https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-687-The-Seven-Warlords-Are-Finally-Gathered/13474682/
Chapter 686: The Unassuming World's Strongest
Chapter 686: The Unassuming World’s Strongest
There was no avoiding it, even if he knew that Lily’s plan would ensure the easiest victory.
However, in this vast ocean, the easiest win might not be the most spirited one.
Attempting the impossible, even when you know it’s futile, is a common occurrence at sea, as it pertains to willpower.
Some things can be handled with convenience and compromise, as no one cares or it doesn’t affect one’s mindset. But other things cannot be compromised, for once you give in, it marks the beginning of decline.
"Even Tee chose the New World, draining Impel Down to face me in battle. I can’t let my spirit be outmatched by that guy!"
Shanks grinned ferociously. "Let’s settle this with a single battle!"
The best strategy for Tee would have been to enter Paradise, find a place to continue building his strength, or even wait for a renewed conflict with the World Government. The safest approach would be to maintain a delicate balance between the government, the Rebel Army, the pirates, and Shanks.
But he didn’t do that.
In a world where willpower reigns supreme, being smart isn’t everything. Even the highest intelligence, capable of creating ancient weapons, might not be as powerful as supreme charisma.
If Tee were to take the easy way out, Shanks would never take him seriously again.
A decline in spirit, combined with dangerous subordinates, would likely result in Tee’s downfall. Shanks wouldn’t need to lift a finger; in a few years, or perhaps even less, he would hear news of Basil Hawkins or Eustass Kid defeating Tee.
There was no possibility of backing down, for either Shanks or Tee.
"I understand. I’ll issue the notification right away."
Lily responded and added, "About Doflamingo, Impel Down is now empty. Should we release him? Considering his skills in the black market and business, he could be useful to us. After all, he’s a top-tier talent."
The problem was, they lacked talent.
Raising an army of 200,000 and preparing another 200,000 as reserves was only a recent effort. While it had produced some capable individuals, the numbers were still far too low.
Martial prowess was the foundation, but beyond that, many other factors needed consideration.
Even in the first half of the New World, governing the islands required experienced leaders, and they didn’t have enough of them.
Their time was too short, and even with lower standards, the number of suitable talents was far from sufficient.
Besides the main leaders, they needed deputies. These deputies couldn’t all be locals. In this disconnected world, some places were still inhabited by primitives. Hiring a local to understand the culture and resources was one thing, but the rest of the work still needed to be done by others.
The larger their territory, the more challenging it became for Lily to manage.
The person she was observing, Shiwel, was still in training. In about half a year, he would be ready to handle heavy responsibilities and could be brought in as a deputy.
Talent was hard to come by.
Currently, Link was struggling with the black market, and they needed an elite to share the burden.
As for Doflamingo’s influence—
It wasn’t significant.
He was a smart guy, and as long as Shanks was around, he wouldn’t do anything rash.
The Apocalypse Pirates had never feared ambitious individuals. In their eyes, as long as someone was useful, that was enough. And Doflamingo was more than just useful.
Moreover, their core strength was growing stronger. Gekko Moria, Kaido, and Charlotte Katakuri could match Doflamingo, and Lily was confident she could handle him. Not to mention, they had many elite subordinates.
Doflamingo wasn’t at a level where he could stand against an entire pirate crew on his own.
It wasn’t a matter of bullying the weak. To date, only one person in the world could face an entire crew alone.
And that person was right in front of her—her captain, Shanks!
Doflamingo lacked the main advantages. Any schemes or plans he might have were irrelevant as long as Shanks was around. With Shanks present, everything was manageable.
They could wear Doflamingo down!
That guy definitely wouldn’t outlive Shanks, given the age difference.
If Shanks were to die—
It wouldn’t matter whether Doflamingo was around or not. Ohara would inevitably fall into chaos, and it wasn’t ready for a smooth transition yet.
In comparison, finding an experienced talent to use was more important.
Lily had studied Doflamingo’s methods. They had a few former subordinates of his who had joined them, and these individuals were trained from a young age.
Whether it was swordsmanship, gunnery, artillery, navigation, knowledge, or even killing, infiltration, theft, and robbery—both legitimate and illicit skills, they were all taught!
The most typical example was the late Trafalgar Law.
Doflamingo had groomed him as a successor, teaching him everything and filling him with knowledge.
Doflamingo had mentioned before that if Law hadn’t eaten the Ope Ope no Mi, they would have cured his illness and raised him to be the pillar of their family's young generation, to take over from Vergo, who had infiltrated the Marines as a high-ranking officer of the Heart Pirates.
After obtaining the fruit...
Although this wasn’t explicitly stated, it could be guessed now.
If he could awaken, he would rely on this power to achieve immortality, using an alternative method to regain the same authority and strength as Shimizu, or even to match the power of the Five Elders.
"Go and arrange it. If he’s willing, that’s fine. After all, he’s been waiting for so long."
Shanks thought for a moment and smiled. "The sea is far from peaceful these days, and we need more people. However, the World Government’s need for people is the opposite. They face many forces, including me, and they might be pulled into it, like the Divine Knights."
"That organization seems a bit troublesome, given its deep roots."
Lily furrowed her brow. "The World Government has existed for eight hundred years, and this organization has always been there, passing down the Devil Fruits."
"Generation after generation, right?"
Shanks said, "Perhaps it is. If the Devil Fruits are recognized, they might be passed down only in that place. After all, some Devils adapt very well to Shimizu’s environment. Of course, it’s also possible—"
He glanced out the window in another direction, which would eventually lead to the Red Line if one continued straight.
"Hum, but the specifics will become clear once I achieve my goal. As for the Divine Knights, don’t worry about them. These guys will never pose a real threat. A group of a dozen or so, how much damage can they really do? Am I not more powerful? Go and prepare."
"Yes."
Lily nodded and stepped out, leaving Shanks alone in the bedroom.
Birana was leading a team to conduct the routine cleaning of the palace. Shanks didn’t need her services for the moment and could think quietly on his own.
After all, he had plans to make, and some contingencies needed to be prepared in advance.
He couldn’t just wing it.
Seeing Lily leave, Shanks shook his head with a smile, picked up a wine bottle, and poured himself a glass.
"Everything is in chaos, but there’s order in the chaos. Forget it, at this point, I can’t even remember. I probably haven’t even seen it."
Shanks muttered to himself, took a sip of wine, and fell into deep thought.
Although he had no clear memory of the plot, he could still recall the general outline of events like the Marineford War and the Wano Campaign.
Now, he had no memory at all.
Even Pluton had been dug up and put to use.
But at this stage, no memory could dominate. Instead, his own actions would influence the world.
Every move he made could make the world tense.
"I can’t possibly lose. No matter how many people they send, relying on them as a lifeline? No. Impel Down has plenty of Power Holders, and they might be looking for those who can restrain me, even if it’s just a little. But sometimes, even a small impact, if there are enough of them, can make a difference."
"For Tee, a small advantage might be enough. They’re treating me like a boss to be defeated."
Shanks looked at the chessboard on the table, pulled it over, and without even using the pieces, gathered Thunderlight on his fingertips, forming lightning stars that floated above the board.
The lightning stars were scattered across the board, with the largest one representing himself.
The Thunderlight dissipated and reformed into a fireball, with sparks flying to the other end of the board, forming a dense cluster. The largest Firelight represented Tee, but it wasn’t as large as the Thunderlight.
"In terms of numbers, they’re using them as cannon fodder. As long as they win, Tee probably doesn’t care. I can’t do that. Talents are rare, yes—"
Shanks thought for a moment, waved his hand, and erased half of the Thunderlight on the board.
"Soldiers, stay put."
These represented the troops he had originally planned to mobilize, but he wouldn’t send them to such a high-level battlefield.
In battle, they would be like ants, easily crushed.
"At the very least, I’ll use captains and above. Otherwise, they won’t survive this fight, and I should cut the number in half. If they all die, it will be even more difficult for me to find replacements."
Shanks wiped out another row of Thunderlight from the back.
There was no other way. He couldn't just bring a few strong fighters; it would be like ants overwhelming an elephant. His main focus was on dealing with Marshall D. Teach, but if he went alone, though he was confident, he wasn’t foolish. There was no need to add unnecessary burdens.
Teach could dismiss the people he brought from Impel Down, but Shanks had to consider this.
The number of people from Impel Down was significant, and with some powerful individuals among them, his side would be at a disadvantage if he brought too few. But bringing too many would make it easy for Teach to wipe them out indiscriminately.
As for destroying the island in advance,
He hadn’t planned to break his agreement with the World Government. He wouldn’t be the first to use an ancient weapon, and he intended to keep this promise.
This was why the World Government was willing to negotiate with him. Even if it was just a verbal agreement, once the talks were over, they could immediately redeploy their main forces to deal with the Rebel Army and other pirates.
Shanks had a good reputation.
Even if he was a villain, he still wanted to be friends with the good guys.
Similarly, the World Government, known for breaking promises, preferred to deal with someone like Shanks who kept his word.
If they tried to negotiate with Teach, they wouldn’t believe him.
After all, Teach had a track record. Whether it was his voluntary departure as a Warlord during the Summit War or his recent attack on Ohara, he had no credibility when it came to keeping promises.
"Enough, I’ll bring the higher-ranking officers and the best-performing soldiers. A few thousand should be manageable. They’re all top-notch fighters, capable and resilient. Their numbers won’t be a burden, and Teach won’t be able to wipe them out easily."
"As for the rest of the main force..."
Shanks smiled, and the gold bracelet on his hand suddenly began to wriggle. Without needing electricity for 'electroforging,' it transformed directly. First, it became the wolf's head shape of Kikoku, then it changed again, forming the Griffin that Red Hair had used long ago. Finally, it transformed into a pirate cutlass with a serrated back, which Shanks had used in the past.
Yes, he had fused his weapons.
Although it was a gift from Kaido, it was essentially loot. Kikoku already housed the Homie that Shanks had placed inside, a mindless 'Napoleon' under his exclusive control. Adding another Griffin didn’t change much.
This weapon was something Arlong had spent a lot of time crafting. Initially, Shanks had planned to fuse a pirate cutlass, but with the addition of Mother Steel and Big Mom’s help, its shape completely changed.
After all, she was a great scientist who could embed Zoan Devil Fruits into weapons. With the Homie already inside the weapon, along with the rare Mother Steel, and combined with the scientist’s expertise and the blacksmith’s skill, the weapon’s characteristics were fully utilized, making it a versatile tool.
As long as Shanks wanted, he could change the weapon into any shape.
It was also very suitable for him to use his abilities.
Originally, Big Mom’s intention was to prevent Shanks from destroying his expensive jewelry during battles. That was the purpose of the research.
However, while it was useful, Shanks still enjoyed breaking jewelry.
Others didn’t understand.
Only Shanks knew.
He liked to be extravagant.
Gold and treasures, he had already moved past the stage of collecting them. Wasting them alone would be a waste for a lifetime, and even if he scattered them every day, it would be just a drop in the ocean.
After all, what he scattered would always come back, as it had liquidity. As long as it had liquidity, within Ohara’s territory, or wherever he did business, it would eventually return to his hands.
Money?
Just a tool.
"I am the main force."
As the weapon transformed, it finally formed a chessboard lid, which Shanks held and slammed down on the chessboard.
"Teach..."
Shanks licked his lips. "Don’t die on me, or I won’t be able to study you, and the time it takes to consume Momomomo’s ability will be extended. If that happens, I’ll just have to settle for being..."
"the world’s strongest, but unremarkable."
...
Half a month later.
Donquixote Doflamingo arrived at Ohara by ship.
At the same time, the main officers advancing the conquest in various regions and those who had been summoned gathered in the capital city.
"Ha ha ha ha ha! The war... has begun!"
(End of Chapter)
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