Chapter 398: Storms Rise Again, Number One Under Heaven!

Several days later.

A piece of news, carried by the messenger birds of the World Economic Journal, flew to every corner of the globe.

The already restless seas stirred up waves once more.

Sabaody Archipelago.

Inside the Bartering Bar.

"The Third World's Greatest Martial Arts Tournament opens!"

"From the Four Seas to the New World, no matter where you come from or what your status is, as long as you have confidence in your strength, you can register and compete for the title of the World's Number One!"

Inside a certain bar.

A pirate, still hungover from the night before, looked at the headline on the newspaper, and half his drunkenness vanished instantly.

"It's nothing much."

"After all."

"This is already the third edition; although the champions selected in the previous two tournaments were strong, they cannot compare to the monsters standing at the world's peak."

"In the end, it's just an entertainment event."

"Drink, drink!"

The companion beside him shoved a mug of beer into the reading pirate's hand, only to find the other's expression nearly frozen, his finger trembling as it pointed to a line of bolded text on the newspaper!

"The champion's prize is..."

"... an Eternal Pose pointing to the Final Island, Laugh Tale!"

Bang—!

The glass fell to the floor and shattered upon impact, splashing beer all over everyone.

Yet it was precisely the chill brought by the liquor that made them realize everything they had heard and seen was not a dream!

"Could it be..."

"Could there really be such a thing?!"

"But historically, the only person who reached the Final Island and had the chance to create an Eternal Pose was the Pirate King, Gol D. Luo Jie."

"Did Knight Gao Wen inherit the king's title and reach the Final Island?!"

"But why, when he clearly had the opportunity to obtain everything, would he hand it over to others?!"

Everyone was filled with confusion and doubt, and some even speculated with malice:

"Perhaps Knight Gao Wen has already obtained the One Piece; that inconceivable power of his must have come from it."

Some nodded in agreement; after all, putting themselves in his shoes, they would definitely keep the One Piece firmly in their own hands.

But others still harbored a sliver of hope, craving the legendary great treasure.

"What if..."

"I mean, what if Knight Gao Wen truly has no interest in the One Piece? After all, if that man really wanted everything in this world, he could seize it with absolute force!"

"Why would he need to rely on the One Piece?!"

"If I can obtain the One Piece, then wealth, fame, power, everything will be mine, and all my wishes can be fulfilled!"

As such voices rang out, the entire bar immediately boiled over with excitement.

Xia Qi sat by the window, holding a newspaper in one hand and a cigarette between the fingers of the other; amidst the swirling smoke, she only came to her senses when the burning cigarette reached her fingers.

She turned her head to look at Lei Li, who sat beside her saying nothing, and couldn't help but ask:

"When you guys reached the Final Island back then, did you make something like that?!"

Lei Li frowned tightly:

"At that time, Luo Jie gave an order that no one was allowed to create an Eternal Pose; even if any were made, they should have been thrown into the sea."

"Logically speaking, an Eternal Pose pointing to Laugh Tale shouldn't exist."

"Unless..."

Lei Li thought of something, and his expression suddenly became complicated:

"Barrett?!"

"Shortly after we arrived at the Final Island, that guy learned the news that Luo Jie didn't have long to live, and he left the ship around that time."

"If anyone is the most suspicious, it is undoubtedly him."

Amidst these words.

Lei Li turned his head to look outside the bar.

It was now noon, and the great sun shone directly down upon the Sabaody Archipelago.

The ground temperature exceeded fifty degrees, and one could vaguely see the air near the surface twisting and steaming.

Straw Hat, wearing Seastone shackles, was undergoing special training under Gaban in the scorching sun; although soaked in sweat and looking utterly wretched, he made no complaints and instead seemed to enjoy it.

After the Summit War, Portgas D. Ace led the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates back to their main base to begin suppressing the subordinate forces that were stirring due to Whitebeard's death.

Although the pressure was immense, and he suffered severe injuries multiple times, nearly dying in battle, he managed to endure through sheer willpower.

Consequently, Portgas D. Ace's combat strength improved significantly; although he still could not compare to the Sea Emperor, he had firmly established himself among the top tier of powers just below the Emperors.

Although the Whitebeard Pirates no longer possessed their former glory and their territory had shrunk severely, they barely managed to hold their ground in the New World, and the name 'Fire Fist' grew increasingly renowned.

Straw Hat chose to remain on the Sabaody Archipelago to wait for his companions while undergoing special training from both Lei Li and Gaban.

After witnessing the battles of the world's strongest monsters during the Summit War, Straw Hat's original arrogance was completely shattered; this time, he was determined, betting his life on his training.

All for the sake of gaining enough strength to protect his companions in the increasingly turbulent New World.

Gaban, on the other hand, intended to try using this opportunity to awaken the true potential of the Rubber Fruit.

However, currently, it seemed to be of little significance.

After all, it was a powerful ability that no one had awakened in over eight hundred years; even knowing the direction, truly reaching that step would still require time to achieve.

"With the Eternal Pose obtained from Barrett as a prize, Knight Gao Wen's World Martial Arts Tournament has truly begun to take shape."

Lei Li murmured softly:

"Perhaps this is also Luffy's opportunity."

Xia Qi understood, leaning against the bar counter as she watched the Straw Hat cultivating bitterly outside the window with great interest:

"Isn't it too early to let him fight against that batch of monsters who are the strongest in the world?!"

"You should know, shouldn't you?!"

"Nowadays, even just the power gathered under Knight Gao Wen is already comparable to the Rocks Pirates of years past."

"It is said that besides Knight Gao Wen himself, there are existences within his Round Table Knights capable of matching a Navy Admiral."

"That man known as 'Hundred Schemes' even crushed Wang Zhi."

"Speaking of which..."

Xia Qi glanced at Lei Li intentionally or unintentionally, her tone gaining a hint of coquettish reproach:

"Wang Zhi, back in those days, was also quite an annoying fellow~!"

Lei Li's expression stiffened; rarely feeling somewhat awkward, he felt the burning gaze upon his head and instinctively reached up to scratch his scalp:

"Well, well~!"

"That was all several decades ago."

"However."

"After all, one cannot become the world's strongest through mere bitter cultivation; even with sufficient potential, one needs countless battles to adapt."

Seeing Lei Li's embarrassed look, Xia Qi burst out laughing:

"That is true~"

New World.

Totto Land.

The setting sun dipped west, the dying light red as blood.

The once glorious palace had already been burned to ashes in the great fire; corpses covered the ground densely, stretching all the way to the limit of vision.

Big Mom, having lost an arm, sat dejectedly upon the throne that once belonged to her, watching everything in the distance without speaking a word.

With Kaido's power, she had retaken Totto Land.

Yet what she could not understand was why those children who once surrounded her would rather die for Katakuri than return to her embrace.

"Perospero, Smoothie, Cracker, Daifuku..."

Big Mom murmured the names of her children, until everything ultimately converged upon that second son who had waved the spear of rebellion at her:

"Katakuri!"

"Why?!"

"Why did you leave me?"

"If blood ties cannot bind a nation together, then what else can we rely on?!"

"Whitebeard's joke of adopted sons?!"