Their Respective Departures

Azure Dragon snorted in the air, carrying the Three Calamities, who had barely managed to climb onto its back.

King wore a cold expression, Queen cursed as he injected himself, and Jack was still dazed.

The next second, they vanished beyond the horizon.

Shanks looked at where Akainu had fallen, then at the crushed "Green Bull seedling." He sighed softly, took off his straw hat, and pressed it against his chest for a moment.

He turned to First Mate Beckman, his voice low. "Beckman, clean this up. Bring... our surviving Companions, and... our brothers who died in battle... as well as..."

His gaze fell upon the cold corpses of Garling and Shamlotte not far away. "...the remains of these two gods. They gave it their all today too."

A mellow harmonica melody tinged with faint sorrow began to play. The Red-Haired Pirates silently gathered their comrades and slipped away to the sound of the harmonica, their hearts heavy and their backs especially desolate.

Luffy, wearing a green straw hat, shouted, "Meat! Sanji! Where's the meat?! I'm starving! The war's over, right? Party! Let's have a party!"

"Hey, Luffy, the exit is... Hmm? Where are we?"

Three-Sword Style Great Swordsman Zoro stared at the completely unfamiliar ruins in confusion. Apparently, he had gotten lost again.

"Waaah... We're alive! That's great, Usopp/Chopper! I thought we were done for just now!"

The two hugged each other and burst into tears, their faces smeared with snot and tears.

Afterward, the Straw Hat Pirates began retreating in an utterly chaotic fashion.

Revolutionary Army soldiers marched out, escorting a long line of Celestial Dragons bound in special Seastone shackles.

These former "Descendants of Creators," once perched high above all others, were now ragged and covered in dust. Yet many still could not shed the arrogance ingrained in their bones.

"You lowly insects! How dare you treat the great Creators like this!"

"Let me go! My father is...!"

"Do you know the consequences?! The World Government will crush you ants!"

Belo Betty, the Revolutionary Army officer in charge of escorting them, remained expressionless, her eyes cold.

She could not even be bothered to waste words. She walked straight up to the loudest, fattest Celestial Dragon.

Slap!

A crisp, powerful slap across the face!

The fat Celestial Dragon froze instantly. A clear five-finger print appeared on his face as snot and tears streamed down together.

"A prisoner should act like a prisoner."

Betty spoke coldly, her voice carrying through the loudspeaker. "One more word, and the next slap will send you spinning."

In an instant, most of the Celestial Dragons fell silent, leaving only fearful whimpers.

In the middle of the line, Shalria Palace and Saint Charlos watched everything in terror.

Shalria Palace looked at Allen, surrounded by people in the distance, then at the fierce-looking Revolutionary Army soldiers. A thought struck her like lightning!

She jabbed Charlos, who was still sniffling and trembling in fear, with her elbow. "Idiot brother! Shout! Shout that name!"

Charlos looked utterly lost. "Huh? Which one?"

Shalria Palace grew anxious and lowered her voice. "Lord Allen, idiot! Hurry and say we belong to Lord Allen!"

As though they had seized their last lifeline, the siblings screamed at the top of their lungs with every ounce of strength they possessed.

Shalria Palace yelled, "We belong to Lord Allen! We're on your side! Let us go, let us go!"

Saint Charlos quickly added, "That's right! Lord Allen! I'm Charlos! Your most loyal servant, Charlos! We're on your side! Don't hit us!"

That shout left even the Revolutionary Army dumbfounded.

Betty frowned at the two Celestial Dragons, their faces streaming with tears and snot, their expressions exaggerated, then looked suspiciously toward Allen in the distance.

What was this supposed to be? Celestial Dragons defecting? Or some new scheme? She signaled her subordinates to stop, had the siblings pulled from the group, and escorted them to Allen, who was quietly speaking with Dragon.

Allen had been discussing postwar matters with Dragon. When he saw the siblings being brought over, along with their expressions as if they had finally found their real father, the corner of his mouth twitched.

He sighed helplessly and said to Dragon, "Hey, Dragon, sorry you had to see that. These two... uh, living treasures are with me. I picked them up before. They aren't very bright, but... I suppose they count as our own."

The moment the siblings heard the words "our own," they erupted into earth-shaking wails. Like children who had suffered the greatest injustice, they scrambled and crawled toward Allen. "Lord Allen! Waaah... They're so scary!"

"Lord Allen, save us! They hit me! Waaah..."

Snot and tears mixed with the dirt on their faces, about to smear all over Allen's still relatively clean battle robe.

Allen reacted quickly, extending two fingers to precisely press against their foreheads and stop the biological attack.

His brow furrowed so deeply it could crush flies, and his voice was filled with undisguised disgust. "Stop! Stand properly! Cry one more time, and I'll throw you two snot-nosed brats back into the Celestial Dragon crowd and let them take good care of you!"

Those words worked better than any tranquilizer.

The siblings' cries stopped as abruptly as a radio being switched off. Only suppressed sobs and terrified gazes remained as they obediently huddled behind Allen like two frightened quails.

After their initial shock, the other Celestial Dragons erupted in even greater fury and contempt. "Traitors! Lapdogs! The shame of the Celestial Dragons!"

"Shalria! Charlos! You are unworthy of being descendants of gods!"

"Just wait to be purged, you commoners!"

Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!

The Revolutionary Army officers had been waiting for this moment. Betty did not even need to give the order before a barrage of crisp slaps exploded through the crowd like firecrackers.

The shouting Celestial Dragons instantly became blood-mouthed pigs clutching their swollen cheeks. They finally behaved themselves, leaving only frightened whimpers.

Dragon watched the chaotic scene, darkly humorous as it was, rubbed his brow, and said to Allen, "Leave this to me. Someone has to clean up this mess. Take them back to rest first. Hachinosu Island needs someone holding it down too."

He was referring to Hancock, Yamato, Nana, Perona, and the others behind Allen, all looking at him expectantly, along with the lively Celestial Dragon siblings.

Allen nodded. He did indeed need to return and deal with "the one in the space."

He snapped his fingers, and a distorted spatial vortex appeared beside him.

"Let's go, wives. And you two... stay close. Don't get lost." He stepped into the vortex first.

Hancock instantly perked up. "Yes, Husband Lord! This Empress is coming!"

Yamato, Nana, and Perona followed closely behind.

Terrified of being left behind, Shalria Palace and Saint Charlos scrambled into the vortex after them, still shouting, "Wait for us! Lord Allen!"

Dragon looked over the enormous mess before him—the devastated battlefield, the captured top brass of the Navy, Army, and Air Force, Kong Garp, Kizaru, and the others, the Celestial Dragon prisoners, and the busy Revolutionary Army soldiers.

He took a deep breath, his gaze turning resolute. "Begin. The prelude to the New Era... will be written by us."