Vice Admiral Holds Sword, Admiral Bows!

Akira certainly hadn't discovered Rayleigh's presence long ago.

When he walked out of the ship's cabin onto the deck, he simply wanted to use his Observation Haki to survey the entire island and understand the situation. He hadn't expected to find Rayleigh, the former right-hand man of the Pirate King, amidst the vast sea of thoughts.

Of course, he could completely ignore Rayleigh's presence, as the current Rayleigh posed no threat to him.

The reason he chose to communicate with Rayleigh via Observation Haki was that he felt it necessary to interact with the renowned Pluto and, incidentally, observe Rayleigh's reaction.

Everything went as he expected. Rayleigh, who had not only been discovered but also had his true identity revealed by Akira, displayed a very complex expression, a mixture of shock and disbelief.

Before Rayleigh could recover, Akira's voice echoed in his mind again, "After this matter is settled, I will make time to visit Shakky's 'Greed Island Bar,' the former Empress of the Kuja Kingdom. As an intelligence expert, she might be of some help to me."

Once again, Rayleigh was astonished that Akira knew Shakky's identity and background so well, causing another tidal wave of shock to surge within him.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Rayleigh suddenly shook his head and laughed, "What a terrifying young man. Is this a warning to this old man?"

Rayleigh did not leave.

Since he had already been discovered by Akira, he no longer hid. He stepped out of the shadows into the sunlight and gazed from afar at the figure standing on the warship's deck. He also transmitted his voice using Observation Haki, saying, "I hope your journey goes smoothly, Navy's new Marshal, Akira!"

On the deck, a smile crept onto Akira's lips. He ceased interacting with Rayleigh and strode forward decisively.

As soon as Akira disembarked, the Navy soldiers who had been waiting on the shore, along with Vice Admirals Strawberry and Bastille, immediately raised their hands in salute and shouted in unison, "Loyalty!"

At the same time, Gion, unbuckling her sword Konpira from her waist, held it with both hands, stepped forward, and bowed, "Lord Marshal."

"Hmm?"

Akira blinked, looking bewildered. "Gion, what are you doing?"

Gion maintained her bowed posture, her expression serious. "Lord Marshal, without a sword at your side, you lose some of your imposing aura."

Saying this, Gion held Konpira aloft, presenting it to Akira.

Seeing this, the Three Admirals standing opposite Gion lowered their heads, clearly also hoping Akira would wear a sword.

Akira did not stand on ceremony. He casually took Konpira and tucked it into his waist. Placing one hand on the hilt, he walked past Gion and the Three Admirals.

As soon as Akira stepped away, Gion immediately followed, with the Three Admirals close behind.

Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr, who were the last to disembark, watched this scene unfold and all broke into smiles. Zephyr, in particular, as he saw Akira, surrounded by the Three Admirals and Gion, heading towards the elevator to Mary Geoise, felt an inexplicable mist rise in his eyes.

He never thought that what he had wanted to do for years but never dared to would be so decisively accomplished by his student, Akira. He believed that the Navy would undergo a complete transformation under Akira's command, becoming a truly righteous Navy.

Gazing from afar at Akira, who confidently walked out after receiving the long sword from Gion, Rayleigh was once again struck with admiration.

Vice Admirals holding swords, the Three Admirals bowing their heads.

Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr attending behind him.

A supernova belonging solely to the Navy was rising.

At this very moment, Rayleigh felt as if the prelude to a brand new era was slowly unfolding before his eyes.

Holy Land, Mary Geoise.

Upon learning from the elevator staff that Akira and his entourage had arrived at the port, Junzi did not dare to delay. She immediately rushed to the entrance with several Knights of God.

When they arrived at the entrance, a familiar figure was already waiting there ahead of them.

"Shamrock?"

Junzi exclaimed in surprise, "Why are you here?"

The man standing at the entrance was none other than Shamrock, the eldest son of Figarland Garling, the leader of the Knights of God.

Unlike Junzi and the other members of the Knights of God, Shamrock, though also wearing a black cloak, had a hooded cloak, which differed from theirs.

If anyone strong in the Grand Line saw the face beneath the hood, they would surely be shocked.

For Shamrock possessed a face identical to Shanks, who had just become one of the Four Emperors after dominating the New World.

Shamrock's gaze remained fixed on the elevator opposite him as he said calmly, "I am also a member of the Knights of God."

"You shouldn't be appearing at this time!"

Junzi's delicate brows furrowed slightly, and she said in a deep voice, "It's not just Gion accompanying Akira to the Holy Land, but also the Three Admirals, Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr. If they see your face..."

"How many secrets do you think we still have?"

Before Junzi could finish, Shamrock interrupted, "Even the existence of Lord Im is no longer a secret. Does my identity still matter to them?"

Hearing this, Junzi said no more. She turned and stood beside Shamrock, looking towards the elevator opposite them.

As she watched the slowly operating elevator, Junzi suddenly felt a sense of nervousness, her breathing becoming rapid.

Sensing Junzi's unusual state, Shamrock's brows furrowed slightly, and he turned his head. "Are you nervous?"

Junzi nodded somewhat shyly, her expression solemn. "You should know what I fear the most!"

"They're almost here!"

The long-haired woman standing beside Junzi suddenly looked up, her gaze fixed ahead as if facing a formidable enemy.

Soon, the elevator ascended and stopped steadily at the entrance.

Following this, Gion and the Three Admirals, who were inside the elevator, emerged before Akira and then took their positions on either side.

Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr were just about to follow when they froze in place, catching a glimpse of Shamrock standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Junzi out of the corner of their eyes.

"Shan... Shanks?"

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Garp was the first to snap out of it.

The next second, he clenched his fists and stormed out of the elevator, roaring at Shamrock, "You bastard, don't think I won't recognize you just because you're wearing a hood! It's one thing to corrupt my grandson, but you dare show your face in the Holy Land!"

"Garp!"

As if sensing what Garp was about to do, Sengoku called out in time, "Don't be rash, he's not Shanks!"

"?" Garp tilted his head to look at Sengoku.

Sengoku didn't explain. He hadn't met Shamrock before, but his reason told him that the person before him was not the captain of the Red Hair Pirates who had recently conquered the New World.

Of course, whether the person before him was Shanks or not wasn't important.

Because compared to the old grievances between Garp and Shanks, he was more eager to see Imu, who had been controlling the World Government from behind the scenes all these years.

The Three Admirals and Gion also noticed Shamrock and showed surprise upon seeing his face, but their surprise was limited. After all, it wasn't difficult for the World Government to clone a person with their advanced cloning technology.

Just then, Akira also walked out of the elevator, a gentle smile on his face as he explained to Garp, "Sengoku is right, this person is not Shanks, but Shanks' twin brother, Choux."

"Chou... Choux?"

Almost simultaneously, Junzi, Shamrock, and the long-haired woman standing beside them widened their eyes in utter disbelief.

Clearly, just as Shamrock had guessed, Akira knew about Imu's existence and therefore knew his identity.

But, but--

What the hell is Choux?