Chapter 841: The Belated Funeral
The East Blue, one of the four seas divided by the Grand Line and the Red Line, had long been known as the "Weakest Sea."
This title, no one knew exactly when it started, but it had been prevalent for quite some time.
The reason was simple: most pirates from the East Blue had relatively low bounties, with no particularly famous ones, and it was rare to see powerful races like the Giants or the Long-Leg Tribe active there.
However, only truly seasoned pirates on the Grand Line understood that this wasn't the case.
The East Blue was where Pirate King Roger met his end. When Roger died there, many witnessed it. Perhaps out of respect for the Pirate King, many great pirates were reluctant to linger in the East Blue. Later, when Red-Haired Shanks, a former crewmate of the Pirate King, became one of the Four Emperors, he frequently visited the East Blue. So, in the eyes of many pirates, the East Blue was essentially Red Hair's private territory. Apart from some local pirates born there, pirates from other seas and the Grand Line carefully avoided it...
But in the past two years, no one dared to call the East Blue the "Weakest Sea" anymore.
The reason, of course, was that the East Blue had recently produced several formidable figures! The most fearsome among them was the Four Emperors, Black Dragon Ian!
Ian's rise to power was so astonishing that anyone who heard his story would be left dumbfounded. If the new generation of pirates with bounties over 100 million were considered rising Supernovas, then Ian was the dazzling sun! All the new-generation pirates were overshadowed by his brilliance!
Now, in the East Blue, whether pirate, civilian, or Marine, if you claimed not to know the name Ian, you'd be treated like a fool. He was the first figure since Pirate King Roger's execution, over twenty years ago, to emerge from the East Blue and capture the world's attention. Countless children and young people dreaming of setting sail as pirates regarded Ian as their unwavering idol!
In the East Blue, any T-shirt printed with the Dragon Hunter Pirates' emblem or Ian's Black Dragon Wave pattern would sell tens of thousands within hours and eventually sell out. Disciples training at swordsmanship dojos across the East Blue, and even pirates aiming to become swordsmen, carried counterfeit blades modeled after Thousand Cherry Blossoms and Black Winged Demon...
In the East Blue, Ian's influence was unparalleled, surpassing even the Red Hair Pirates...
Besides Ian, the East Blue also produced a secondary powerhouse, Buggy the Clown. Not only did he become a Warlord of the Sea, but he now showed signs of becoming a Four Emperors. Because Ian once casually said Buggy was his friend, Buggy had become widely famous in the East Blue.
Also hailing from the East Blue was the Straw Hat Pirates, now a high-bounty pirate crew. These pirates, each causing massive upheavals, had shaken the entire world.
This made the people of the East Blue feel a sense of pride.
Are you kidding? What "Weakest Sea"? Have you ever seen a "Weakest Sea" produce two Four Emperors and one Warlord of the Sea?
The residents of the East Blue, who always considered Ian one of their own, were also watching the live broadcast of the Revolutionary Army's armed uprising that shocked the world. When Ian's image appeared, the entire East Blue erupted!
If the peaceful people of the East Blue were somewhat skeptical of Dragon's words, the moment Ian appeared, they believed him without reservation!
"Damn it, so the truth of history was like this!"
"Those bastards! The Celestial Dragons and the World Government have been deceiving us for hundreds of years!"
"Did you hear? The nobles of the Goa Kingdom, who always kissed up to the Celestial Dragons, have all been arrested by the Revolutionary Army!"
"That cold-hearted country and its royal family should have been overthrown long ago!"
The people of the East Blue watched the live broadcast and discussed it animatedly. Although the picture wasn't very clear, with intense flashes of light and constant shaking, they still found it fascinating...
And like the East Blue, the other three seas and the countries on the Grand Line were the same.
Over eight hundred years, the Celestial Dragons had accumulated deep resentment among the people. Now, it had reached a point where everyone was eager to see them fall. The Revolutionary Army's emergence wasn't accidental but a product of the times. Without the Celestial Dragons' exorbitant taxes and brutal tyranny, winning the people's hearts wouldn't have been so easy for the Revolutionary Army...
Most of the world's attention was on the live broadcast. Meanwhile, at the edge of the East Blue, near the Calm Belt bordering the Grand Line, several ships were quietly waiting.
Among these ships were two massive, conspicuous flagships: one was the Moby Dick of the Whitebeard Pirates, and the other was the Red Force of the Red Hair Pirates.
Since Ian, the newly appointed Four Emperors, had already clashed with Uranus, how could the veteran Four Emperors, Whitebeard and Shanks, sit idly by?
Most of the members of the three Four Emperor crews were in the New World, evacuating residents from the war zone. Meanwhile, Whitebeard Old Man and Red-Haired Shanks had brought some elite forces to the East Blue.
It was Ian's suggestion that they come to the East Blue. Initially, Whitebeard Old Man and Shanks wanted to join Ian in fighting Uranus, but Ian insisted they come here.
On the Moby Dick, members of the Whitebeard Pirates and the Red Hair Pirates gathered. The Whitebeard side included Phoenix Marco, Diamond Jozu, and Flower Sword Vista, while the Red Hair side included Ben Beckman and Yasopp. Some members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates were also there: Fujitora, Enel, Nico Robin, Reiju, and Reiju's father Gaji and her brothers Niji and Yonji.
