"Sorry, Rayleigh, Shakky."
Somewhere on Fish-Man Island, Bright said apologetically, "I said I'd treat you properly, but it looks like there's no chance now."
"I understand."
Rayleigh nodded knowingly. "Business comes first."
"Especially when it involves Shanks and that thing."
"Yeah, there can't be even the slightest hesitation now. Well then—"
Bright nodded. "I'm off."
"Safe travels!"
Bright set off.
The situation truly was extremely urgent.
It all had to begin with what happened long ago.
More than thirty years ago, a war that shook the entire world had erupted at God Valley.
Roger, who had not yet been called the Pirate King, joined forces with the Navy's legendary Vice Admiral Garp to crush the Rocks Pirates, who had attacked the Celestial Dragons there, bringing that mad and sinful era to a complete end.
That war had now almost been erased from history by the World Government. Aside from those who had experienced it firsthand and a few well-informed people, many across the seas no longer even knew it had existed.
The reason was that the war had concealed a tremendous upheaval beyond anything the people of the seas could imagine.
The reason the ruler of that most wicked crew, Rocks D. Zebek, had attacked the Island of God was not because he had gone mad and wanted to kill the Celestial Dragons to assert his authority, but because enormous power had been hidden on that island.
The Island of God was a symbol of the Celestial Dragons, the place where the monster known as the King of the Heavens bred.
Though it was one of the three Ancient Weapons said to possess the power to destroy the world, Uranus, like Poseidon, did not have an eternal lifespan.
Eight hundred years ago, it was Uranus's death that had made Joy