Next Destination, the Holy Land of Mary Geoise

The world of pirates.

Time returned to the moment the Summit War ended.

Akainu was dead,

the only Admiral-level fighter who hadn't been acting was dead.

The death of such a heavyweight had completely shattered Marine Headquarters' morale.

The outcome had already been decided. Kizaru, Aokiji, and Fleet Admiral Sengoku couldn't stop One Piece Duyang either.

For Garp the Hero, since Whitebeard and the others had gone to rescue Ace, and his own grandson Luffy had been involved, he'd been putting on as much of an act as possible.

So when it came to top-tier combat strength, the Marines were at a disadvantage.

To continue besieging the Four Emperors' Whitebeard, along with a mysterious, unfathomable powerhouse capable of killing an Admiral—

that would be no different from turning Marineford into a true graveyard of hell.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku watched as Ace was carried away by Luffy and the others,

gazed at the ruined plaza,

at the fallen soldiers,

and at the terrifying chasm that had torn through the earth.

At last, Fleet Admiral Sengoku gritted out the order: "End the war."

"Prioritize rescuing the wounded and assessing the damage."

The order quickly spread across the battlefield.

After a brief, deathly silence, the remaining Marines seemed both relieved and utterly lost as they began tending to the wounded around them.

However, some Marines wore expressions of unmistakable humiliation.

After a brief moment of shock and elation, Whitebeard's crew quickly gathered at his command and withdrew.

They had suffered heavy casualties and were utterly exhausted, but Ace had been rescued, and Pops was still alive. By any measure, it was a resounding victory.

Under Marco and the others' direction, the Whitebeard Pirates' fleet began its orderly retreat.

The other Emperor, Red-Haired Shanks, had seen that the Summit War was over, so he never showed up.

The reason Marine Headquarters had made a complete turnaround was the arrival of Du Yang.

Du Yang had reminded them of Pirate King Roger and Rocks, the Pirate King of the previous era.

A man who might be able to uphold an entire era all on his own.

Time returned to the present.

Now, Du Yang was temporarily aboard Whitebeard's ship, sailing toward distant shores.

For now, he wasn't interested in Luffy and his crew.

Even Du Yang himself didn't know that, because of his actions in the Summit War, the whole world now knew of the terrifying powerhouse who had appeared.

Du Yang stood on the deck.

The sea breeze carried a salty tang as it stirred the fluttering pirate flag.

The deck was no longer filled with its usual clamor and revelry. Instead, it was shrouded in sorrow.

They had won the war, but many familiar faces would never return.

Oars had sacrificed himself, and countless comrades had fallen at Marineford.

The Whitebeard Pirates had paid a tremendous price.

Ace was wrapped in bandages, his face still somewhat pale and troubled. No one knew what he was thinking.

He carried two large mugs of beer over to Du Yang, who was leaning against the railing and gazing out at the sea, then set one down heavily beside him.

Ace said earnestly, "Pops and Marco have thanked you plenty of times already, but I still wanted to thank you myself."

"Without you, I, Pops, and a lot of other people would've been done for."

He drained his mug in one go.

But whenever he thought of the comrades who had sacrificed themselves, tears streamed down his face despite himself.

Du Yang picked up his mug and raised it in return, saying nothing.

His gaze rested on the distant sea, as if he were deep in thought.

Whitebeard's massive frame sat in his custom chair, a huge bowl of wine in his hand.

Thick bandages covered his chest. Squard's stab and Akainu's heavy blow had left him badly wounded, but his mountain-like presence remained undiminished.

"Gurararara." Whitebeard let out a hearty laugh. "Kid, wherever you're from, whatever your goals may be, the moment you stood up for your family, you became one of us—a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, and family."

He paused, then continued:

"This ship can take you anywhere you want to go. You'll always have a place and a bowl of wine here. If you need anything, just ask."

Just then, Marco came hurrying over with several freshly printed newspapers, looking stunned.

"Everyone, take a look at this."

The newspaper's front-page headlines were printed in shocking, bold type:

<The Marines' Tragedy: Marineford's Inferno; Admiral Akainu, the Navy's Highest Combat Power, Falls.>

<Mysterious Swordsman Splits the Heavens and Shatters Justice—The Age of Whitebeard Is Not Over.>

<The World Order Shaken; Has a New Emperor Emerged?!>

The report went into detail about the final moments of the Summit War, focusing on Du Yang's Conqueror's Haki splitting the sky, his head-on clash with the four strongest Marines, and his horrifying execution of Akainu.

The World Government described him as an extremely dangerous and unpredictable criminal, the most heinous in history. After this battle, his bounty had soared to several billion.

The World Government's highest assessment of Du Yang was:

"Under evaluation. Extremely dangerous."

The newspaper also alluded to Fleet Admiral Sengoku's resignation, saying he had taken responsibility for the defeat. Admiral Aokiji and Kizaru's whereabouts were unknown, and the Marines' morale had sunk as the organization faced an unprecedented crisis of confidence.

Though the Whitebeard Pirates had suffered heavy losses, their core remained intact, and they had even rescued Ace from Marine Headquarters. Their influence had grown rather than diminished, and many forces in the New World who had been waiting to see what happened began reconsidering which side to join.

"A new Emperor?"

Ace furrowed his brow and looked at Du Yang.

Du Yang took the newspaper, glanced over it, and casually set it aside.

He had killed Akainu, saved Ace and Whitebeard, and changed the fates of countless people.

But the world's gears hadn't stopped turning. Instead, with his intervention as a variable, they were accelerating toward an even more unknowable future.

As far as Imu and the World Government were concerned, losing Akainu was no great loss.

Du Yang then walked over to Whitebeard and said with utmost seriousness:

"Sorry, Whitebeard, but I can't join the Whitebeard Pirates."

Whitebeard lifted the bowl, which was larger than a man's head, and took a drink before replying, "Gurararara, I'd already figured as much. A powerhouse like you wouldn't be content to serve under someone else."

Besides, Whitebeard knew better than anyone that even if he hadn't died in the Summit War, he didn't have much longer to live.

His health had already been in terrible shape to begin with.

Whitebeard set down his bowl with a heavy thud, his voice low and serious.

"Kid, with power like yours, what exactly do you plan to do next?"

The deck fell silent at once.

Ace, Marco, Joy, and the others all turned to look at Du Yang.

Du Yang replied casually, "I need to confirm something, so I have to go to Mary Geoise."

"Gurararara~"

Whitebeard's laughter rang out as loudly as ever. He slapped the armrest of his chair, clearly delighted, and laughed so hard he could barely catch his breath as he explained:

"Quite the bold kid, acting like you don't know the limits of heaven and earth! Do you even know what kind of place the Holy Land of Mary Geoise is? It's the heart of the World Government, the Celestial Dragons' lair, and the seat of the Five Elders."