Additionally, there were some unexpected people on board.
Pirate Empress Boa Hancock, Gecko Moria, Tyrant Bartholomew Kuma, and... Hawk-Eye Mihawk! Along with Crocodile, five of the former Seven Warlords of the Sea had gathered here...
At this moment, aside from Boa Hancock, the other Warlords were staring wide-eyed at the Whitebeard and Red Hair Pirates members.
"...Why are you here?" Red-Haired Shanks asked Hawk-Eye Mihawk speechlessly. "I don't recall inviting you for a drink..."
Mihawk had the black blade Yoru strapped to his back, its massive cross-shaped hilt standing behind him. He sat with his legs crossed, arms folded on his knees, a sharp eye visible beneath his hat brim. He said nothing to Shanks...
Was this a case of "words unspoken"? Shanks knew his old friend's temperament and didn't press him. Instead, he turned to Gecko Moria.
Gecko Moria, wrapped in bandages from head to toe, replied irritably upon hearing Shanks' question, "I'm here to witness history!"
Kuma remained silent, a faint beeping sound coming from his body...
As for Boa Hancock, she was with Robin and Reiju. Normally, these three women, knowing each had ambiguous relationships with Ian, would have been glaring at each other and engaging in a silent battle of wits. But unfortunately, Ian had seen through everything. He had Fujitora bring a super weapon: Little Ian!
The adorable Little Ian instantly broke down the psychological barriers between the three women. Now, the three beautiful big sisters were fussing over Little Ian.
And they were playing a delightful game with him.
"Look, look!" Reiju, who was familiar with Whitebeard Old Man, picked up Little Ian and ran over to him. She held Little Ian up and offered him to Whitebeard: "Doesn't he look like you?"
Little Ian, held aloft, was wearing a black headband. Under his nose, Reiju and the others had stuck a crescent-shaped mustache. A small-sized captain's coat was draped over him, and he held a miniature imitation naginata!
When Whitebeard Old Man saw Little Ian, his eyes nearly popped out. Wasn't this an imitation of himself?
Exactly! This was the game the three beautiful big sisters were playing with Little Ian: cosplay! Little Ian was now cosplaying as Whitebeard Edward Newgate!
As Reiju excitedly showed off their achievement to Whitebeard, Little Ian cooperatively swung the naginata with his little hand, making "biubiu" sounds...
Whitebeard Old Man was overwhelmed by Little Ian's cuteness, and so were Marco and the others. But watching Reiju, Robin, and the others' excited expressions, Whitebeard Old Man felt like there was a complaint he couldn't quite voice...
Reiju took Little Ian back. Then Robin looked at Red-Haired Shanks and suggested, "How about we dress Little Ian up as Brother Shanks this time?"
Boa Hancock rested her chin on her hand, thinking, "Or maybe we should dress Little Ian up as that cold-faced Hawk-Eye. I'll ask him for his hat to put on Little Ian!"
"Isn't that a bit much?" Robin said.
"It's fine. If he dares to refuse, I'll take it by force!" Boa Hancock said, hands on her hips.
Shanks: "..."
Mihawk: "..."
So, a moment later, Hawk-Eye reluctantly handed over his hat...
Can't mess with them, can't mess with them. These three women were in high spirits, and even the world's greatest swordsman didn't dare to provoke them...
At least Little Ian was his junior disciple's avatar, so he could be considered his junior disciple too. Hawk-Eye consoled himself like this...
After temporarily dealing with the women, Whitebeard and the others could finally talk again.
Although they were surprised by Hawk-Eye and Moria's uninvited arrival, Shanks and the others didn't say anything.
Earlier, they hadn't understood why Ian insisted they come to the East Blue. But after arriving, Shanks and the others finally realized what Ian wanted to do.
"That kid wants to hold a memorial service for Roger here in the East Blue!" Whitebeard Old Man sighed.
Shanks smiled and said, "Yeah, I just figured it out. Look at the people here. I bet they all witnessed Captain Roger's execution back then, didn't they?"
Moria didn't speak, but his flickering eyes indicated that Shanks was right.
Mihawk spoke coldly, "Now it seems he wants to kill Uranus in the East Blue, using Uranus as a sacrifice to clear Roger's name before the world!"
Whitebeard Old Man tilted his head back and took a gulp of sake, saying, "That's because... he's already understood Roger's true intentions back then!"
Shanks laughed and said, "If he really does that, even if he hasn't been to Laugh Tale, he'll become the new Pirate King in the eyes of the world!"
"Hmph, if he wants to be the Pirate King, I'll support him all the way!" Whitebeard Old Man stood up, his towering figure at the bow, laughing heartily, "Gurararara! After all, this kid is Ian!"
Shanks also stood up, saying, "Then let's join forces and prepare this sacrifice for him!"
One by one, everyone who had been sitting stood up.
At the same time, a Den Den Mushi in Fujitora's hand began to ring with a "purupuru" sound...
Uranus was coming...