Chapter 315: Only Domination Stands Above All Else!

Neptune stood within the castle, gazing out at everything happening at the distant port.

He watched Gao Wen plant his flag in the center of the port, flying side by side with Whitebeard's pirate flag, fluttering and snapping loudly in the sea breeze!

Whoosh—!

The howling wind whipped up the curtains.

Neptune turned to look at Jinbei beside him, his eyes filled with solemnity and confusion:

"Mr. Jinbei, tell me, will the choice I made this time be the right one?!"

"Will an era of peace arrive, where fish-men are no longer discriminated against by humans, accepted and recognized as people, even walking upon that land once again?"

"Or will it truly lead the Ryugu Kingdom down the path to ruin?"

Jinbei spoke:

"My Lord Neptune, you should understand that Queen Otohime's fate has already proven that the World Government's path is one we cannot take."

"The stage of the Martial Arts Tournament is already the optimal choice for us at present."

"Moreover, we have already accepted Whitebeard's protection; what harm is there in adding one more knight, Gao Wen?!"

"Even though I am unwilling to admit it, what Xiang Keluo said does hold some truth."

"Whitebeard is strong, but he is ultimately old."

"In five years, ten years, or even twenty years, Knight Gao Wen will be in the prime of his life, while Whitebeard perhaps..."

Jinbei did not finish, but Neptune had already understood his meaning.

In truth, how could Neptune not understand these principles?

It was just that, at this moment, he possessed a gambler's mindset, worried about gains and losses.

"I understand, I understand it all."

Neptune sighed, his gaze falling upon that excessively young figure in the port.

Young, powerful, ambitious...

He had not even entered the New World yet, yet he already held the title of the strongest person below the Four Emperors.

Since he took office, several decades had passed, during which countless pirates had entered the New World through this place.

Among them were even those who now commanded wind and rain in the New World.

Yet, as Neptune racked his brain through those figures, even that Red-Haired from back then seemed half a step inferior compared to Knight Gao Wen!

As long as he does not die young—no, given the talent he has displayed, the possibility of dying young no longer exists!

This is a born king!

The future world is destined to have a share belonging to him!

But without seeing that day, without confirming such a future, Neptune's heart could not find peace.

"Bring Shyarly here!"

"I want to see with my own eyes where that man's future truly lies!"

"And where the future of Fish-Man Island lies!"

"Yes!"

Two fish-man guards responded and immediately turned to leave.

Very quickly.

Shyarly arrived before Neptune's hall; she sat half on the ground, revealing half of her large blue shark tail.

"Divine the future of Gao Wen's group and Fish-Man Island?"

"Regrettably."

"I can no longer do these things now."

Upon learning Neptune's request, Shyarly shook her head and sighed:

"To be honest with you, I had originally seen the future; I saw a war engulfing the world, where a man who once stood at the summit died most tragically at Marine Headquarters."

"Just a few days ago, I could no longer see the future."

"All these eyes see now is a mist."

Speaking thus.

A trace of relief appeared on Shyarly's face.

Since childhood, she had displayed superhuman prophetic talent; at four years old, she prophesied the arrival of the Great Pirate Era, and even Luo Jie's death was seen by her.

Yet this superhuman ability only allowed her to see the future; it did not grant her the power to change it.

Now that it was lost, for her, it was actually a good thing.

"A few days ago?"

Neptune's brows furrowed slightly; a vague premonition arose, and he hurriedly pressed:

"Exactly how many days ago?!"

"On the very day Knight Gao Wen set foot on Fish-Man Island."

Shyarly spoke:

"Several years ago, I attempted countless times to prophesy the future."

"I saw the end of the Seven Warlords era, the fall of the Four Emperors, the rise of new emperors, and the entire world dragged into an unprecedented great war."

"Warfire spread everywhere, the seas nearly boiled, and I even saw Fish-Man Island march toward destruction amidst the flames."

"Yet amidst everything I saw, there was only one person missing, and that was Knight Gao Wen!"

Speaking thus.

A touch of self-mockery entered Shyarly's tone:

"Perhaps so-called prophecies were never anything more than my own delusions, merely coinciding with reality when they occurred."

"After all, from the moment fate is predicted, it has already been changed!"

Neptune fell silent for a moment, then waved his hand.

Shyarly withdrew.

Jinbe couldn't help but speak up:

"What Shyarly said might hold some truth."

"Fate itself is unpredictable; once seen, it will be altered!"

"It's not that simple."

