*Chapter 213: Give Me Some Face*

Charlotte Linlin held her large sword, with a red glow radiating from it!

As sparks fell casually from the blade, the ground beneath her turned into a sea of fire.

Yet Charlotte Linlin didn’t seem to care at all.

Her gaze was fixed solely on one figure—Kuzan!

Even though she had lost an arm, it didn’t seem to affect her much.

Even with just one arm, she could still wield Napoleon with ease.

But against someone as powerful as Kuzan, if she wasn’t at her peak, there was a good chance she could lose.

However, the current Charlotte Linlin seemed to have gone mad, completely ignoring her injuries as she swung Napoleon wildly at Kuzan.

Even for Kuzan, it was hard to handle her relentless onslaught. Most people would hold back to conserve some energy, but this crazy woman was different—she didn’t even care about her own safety, seemingly willing to go for a mutual destruction.

Kuzan couldn’t help but wonder what had ticked her off so much that she came after him. Dealing with Kaido would’ve been easier compared to this.

Right now, Kuzan felt immense pressure, fearing that she might actually take him down with her.

“Divine Avoidance!”

Boom!

At this moment, Kuzan noticed a sharp slash coming from the side.

It seemed the target was Charlotte Linlin, and Kuzan hesitated, choosing not to follow it.

Everyone here had their own opponents. The slash might have come from Whitebeard or that so-called Red-Haired guy.

Of course, there was also the chance it was Uchiha Raijin, though he hadn’t shown up yet.

Kuzan guessed that Uchiha Raijin wouldn’t participate in this battle.

“Hm?”

Charlotte Linlin also noticed the incoming slash. Her crimson eyes flicked towards the source.

In the distance stood a red-haired man, also missing an arm, but he carried himself with far more presence.

Unlike her, who seemed like a crazed beast, he still had the aura of a king.

“Red-Haired Shanks!”

Charlotte Linlin immediately remembered that Red-Haired Shanks had been invited by Uchiha Raijin.

She hadn’t heard from him in a long time, so she had almost forgotten about him.

But now he had the audacity to interfere in this battle—surely he was courting death.

Boom!

Charlotte Linlin charged forward, clashing directly with the slash.

But the slash seemed to curve, dodging her attack.

Bang!

Charlotte Linlin was sent flying back, her gaze filled with confusion, as if she saw a ghost from the past.

It reminded her of a certain someone, someone with red hair and a constant carefree smile. A smile that made it seem like nothing could ever trouble him, stirring hatred in her heart.

She had cursed that man countless times in private.

She had wanted to tear him to shreds!

That man was none other than Gol D. Roger!

The same techniques, the same eyes.

“Linlin!”

Kaido noticed the situation with Charlotte Linlin and immediately stepped back a few paces.

He cast his gaze towards the red-haired figure, meeting a sharp and focused look.

Red-Haired Shanks had appeared, but Kaido didn’t believe he had come to form an alliance.

“Red-Haired... Shanks!”

Kaido stepped to Charlotte Linlin’s side, with Smoothie and King quickly following suit.

The three sides were now locked in a tense standoff!

“The Red-Haired guy actually showed up.”

Sengoku glanced at Red-Haired Shanks, somewhat astonished. Previously, they had underestimated him, treating him as a stepping stone for the Navy.

In reality, this guy had never gone all out and had even helped the Navy at times.

Now, seeing Red-Haired Shanks here, exuding such terrifying strength, Sengoku began to take him seriously. Since Roger’s departure, Red-Haired Shanks had been quiet for a while, seemingly forgotten.

But when he reappeared, he had gathered a formidable crew.

Everyone on his ship was an expert, with no weaknesses at all.

Compared to Whitebeard, Kaido, or Charlotte Linlin, the Red-Haired Pirates were often referred to as an impenetrable force.

This man had built a crew comparable to Roger’s, starting from nothing.

“Everyone, how about giving me some face and ending this farce here?”

“After all, this isn’t any of your territories. It’s not great to cause trouble in someone else’s backyard, is it?”

“If you have issues, settle them out on the open seas. I won’t interfere.”

Shanks walked to the center of the battlefield, with Beckman following closely behind, addressing both the Navy and the two Yonko crews.

Their grudges could be settled later, out on the ocean.

“Mamamamama, who would’ve thought that the kid from back then would dare to interfere in our fight now.”

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten how Roger tricked me out of that red Poneglyph.”

“Red-Haired Shanks, if you want to interfere, you’d better stay here for good.”

Charlotte Linlin, regaining her senses, glared at Shanks.

Seeing his red hair reminded her of that detestable man.

Even after all these years, she hadn’t forgotten.

“Ulalalalala, so you’ve shown up after all. But right now, you’re not qualified to meddle in our fight.”

“Don’t think just because people call you a great pirate, that you’re on our level.”

“Remember, you’re still just a trainee of the Roger Pirates! You’re not worthy of standing before me.”

Kaido laughed loudly, his spiked club hanging loosely in his hand.

His eyes glowed with menace as he addressed Shanks.

Kaido didn’t harbor deep hatred for Shanks, but the territory of the sea was limited.

Right now, the sea was divided between Whitebeard, Charlotte Linlin, the Navy, and him.

If they gave Shanks an inch, he’d soon take a share of the sea as well.

“In that case, let me be the one to end this battle.”

Shanks’ gaze shifted to Sengoku.

Sengoku silently stepped back.

Since this was a fight between pirates, there was no reason for the Navy to get involved.

No matter who won, it didn’t matter much to Sengoku.

They didn’t want any pirates benefitting from this, that was all.

Boom!

Kaido’s face shifted into his beast form, with his tail thrashing violently behind him.

