"Shocking! The man with the power to destroy the world, Whitebeard, is about to duel the world's greatest swordsman, Li Yuan!!"
"The battle between the world's strongest two men will determine who is truly the strongest! Could a new 'strongest man' arise in the pirate world after Roger and Rocks?"
"The ultimate battle will take place on Brand Island. Who will be the victor?"
As the news of the duel between Li Yuan and Whitebeard spread, excitement erupted everywhere.
Especially among the pirates of the New World, who were all rushing toward Brand Island. They wanted to witness the battle between the two most powerful figures and see just how far they were from the world's greatest.
"Hehehe, the world's strongest, huh? Let's see if they can kill me, I'm going to check this out!"
Kaido immediately ordered his crew to prepare for departure after reading the newspaper about the duel between Li Yuan and Whitebeard.
"Hahaha, the duel between Newgate and Li Yuan, how exciting! I'm eager to see how strong they really are now!"
Shiki laughed heartily. Since the awakening of his Fuwa Fuwa no Mi, his power had skyrocketed, and with that, his confidence soared. If Li Yuan still displayed the same strength he had when defeating Roger in the Swordsmanship Tournament, Shiki felt confident he could defeat him!
"Mama, mama! Li Yuan and Whitebeard are dueling? I can't miss this!"
Charlotte Linlin, who had been staying out of the limelight, was also roused by the news. She gathered her children and set sail.
"Father is going to duel Whitebeard? That's awesome! I've never seen father fight with all his strength!"
Gai Nie, traveling on the Grand Line with Mihawk, jumped up excitedly after reading the newspaper.
Although he was Li Yuan's son, Gai Nie had never seen just how strong his father truly was, or how far his swordsmanship had reached.
Now, he was finally going to witness the difference between himself and the world's greatest swordsman.
"What? The world's greatest swordsman, Li Yuan, is going to duel Whitebeard? Where? Can we make it in time if we hurry?"
Mihawk asked urgently after hearing Gai Nie's words.
"The duel will take place in four days on Brand Island, in the New World. With my ride, we should be able to make it in time. Luckily we're on the Grand Line, if we were in the Four Seas, we'd never make it!"
Gai Nie said, quickly preparing the supplies to board the ship, and Mihawk helped him, both eager not to miss the once-in-a-lifetime battle between the world's strongest.
"Fufufufu, the battle of the world's strongest? I must witness this!"
In Fishman Island, Doflamingo also heard the news and became eager to witness the birth of the strongest in the world, just like when he witnessed the death of the Pirate King and the beginning of the Pirate Era.
"Master, isn't this too dangerous?"
Torrepol, following Doflamingo, asked worriedly.
After all, it was the world's greatest duel! With so many powerful pirates gathering to watch, their meager strength wouldn't stand up against those in the New World. There was a real chance that one of the big pirates could decide to get rid of them if they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"Fufufufu, we are partners with the Infinite Pirate Crew. If we go with them, we'll be safe!"
Doflamingo took full advantage of his current cooperation with the Infinite Pirate Crew.
As the news spread, pirates from all over the world rushed to Brand Island. They all wanted to witness the birth of the strongest in the world.
Holy Land Mariejois:
"Our plan has succeeded. Prepare the CP infiltrators in the Infinite Pirate Crew. Once we confirm Li Yuan's presence on Brand Island, we'll take action. Let's see if we can find the hidden experimental data in Wano, as well as the thousand-year dragon bones."
The Five Elders gathered in their usual meeting. They had not only tried to provoke conflict between the Infinite Pirate Crew and the Flying Sky Pirates to prevent the Infinite Pirates from intervening with the World Government, but they also coveted the valuable experimental data and the thousand-year dragon bones hidden within Wano.
If they could get their hands on the weapons data from the Infinite Pirate Crew, they would replace them as the world's largest arms manufacturer, using the World Government's network to sell weapons globally. In just a couple of years, they could recover their losses and even surpass their previous prosperity.
The thousand-year dragon bones were also on their radar. The World Government had already used a thousand-year dragon bone to create life-extending medicine, and now they desperately wanted the other bone to extend their reign.
"What? 95 of the CP members are dead?"
However, to their fury, just as the Five Elders issued the order, 95% of their CP members who had infiltrated the Infinite Pirate Crew were killed before they even began their mission.
This enraged them. It was clear that the Infinite Pirate Crew had discovered these CP agents, but pretended not to notice. Now, perhaps realizing that the World Government would act while Li Yuan was away from the Infinite Sea, they executed a preemptive strike as a warning to the World Government.
The Five Elders had been fantasizing about obtaining the Infinite Pirate Crew's secrets, but now their CP agents had been killed off without any intel reaching them.
They had no doubt that the remaining five CP agents had also been discovered, and were now being kept alive to report "victories" to the Five Elders!
