People are sailing and synthesize the devil fruit of phantom beast sp

Kairos Flint looked at the shocked expression on Shanks' face and couldn't help but feel pleased.

The world didn't know the truth behind Shanks' identity—but Kairos did.

After all, red hair was extremely rare in this world.

And the leader of the God Knights, Saint Garlin, just so happened to have red hair as well. Combine that with the infamous incident at the Valley of the Gods, and the timeline began to line up.

Saint Garlin had lingered at the Valley of the Gods for quite some time before returning to the World Government. Coincidentally, that was also the time a young red-haired boy boarded Gol D. Roger's ship.

Chances were, Saint Garlin had stayed back specifically to search for his missing son.

Years later, when Shanks entered the Holy Land of Mariejois and spoke privately with the Five Elders, he did so with a bold, almost unshakable authority.

That kind of access and demeanor? It could only belong to someone from the Celestial Dragons.

"...How do you know my identity?" Shanks frowned deeply. Only his father and the Five Elders knew the truth. He couldn't imagine how Kairos had found out.

Kairos smirked. "You don't need to know how I figured it out. What matters is, I know. And I have a proposal. You're going to take Roger's place and step onto the battlefield."

"As for your personal objectives, do whatever you want. Oh, and here—take this. A little something extra."

Kairos pulled out an Epic Kendo Crystal and handed it to Shanks.

The red-haired man fell into silence.

He studied the crystal for a long time before finally swallowing it.

A surge of power coursed through him instantly. His swordsmanship, already top-tier, climbed another level.

"Incredible... No wonder Uta became strong enough to rival me in such a short time," Shanks muttered in awe.

He hadn't expected the crystal to hold such terrifying energy.

Kairos clapped him on the shoulder. "Now go cause a proper commotion. By the way, I heard Pluto Rayleigh is also on the move. As the stand-in for Roger, you'd better not mess it up."

Who knew Roger better than anyone?

Aside from Rayleigh, the only one who came close was Shanks himself—a former crew member of the Pirate King.

He knew Roger's mannerisms, sword style, and habits by heart. If Rayleigh and "Roger" ended up face to face, only someone as close as Shanks could pull it off convincingly. Even Vivi might catch on if something felt off—she was that sharp.

And An's fruit ability couldn't be exposed just yet.

Her range extended up to ten kilometers now, and the illusion she created could be sustained for more than three hours—long enough for Shanks to finish his role in the war.

Shanks stayed quiet.

He knew Kairos was up to something. Luring out Golden Lion Shiki was part of it, but there had to be more.

Still, he didn't want to get involved in Kairos's other schemes.

After a deep breath, Shanks looked Kairos straight in the eye and asked, "Then… do you know about my real plan?"

Kairos grinned. "I have a guess, but honestly, I'm not interested."

That was a lie, of course.

When Kairos first arrived in this world, the story hadn't reached this point yet. But even without knowing the full plot, anyone could tell Shanks had been hiding something—and he definitely had his own agenda.

"Fine. Then I accept."

Shanks finally gave in.

But he still had one concern. "How exactly am I supposed to impersonate Roger?"

Kairos chuckled and brought him to the ship's deck. Then he called An to use her Devil Fruit ability.

Within moments, Shanks' appearance had transformed completely.

He looked exactly like Gol D. Roger.

The members of the Red-Haired Pirates were floored.

"What the hell? That's insane!"

Kairos explained the plan to the crew—that Shanks would be going to the battlefield as Roger. However, because of this transformation, the Red-Haired Pirates couldn't participate in the battle directly. Their presence could give away the ruse.

When the crew heard this, they immediately protested.

"Why can't we fight?" Jesus Burgess asked, visibly frustrated. "This is the Battle of the Summit! How can we miss this?!"

Others murmured in agreement. But then Ben Beckman, the calm and level-headed first mate, raised his hand and said:

"We're not participating. As Kairos said."

Jesus Burgess looked baffled. "What? Why not? What's going on?!"

Beckman gave a heavy sigh. "Think about it. If all of us show up on the battlefield without our captain, everyone will guess that the 'Roger' out there is really Shanks in disguise. It'll blow the whole cover."

Silence fell across the crew.

That explanation was so straightforward, no one could argue.

Kairos grinned. "Don't worry, there'll be plenty more wars coming your way. Be patient."

"…What do you mean by that?" Beckman asked, squinting at Kairos.

Kairos just turned toward Shanks. "Ask your captain. I guarantee you won't be disappointed."

The crew all looked to Shanks, confused, but he just shook his head and signaled them not to press the issue.

They had no choice but to let it go.

"For now, we're traveling together."

Shanks knew how vital An's illusion ability was, so he had no choice but to stay with Kairos and his crew.

Kairos didn't mind.

And just like that, their two ships set sail—heading straight for the battlefield.

At the same time, the Whitebeard Pirates were rapidly closing in.

Jinbei stood at the bow of the ship, holding a Vivre Card that pointed them toward Kairos Flint.

"Dad! This is amazing. I feel like my power has leveled up big time!"

Marco soared through the sky at incredible speed. The force of his flight shattered the ocean below, sending twin jets of water dozens of meters into the air.

"I'm so jealous of Marco. Ever since he ate that crystal, he's become a beast," said Vista the Swordsman, eyeing Marco's progress with envy.

Jinbei had brought two Legendary Crystals with him.

Whitebeard had refused to take them for himself.

Instead, he gave them to Marco—his most powerful subordinate aside from himself.

Marco had already been at the peak of a mid-level admiral in strength. After consuming the two crystals, his power skyrocketed.

Now, he had reached the pinnacle of admiral-tier strength, nearly at Yonko level.

You could even say Marco was now a quasi-Yonko.

If he awakened his Phoenix Devil Fruit ability completely, he would definitely become a full-fledged Yonko-level powerhouse.

His regeneration, combined with the Phoenix fruit's flight and resilience, made him nearly unstoppable.

The other captains could only watch in admiration.

But they didn't feel bitter.

They knew that in times like these, any opportunity to grow stronger had to go to their top fighters first.

It was the only way to win the wars ahead.