"Jihahahaha! This era belongs to me, 'Golden Lion' Shiki!"
As Golden Lion Shiki's declaration, brimming with arrogance and ambition, rang out like the loudest clarion call over these apocalyptic ruins being swallowed by the sea, it marked the official opening of a chaotic yet dazzling new era's bloody prologue.
At Shiki's command, the few surviving pirate ships under his banner immediately turned around and, without the slightest reluctance, left this unforgettable slaughterhouse at top speed.
Their eyes no longer held fear of or loyalty to Rocks, only boundless greed and longing for the future.
Meanwhile, in another stretch of sea.
Aboard an enormous, bizarrely styled pirate ship decorated with all manner of desserts and candy.
An immensely fat woman, her face bearing a trace of authority at odds with her figure, coldly watched the direction in which Golden Lion's fleet had departed.
She was Charlotte Linlin, one of the future "Four Emperors."
"Mamamama, that idiot Shiki is still so naive."
Charlotte Linlin let out a strange laugh, her small eyes gleaming with a shrewdness far deeper and more pragmatic than Shiki's.
She glanced at the white figure overlooking everything from the sky like a god, and a chill from the depths of her soul made her shudder involuntarily.
A new era?
As long as that monster still existed on these seas, the so-called "Pirate King" and the so-called "new era" were nothing but a ridiculous joke.
"Mama! What do we do now? The captain-" A long-nosed son approached her, trembling, his voice filled with confusion and fear.
"Shut up!"
Charlotte Linlin whipped around and slapped her son flying, a look of fury appearing on her face.
"From today onward, there is no 'captain'!"
Her bell-like voice resounded throughout the ship, making every crew member in her faction shudder.
**"Rocks is