Chapter 85: Surprise for the World's No. 1 Swordsman

Somewhere in the New World.

The territory of the Whitebeard Pirates, the Moby Dick!

"Gu la la la, the new Emperor of the sea with a bounty of 3.5 billion Belly, Shiro, that brat is truly remarkable!"

After hearing the latest big news, the Emperor Whitebeard sighed sincerely and drank a large glass of wine.

"Dad, it's better if you drink less," Marco, the captain of the first division of the Whitebeard Pirates, reminded Whitebeard with concern, but the latter obviously did not want to listen.

For Whitebeard, this time, it was an unexpected joy to leave Marineford unharmed. He had been prepared to die, planning to rescue Ace and then be buried in Marineford along with the old era. But who would have thought that a kid named Shiro would appear out of nowhere?

Whitebeard truly admired Shiro. If possible, he would have loved to take Shiro as his son. Unfortunately, that kid had grand ambitions!

"Dad, when that guy Shiro enters the New World, do we really have to give him half of our territory?" Ace, drinking a glass of wine, looked at his left arm, which had been partially severed, and hesitantly asked his father, Whitebeard.

He was blaming himself now. To save him, the Whitebeard Pirates had suffered heavy losses, and they had even lost half of their territory to Shiro. These territories were fought for by the Whitebeard Pirates over decades! But, who made him so weak!?

Compared to that man named Shiro, his strength was simply lacking. He used to think that he was extremely talented and unparalleled in combat power, but now it seemed that he still had a long way to go!

"Of course, the pirate Whitebeard does what he says. If we lose territory, we'll take it back. As long as the Whitebeard Pirates are still here, even if there's only one ship, we can survive!"

A trace of melancholy flashed in Whitebeard's eyes as he took out a letter and handed it to Ace.

"Go deliver this letter for me, Ace. Find that little devil Shiro and give him this letter!"

...

Living with the world's most beautiful woman made Shiro extremely comfortable. For a moment, Shiro didn't even want to continue his ambitions; after all, why work hard when he could live such a luxurious life? Unfortunately, the current situation didn't allow it.

After overthrowing the World Government and killing the evil Celestial Dragons, maybe he would finally be able to enjoy such a life. But for now, Shiro wasn't in a hurry to set sail. He was, however, reluctant to leave the gentle embrace of Hebihime-sama.

Even so, he was not idle. He personally distributed bonuses to the 30,000 elite soldiers under his command, each receiving 10 million Belly! This gesture almost moved the soldiers to tears. Although they had chosen to follow Shiro because of their ideals and beliefs, who would refuse such wealth!?

But they didn't know that while Shiro's generosity was real, so were his means of control. Such a large-scale distribution of bonuses was bound to make certain elements within the ranks uneasy. Some World Government spies hidden within the ranks began attempting to relay information to the World Government.

Unfortunately for them, Shiro was waiting for just such a move. Before any information could be leaked, those spies were struck down by divine thunder from the sky. As for those who had hidden deeper, Shiro used his "Voice of God" ability combined with his Haki to say, "Confess now, and I may spare your life!" His words pierced directly into the hearts of the 30,000 soldiers.

With the previous examples in mind, the remaining spies were easily tricked into revealing themselves, only to be turned into charred remains one by one.

Shiro never showed mercy to World Government spies. Once he identified one, he dealt with them swiftly, preventing any leaks to the enemy.

With his generous bonuses and ruthless handling of traitors, Shiro completely solidified his control over the 30,000 soldiers under his command.

Aside from dealing with the spies, Shiro also prepared a surprise for the world's number one swordsman, Hawk Eyes.

After several attempts, Shiro successfully infused the Supreme Sword, Destiny, with the ability of a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, the Kunpeng form! Destiny had now transcended the level of an ordinary sword and had become Shiro's true battle partner—a supremely sharp sword with the power of a super Mythical Zoan. Not even Hawk Eyes, the world's greatest swordsman, had ever seen such a weapon!

Humhum

As if sensing its master's thoughts, Destiny trembled with excitement, releasing a powerful aura that suppressed the other swords.

The only reward Shiro hadn't yet utilized was the SSS-class battleship. Now was not the time to reveal such a powerful ship; doing so would only draw unnecessary attention from the World Government. It would be far more satisfying to unveil the battleship when the time was right, surprising the entire world!

"Lord Shiro, the new newspaper is here!"

At Amazon Lily, in the palace, Shiro had asked Sandersonia to keep an eye on the newspapers for him. And today, Sandersonia, a soldier of the Kuja Pirates, handed Shiro the latest newspaper like a diligent secretary.

"Thank you, Sandersonia!" Shiro smiled as he took the newspaper.

But Sandersonia's pretty face turned bright red at his words.

Lord Shiro is so gentle!

Shiro was used to this reaction. He had noticed that the female warriors of Amazon Lily looked at him strangely, as if they might pounce on him at any moment if Hebihime-sama weren't around. Excessive suppression of desire could be dangerous.

"That kid Luffy really returned to Marineford? Rayleigh, the former right-hand man of the Pirate King, is helping Luffy behind the scenes?!"

Shiro glanced at the latest newspaper and finally found the news he had been waiting for.

The outcome of the Marineford War had been completely altered by his presence. Straw Hat Luffy didn't experience the pain of losing his brother, but he must have realized the gap between himself and the true powerhouses of the world.

Because of this, Shiro was uncertain about what choice Luffy would make. Would he immediately rally his crew and set sail again, or would he, as before, train for two years before re-emerging?

This latest news gave Shiro the answer.

3D2Y. The Straw Hat Pirates would embark on a two-year 'training period.'

However, Shiro couldn't help but wonder if Luffy and his crew would truly be prepared to face the world's challenges after only two years.

In Shiro's plans, within two years, even if he hadn't yet confronted the World Government, he would at least have established the most powerful force in the New World! What could the Straw Hat Pirates hope to achieve against that?

"Lord Shiro, someone has come to deliver a letter. It seems to be a cadre from the Whitebeard Pirates in the New World!"

[Ding, selection triggered.]

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+60 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg

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