Total Collapse! Luffy Runs Toward Death!

Ron's declaration undoubtedly snuffed out the flames that had just risen in the pirates' hearts!

What he said from the stance of a victor carried far more weight than Whitebeard's revelations.

In any world, the victor was king!

That moment when he stopped the Three Admirals from attacking Whitebeard was what most effectively displayed the Marines' might.

When the footage reached Marineford, the Five Elders, who had been furious moments ago, looked at one another. No one spoke for a long while.

When Ron made his move, they had thought his ambitions no longer stopped at the Marines. Overwhelmed with work lately, they had even developed the intent to kill him...

But what happened afterward?

Ron had issued a warning entirely from the Marines' perspective. While greatly boosting military and public morale, it also left them somewhat embarrassed.

"Ahem... Even so, if the pirates really find One Piece, that... that still won't do."

Longbeard Five Elder spoke with a twitch at the corner of his mouth, trying to ease the inexplicable awkwardness in the hall.

At that, the other four nodded in agreement.

"That's right!"

"Yes."

"Exactly."

"I second that..."

And then...

Everyone fell silent again.

As the government's decision-making body, the five of them had not felt this way in a long time. Their minds had previously been full of tangled thoughts, but now they simply wanted some peace and quiet.

Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

The more deafening the Marines' roars became, the paler the pirates' faces turned.

Ron's strategic retreat had struck directly at the pirates' fatal weakness, once again drowning out Whitebeard's use of his life to awaken the world's longing for freedom.

For a moment, every pirate felt an overwhelming despair rise in their hearts.

The sea was vast, but where could they call home?

Even