The Night Before the Execution!
The Navy's announcement of the impending public execution of Rayleigh, the King of Pluton, swept the world like a tsunami.
Newspapers around the world prominently featured headlines such as: [The Iron Fist of Naval Justice! The Remnants of the Old Era—Imminent End!]
In the square, people cheered and jumped for joy, and ordinary people were moved to tears, as if they had witnessed the tolling of the bell that marked the end of the Pirate era.
The navy's prestige reached an unprecedented peak at this moment!
Meanwhile, in the New World Totto Land, dark clouds loomed overhead.
Kaido and Big Mom have made a high-profile announcement of their alliance.
They swiftly absorbed a large number of the remaining Pirate forces, expanding their fleet to an unprecedented size.
However, unexpectedly--
This massive Alliance of Two Emperors, large enough to ravage dozens of kingdoms, unusually exercised restraint and refrained from widespread burning, killing, and looting.
Countless people secretly wondered: [Why?]
However, Kaido and Linlin knew perfectly well that the Navy was no longer an opponent they could provoke at will.
Once the boundary is crossed, it gives the navy an excuse to All-Out Assault!
The old and the new, like Beasts surrounded by a powder keg, stand in a cold confrontation, and the world teeters on the brink of collapse.
The Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
The air was still in a luxurious yet quiet treatment room.
Flocks of white doves flew past the window, but they couldn't dispel the oppressive silence inside.
Shanks lay quietly on the hospital bed, his severed right arm wrapped in thick bandages, the blood seeping from the bandages long since dried into a dark red.
His once arrogant gaze was now filled with only deathly silence and trembling.
The doctors saved his life, but they couldn't mend his shattered heart.
"His strength was utterly crushed by Roy..."
"All my comrades are wiped out..."
Even the Red Voss was reduced to ashes...
Every whispered word is an echo of a heart-wrenching nightmare.
What nearly drove him to despair was that piercing statement, still echoing in his ears. "Attack the son you snatched back from your own wife..."
Shanks suddenly clutched his head, his pupils contracted sharply, and his breathing became rapid.
(What exactly is my background?!)
"Squeak--"
The door slowly opened, and Saint Garling walked in, his face ashen.
"I intercepted those three tracking bullets."
His voice was deep and cold, "If Roy is personally controlling things, even I can't protect you."
Shanks jerked his head up, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Saint Garling, his voice hoarse and urgent. "Tell me the truth!!"
"What exactly happened in God Valley?! Who is my mother?!"
The room fell silent, with only the suppressed sounds of heartbeats and breathing echoing in the room.
After a long silence, Saint Garling remained silent for a long time before finally uttering a sentence: "Some truths... are better buried forever."
He turned and walked towards the door, his back as cold and hard as a stone statue.
Before leaving, he left only a somber warning. "The day Rayleigh is executed will be the end of the old era of Pirates."
"If you wish to live, stay in the Holy Land forever."
"Squeak--" The heavy door slowly closed.
Inside, a deathly silence fell.
Shanks clenched his fist and slammed it against the wall!
"Bang!!"
The stone wall trembled, and blood trickled down between his fingers, but he was completely unaware.
"Roy... Navy... World Government..." he murmured through gritted teeth, his eyes filled with a mixture of death and rage.
Suddenly, a vague thought flashed through my mind.
That was arranged by him personally— Teach.
Shanks's face suddenly darkened, and a dangerous glint appeared in his eyes.
The Night Before Execution - Marineford Prison
The cold prison cell seemed to be silently swallowing up time.
Rayleigh and Shakky sat side by side, their hands and feet loosely bound by heavy Seastone chains. The torches outside the iron bars illuminated their three tall figures.
Sengoku, Garp, Zephyr.
They stood silently, their figures like three towering mountains, casting an invisible oppression over the prison.
Rayleigh slowly raised his head, his gray hair falling down, a complex smile in his eyes, "You... have you come to see me off on my final journey?"
His tone carried the same boldness as before, as if he wanted to rekindle old friendships.
Sengoku's expression was cold and stern, his voice like a hammer blow. "Rayleigh! Our old friendships end here!"
"Now is the most important stage for the Navy—the best opportunity to completely end the Great Pirate Era!"
A moment of quiet in the prison.
Rayleigh frowned slightly, his gaze falling on Garp: "You think so too, Garp? Back when you were chasing us all over the world, you weren't so 'Absolute Justice'."
Garp remained silent for a moment, then slowly clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking.
"We were chasing you because, compared to other Pirate crews, the Roger Pirates didn't do as much burning, killing, and looting."
He raised his eyes, his gaze piercing as if trying to see right through Rayleigh: "More importantly, you have attracted the attention of the World Government."
"Otherwise, do you really think Roger, with his capricious nature, could have led the entire Pirate crew on such a carefree existence for so long?"
"--!"
Rayleigh's pupils contracted sharply, and countless images flashed through his mind:
Garp always charged in alone, but Roger always managed to hold him off at the crucial moment;
The navy's encirclement always falls short of the final step;
The World Government's pursuers are always inexplicably restrained.
Was the "freedom of movement" we thought we had all those years ago just a tacitly approved game of chess?
Rayleigh sighed bitterly in a low voice, "So that's how it is... It seems we've truly been deceived by this so-called 'freedom' for far too long..."
Upon hearing this, Shakky suddenly raised her head, her gaze sharp. "So, you now have the confidence to resist?"
Zephyr's face cast a deep shadow in the firelight, and he slowly spoke, "Ah... yes."
"We've finally found... someone who can turn the whole game upside down."
Rayleigh and Shakky exchanged a glance, and at the same time, the name that shook the world came to mind.
They murmured softly, as if recounting a lament for a bygone era:
"Roy..."
Meanwhile, at the Amigasa Village in Wano Country
Before night had fallen, a chaotic commotion filled the village entrance.
Cries, curses, and the clanging of metal mingled together.
Ace, Zoro, and Kuina landed in disguise. Ace, worried about Tama's safety, separated from Zoro and Kuina. They were stunned by the sight before them as soon as they arrived at the entrance of Amigasa Village.
A towering, ferocious figure roamed freely— Jack the Drought, leading a large Beasts Pirates minions into the village!
"Listen up! Hand over all the grain, cloth, and women!!"
Jack's voice boomed like thunder, accompanied by thunderous footsteps that Quake-Split the ground.
The well that Enel dug for the villagers years ago was once their lifeline, but now Jack impatiently stomped on it and destroyed it!
"A mere well? Humph! Ants don't deserve to drink water!"
"Ah--!" The villagers screamed in terror and scattered in all directions.
Tama gritted her teeth, tears welling in her eyes, but she still bravely rushed forward, spreading her arms to block the villagers.
"Stop!! This is everyone's water, you can't—!"
"Smack!"
A low-ranking Beasts Pirates sneered and shoved her away.
"You brat, get out of my way!"
Tama's petite figure staggered and fell to the ground beside the rubble, blood seeping from her knees.
She trembled as she tried to get up, but was completely enveloped by a huge shadow.
Jack's tall, imposing body pressed her down in his shadow like an iron tower.
He looked down at Tama, his fangs gleaming in the cold light, his voice low and cruel. "Hmph... Dare to block my way? You mere brat, are you courting death?"
Tama trembled all over, yet she clenched her fists tightly, her eyes filled with tears and defiance.