I'm the Great Pirate, and I'm waging the Holy Grail War!

Chapter 35: Information Sharing, the First Signs of the Red-Black Battle!

The three blood-red Command Seals, carried in the howling sea wind, conveyed the same message as the mark on Hawkeye's hand.

"You...were chosen too? Have you already met the arbitrator?" Mihawk's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible surprise.

Shanks lowered his arm, a hint of confusion on his face: "Arbitration?"

Shanks couldn't help but shudder at the thought of Dilt's appearance.

I had a lot of dealings with this guy when I was on Captain Roger's ship. He has a really weird sense of humor! He's so annoying!

"I didn't encounter that elusive guy."

Shanks examined the Command Seals in his hand.

"Just a few days ago, while looking at the front page of the newspaper about Captain Roger, my hand suddenly felt a burning pain, and then this thing appeared."

Hawkeye stroked his chin thoughtfully: "So, what Dilt has been saying all along is 'being chosen by the Holy Grail.'"

Shanks shrugged: "The way this 'Holy Grail' chooses people is quite arbitrary."

Mihawk remained silent, his gaze sweeping once more over the Command Seals on the backs of the two men's hands.

Just then, something unexpected happened!

Om-!

The Command Seals on the backs of their hands suddenly began to burn without warning, a strange resonance permeating their being.

The bright red lines seemed to come alive, flowing with radiance, echoing each other, and their frequencies gradually becoming consistent!

A magical energy fluctuation originating from the same source quietly spread between the two.

This sudden resonance startled both of the world's most powerful figures.

Mihawk frowned, carefully sensing this unprecedented phenomenon.

Shanks raised his hand, looking curiously at his own glowing and vibrating Command Seals, then at Mihawk's.

"Oh? Interesting..." Shanks' lips curled into a smile. "Looks like we've been put in the same 'basket'?"

Mihawk did not answer immediately; he recalled the scene when he parted ways with Dieter at the sea restaurant.

After confirming that he and Luffy had become Masters, the arbitrator left behind a somewhat cryptic remark with a smile.

"Interesting. Although the red and black pieces are already on the board, all three of you belong to the 'red' group."

At the time, he thought Dieter was just being mysterious and didn't investigate further.

At this moment, looking at the Command Seals that resonated with Shanks, and recalling Dilt's words, an idea formed in his mind.

"I see..." Mihawk's deep voice broke the brief silence. He raised his right hand, which was also faintly glowing in the resonance, and looked sharply at Shanks.

"When Dilt confirmed that I had become his Master, he said something like: 'Red and black... the pieces have been placed on the chessboard. The three of us... belong to red.'"

He paused, looking directly into Shanks' eyes.

"Now, looking at the resonance of our Command Seals... it seems you, Shanks, also belong to the 'Red' side."

"Red and black?" A glint flashed in Shanks' eyes as he instantly grasped the key information.

"Does this mean... the fourteen Masters of the Holy Grail War aren't fighting a free-for-all? Instead, they're divided into two factions? The Red... and the Black?"

Beckman, standing to the side, calmly analyzed: "Factional war... is highly likely. This explains the resonance phenomenon between Masters. Masters of the same faction might have some kind of connection, or even... the possibility of cooperation?"

He looked at Mihawk and Kojiro.

Sasaki Kojiro, arms crossed, leaned against a broken stone pillar and nodded slightly upon hearing this.

"The First Vice-Captain is right. In the history of the Holy Grail War, there is indeed a precedent for dividing into factions in the Greater Grail War mode. Masters and Servants of the same faction often need to cooperate to fight against the opposing faction."

"Cooperative operations?" Shanks stroked his chin, glancing at Mihawk with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Kurara! This is really interesting! Mihawk, I never thought we'd be fighting side-by-side? For the victory of 'Red'?"

Mihawk snorted coldly, not denying Shanks' words.

"What is the purpose of dividing into factions? Is it merely to increase the scale and brutality of war?"

He was more concerned with the essence of Dieter's game.

"I'm afraid it's not just that," Beckman interjected, his mind extremely sharp.

"The division into factions must have a core purpose. It may be to compete for some key 'position' or 'resource'."

He pondered for a moment: "Hmm...it could also be due to different conditions for ultimate victory. Dilt...he seems to be orchestrating an unprecedented factional conflict."

Shanks' smile faded, and he said seriously, "No matter what Dilt is up to, and no matter what 'red' and 'black' mean."

"Mihawk, at least we now know that we are, for the time being, 'pieces' on the same side in this game."

He extended his hand: "Sharing information, how about it? About the Holy Grail, about Heroic Spirits, about any information we have about the participants."

Mihawk stared at Shanks' outstretched fist and remained silent for a moment.

He was not one to form alliances, but the complexity of the Holy Grail War and the division of factions made him realize that going it alone was not a wise move.

Mihawk spoke slowly: "An alliance is not out of the question, but before that... I need to know your purpose in joining the war?"

When asked about his purpose, Shanks gave a slightly warm smile.

