"Li Yuan, it truly has been a long time. I never thought we'd meet again," Louis said with emotion.
He knew that with Li Yuan's rising achievements, his presence might cause trouble for him, so he had resolved to remain in hiding. Yet, he hadn't expected Li Yuan to find him.
"Master, I've opened several Infinity Sword Dojos in my territory. I would like to invite you to continue as the head of the dojo at my base," Li Yuan said, carefully couching his true intention—he felt that Louis's presence here was too unsafe.
"Very well, I'd love to see Karu and Kano again," Louis replied, accepting the invitation.
Watching his disciples grow brought him great joy, much more than living in seclusion.
Afterward, Li Yuan and Shakky took Louis back to Wano Country through the mirror world.
At the Infinity Sword Dojo in the Flower Capital of Wano, Kano, Karu, and the other disciples who had once sailed with Li Yuan had gathered.
"Master!!"
Seeing Louis appear, they all shouted excitedly.
To them, Louis was their true master. When they were weak, it was Louis who guided them, leading to their accomplishments today.
Many of them were orphans adopted by Louis.
For them, Louis was like a father figure.
"Good, good, you've all grown up and become successful."
Seeing his disciples thriving, Louis was deeply gratified, his eyes moistening with emotion.
"Master, we've prepared a welcome banquet for you. Let's have a drink and share our experiences from these years."
With a wave of his hand, Li Yuan promptly organized a banquet.
At the banquet, the disciples and their master drank heartily, reminiscing about the past, as if they were back on Feiqing Island learning swordsmanship together.
"Master, these are my three wives: Shakky, Lazuli, and Yadina, and these are my five children."
Besides the disciples from the dojo, Li Yuan's family was also present at the banquet.
"Master!!" × 3
"Grandmaster!!" × 5
Hearing Li Yuan's introduction, Lazuli, the children, and others greeted Louis respectfully.
"Good, good, Li Yuan, you've done well, settling down with a family."
Louis looked approvingly at Lazuli and the children, clearly pleased.
"Karu, Kano, you should learn from your senior brother. You're old enough to start a family," Louis then turned to Kano and the others.
"Master, we're still young, no rush..."
Despite Louis's urging, Kano and Karu couldn't help but blush.
They had never thought about marriage, finding freedom and leisure more enjoyable than being tied down by marriage.
The banquet lasted until the evening before it finally ended.
Sea Calendar Year 1486:
It had been two years since Rocks's death, during which time all of the Rocks Pirates' officers had been furiously seizing territories in the New World.
Even Whitebeard, who cared little for territory, had started claiming islands as his sons rallied around him.
These officers tacitly avoided expanding into each other's territory, so no conflicts had erupted between the major pirates.
But as time passed, most of the New World's territories had been divided among the Rocks remnants.
The remaining territories were either small, fragmented islands or remote, harsh, and undeveloped regions.
Any prosperous islands had long been claimed.
During this expansion, the Golden Lion had claimed the most territory due to his mobility.
Li Yuan and John ranked second, having each conquered a World Government-affiliated nation.
Their territories were only slightly smaller than the Golden Lion's, as they had initially claimed prime locations near the New World's bustling center.
Ranking third were Wang Zhi, Silver Axe, and the Violent King Branton, whose territories were about equal.
The fourth tier included Whitebeard, Wald, Charlotte Linlin, and Roger.
Whitebeard and Wald were uninterested in territory, while Charlotte Linlin focused on her home and only expanded slightly.
The Roger Pirates, though adventuring throughout the New World, planted their flag on some territories, claiming them.
"It seems a great war is about to erupt!" Li Yuan mused with a smile after reviewing the intelligence Shakky had provided.
He eagerly anticipated that day. Since his last encounter with Garp, he hadn't truly fought, only training diligently.
Every month, he would 'guide' his captains and officers with a sparring session.
Expanding territories was left to Ashura Doji and the captains.
As they expanded, countless battles and skirmishes rapidly strengthened the captains and Ashura Doji.
The Infinity Pirates' power grew with their expanding territories.
Now that the New World's territories were almost all claimed, further expansion would require seizing territory from other major pirates.
Fortunately, everyone was wise and chose not to act immediately.
Instead, they opted for a period of rest and recuperation, as the territories had been claimed but their potential hadn't been fully tapped.
Many benefits could only be reaped after fully establishing control over territories.
Thus, the major pirates tacitly agreed to bolster their crews and prepare for the impending war.
Neither the Navy nor the World Government outwardly acknowledged the New World's disorder.
The Navy remained stationed at the New World's front, not venturing deeper, silently guarding their territories.
In reality, the World Government had infiltrated all the Rocks remnants' pirate crews with spies, gradually improving their ranks to incite conflicts with other crews.