Neptune shook his head and turned to gaze toward the harbor.

At this moment.

The Lionheart Knight had already passed through the coating, slowly vanishing into the sea, as if swallowed by the boundless waters.

"Since its inheritance to the present day, every generation of Fish-Man Island has produced one person possessing the power of prophecy."

"It is precisely by relying on those prophecies that the Fish-Men, despite their weakness and despite being hunted and blocked by various factions, have managed to preserve this last pure land beneath the sea."

"Shyarly's previous prophecies have been verified countless times, proving that she is the prophet of this era."

"There are only two possibilities for losing the power of prophecy."

"Either a new prophet has already been born, or some variable has interfered with her observations, and the person most likely to interfere with her..."

Jinbe murmured:

"Knight Gao Wen?!"

"Ah."

Neptune nodded:

"That is why I am unsure whether the choice I made was right or wrong."

Jinbe's eyes were firm:

"Between destined destruction and an unpredictable future, how to choose—do you still need someone else's reminder?!"

"That is true." "Hahahaha..."

Several days later.

The New World.

The Moby Dick continued sailing across the sea.

Pity that he is ultimately merely one, and not the only one.

Simply because in this era, no, not just this era, even spanning thirty years before and after, there simply does not exist a new generation capable of rivaling Knight Gao Wen!

Those capable of contending with him are figures like Rocks and the Red Count from years past, those tyrants who once dominated the seas!

The gap between Ace and him is no longer merely a matter of raw strength, but also that spirit of fighting to the death to become the world's greatest swordsman!

"That brat planted his own flag on Fish-Man Island, openly declaring he would protect that place?!"

"Gurarararararara—!"

Whitebeard's low laughter echoed across the deck.

Sitting beside him, surrounded by everyone, Ace could hardly wait:

"Old Man!

"Let me handle this; no one can bring shame upon Whitebeard's flag!

"Fish-Man Island is our territory; it will not tolerate anyone else's interference!"

After Ace assumed the position of Commander of the Second Division, he led his members to victory after victory against enemies.

Countless tyrants of the New World fell at his hands, and his bounty soared to 500 million Berries, making him almost undoubtedly one of the most prominent Supernovas of this era.

Now, relying on his strength, he had gained the recognition of everyone on the ship, and he was at the age of utmost impulsiveness and hot-bloodedness.

Upon learning of Gao Wen's act of planting a flag on Fish-Man Island, the people around them also felt somewhat dissatisfied.

In their eyes,

even though Whitebeard had not actively demanded anything in return from Fish-Man Island, since Fish-Man Island had raised Whitebeard's flag and accepted his protection, it naturally stood to reason that it was territory of the Whitebeard Pirates.

Now, Gao Wen's act of planting a flag on Fish-Man Island could already be regarded as a provocation against the Whitebeard Pirates.

"It has been a long time since we encountered such a domineering newcomer; we should teach him a lesson and make him understand that Whitebeard's flag cannot be defiled!"

"This time, let me be the one to act!

"I will make him understand that Whitebeard cannot be insulted!"

The crowd was incensed, and angry shouts rang out incessantly.

Yet the group of Whitebeard Pirates commanders sitting on the deck, contrary to their usual behavior, appeared extremely calm.

Others might not understand the value of the achievements of slaying the legendary Golden Lion and defeating the world's greatest swordsman, but they understood:

Knight Gao Wen was fundamentally not a new star just entering the New World, but a vicious dragon coiled within Paradise!

The purpose of a vicious dragon entering the New World could naturally not be to beg for scraps, but to contend with the Emperor of the Sea who symbolizes the pinnacle of piracy, and even tear off the fattest flesh from his body!

Once war breaks out with Knight Gao Wen, it will not be a simple top-down crushing, but a fierce battle between Emperors of the Sea.

This principle was naturally understood by all the commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates.

However, what filled their hearts was more caution toward an opponent of equal stature, rather than fear!

As crew members of the world's strongest man, even if their opponent were the Marine Headquarters or even the World Government, they would not harbor any feeling of fear.

After a long while, Marco lifted his head, a slight smile playing on the corners of his lips, confident yet casual:

"Old Man, what do you say?!"

The deck fell silent for a moment, all eyes converging on Whitebeard.

"Well~"

Whitebeard raised the bowl of wine at his side and drained the strong liquor in one gulp, a hint of drunkenness already floating across his face:

"Protecting Fish-Man Island was a unilateral promise on our part.

