New World, Atoaru Sea.
Matthansas Island was a tropical island renowned for its abundant plants and fruits. On this island, at the highest point of a mountain peak, a large black skull flag fluttered in the wind. On the black flag, there was a cross-shaped skull and a crescent-shaped mustache, indicating the island's ownership... the Whitebeard Pirates!
The Atoaru Sea was once a territory ruled by Shiki the Golden Lion, one of the three revered Legendary Pirates. However, when Shiki the Golden Lion single-handedly stormed Marine Headquarters in Marineford to rescue Roger, but was then captured by Garp and Sengoku working together and imprisoned in Impel Down, his forces and territory crumbled! Consequently, after Shiki the Golden Lion escaped from Impel Down, he had only a handful of subordinates, and some had even joined other pirate forces, leaving him almost an empty commander.
Among the forces that divided Shiki's domain, Charlotte Linlin, Kaido, Wang Zhi, and others, who were Shiki's old acquaintances from the Rocks Pirates era, were the first to invade the Atoaru Sea and claim their share, while Whitebeard, out of the supply needs of his pirate group, also seized three islands. There were originally two, but some time ago Kaido tried to seize one of Whitebeard's islands in the Atoaru Sea, but he didn't succeed and was instead beaten badly by him. Following the principle of reciprocity, Whitebeard also planted his pirate flag on one of Kaido's islands. Whitebeard saw nothing wrong with this, and Kaido had no right to object, unless Kaido wanted his other islands and forces in the Atoaru Sea to be completely destroyed... In the pirate world, the strong were right, and the law of the jungle was the eternal rule. Only with sufficient personal strength and influence could one establish their own rules!
Returning to the main topic, the pirate forces in the Atoaru Sea could be described as warlords vying for power and in total chaos, but not many were tired of life and dared to attack Whitebeard's territory. Therefore, Matthansas Island was able to maintain a relative "peace" in this turbulent environment.
After the three-masted sailing boat flying the Umbrella Corporation flag docked on the west coast of Matthansas Island, Sephiroth and the others did not disembark rashly, but chose to remain on board and wait. This didn't mean that no one except the Whitebeard Pirates could land on Matthansas Island... In fact, whether you were a Marine or a pirate, as long as you obeyed the rules on this island and didn't cause trouble, you could go ashore and purchase supplies in the town. Therefore, many ships flying different pirate flags were also docked in the harbor, and figures of wanted criminals could be seen everywhere on the streets...
"We arrived over an hour earlier than the agreed time." Tesoro lowered his head to look at the golden watch on his left wrist; the hour hand had just reached 10:40... The agreed time with the Whitebeard Pirates was 12:00 PM, meeting on the west coast to discuss the Dressrosa Kingdom joining the Whitebeard Pirates' dominion. Because Sephiroth used spatial movement for travel, the journey that originally took two days was condensed by him into half an hour!
"This is truly incredible..." Scarlett, wearing a long blue dress, rested her hands on the ship's railing. The pink-haired girl's gaze shifted from the harbor to the entire town. "Even though there are so many pirate ships here, there's no public chaos..." Those unruly pirates became much more restrained after landing on this island. Though their language and desires were still crude, they at least managed to "obey the law."
"Because if they dare to cause trouble in Whitebeard's territory, they will die miserably! If they challenge in a structured way, they might still survive, but acting rashly in someone else's territory is akin to seeking death... This is an unwritten rule in the New World..." Sephiroth gently reached out and embraced Scarlett, his tone carrying a hint of inexplicable emotion, a kind of bitterness at the reality of this world. In this world, the righteous path had its own rules, and the dark path also had its own rules. Some things might seem unreasonable, but they had a reason for existing. If you don't want to follow other people's rules, then you can only defeat the person who made those rules, and then make your own rules...
There were so many rookie pirates who entered the New World every year, but very few could defeat the old powers. Most of them were defeated and died! Of course, there were also those who couldn't seize territory and could only sneak back to Paradise, like Crocodile, Gekko Moriah... and others. To remain in the New World, you must be defeated into submission and join another power, or you will only face a dead end! Compared to this, Paradise was far more peaceful and did not have such cruel rules of pirate competition... But in that case, never dream of having your own territory. As long as you grew to a certain extent, the Marines would send forces to eliminate you as a threat.
The sun was high in the sky, and its warm light shone on the ocean, reflecting off the shimmering waves. There were eleven minutes left until 12:00 PM...