For pirate crews in rapid expansion, it was easy for spies to infiltrate and rise, except in the Infinity Pirates.
"Damn World Government, they take our heavenly tribute but won't let the Navy eliminate the pirates!"
Pirates ruling the New World was a disaster for the member nations.
When Rocks ruled the New World, many nations were destroyed, while the rest accepted the Rocks Pirates' flag.
They had hoped for better days after Rocks's death, but the Rocks remnants rose again, claiming the New World.
The last nine member nations were left untouched, giving the Navy no excuse to target the major pirates.
In truth, two Navy Admirals could defeat any Rocks remnant pirate crew.
But they feared the pirates would unite against them, so they held back, trusting the World Government's plan for the pirates to destroy each other.
Whitebeard Pirates:
"Dad, let's keep claiming more territory!!"
"Yeah, Dad, are we afraid of the Golden Lion and Wang Zhi?"
Having just claimed another island, Marco, Jozu, and others were excited, eager to expand.
Even if the Flying Pirates and Wang Zhi's crew bordered their territory, they believed the Whitebeard Pirates were the strongest in the New World.
"Gurararara, sons, we have too few people. Even if we claim more territories, we can't hold them."
"Let's consolidate and develop our territories first. When we have more people and you're stronger, I'll lead you to claim more land," Whitebeard laughed, quelling his sons' impulsive ideas.
Though not afraid of the Golden Lion and Wang Zhi, Whitebeard had protected his sons too well, and they didn't understand the world's harsh realities.
If they fought Wang Zhi's crew now, even though Whitebeard was confident he could defeat Wang Zhi, his sons might be slaughtered before he could win.
These were his beloved sons, and he wouldn't risk their lives.
"Alright, Dad, when we've grown stronger, we'll defeat Wang Zhi's crew and the Flying Pirates to make the Whitebeard Pirates the strongest in the New World!" Marco and Jozu declared enthusiastically.
"Gurararara, to celebrate our victory over another island, let's have a banquet!" Whitebeard laughed heartily.
He was aware of his sons' flaws but couldn't bear to crush their confidence.
Confident in his own strength, he believed that as long as he was there, no one could harm his children!
In the bedroom of the shogun's residence in the Flower Capital of Wano, Li Yuan stood outside the room, nervous.
"Li Yuan, with Lazuli here, Yadina will be fine," Shakky reassured him, holding his hand.
"Yes, Yadina will be alright," Li Yuan exhaled deeply, though he held Shakky's hand tightly.
"Wah wah!!!"
A baby's cry from the room finally eased Li Yuan's tension.
"Yadina, are you okay?"
Li Yuan rushed into the room, concerned for the pale-faced Yadina.
"I'm fine. This is our son; you should name him."
Yadina smiled, holding the newborn who was crying loudly.
"This little guy has big, bright eyes and is lively. He'll probably be a warrior one day. Let's name him Andre Ares."
Li Yuan smiled.
He named his son after a legendary warrior known as Ares.
"Ares, did you hear that? That's your name," Yadina doted on the baby Ares.
With his son's birth, Li Yuan cut back an hour of his daily training to spend time with his family.
Half a month later, after returning to Wano from training, Li Yuan received a call from the Golden Lion.
"Jihahaha, Li Yuan, are you interested in the Kingdom of Hasmu next to your territory?"
The Golden Lion chuckled.
"Oh? Seems you're planning to attack the Kingdom of Chared next to your territory, and you want to team up again like last time."
Li Yuan quickly deduced the Golden Lion's intentions.
Their previous cooperation had been successful, giving them a taste for collaboration.
With the New World's territories saturated, targeting member nations seemed the only option without clashing with other major pirates.
"Jihahaha, exactly. Our last collaboration was enjoyable, so I'm proposing another one."
"I've invited John, Wang Zhi, Silver Axe, Wald, and Branton. Their territories are all near a member nation."
The Golden Lion explained.
Whitebeard's territories had no member nations nearby.
Charlotte Linlin was focused on her family and had no plans to venture out, so the Golden Lion hadn't invited her.
"Have they all agreed?"
Li Yuan asked curiously.
"Jihahaha, in the face of absolute benefits, no one can refuse my invitation!"
The Golden Lion replied confidently.
"In that case, I won't refuse either. When do we start?"
Li Yuan agreed, knowing he couldn't pass up such an opportunity.
Even if it risked World Government retaliation, the potential gains were worth the gamble.
"Tomorrow, we'll act together!"
The Golden Lion declared.
"Alright, no problem!"
Li Yuan agreed readily.
During the Rocks era, they hadn't crushed the member nations because the Rocks Pirates couldn't manage territories.
They maintained control by collecting tribute, akin to protection money, like the World Government.
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