Chapter 166 The Recognition of the Four Emperors
Footsteps approached from afar, and the newcomer made no attempt to conceal their presence, so Shanks, lying on the ground, immediately identified them.
The fatigue from overusing Observation Haki made Shanks abandon this convenient skill and turn his head directly to look in the direction from which the sound came, while his hand warily rested on Griffin.
Shanks: "Ah, it's Beckman."
Beckman, smoking a cigarette, frowned and remained silent as he looked at the small island, now completely reduced to ruins and even lowered in height by several meters.
"……Who's winning?"
"Is that even a question?" Shanks looked up at the sky, a hearty smile spreading across his face. "Of course, it's your captain."
“You’re really getting more and more successful, Shanks,” Beckman said in a deep voice. “You’re even starting to bully children.”
"Huh? Hahaha!" Shanks couldn't help but burst into laughter, then accidentally aggravated the wound on his chest, causing his handsome, dust-covered face to wrinkle up. "Uh, my chest hurts so much."
Beckman asked casually, "Where's your Armament Haki?"
Shanks, still looking cheerful, said, "Vill took it out of my head."
"Wow, that's amazing! How old is she?"
Beckman looked at his captain and had to pour some cold water on him: "Your straw hat was given away years ago."
"The captain's straw hat..." Shanks sighed with nostalgia, then shook his head seriously, "No, I will not give the captain's hat to Val."
"She and the captain are completely different kinds of people."
If Pirate King Roger was the wind of freedom that arose out of nowhere in a dark, closed cage, then Violet is the demolition team sent from next door. Thick walls, iron cages—tear them all down, turn everything into farmland, and let everyone farm together!
Although Shanks admires both of their personalities, the two are completely different.
"Oh, right, where's Violet?!"
Shanks suddenly remembered to check on the other person he was fighting.
At the very beginning of the battle, Shanks discovered that although Violet's raw strength was inferior to his, her abilities were so diverse and difficult to defend against that even Shanks had to be on high alert.
That's why he kept lying on the ground talking to Beckman. Shanks felt that given his previous relationship with Beckman, he didn't need to care about these details. Another important reason was that he was really exhausted!
It's definitely unreliable.
Beckman scoffed. "Hongo has already taken the man away."
Judging from the Good Doctor's hurried pace and gloomy face, Shanks really didn't hold back at all.
Beckman: "I need a reason, Shanks."
This wasn't a senior's instructive sparring with a junior; the clash of their Conqueror's Haki, tearing the sky apart, showed that, at least for a moment during the battle, both were fighting with the determination to kill each other.
This was too much for Shanks. Aside from those who had harmed the red-haired crew or Shanks' comrades, Beckman had almost never seen Shanks unleash such exaggerated Haki.
Out of respect and agreement with the captain, Beckman will not try to stop Shanks from doing what he has already decided, and will suppress his doubts to help Shanks achieve his desired goal.
However, as the vice-captain of the Red-Haired Pirates, he also needs to understand the meaning behind his captain's unusual behavior.
“That rose pattern.” Shanks’ tone was indifferent and calm, but Beckman, who knew him well, knew that excessive calmness was a sign that Shanks was suppressing something.
"Only the master of the Void Throne can use it."
The Void Throne? Wait, the Void Throne?!
Beckman: "...The one in Pangaea, Mary Geoise?"
"Hmm~"
Shanks let out a light nasal sound, as if he was very happy that the first mate had lost his composure due to the explosive information he had suddenly released.
Beckman frowned deeply, feeling his white hair growing at a frightening rate.
The Empty Throne, located in Pangaea in Mary Geoise, is a landmark and politically significant building of the World Government. According to the World Government, the Empty Throne has a history of over eight hundred years, exceeding the legendary Void Era!
The Void Throne is surrounded by twenty weapons, representing the twenty constituent republics that make up the World Government. The throne surrounded by weapons will remain empty forever, and no one is qualified to sit on the Void Throne, thus representing the equal status among the twenty constituent republics.
Beckman didn't believe a single punctuation mark of these words.
