"Nii-san, are you alright?" After El appeared before Carina and the others, Carina and Nami immediately came over and examined his body, which was covered in faint scars.
Shirahoshi, wearing Bubbly Coral similar to a swimming ring, stood behind the other girls, a worried expression on her face as she looked at El.
"Don't worry, I'm not the one who's really injured." El reached out and touched Carina and Nami's heads, smiling to comfort them. Then he looked at Shirahoshi, who was wearing a large dress, and said apologetically, "Shirahoshi, I'm sorry... I caused quite a commotion this time. Should we leave first and return another time to continue your first exploration of the outside world?"
Shirahoshi nodded like a chicken pecking at rice and said very considerately, "It's okay, Lord El. I can continue exploring the outside world somewhere else."
"How about you?" El then turned his gaze to Yamato.
"Hahaha, I'm the same as Shirahoshi. El, you don't have to worry about me." Yamato grinned while replying.
El nodded and smiled. "I made such a big movement and also consumed a lot of stamina. To avoid sudden trouble from Mary Geoise and Navy Headquarters, let's head directly to our destination."
After saying that, El led Carina and the other girls to the port where the Pegasus was docked. Not long after, the ship soared into the sky and left Sabaody Archipelago.
—
Just as El had said, the disturbance he caused this time was extremely significant—especially given its location, right next to Mary Geoise and Navy Headquarters.
Almost on the second day after the Pegasus departed Sabaody Archipelago, a piece of news and an updated bounty once again caused a sensation throughout the world.
"The Man Who Defeated a Legend From the Previous Era."
The newspaper headline was very simple, but the content shocked the entire world.
Two master swordsmen had fought a life-or-death battle on Sabaody Archipelago, resulting in the destruction of two islands.
Of those two people, one was the individual who had become the Fourth Emperor of the Sea less than a week after entering the New World, with a bounty exceeding 3 Billion Belly—World Destroyer! El.
The other was the deputy commander of the Pirate King, bearing an epithet matching one of the Three Ancient Weapons—Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh.
(Rayleigh's epithet, Mei-Ō ("dark king"), is the Japanese word for Pluto/Hades, the god of the underworld in ancient Greco-Roman mythology.)
As the deputy commander of the Pirate King—the first person to conquer the Grand Line in 800 years—and in an era where the Pirate King had been dead for many years, the legendary name 'Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh' appearing in newspapers again after so long was bound to cause a great sensation. Just like the reappearance of the Float-Float Fruit after more than a decade, Rayleigh's emergence in the news was undoubtedly earth-shaking.
However, what was even more astonishing was that this legendary pirate from the previous era had actually been defeated by a thirteen-year-old kid in this clash between the new and old generations.
With this battle that shocked the world, El completely solidified his status as the Fourth Emperor of the Sea. From now on, he was no longer a Pirate Emperor who had climbed to the top relying solely on his Devil Fruit's power, but someone whose personal strength had truly reached the level of an Emperor.
When someone's individual power reaches the pinnacle of the world and they possess the strategic capability to destroy the world—what kind of terrifying existence would that be?
Such a template had actually appeared decades ago, and that person had even surpassed the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, and the Strongest Man in the World, Edward Newgate.
When the leaders of major factions saw the pictures in the newspapers—snapped at great risk by paparazzi secretly photographing the ongoing battle—they all realized an important truth.
That is, after Kaido, there would be another candidate for 'the strongest man in the world' in these seas. And what was even more frightening was that this second candidate for 'the strongest man in the world' was far too young—he would only turn fourteen in a few months.
At this moment, countless people who also grasped this point believed that 'World Destroyer, El' was more likely to become 'the strongest man in the world' after Whitebeard than Kaido of the Beasts. Because compared to El, Kaido—who had already entered his peak state in all aspects—still couldn't beat Whitebeard.
If no new candidate emerged after Kaido, perhaps he could drag things out until Whitebeard died of old age and then naturally become the strongest man in the world.
However, now another candidate had appeared in the seas expected to compete for 'the strongest man in the world'. Unlike Kaido, who had reached his peak, this opponent was still in the growth stage—and possessed the same type of Devil Fruit as Whitebeard.
Once El entered his peak state, there might be someone in this world who could tie with him, but no one who could defeat him. Just like in the previous era, there were only a few who could draw with Whitebeard, but none who could beat him.
When Mary Geoise and Navy Headquarters realized they couldn't prevent the birth of a super-monster, a new bounty was immediately disseminated worldwide.
["World Destroyer" El, Bounty: 4,023,000,000 Belly, Dead or Alive.]
Defeating one of the legends from the previous era proved that his individual strength had reached the same level as Kaido and Charlotte Linlin, causing his bounty to soar by one billion Belly.
At this moment, El's title of Fourth Emperor of the Sea was finally truly worthy.
Even if Shanks reached the top next year, he would only receive the title of Fifth Emperor of the Sea. Even if he challenged one of the Four Emperors and defeated them head-on—unless he succeeded in killing them—he would still only be the Fifth Emperor of the Sea.
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