The golden afterglow of the setting sun bathed the sea in flame.
New World — Banquet Island No. 88.
A massive three-masted ship, its dragon-head prow painted bright crimson, lay quietly anchored by the shore.
On the coast, campfires crackled into glowing embers.
The scent of premium sake filled the air.
Meat sizzled over open flames.
Mugs clashed. Laughs echoed.
And pirate songs, wild and proud, soared into the skies above the island.
Such is the daily life of the Red-Haired Pirates, one of the Four Emperors ruling the seas.
A never-ending banquet — the kind only the strongest pirate crew in the world could afford.
Yes, the strongest!
Four years ago, the New World was plunged into chaos — the greatest war since the age of Gol D. Roger.
Every powerhouse rose to stake their claim.
Ambition clashed with ambition.
The sea burned with the fury of titans.
For six long months, the New World was a battlefield.
And then… silence.
Order was restored.
A new balance of power emerged: Four Emperors now ruled the sea.
The names carved into history as the rulers of the New World:
Whitebeard, Edward Newgate — the strongest man alive.
Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin — queen of an empire of sweets and terror.
Kaido of the Beasts — the creature unrivaled on land, sea, and sky.
And finally, the rising storm: Red-Haired Shanks!
Compared to the old legends who had ruled for decades, Shanks was young — just six years into the New World.
He lacked their age, their history.
But what he did have — was power.
Unmatched Haki. Swordsmanship honed to perfection.
With nothing but will and blade, he cut his way to the throne.
He claimed the title of Emperor.
And the world could do nothing but acknowledge his strength.
But…
One man alone doesn't make a crew the strongest.
By all logic, it should've been Whitebeard's crew, once equals to the Pirate King himself, that wore that title.
Yet...
In that war four years ago, something unexpected happened.
A new force emerged.
A man — a mystery, a monster, a miracle.
His name was Kai.
Before the war, he was a nobody on the Red-Haired crew.
So low-profile, even the Marines never bothered to post a bounty.
But after that war…
He rewrote history.
While most rookies dream of a 30 million bounty as their first step…
Kai's first bounty was 3.364 billion.
Yes — over three billion, nearly matching Shanks himself.
It shook the world.
But no one dared protest it.
Because they saw what he did.
He tore through pirate crews.
He crushed Marine forces.
He even struck down a Celestial Dragon.
For those six months, the quiet shadow behind the red-haired captain became a one-man storm.
He raged from the south seas to the north, from east blue to the Grand Line.
Every big name at sea crossed swords with him.
Whitebeard. Big Mom. Kaido.Admirals. Legends. Heroes.
None were spared.
His rampage was so great, some even began whispering that the era of the Four Emperors should become the Five Emperors.
But Kai vanished back into the shadows as quickly as he rose.
He refused the spotlight.
He let the world think what it wanted.
Even so, among pirates…
Everyone knows.
Kai is the uncrowned king of the sea.
With Shanks and Kai together, the Red-Haired Pirates became an unbreakable force — a twin emperor crew.
Not even Whitebeard's men could rival them.
Because in this world…
No one can stand against two Emperors.
"Ahahahahaha!"
The banquet roared at full force.
At the center, on a raised wooden platform, stood Red-Haired Shanks, drink in hand, grinning ear to ear.
Behind him, twitching nervously, was a rookie with a red mohawk — Rock, the latest recruit.
Today's feast was in his honor.
Though, truth be told, the Red-Haired Pirates didn't really need a reason. They could throw a feast just because the breeze felt good.
"Ahahahaha—hic!"
Shanks let out another clumsy laugh.
[Ahahaha, you're such a dumbass, Shanks.]
[Yahyahyah!]
[No matter how many times you laugh, it's always so dumb it's cute!]
[I try not to laugh… but I can't help it.]
[But I shouldn't…]
[If I laugh, he's going to make me pay later.]
Shanks froze. "...???"
What the hell? Where's that voice coming from?
Did someone just call me dumb?!
ME?! An Emperor of the Sea?!
Say it to my face! Come out and settle this like pirates!
Let's see who drinks who under the table!
Suddenly, a wave of intense Observation Haki burst from Shanks like a tidal wave.
In an instant — it covered the entire island.