If equality between nations and world peace could be achieved through a symbolically empty seat, then the world would have long been a perfect fairy tale world.
However, Beckman did not expect that the World Government would not even bother to maintain this pretense. The Void Throne actually had an owner who openly declared that he was above the twenty constituent republics and above everyone else!
A Celestial Dragon family with a long and distinguished lineage? And their family crest is a rose?
As Shanks's second-in-command, Beckman knew far more about the World Government and the Celestial Dragons than the average person. He knew that besides the Celestial Dragons who were raised like pigs and only knew how to eat, drink, and enjoy themselves, there were also powerful figures like the Knights of God and the Five Elders who possessed both strength and intelligence, as well as a rich heritage.
To become the master of the Void Throne, the person represented by the rose pattern must be above the Knights of God and the Five Elders.
Why would Violet investigate this pattern? Aside from forcibly detaining two World Government agents, I haven't heard of any conflict between Violet and the World Government... Uh, right, the World Economic News previously reported that Violet disrupted a wedding on Whole Cake Island, where Big Mom was stationed, kidnapped the groom Katakuri, and killed the bride-to-be Stussy.
Yes, the rumors about the World Government being behind Stussy and Pleasure Street have never disappeared. Beckman has more information and believes that this is more than just a rumor.
So, is this why Violet is at odds with the World Government? No, even if Stussy really is a member of the World Government, it's impossible for him to directly bring out a character of that status.
Given the World Government's corruption, rigidity, and arrogance, it would inevitably have to hand things over to the Navy or the CP department first, then to the Knights of God, then to the Five Elders, and finally to the master of the Empty Throne.
In short, unless things get out of hand and can no longer be hidden, the World Government will never let the higher-ups know.
Shanks: "I wasn't planning on telling Val."
Beckman nodded, understanding Shanks' meaning. Investigating this matter involved great risks, and if one was not strong enough, it would be no different from courting death. That was why Shanks wanted to fight Violet.
Clearly, this battle not only gave Shanks a new understanding of Valkyrie, but also changed his initial thoughts.
Shanks: "How can I, as a pirate, deprive others of their adventures and treasure hunts?"
Almost fully restored, Shanks propped himself up with one hand and subconsciously prepared to pat his cloak, only to find that the once sturdy fabric had become tattered and torn after a major battle, resembling a curtain scratched by a cat.
"Really..." Shanks shook his head helplessly. "Let's go back to the ship. The guys who smelled it are almost here."
Before leaving the island, Shanks looked up at the sky. The strange clouds created by the clash of Conqueror's Haki had not yet returned to normal, announcing to everyone in the nearby sea that two powerful beings were fighting, and those who were not strong enough should get away as soon as possible.
It only took a little over an hour to get here from the nearest naval base, and Shanks has no interest in standing here like a monkey being watched by everyone.
Shanks boarded the small boat piloted by Beckman, and once the boat was some distance from the deserted island, he drew his sword and swung it forcefully towards the island!
The immense force pushed the entire bow of the ship into the water.
The crimson bird swooped down toward the devastated island. The moment they collided, countless black lightning bolts shot out from the center of the island, tearing the jagged rocks sculpted by the waves over tens of thousands of years to shreds.
As Shanks sheathed his sword and turned around, the fragments of the reef had already sunk to the seabed, forming dangerous whirlpools. A few breaths later, there was no longer any uninhabited island there.
Even if someone sensed something amiss from the scene of the sky being torn apart and rushed over, all that was left for them was a monotonous blue sea that was no different from any other area.
——
"What on earth is the Great Chief doing?!"
After taking Vera back to the medical room on the Red Firth, and cutting off her bloodstained cuffs to reveal the wounds underneath, the good doctor Hongo unusually displayed extremely obvious anger.
Vera leaned back on the medical bed, her eyes half-closed, drowsily drinking the glucose water handed to her by Hongo to replenish her energy. Her mind was completely blank from overusing the Shadow Sword and various books.