He gripped his club, suddenly launching an attack!

The ground beneath his feet shattered as his massive frame charged at Shanks like a wild beast.

Behind him, Charlotte Linlin summoned a blazing sun, thunderclouds crackling beneath her feet, and her flaming sword at the ready.

She followed Kaido’s lead, attacking Shanks as well!

“Hah!”

A red gleam flashed in Shanks’ eyes, a powerful aura swirling around him.

He completely ignored Charlotte Linlin and went head-to-head with Kaido.

“Man, running into monsters like this right off the bat.”

Beckman shook his head.

There was no other choice.

If the captain wasn’t planning to stop the battle between the Navy and the pirates, they might even have been able to benefit from the situation. But instead, the captain had decided to get involved!

As the vice-captain, he couldn’t just sit back and watch, even if the opponent was a monster like Charlotte Linlin.

Bang!

A shot rang out!

A wisp of smoke rose from the barrel of the gun.

But before the weapon even had time to cool, Benn Beckman charged directly at Charlotte Linlin.

"Admiral Sengoku, shouldn’t we intervene in this situation?" Kuzan (Aokiji) asked, glancing at Sengoku.

“No need. But when necessary, give Red-Hair a hand. Just don’t let him die here—that’s all that matters,” Sengoku responded, shaking his head.

He glanced into the distance and noticed a warrior-like figure watching the battle. He assumed it was someone Red-Hair had brought along and didn’t pay them any further attention.

"Understood!" Kuzan nodded.

There were certain things he had only come to learn after becoming an Admiral, including Red-Hair’s connections with the Celestial Dragons. Even the Gorosei (Five Elders) had to show a measure of respect when speaking to him.

Though Shanks was a pirate, with connections like that, no one in the seas would dare speak openly about arresting him.

But still...

Kuzan didn’t dwell on it and simply kept an eye on the movements of Kaido and Linlin’s subordinates.

“Tsunade, do you need to return to help your village?” Sengoku asked, looking over at Tsunade.

Since Kaido and the others were being held off, Tsunade now had a chance to head back and support Konoha.

“Konoha...”

Tsunade glanced at Senju Hashirama beside her, then looked toward the direction of Konoha. She had also noticed what had happened to Jiraiya earlier when he was injured.

But there was no need.

“No, we’ve already intercepted the greatest threats. If the remaining enemies can’t be handled, it just means they no longer fit in the world of shinobi and deserve to fall.”

“Besides, my connection with that village isn’t what it used to be. There’s no need for me to get involved,” Tsunade said indifferently.

Now it was just Konoha and the Hidden Cloud Village left to fight one-on-one. If Konoha couldn’t win even that, then perhaps the village no longer deserved to exist.

“Hahaha, no worries, Tsunade! If that happens, you can always rebuild Konoha with that Uchiha kid! Just like Madara and I did back in the day,” Hashirama said, slapping Tsunade’s shoulder with a hearty laugh.

Memories of the old days flashed through his mind. But sadly, Madara was gone now.

Maybe, as Madara had once said, there was something wrong with the village he had built. If this time, it was led by an Uchiha, would things look different?

“Grandfather, don’t even think about it. That Uchiha has already founded his own country. He doesn’t need me for anything anymore,” Tsunade sighed, brushing off Hashirama’s hand with a hint of melancholy.

Originally, when she came to the seas, she thought Uchiha Raijin would still need her. But once she arrived, she realized he was only interested in her medical skills.

He didn’t even acknowledge her strength.

The guy really didn’t know how to utilize people.

Even as the granddaughter of the First Hokage, she was treated as expendable.

“What? He’s already built a country? Tell me more,” Hashirama said in surprise.

He had only imagined the Uchiha starting a village at most. But now, they had founded an entire nation!

Clearly, the Uchiha had outdone him. If Tobirama were here, he probably wouldn’t be too happy about this. He might even want to come back to life just to make Konoha a nation as well.

But Hashirama wasn’t bitter about it—he was just curious. Had the Uchiha founded their country with sheer force? How did they get people to follow them?

“He seized control of a country! Then...” Tsunade glanced at Sengoku and went on to explain Uchiha Raijin’s achievements.

Sengoku and Kuzan stood by, pretending not to hear anything, acting like they knew nothing about the matter.

Issho (Fujitora) also stayed silent, glancing from Sengoku to the Admiral.

After all, the whole sea knew about Uchiha Raijin. But no one really talked about it. Since the World Government and the Navy weren’t responding, why should anyone else care about what happened in a World Government member country?

Most people chose to ignore it. But now, Tsunade had brought it up so openly, which made Sengoku a bit uncomfortable.

As a Fleet Admiral, he couldn’t just ignore such remarks. Even if people were going to gossip, they should do it quietly, not in front of him.

But Sengoku knew Tsunade’s nature all too well. She wasn’t the type to spare him any face.

“Zeff-sensei said I should join him at the hot springs when we get back. Sengoku-san, I’d like to request some time off.”

“After all, this trip has been quite exhausting,” Kuzan said, suddenly shifting the conversation toward taking a vacation.

Zeff, his most respected teacher, had invited him. And a little vacation didn’t sound bad at all.

“There’s still so much going on at sea... Ah, never mind,” Sengoku said, at first prepared to deny Kuzan’s request. But then he thought about how things might calm down for a while after this.

With these major pirates likely to stay on their territories for the next few months, there probably wouldn’t be much trouble at sea.

Given that, Sengoku saw no need to refuse.

“Go ahead. Just make sure Garp gets back to work! One of you takes time off, the other has to step up,” Sengoku grumbled, mentioning Garp.

That man had been hanging out in Dressrosa for far too long, and Sengoku was starting to think Garp might settle down there for good.