It was finally over.
Bright looked at Shanks. The man's face was already split by an uncontrollable, radiant smile, but at that moment, Bright felt as though he could not hear Shanks's laughter at all.
No one in this world was better at listening than he was, yet right now, he felt as though he could hear nothing.
His heart had never felt so peaceful.
Once he realized that everything had finally come to a complete end, all the hesitation, confusion, excitement, and exhilaration of the past vanished.
What remained was only an unprecedented calm.
This was probably what Imu had once called peace of mind.
The Sword of Damocles that had always hung high in the sky had finally disappeared.
Just like when he looked up now, all he could see was an endless, boundless expanse of azure sky—utterly open, without any obstruction or restraint.
Bright finally smiled.
He was so happy.
Everything was over. Ever since his memories had awakened, all his troubles had finally dispersed at this moment. The ultimate goal had been achieved.
What came next would be an unprecedentedly wonderful era.
"Bright!!"
A battered great ship sped toward them from afar. On its deck, Bright's old friends had tears streaming down their faces as they excitedly shouted his name.
Dragon directly transformed into a gale and crossed the skies. The next second, he took shape before Bright and gave him a fierce, heartfelt embrace.
"You did it, my friend! You did it!"
Bright could feel the body of this man, as free as the wind itself, trembling slightly. "You defeated Imu. You brought a brand-new future to this world!"
Bright returned the embrace just as warmly. "We did it!"
That was what he said. "We defeated Imu. We defeated the World Government. We changed everything.