Violet has two serious wounds. One is her right arm, which she uses to hold the sword. Even though Violet never used Armament Haki for defense, she still suffered serious fractures due to the excessively frequent and powerful impacts. Hongo only did a preliminary examination and found at least three fractures.
The second wound that made Hongo want to take a scalpel out and show the captain what the "Disintegration Demon" was like was located on Vera's chest, or more precisely, it was a wound that ran across Vera's left collarbone to the second-to-last rib on her right side.
The wound was so deep that you could almost see Violet's lively, beating heart through it.
As Hongo carefully cleaned the dirt from his wound, he slightly raised his eyes and saw Vera holding an empty glucose bottle with her mouth half open, looking like she was about to fall asleep at any moment.
His brow and fingers twitched simultaneously. If it weren't for the fact that Vera's injuries were so severe, Hongo would have really had the urge to tap her on the head and see if it would echo back.
"I'm so hungry..."
Violet's head was about to nod off again when she suddenly lost her balance and jolted awake.
"Endure the hunger, unless you want to see how the food you eat flows out of your stomach..."
Two knocks on the door interrupted Hongo. Hongo glanced at the door with his Observation Haki and recognized the person on the other end. He nodded slightly and said, "Disinfect before you come in."
Despite her severe injuries, Vera was still able to drink and sleep, demonstrating an astonishingly strong vitality, much like the red-haired captain, and she was unlikely to be defeated by mere bacteria and viruses.
However, as a doctor with a slight obsession with cleanliness, Hongo would never allow others to freely visit his clinic when he has seriously injured patients.
However, despite making this request, when Luo actually walked in, Hongo was still surprised by Luo's skill in disinfection.
Violet's mind was a complete mess, but she still couldn't resist showing off: "This is our doctor in R'lyeh. Even Marco praised him for his talent!"
Haha!
Even Marco praised it? Hongo looked at Law with great interest. Hmm, he seemed very calm, but he didn't even need to use his Observation Haki to detect the other emotions beneath that calm exterior.
Hmm, it's a little awkward. It seems that unlike Violet, this "Doctor of R'lyeh" isn't used to showing off his abilities in public. He's also a little happy because his abilities have been recognized by the island lord... Heh, young man.
Hongo pursed his lips. Although it's difficult to judge a doctor's skill in a short time, he felt that a doctor's skill couldn't be judged from a single aspect. But at this moment, he decided to create a pleasant treatment environment for the patient.
Honjo briefly introduced the various medicines and surgical tools neatly arranged in the medical room to Ra, then picked up a medical kit and walked out.
"I'll go check on the captain."
After saying this, Hongo turned and left, thoughtfully closing the door behind him to leave the doctor and patient alone in the room.
“Luo…”
Vera leaned her head against the white wall of the medical room, smelling the disinfectant and blood in the air, and called Luo's name with her eyes half-closed, her voice carrying a lazy feeling as if she had just woken up.
Luo sat down next to Vera, looked at her wounds for two seconds, and asked in silence, "...Why didn't you get treatment?"
"Hmm... I'm done eating." Vera shook her head, as if she felt no pain at all, which aggravated her wound, making Luo's eyelids twitch.
He couldn't take it anymore and reached out to hold his island lord's head still on both sides: "...Don't move, tsk, doesn't it hurt?"
It hurts, of course, but with her sanity being depleted too frequently and then forcibly restored by various dishes, Violet is now in a confused, half-asleep state.
Luo, who also sensed that the island lord was not in a good state, touched Vera's forehead and sighed after confirming that she did not have a fever.
"Want to take a nap first?"
The injuries on his body were nothing to the island owner; they would heal after a few meals once he regained his mental state.
"Um."
As she spoke, Vera leaned back on Luo's shoulder, and a few seconds later she drifted off to sleep.
Luo sat there quietly, staring blankly at the empty white wall in front of him. After a few minutes, or perhaps a dozen minutes, Luo, listening to the island owner's breathing, slowly closed his eyes, sharing the same dream so close to him.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Shanks, lying on the ground, is fantasizing about what would happen after Vale rules the world: would everyone start farming? It's a little scary, but Mihawk would probably love that world. [doge]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com