Robin seemed not to hear Bege's question, completely absorbed in her research. After several minutes, she finally finished deciphering the Poneglyph.
She turned to Bege and said, "The main content of this stone records the location of an island."
Bege nodded in understanding. He knew that each of the four Road Poneglyphs recorded a specific location. When these four points were connected on a map, the center of the intersection would reveal the location of the final island, Laugh Tale.
With a thought, the Road Poneglyph shrank rapidly and flew into his internal castle. He didn't know if this particular stone had any other special uses, so he decided against consuming it for now.
"Since we have the Road Poneglyph, we can go," Bege said, standing up. He sent Mansherry back into his castle-body. Robin followed behind him as they walked out of the giant Whale Tree.
Bege glanced at a nearby thicket of trees. "Go back and tell Master Nekomamushi and Duke Inuarashi that I've taken the Road Poneglyph for now," he said coolly. "I hope they won't hold the earlier battle against me. By taking this stone, I now owe the Mink Tribe a favor. If there's ever a time you need my help in the future, I will lend my aid."
After speaking, Bege and Robin boarded their airship and flew away.
From the thicket, Pedro emerged, watching with a complicated expression as the airship flew further and further away. He then turned and went back inside the Whale Tree.
Bege didn't leave Zou immediately. Instead, he flew toward Zunesha's head, landing on it. He walked through the air until he was in front of one of its eyes, which was as massive as a mountain.
Zunesha's eyes were dim and lifeless, without a trace of color, as if it were an inanimate object. Having lived for thousands of years and walked the seas day and night for at least several centuries, it had long grown numb.
Bege stared at Zunesha. After a few minutes, its eye twitched, and a pupil materialized in the gray iris. It looked at Bege.
As they stared at each other, Bege spoke. "I know you can understand me, Zunesha. Tell me your origin. Who was it that punished you, forcing you to walk this sea day and night?"
Zunesha let out a low rumble. Bege's brow furrowed; he couldn't understand the meaning behind the sound at all. He tried to communicate a few more times but finally confirmed that, unlike Luffy or Momonosuke, he could not hear the voice of all things.
"I should have brought Shirahoshi with me. Maybe she could have understood Zunesha's voice," Bege thought with a sigh, and had no choice but to leave.
The four known Road Poneglyphs were now in his possession. The remaining Poneglyphs were scattered across the world. Whitebeard, Kaido, and Big Mom all had Poneglyphs in their possession, with Kaido and Big Mom each holding one of the final two Road Poneglyphs. However, Bege did not yet have the power to take them by force, so he could only search for the other, regular Poneglyphs for now.
Poneglyphs were objects that could not see the light of day. Any power that obtained one would surely hide it deep away. Furthermore, the ones that hadn't fallen into anyone's hands were hidden in secret locations. Without clues, searching for them in the vast sea was like finding a needle in a haystack. It was bound to be a long process.
While Bege was searching for Poneglyphs, the great pirate crews of the New World were already brewing a storm that would engulf the seas.
Led by the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates, they began to expand their territories with impunity, attacking Marine bases throughout the New World.
The Whitebeard Pirates also made their move. In the past month, they had destroyed two Marine bases, and Whitebeard and Garp had clashed several times.
Other major pirate crews also formed alliances. It was as if they all had a tacit understanding to drive the Marines out of the New World.
According to the intelligence he had gathered, someone was trying to unite the major pirate crews of the New World to achieve this goal, and the plan had been met with an enthusiastic response. Many small and medium-sized crews also joined in, wanting to be part of the action.
The masterminds behind this were likely the Beasts Pirates or the Big Mom Pirates.
In recent years, the number of pirates had exploded, and every crew had grown significantly in strength, especially the larger ones. This surge in power naturally brought a surge in confidence. Every major pirate crew was now convinced they could drive the Marines out of the New World.
The Marines, of course, were unwilling to retreat. To stabilize the situation, they began to mobilize forces from the four seas, continuously sending reinforcements to the New World.
Of the previous generation of three Admirals, Marine Hero Garp and "Black Arm" Zephyr both appeared in the New World. Combined with the three current Admirals, the New World now had five Admiral-level powerhouses present.
In addition to the Admirals, there were thirteen Vice Admirals from Marine Headquarters and the New World garrisons, more than twenty Rear Admirals, and countless Commodores and other commissioned officers. The World Government even dispatched elite members of its CP organizations as reinforcements.
This staggering deployment of troops showed that the World Government was determined to hold its bases in the New World and would never allow it to become pirate territory.
The largest-scale melee in the history of the Marines and pirates was about to begin.
Upon learning of this, Bege stopped his search for Poneglyphs and immediately returned to Fire Dragon Fruit Island. His top officers were summoned from their respective islands to discuss the matter.
"This battle will completely change the landscape of the New World," Bege said, his eyes deep with thought. "At the same time, it will be the battle that establishes the Five Emperors."
The title of "Emperor of the Sea" did not yet exist in the New World, and a portion of the sea was still under Marine control, unlike the New World of the original story. Bege knew that there was destined to be a great war between the Marines and pirates. After that war, the Marines would be driven out, and the pirates would become the rulers of the New World.
And after that great war, four dominant pirate crews would emerge, becoming the Four Emperors of the New World. That was the origin of the Four Emperors.
Of course, in the current New World, his Fire Tank Pirates had to be added to the equation. Bege was absolutely confident that he could secure a throne for himself.
Thus, the Four Emperors would become the Five Emperors.
"Then this is a battle we must fight," Moria said, his eyes filled with fighting spirit. All the other officers looked eager to prove themselves. They were aware of the concept of the Five Emperors, and as officers of the Fire Tank Pirates, who among them didn't want their crew to rise even higher?
"Fight? Of course we'll fight! I'm going to take down that yellow monkey!" Enel exclaimed, his hatred for Kizaru burning as brightly as ever. He was always looking for a chance for revenge.
"'Emperor of the Sea' definitely sounds a lot better than 'overlord'," Hank chuckled.
Bege looked around at everyone, seeing the fighting spirit in their eyes, and laughed heartily. "Of course we'll fight! We have a major grudge with the Marines. Whether it's for the title of Emperor or for revenge, this is a battle we must fight. And we must fight it beautifully. One battle to decide the fate of the world."