Kuke looked down at Ace.
He didn't et the criteria.
Kuke had absolutely no interest, even if Ace had the potential to beco an emperor-level pirate. Due to gender preferences, Kuke's first reaction was simple:
"Get lost!"
But instead of saying that outright, Kuke placed a hand on Ace's shoulder and said, "Kid, try to surpass . I'll be waiting for you out on the seas."
After all, saying sothing encouraging didn't cost him anything.
Anyone can play the role of a ntor.
It was clearly a rejection.
But instead of being discouraged, Ace's excitent only grew. "I will! I'm going to do it!" he declared, pounding his chest with determination.
His dream was now more unshakable than ever.
Shanks watched Ace with a dumb grin, but then turned to Kuke, his face puzzled. "Why did you turn him down?"
Shanks was convinced Kuke could see the sa potential in Ace that he did, so why was Kuke so ruthless in rejecting him? It didn't make sense.
Shanks couldn't wrap his head around it.
There was no reason to reject Ace.
"Kuke, don't tell you've stopped taking on new crewmates?" Shanks said, his tone turning serious. "Out on the seas, crewmates are important. You've got a good crew, but it's too small. If you're heading to the New World, it's not enough."
Shanks glanced over at the Radiant Eclipse ship docked by the shore.
He couldn't help but feel a bit envious of Kuke's crew, especially with Gion (Tsuru) onboard.
Shanks estimated that Gion's strength was at least on par with Ben Beckman's, and she had the potential to beco even stronger in the future.
But aside from Gion, only Hancock seed strong enough to hold her own.
Compared to the mighty forces in the New World, even the Radiant Eclipse Pirates couldn't match up to the Red Hair Pirates.
"If it ca to an all-out war, you'd lose," Shanks said with full confidence.
Jesus Burgess and the rest of the crew lifted their heads proudly, certain of the outco.
With superior numbers, the Red Hair Pirates would definitely win.
"I'll recruit more crewmates," Kuke said calmly, showing no concern.
Although powerful female warriors were rare, they still existed.
Yamato, Big Mom's daughters, and a few others were on his radar.
With the addition of strong Devil Fruits to enhance their power, Kuke was confident that the overall strength of the Radiant Eclipse Pirates would soon rival, or even surpass, the Four Emperors.
Shanks gave Kuke a complicated look as he glanced again at the Radiant Eclipse, his gaze landing on Makino.
Shanks cared more about whether the Radiant Eclipse Pirates were strong enough to protect Makino.
Then sothing clicked for him, and Shanks' eyes widened. "Kuke… don't tell you're only recruiting female crewmates?"
"Is there a problem with that?" Kuke replied nonchalantly.
Shanks made a weird face.
It wasn't really a problem, but no pirate crew in history had ever been made up entirely of won.
"If that's the case, it's going to be tough. There aren't that many options out there," Shanks said, clearly disapproving of Kuke's selective approach.
It was too strict.
Female warriors strong enough to join a crew were extrely rare.
The Red Hair Pirates, for example, were an all-male crew—not because Shanks had anything against won, but simply because no female pirate had ever qualified to join them.
Kuke's decision to only recruit won made it almost impossible for his crew's strength to grow.
"There's no way you'll surpass us," Shanks said confidently.
"That's not necessarily true," Kuke replied with a grin.
Once Kuke had recruited the won he had in mind, the Radiant Eclipse Pirates would surely surpass the other Yonko.
And soon, Kuke's main focus would be finding and recruiting more crewmates.
Shanks couldn't understand where Kuke's confidence ca from.
But he decided not to pry any further.
Inwardly, Shanks prayed that the Radiant Eclipse Pirates would survive.
...
...
anwhile, on the Radiant Eclipse, Gion (Tsuru) furrowed her brows. "They're underestimating us."
"But the reality is, if we fought them in a full-scale battle, we'd lose," she admitted. The Red Hair Pirates were a small crew, but they still had more people than the Radiant Eclipse Pirates, and all of them were strong fighters.
In contrast, the Radiant Eclipse had Makino, Koala, and the others, who were barely fighters at all.
"I will beco Kuke's most powerful right-hand," Hancock declared with determination.
She knew she had to beco even stronger.
Together with Gion, she intended to beco Kuke's left and right arms.
Makino, standing nearby, felt her heart sink slightly.
Despite her short ti aboard, she had co to love the adventure of life on the sea. She enjoyed the company of the crew, and everyone got along well.
For a mont, she imagined what it would be like to travel the seas with the Radiant Eclipse forever.
But then the harsh reality of her own lack of strength hit her, leaving her feeling small and inadequate.
...
...
While the feast continued, the Navy Headquarters in the Grand Line was ablaze with activity.
"Kuke has gone to the East Blue, and Shanks is there too. They've already clashed in a major battle," Sengoku announced, tossing a pile of newspapers onto the table for the high-ranking officers.
Boom!
The news exploded like thunder in everyone's ears.
Kuke and Shanks—either of them was a formidable force that the Navy had to take seriously.
The impact of their battle was only slightly less concerning than if two Yonko had gone to war.
"Let's hope they take each other out," Akainu grumbled through gritted teeth. He was seated at the back of the room. Technically, as a Vice Admiral, he wasn't supposed to be at these etings yet.
Many of the other officers couldn't hide the hopeful glimr in their eyes.
It wasn't entirely impossible.
If Kuke and Shanks destroyed each other, it would be the best outco for the Navy—eliminating two of the fastest-rising pirate crews in one blow.
"Stop dreaming," Sengoku said, cutting their fantasies short. "I've just received word that the battle is over. Neither of them won. Right now, they're probably holding a feast together."
Sengoku, always on top of the latest news, threw so fresh photos onto the table.
"No winner? Does that an Kuke is on par with Shanks now?" Akainu clenched his fists.
Kuke had grown stronger.
At this rate, there would be no way to stop him.
As Garp, who had been yawning in his seat, lazily picked up one of the photos, his eyes widened in disbelief.
He rubbed his eyes furiously.
Looking at the photo again, his jaw dropped.
In the picture, he saw Ace—taken by a reporter who had gotten close enough to snap a candid shot. Neither Kuke nor Shanks seed to care about being seen.
With a loud crash, Garp toppled backward, chair and all, hitting the floor with a thud.
...
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