“Something unprecedented has happened! Big Mom, one of the Four Emperors, has been captured and taken as Kuke’s subordinate.”

“It’s unimaginable! How did Lord Kuke manage to do it? They’re both Emperors, yet the gap is this huge?”

“The monstrous Big Mom—how come she’s being so obedient this time?”

“Kuke is invincible now. Completely unbeatable.”

“Honestly, the title of Emperor feels like it’s beneath Kuke and the Sun and Moon Pirates now.”

“True.”

“What? Whitebeard is challenging the Sun and Moon Pirates again? Well, Whitebeard always had that swagger.”

“Now, I truly believe that the Sun and Moon Pirates are stronger than the Whitebeard Pirates, especially since they have Big Mom.”

“The strongest pirate crew title might be changing hands.”

Across the Grand Line, the entire sea was in shock. Back-to-back bombshell news stories left everyone reeling.

At the Red-Haired Pirates’ hideout, Shanks stared dumbfounded at Dracule Mihawk, who had been a guest there for a while.

Mihawk looked back at him, equally at a loss.

“Are we still planning to challenge Kuke?” Shanks asked, his voice devoid of its usual swagger and confidence—only despair remained.

They were both human beings. Just two years ago, their strength had been on par, with Shanks’ crew even holding an advantage. But now, how had the gap grown so large?

He looked at Kuke, then at himself. Shanks felt like crying. Compared to Kuke, he was nothing more than an anonymous small fry.

Mihawk remained silent. Competing for the title of the world’s strongest swordsman? Now it seemed like a joke.

“He probably couldn’t care less about being the world’s strongest swordsman,” Mihawk mused. Never before in his life had Mihawk felt so defeated by someone, even before a battle.

Shanks nodded. Considering what Kuke had done, the title of strongest swordsman just didn’t seem to measure up anymore.

“Sigh.”

Shanks and Mihawk, old rivals, exchanged a glance and sighed simultaneously.

World Government Headquarters—

The government officials all stood like statues, their heads down, casting furtive glances toward the tightly closed office door. There hadn’t been a single sound coming from inside. They were puzzled—it was unlike the Five Elders not to be shouting.

Inside the office, the Five Elders were either sitting or standing by the sofa, their expressions as blank as the papers on the table.

“Ha… haha…”

Among them, someone let out a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a sob.

The five looked at each other, their faces as desolate as orphans.

“Charlotte Linlin—why on earth did she join the Sun and Moon Pirates? She’s a pirate! What happened to pirates breaking their promises?”

“How did we not see that these so-called Emperors were so spineless?”

“Kaido lost his home. I thought he’d go berserk and take on the Sun and Moon Pirates, but it’s been a month, and nothing.”

“And now Charlotte Linlin, she lost her daughters, and then even herself? What is this nonsense?”

The Five Elders felt they had greatly overestimated these so-called Emperors of the Sea. They strutted before the Navy, acting as if they were invincible, yet when it came to Kuke, they crumbled. All of them—spineless.

“If Charlotte Linlin genuinely submits to the Sun and Moon Pirates, their power level will… rival that of the old Rocks Pirates.”

Instead of anger, there was now fear in the eyes of the Five Elders. They could feel the looming threat.

The Rocks Pirates were once a formidable threat to the World Government, and the Revolutionary Army remained another due to their dangerous ideology rather than raw strength. Now, the Sun and Moon Pirates joined that league.

“So, what do we do?” one of them asked.

“Kuke is clearly even more dangerous than Rocks was. Do we continue to just… watch and wait?” the curly-haired Elder muttered instinctively.

In an instant, four pairs of eyes, sharp as daggers, glared at him.

“Wait and see? To hell with ‘wait and see.’ If we keep waiting, the Sun and Moon Pirates will only grow stronger.”

“But what else can we do? Mobilize the entire Navy to eliminate them? First, we need to find them, and even if we do, could we take them on? The Sun and Moon Pirates have become incredibly strong, and we still haven’t figured out Kuke’s true capabilities, nor his revival and defensive abilities. How do you expect us to proceed?!”

The curly-haired Elder slammed the table in anger. “Glaring at me like that won’t solve anything. If you’ve got the guts, go glare at Kuke instead.”

The other four fell silent, their tempers quashed.

Just then, a government officer entered to report that Whitebeard had once again issued a challenge to the Sun and Moon Pirates.

“How could Whitebeard be this bold?” This was the Elders’ first thought. At this moment, to challenge the Sun and Moon Pirates? Did Whitebeard really believe he was forever the ‘Strongest Man in the World’?

“There’s likely nothing left at sea that Kuke fears, not even Whitebeard. He will definitely respond—maybe we have an opportunity here.”

“Indeed, this could be a good chance.”

The Five Elders reached an agreement almost instantly.

“Immediately inform the Navy and CP0,” they ordered in unison.

They began to mobilize their resources. “Heh, on second thought, Charlotte Linlin joining the Sun and Moon Pirates might be a good thing. I don’t believe for a second that she’ll truly submit—she must have something planned. If given the chance, she’ll surely strike back, and there’s still the secret surrounding her…”

“Exactly.”

“Considering the distance between Cake Island and Whitebeard’s territory, it’s at least a month’s journey—enough time for us to set up an ambush.”

The colossal machinery of the World Government began to move. Meanwhile, at Navy Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Akainu sat alone, face dark with frustration.

“I’ve said before that we can’t just let the Sun and Moon Pirates have it easy. Now look what happened—they’re only getting stronger,” he muttered, clenching his teeth.

Were it not for the respect he held for the Five Elders, Akainu would’ve cursed them aloud by now.

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DONT FORGET POWER STONE

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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up 40+ chapters at patreon.com/Emik01.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep