After all, once he's dealt with Mr. Kuro and the elite naval personnel present, there's nothing on the high seas that can stop him.

In Mr. Kuro's words...

“That bastard Teach is such a gambler, he’ll definitely come. I have everything here. If he can get rid of me, he can be even stronger than Rocks. He can’t miss this opportunity. I just don’t know when he’ll enter.”

"The time given has been sufficient."

Kro said slowly, "We're giving them a month to prepare, just enough for them to get here. If none of them come..."

He pointed to the Den Den Mushi next to him, which was broadcasting the entire event live, and said, "The world will see it. At that time, the pirates' prestige will plummet, which will also benefit us."

No matter what, you won't lose out.

squeak!

The sound of the door being pushed open rang out, and Kuro's ears twitched. He looked up and behind him. On the steps leading to the execution platform at the back door, the bound red-haired man was slowly walking up the steps towards the platform. Beside him was Kuro, who was smoking a cigar and remained silent.

Upon reaching the top, the two stood side-by-side on a high platform, overlooking the plaza below and the sea before them...

Kuro exhaled a puff of smoke and said to Shanks, "I said, as the one being executed, shouldn't you kneel down?"

"There's no need to be so serious..."

Shanks smiled slightly, sat cross-legged, stared at the sea for a while, and then said, "Kuro, have you thought about what will happen to the sea after we fail?"

"Sorry, I won't fail."

Kuro stood beside him and said slowly, "I've never lost before, and I won't this time either."

Whoosh!

A huge wave suddenly surged up in the sea, crashing against the iron walls along the shore, and the sky gradually darkened, as if foreshadowing an impending storm.