"Since someone has made the same choice as I, we ought to be like-minded friends, not enemies incompatible as water and fire.

"Moreover, that kid can almost be called the most powerful new generation to emerge on these seas since Gol D. Luo Jie opened the Great Pirate Era; I also look forward to the day he stands before me and meets defeat!"

Having said this, Whitebeard turned to look at Ace, his eyes filled with indescribable expectations.

As the seed Luo Jie left behind in this world, Ace's talent and potential were naturally not poor; even the strength Ace displayed now was no weaker than Whitebeard or Luo Jie at the same age.

It was just that compared to Gao Wen, there was still a very, very long road to walk.

From the moment Luo Jie unveiled the prologue of the Great Pirate Era until now, countless new pirates had emerged worldwide, many of whom were already Seven Warlords of the Sea, or had even carved out their own reputations in the New World.

But compared to Knight Gao Wen, these people were like fireflies competing with the bright moon.

Even without having crossed swords with Gao Wen, Whitebeard could still feel that Gao Wen was already an opponent worthy of his serious attention.

But it was merely serious attention—as long as the Murakumogiri remained in his hand, Whitebeard was still the Whitebeard who once roamed the seas unchallenged!

"Gurarararararara—!

"Lads, start the banquet!"

As the rough voice landed, the originally quiet Moby Dick instantly became noisy, only to fall silent again the very next moment.

Boom—!

A domineering aura of extreme power, one that did not lose to Whitebeard's, came howling forth, like a wild wind sweeping through, making the sails of the Moby Dick flap loudly!

Even on the surrounding escort ships, cracks appeared one after another, visible to the naked eye!

Some pirates with weaker endurance felt their minds turn into a chaotic blur, their eyes rolling back uncontrollably, foaming at the mouth before collapsing to the ground and losing consciousness.

The elite members of the Whitebeard Pirates who remained conscious on the deck gazed at the crimson pirate ship gradually emerging on the distant sea surface; their faces held none of the relaxed, casual demeanor of pre-banquet moments, only utter Solemnity!

All because that ship's name was the Red Force!

The ship's master was none other than Red-Haired Shanks!

An existence equal in fame to Whitebeard, also one of the Four Emperors!

"The Red-Haired brat, huh?!

"Still so overflowing with domineering presence~"

Whitebeard laughed and scolded, releasing his own Conqueror's Haki to neutralize Red-Hair's.

Several crimson Lei She flashed through the air, then transformed into a surging wave that nearly split the sea apart!

Boom!

Wild winds howled, churning up the waves!

Everyone on the deck hurriedly steadied themselves, and only after standing firm did they realize an additional figure had appeared on the deck.

"My apologies.

"I gave a warning shot the moment I boarded an enemy ship, but I am not here to fight; I merely have some questions to ask.

"As compensation, here is a potion that cures illnesses."

Red-Hair casually tossed the huge wine gourd he was dragging toward Whitebeard, who caught it steadily.

Thud—!

Whitebeard pulled the cork, and a familiar aroma of wine drifted out from the bottle; his nose twitched slightly, and a few more traces of a smile appeared on his face:

"What a nostalgic scent~

"Luo Jie loved this kind of strong liquor with a fruity fragrance back in the day; one swallow felt like a raging fire scorching the throat, yet softened by the wine's aroma.

"Although every time I see your face, the scar on my chest throbs faintly, as payment for letting me recall an old friend...

"Go ahead and ask."

Red-Hair nodded:

"A few days ago, we clashed with certain special existences in the New World.

"They call themselves the God's Knights; their combat strength is very high, though they posed no threat to me.

"But the truly tricky part is that members of the God's Knights are nearly impossible to kill; every time their bodies are destroyed, they restore themselves within a few breaths.

"What I want to ask is, during that battle at God Valley back then, how exactly did you crush such monsters?"

Whitebeard paused for a moment.

As the true trump card of Mary Geoise, the God's Knights would not normally appear before the eyes of the world, much less rashly engage a Four Emperor in battle.

But looking at Red-Hair's familiar face, Whitebeard understood immediately.

"It seems my guess was correct; the blood of the Celestial Dragons indeed flows within you.

"Your existence should have attracted Mary Geoise's attention long ago, yet the fact that they only came for you now is worth pondering.

"As for your question—

"Although that brat Kaido is arrogant and boring, that statement of his was correct:

"Only Haki stands above everything else!

"Do you know why?!"

(End of Chapter)