"Speaking of which," Vladimir's mind flashed with five wanted posters.
These were intelligence he had seen on Sengoku's desk – the candidates for the Shichibukai. One of them was a user of the Sneak-Sneak Fruit, named "Big Mark."
"You think I'm unprepared?"
Vladimir had already anticipated this. Although he wasn't sure if they would actually do it, regardless, Vladimir had left Sea Dragon there, enough to handle anything.
Moreover, they wouldn't be able to steal it at all, because the blueprints were placed by him beneath the throne in the Shadow World.
The journey was uneventful. The giant whale gradually sailed deeper into the sea.
From one end of the Red-Haired Pirates' territory to the other, gradually approaching Kaido's territory.
Two days later, just as they were about to leave the Red-Haired Pirates' territory, a large ship blocked their path.
The ship flew the Red-Haired Pirates' flag, and its deck was filled with the main members of the Red-Haired Pirates.
A group of people looked towards the horizon, where a whale the size of a small mountain was slowly approaching.
"Captain, we've spotted it," Yasopp said, lowering his spyglass. "One man and one woman, both very young. The woman is Lujet, and the man is probably… the Vice-Captain. And he's noticed me!"
Shanks crossed his arms. "Everyone be careful. If a fight breaks out later, run as far as you can. Don't get close!"
"Hey, hey, are you really going to fight?" Ben Beckman spat out the toothpick from his mouth and couldn't help but say, "Give it up. It's useless to stop him. There's Emperor Vladimir above him."
"We must stop it. This time…" Shanks sighed. "It might lead to a world war!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yasopp suddenly exclaimed, "He disappeared!"
In his spyglass, Vladimir's figure suddenly vanished.
Everyone was startled and then looked up in unison, but they couldn't detect any anomalies.
And at this moment, a voice echoed from the sky.
"You… are waiting for me?"
Everyone's expression changed, and they immediately looked up.
They saw a man in the sky, wearing a haori and with a long sword at his waist, standing with his hands behind his back, like a god looking down on all beings.
"Impossible…!" Yasopp's face turned ashen. "This is over ten nautical miles away! How could he appear here in such a short time!?"
"You… are waiting for me?"
Vladimir stood in the air, his feet treading on nothing. Reiatsu condensed beneath his feet to form a stepping stone. He looked calmly at the pirates below.
The members of the Red-Haired Pirates were all filled with shock.
In less than a minute, they had crossed over ten nautical miles. What terrifying speed was this?
Yasopp looked as if he had seen a ghost. "I'm afraid even with my long-range sniping, he could easily dodge it. This speed is too terrifying!"
Thinking this, he quickly looked at Shanks. "Captain, I think we should just forget it. Even if it leads to a world war, it has nothing to do with us."
Shanks remained noncommittal. His expression was serious as he stared at Vladimir. "Vice-Captain?"
"I am," Vladimir nodded. "Phantom's Vice-Captain, 'Shinigami' Aizen. Shanks, what do you mean by intercepting me here?"
Hearing this, Shanks took a deep breath. "Aizen, I won't beat around the bush. What will it take for you to give up?"
"It's simple: one hundred Devil Fruits," Vladimir chuckled. "Our goal has always been Devil Fruits, and the auction is no different. As long as you can produce one hundred, I will immediately give you the blueprints. How you dispose of them is up to you."
"100 fruits!?" Shanks' face darkened, and he gritted his teeth. "I'm not joking!"
Hearing this, Vladimir's smile faded, and he said calmly, "Do you think I'm joking?"
"Give me some face, and let's call it quits this time, how about it?" Shanks said with a heavy expression, speaking with difficulty. "If you hold the auction, it will inevitably erupt into war. This war will sweep across the entire New World!"
He wasn't acting out of saintly compassion, thinking about the consequences of a world war. Rather, once the war began, the Four Emperors would inevitably be drawn in, and the Red-Haired Pirates would be unable to escape.
Regardless of the outcome of the war, at that point, no one could control the situation, not even Phantom.
Vladimir decisively ignored these words. He shook his head and said, "As I said, Shanks, you don't have that much face."
With that single sentence, all negotiations were rejected.
Since the matter had reached this point, Shanks extinguished his verbal persuasion.
He sighed, then his gaze sharpened, and a wave of Conqueror's Haki instantly enveloped the sea area.
"Is that so? Then there's no other way." His expression turned grim, and his aura surged.
Instantly, the calm sea surface became turbulent, with strong winds and rising currents.
It was like the prelude to a storm, the brewing momentum reaching its peak.
"Are you going to fight me?" Vladimir looked as if he saw nothing, calmly asking, "Where do you get the confidence?"
"It's not confidence, it's necessity!"
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