The Moby Dick sailed from the distant horizon towards the west coast harbor of Matthansas Island. After the Umbrella Corporation's three-masted sailing boat and the Moby Dick confirmed each other's identities, the Whitebeard Pirates lowered their gangplank and extended it to the three-masted sailing boat.
Sephiroth, Scarlett, Kyros, Tesoro, and two Umbrella Corporation employees, a total of six people, boarded Whitebeard's main ship, the Moby Dick, via the gangway.
Thump!... Thump!... Thump!... The atmosphere on the ship was rather quiet, which made the sound of the six people's footsteps on the deck seem somewhat abrupt.
On the Moby Dick's deck, over a hundred pirates stood or sat, some looking fierce, some indifferent. Sephiroth's gaze swept slightly, and he saw many familiar faces: Marco, Vista, Thatch, Whitey Bay, Jozu... The pirates stared intently at the six people, observing them with curious, wary, or even slightly intimidating gazes.
Right in the center of the Moby Dick, beneath the main mast, was a large circular platform with steps leading up to it. On the platform, a golden-haired middle-aged man over six meters tall sat majestically in the main seat. He had a crescent-shaped white mustache that curved upwards on his face and was holding a sake barrel in his hand. At this moment, he took large gulps of sake, and after drinking half a barrel, he laughed loudly and said:
"Gurahaha!... I heard... the Dressrosa Kingdom wants to be under my dominion..." Whitebeard paused for a moment, his gaze sharpening. "Are you planning to relinquish your status as a country affiliated with the World Government?"
"Not entirely... We, the Dressrosa Kingdom, do not intend to withdraw from the World Government..." Scarlett clasped her hands over her lower abdomen, gathered her courage, and took a small step forward, standing in front of the other five. The girl raised her head and looked straight ahead, meeting the gaze of the strongest man in the world, Whitebeard Edward Newgate. Although Scarlett felt nervous and anxious, her heart racing, she absolutely could not retreat! This negotiation, by law, should have been handled by King Riku or Queen Iris, but as the future heir to the Kingdom and the main proponent of this negotiation, Scarlett felt she had to bear this responsibility for Dressrosa.
Boom! Seeing that, Whitebeard's brows furrowed for a fleeting moment and he heavily placed the sake barrel he held on the step, causing a thudding sound. Looking at the pink-haired girl below, his tone carried a hint of displeasure: "What... Does the Dressrosa Kingdom have no one else? To actually send an inexperienced little girl to negotiate with me...!?"
As Whitebeard's words were uttered, a faint but overwhelming pressure instantly emanated from him, enveloping the six people. In a flash, Whitebeard seemed to transform into a demon god who disregarded all living beings. Wherever his gaze fell, all creatures had to bow and kneel! An immense sense of oppression simultaneously arose in the hearts of the six, like Mount Tai pressing down, their breathing feeling constricted.
The two Umbrella Corporation employees accompanying them were not inexperienced rookies, but rather desperate individuals who had faced death. But... Under Whitebeard's pressure, their legs couldn't help but tremble slightly, cold sweat beginning to moisten their foreheads.
This was... Haoshoku Haki!
As the pressure gradually intensified, the Haoshoku Haki within Sephiroth's mind, as if stimulated, also began to stir, surging, as if wanting to burst from his mind to respond to the opponent's provocation. However... He forcibly restrained this tremor and did not release his Haoshoku Haki to retaliate. This time, Sephiroth's accompanying role was merely as a bodyguard, while Scarlett and Tesoro were the main negotiators. He couldn't overshadow them, intervene rashly, and reveal his identity too soon.
Moreover, Sephiroth was highly wary of Whitebeard's Paramecia-type Gura Gura no Mi ability! This man had developed his Devil Fruit ability to the point where it could affect space, creating vibrations that destroyed everything. The Different Space he created using the Doa Doa no Mi could very likely be shattered by a single punch from the opponent... It could be said that the Gura Gura no Mi was one of the few abilities that could rival the Doa Doa no Mi! Now, he only hoped Tesoro could use his subtle diplomacy to help Scarlett out of this predicament!
However...
Boom! In the air, a deep crimson lightning flash streaked and vanished, and a majestic and vast aura suddenly erupted from Scarlett's body. In the girl's eyes, anxiety and nervousness completely receded, replaced by burning determination and calmness. She absolutely could not retreat, for her country, and also for Sephiroth...
"I am the princess of the Dressrosa Kingdom, the future heir to the Kingdom! I am fully capable of making appropriate decisions for this negotiation!" Scarlett declared with a firm voice, countering Whitebeard's Haoshoku Haki pressure with her own Haoshoku Haki, a huge surprise to all present.