"This is an absolute slap in the face!"
"After the last time we alarmed them, the Infinite Pirate Crew has become more cautious. They likely anticipated that we'd act while Li Yuan is away from the Infinite Sea, so they killed off those CP agents!"
"The information sent back by those CP agents is probably false. It's likely that the Infinite Pirate Crew deliberately fed us misinformation!"
Satan, the Science Defense God, said with a grim expression.
He hadn't expected the Infinite Pirate Crew's intelligence network to be so formidable. They had caught on to their infiltrators immediately and managed to prevent the CP from realizing they had been exposed. This showed just how strong their control over the Infinite Sea was.
"Since the plan has failed, let's give up. The Infinite Pirate Crew's control over the territory is too strong. There's no way we can infiltrate them now without launching a full attack."
Bitterly shaking his head, Piet, the Agricultural Defense God, said.
Infinite Sea:
"Husband, almost all the CP agents and other spies in the Infinite Pirate Crew have been eliminated."
Shakky said.
"Good. Those fools really thought infiltrating the Infinite Pirate Crew would be easy? They didn't realize that without seeing their real intentions, they couldn't disrupt the organization!"
Ever since the news of the duel between Li Yuan and Whitebeard spread, the spies in the Infinite Pirate Crew had been ordered by their factions to gather information or stir up trouble.
Li Yuan had given orders to eliminate them. Although they hadn't caused much disturbance in the Infinite Sea, they would have become a real nuisance if they started interfering.
Whitebeard Pirates:
"Dad, it's our fault. If we were stronger than the Infinite Pirate Crew's officers, you wouldn't have to fight them alone!"
Marco said.
The death of Alberto Gomes, Whitebeard's adopted son, had caused immense anger in the Whitebeard Pirates. They wanted to avenge their fallen comrade.
However, the Infinite Pirate Crew would never give up their officer, Mari. Thus, Whitebeard had no choice but to challenge Li Yuan directly in a duel, in order to protect his crew.
"The old man has to avenge his son, that's what a father should do!"
Whitebeard, although sensing something was off, couldn't ignore the fact that Mari, part of the Infinite Pirate Crew, had killed his son. This fact couldn't be erased, so Whitebeard was forced to find a way to vent his fury by challenging Li Yuan in a battle. It was also his way of sending a message to those who had plotted against him.
Brand Island:
As the day of the duel approached, many pirate ships had already anchored around Brand Island, all eager to witness the battle between the world's strongest.
Not only pirates were here, but also Navy, World Government, and other factions disguised as pirates. After all, this battle could not be recorded by transponder snails or other means. Many individuals with sensitive identities dared not appear in the New World, so they had to send representatives to observe the fight in person and report back.
"Why aren't those people boarding the island, or even getting close?"
Torrepol, who was with Doflamingo, asked in confusion.
Hearing Torrepol's question, Doflamingo didn't answer, as he was also curious.
"Hahaha, you guys have never seen a true top-tier battle, have you? These are people who could destroy an entire island with ease!"
"Let alone our captain! If he wanted, he could destroy the island with a single sword strike!"
Kumas, a member of the Infinite Pirate Crew, laughed loudly.
"One sword strike could destroy an entire island?"
Doflamingo was shocked. He had seen the strongest person he knew, Esdeath, kill him with a single sword strike. But someone like Li Yuan, who could destroy an entire island with a sword, was on a completely different level!
"The Flying Sky Pirates are here!!"
"Kaido the new big pirate is here too!"
"King Straight, Silver Axe, Branton, Charlotte Linlin, and other powerful pirates have all arrived!!"
"The New World's great pirates are practically all here!"
...
As more pirate crews, including the Flying Sky Pirates, arrived, the excitement around Brand Island reached a fever pitch.
"Ha ha ha, Newgate and Li Yuan still haven't shown up? I guess I came early!"
Shiki's fleet descended upon the sea, and the pirate ships gently landed. This was his way of respecting the upcoming battle.
"Mama, mama, Kaido, my little brother! Congratulations on becoming a great pirate! Want to have a child with me? Our kid will definitely grow up to be a great pirate like us!"
Charlotte Linlin's eyes sparkled when she saw Kaido.
Kaido had grown strong, and with their connection, she saw a potential new alliance forming. But, seeing Kaido's powerful aura, she was more interested in having a child with him!
"Whitebeard and Li Yuan are here!"
Among the cheers, two pirate ships sailed toward the island, each carrying the respective champions of today's duel: Whitebeard and Li Yuan!
As they neared the island, Li Yuan and Whitebeard leaped onto it, and their pirate crews immediately turned and left.
From their positions at opposite ends of the island, the two could not see each other, but both could sense the other's presence on the island.