirate flag fluttering above the village square.

For a moment, he frowned slightly as he looked at the flag fluttering in the wind.

“Strange…” Beckman walked beside him, a thin cigarette dangling from his lips, his gaze sweeping across the somewhat empty street, his voice low and menacing.

"After planting his flag on Parta Island, 'Fire Fist' Ace stopped expanding further."

According to intelligence, this is the last place he appeared and changed the flag, and it has remained unchanged ever since.

It felt... like they were waiting for us on purpose.

“Yeah, boss!” Raki Ru added, gnawing on a leg of meat, his words muffled.

"Moreover, since we landed, we haven't even seen a shadow of their pirate ship!"

Surely they can't be coming to seize territory in a small boat, right? Did they hide the boat beforehand?

Just as Shanks and the others were wondering...

"Yo~" A young voice, tinged with laziness and amusement, suddenly came from the side and above.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a black-haired young man wearing an orange cowboy hat crouching on the roof of a nearby house.

He pressed down on the brim of his hat with one hand, covering most of his face, revealing only his freckles and a slight upturn of his lips.

Ace slightly raised the brim of his hat, revealing his eyes, which landed directly on Shanks, who was at the head of the group, and chuckled.

"This is the legendary 'Four Emperors,' Red-Haired Shanks!?"

My brother has always had your name on his lips!

Of course, as a man who dotes on his younger brother, Ace really wanted to talk to Shanks about Luffy, but the three members of the Goen family were watching him intently from behind...

Therefore, the weak have no right to choose.

At the same time, just as Ace finished speaking...

"boom!"

Almost without warning, a cold glint flashed in Lucky Roux's eyes as he stood beside Shanks.

With a speed completely out of character for his obese physique, he instantly drew the pistol from his waist and pulled the trigger!

The movement was clean and swift; the lead bullet pierced the air and accurately struck Ace in the chest!

Blood didn't splatter at the bullet wound; instead, intense flames suddenly erupted.

The void was instantly filled with flames and healed, as if a pebble had been thrown into water, creating ripples before returning to calm.

Ace's figure didn't even sway, remaining half-crouched on the roof.