"The purpose... is because of a mistake I made, and I want to make amends for it."

Hawkeye's gaze met Shanks's; the two unfathomable men scrutinized each other.

After a long while, Mihawk slowly raised his hand, grasped the hilt of the black sword "Night," and held it upright in front of him.

This is a symbolic gesture, representing an acceptance of the intention to cooperate.

"Yes," Mihawk replied succinctly.

"My knowledge is limited. Most of it is information that the outside world already knows. Besides you and me, the confirmed Masters are Ace, Blackbeard, and... Straw Hat Luffy."

"But what we do know is that before Blackbeard was confirmed, Dilt said that the three of us were on the same side, which should be Ace and Luffy."

"Luffy?!" Shanks' eyes lit up. "Haha! He summoned Captain Roger... Luckily, he's on the same side."

His eyes flashed with admiration mixed with a hint of complexity: "Otherwise, I really wouldn't know how to win."

Mihawk continued, "Ace's Servant was Karna, who claimed to be the son of the sun god, and his strength... was unfathomable. You should know that as well."

Shanks and Beckman exchanged a glance and nodded; the title "Son of the Sun God" carried profound significance.

"Furthermore, Blackbeard Teach," Mihawk's voice turned cold, "his Heroic Spirit is unknown, his allegiance is unknown, he is extremely strange, and he is skilled in mind manipulation and resentment attacks."

"I heard that he managed to escape even when surrounded by three parties, including Akainu."

Shanks touched the three scars: "Hmm... this guy is definitely not to be underestimated. I suspect he's 'Black'..."

He made no attempt to hide his wariness of Teach.

Kojiro crossed his arms: "If it's someone skilled in mind manipulation, then it's very likely a Caster (magician). They possess rather strange abilities."

Shanks' eyes lit up: "Caster? Can this class handle demon-type things?"

Kojiro spoke again: "That depends on what kind of demon it is, but generally speaking, yes. After all, the stereotype is that mages are good at dealing with evil spirits."

Shanks smiled and said, "Thank you both for the information. I will share my information in the future as well."

Mihawk asked, "When do you plan to summon it?"

Apple flashed her signature smile: "We'll talk about it later. Since we're already here, how can I not have a drink with you? Hahahaha!"

Shanks glanced at Mihawk, then at Sasaki Kojiro, who stood with his arms crossed, looking relaxed as if he could fight again at any moment.

"Before the banquet, Mihawk, that fight we were just having...would you like to continue? I'm really looking forward to seeing you and Lord Sasaki settle things!"

Mihawk's eyes instantly ignited with fighting spirit, and he gripped the hilt of "Night" once more.

Kojiro straightened up, his hand naturally resting on the "dried meat," a languid smile revealing a sharp edge.

"I'm always ready, Master. It would be a great pleasure to discuss swordsmanship with you."

However, Mihawk slowly loosened his grip on the knife, his gaze fixed on the churning, foggy sea in the distance.

"That's enough for today. There are indeed many mysterious and powerful beings on this sea. Having not encountered a new opponent for so many years, my sword has certainly become somewhat rusty..."

Shanks was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"This is completely unlike something you would say. It seems that you've discovered a new kind of fun today, Mr. Kojiro."

He turned to Kojiro: "Lord Sasaki, I look forward to seeing the special technique you didn't unleash earlier next time."

Kojiro nodded slightly: "I certainly won't disappoint you."

Shanks nodded in satisfaction, then echoed Beckman, "Call the brothers up! Let's have a feast!"

A short while later, the castle was filled with the aroma of wine and joyful noise.

The Red-Haired Pirates surrounded this expert who could fight Mihawk to a standstill, cheering and drinking from time to time.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, Hawkeye and Redhead occasionally glanced at the surging waves in the distance.

Eagle Eyes sees the hidden, yet-to-be-revealed adversaries beneath the surface of the sea, those worthy of his "nighttime" strike.

Shanks sees the turbulent undercurrents hidden within the Holy Grail War, and how the fates of countless people are subtly altered as a result.

The New World, Moby Dick.

Karna earnestly instructed Ace in his training.

"Master, your control over fire is still somewhat lacking..."

Ace remained silent, sullenly eating the food Sachi had brought him, his eyes burning with rage as he looked at the news about Blackbeard's escape from the amusement park.

East China Sea, Going Merry.

Roger and Luffy rhythmically banged on the table: "Keep going! Keep going!"

When Sanji brought over a large plate of grilled meat, the two of them, as if in a competition, devoured the meat in an instant, leaving not a drop of juice.

Sanji and Usopp stared in disbelief: "Seriously, these two guys really do look alike!"

Upon seeing this, Nami's face contorted with rage, and she punched them all in the head, leaving large bumps.

"You two, please stop eating so much! Our supplies are running low!"

Roger and Luffy burst into laughter simultaneously: "Who told this kid/Sanji to cook such delicious food?"

After saying that, the two of them looked at the town of Rogue that they were about to arrive at.