After the events of Cake Island, the seas remained focused on the Sun and Moon Pirates.

“What do you think Whitebeard is thinking? At this point, why would he provoke the Sun and Moon Pirates? Isn’t he just asking for trouble?”

Such discussions had been commonplace across the Grand Line for the past month.

Kuke had defeated Charlotte Linlin in just two hours and forcibly taken her away. Nearly a month had passed, and there was still no news of her escape. By now, no one doubted Kuke’s strength.

Nobody could say how strong he was, but everyone knew he was far stronger than Kaido or Charlotte Linlin.

“Sure, Whitebeard is strong and has held the title of the strongest man for many years, but I feel like the Dawn Emperor Kuke has surpassed him.”

“I’m not sure if Kuke is stronger than Whitebeard, but it’s undeniable that the Sun and Moon Pirates are stronger than the Whitebeard Pirates.”

The two strongest pirate crews in the world were about to meet. Discussions about the two sides dominated the seas.

“Who knows what Whitebeard is thinking? Maybe he thought he’d just be teaching a rookie like Kuke a lesson, but he ended up kicking an iron wall. Now, even if he regrets it, he’d lose face to back out, so he’s just holding on.”

“How long do you think Whitebeard can last? He can’t fare worse than Kaido or Charlotte Linlin, right?”

“Definitely not. Whitebeard will last the longest. If he can hold out for more than a day, I’ll acknowledge that he’s the strongest man and not just an overrated title.”

“A whole day might be a stretch, but he’ll definitely last more than half a day.”

The tides of opinion had shifted. More people believed Kuke would win than those who believed in Whitebeard. In just a few months, public perception had undergone a seismic change.

In remote areas, the sentiment might differ, but in the New World, Kuke’s reputation had completely eclipsed Whitebeard’s decades of dominance.

Pirates in the New World were eagerly waiting for the showdown, anticipating the moment when the new ruler would completely surpass the old.

As news spread that the Sun and Moon Pirates had entered Whitebeard’s vast territory, many prominent figures started waiting for the next round of newspapers.

And with them came more speculation.

“If Kuke defeats Whitebeard, wouldn’t that mean he could easily become the Pirate King?”

The words “Pirate King” carried weight, no matter where, when, or in what context they were spoken. Whenever they were mentioned, they immediately became the center of attention.

“This is bad. The Sun and Moon Pirates already have two Road Poneglyphs. If Kuke defeats Whitebeard, it’ll mean he’s beaten all the New World’s strongest monsters once. Becoming the Pirate King will be effortless.”

“It’s over. If Kuke becomes the Pirate King, what are we supposed to do?”

Pirates in the New World began to panic. All of them had ambitions of claiming the long-vacant throne. Their ultimate dream was to find Roger’s treasure and become the one and only Pirate King. If someone else achieved that, their dreams would be shattered.

“Whitebeard must win. He has to.”

“Even if he doesn’t win, he can’t lose. As long as there’s someone who can contend with Kuke, it will give us time to grow. I’ve just set out to sea. I don’t want to hear that someone has already become the Pirate King.”

“Whitebeard, if you win, I’ll worship you forever.”

“You absolutely must win.”

Pirates prayed fervently. Supporting Whitebeard became the popular stance.

The East Blue

Rayleigh was still staying with Gaban in the East Blue. It was rare for news from the New World to reach this sea.

Rayleigh had to rely on other channels to learn about the current state of the New World.

“They’re really going to fight Whitebeard?”

Gaban, upon hearing the news, was stunned for a long moment. He turned to the equally shocked Rayleigh. “Rayleigh, who do you think will win?”

“Kuke,” Rayleigh answered without hesitation.

“But that’s Whitebeard! I can’t imagine a scenario where Whitebeard loses,” Gaban said, picturing Whitebeard’s overwhelming presence. Even Roger, despite countless clashes, had never defeated Whitebeard. Their battles always ended in a draw.

Whitebeard’s dominance and strength had earned Gaban and other old monsters of the past era’s respect.

“A few months ago, who would have thought Kaido would be beaten so badly he’d lose his home? The craziest guy out there hasn’t dared to seek revenge on Kuke for months, let alone make a single bold declaration.”

Rayleigh sighed. “And who would have thought Charlotte Linlin would be captured and become someone else’s subordinate? None of these things were imaginable before.”

“True,” Gaban agreed, equally incredulous.

“Thank goodness Kuke wasn’t around during our time at sea,” Gaban said with a sense of relief. “Thankfully, I’ve retired. Being a pirate in this era is just too pitiful.”

Rayleigh nodded in agreement. “If Roger were sailing now, he’d probably have a headache.”

“If Kuke wins, does that mean we’ve both lost our bets? You thought it’d take him three years to stand up to Whitebeard,” Gaban said, shooting a sidelong glance at Rayleigh.

Rayleigh retorted, “Better than some people thinking it’d take five years.”

Gaban’s face immediately fell. “Who could have predicted such a monster would appear on the seas?”

The Whitebeard Pirates

On the Moby Dick, most of the division commanders were present. Only Marco, the First Division Commander, and Oden, the long-vacant Second Division Commander, were absent.

Surrounding the flagship were dozens of massive pirate ships, scattered like stars around the main vessel. These were the affiliate crews of the Whitebeard Pirates. Each captain was a well-known monster in the New World.

The total number of pirates exceeded fifty thousand.

Their forces were greater than those of the Beasts Pirates and Big Mom Pirates combined. In terms of sheer numbers, they were the most powerful in the seas.

Fifty thousand pirates stood solemnly, their expressions heavy, exuding a silent, intimidating aura.

“Gurararara! They’re coming,” Whitebeard said, looking toward the horizon.

A single ship appeared faintly in the distance, heading toward the massive fleet.

A lone vessel. It was boldly sailing straight into the heart of the massive pirate formation.

The oppressive atmosphere surrounding Whitebeard’s forces seemed to dissipate slightly, replaced by a rising breeze that grew wilder with each passing moment. Ripples spread across the calm sea.

“Make way. A man like that won’t be intimidated by your formations,” Whitebeard said with a hearty laugh.

The pirate ships shifted, creating a wide, straight path.

The Radiant Eclipse, unchanging in its pace, sailed steadily toward the Moby Dick, under the gaze of tens of thousands of pirates.

“So this is the Sun and Moon Pirates, the most insane and powerful crew of the past two years,” Whitebeard’s sons murmured, squinting as they watched the ship approach. There was no trace of the pride once held by the strongest pirate crew in the world—only wariness.

“Mama… I didn’t expect Whitebeard to have such manners,” Charlotte Linlin said excitedly, looking around. Even she had never been welcomed with such a display of respect by the Whitebeard Pirates.

“This is the Sun and Moon Pirates. This is the crew I’m a part of now,” Smoothie and the others felt deeply moved, just like Linlin.

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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