"Gods? Where do gods come from in this world? They are nothing more than people with greater power."
Shanks slowly set aside the food in his hand, his gaze fixed on the vision Shirogai projected across the sky. He let out a quiet breath.
"Worse still, those fools have not even mastered the power they hold, yet they suppress the entire world with just a fraction of it."
"This… this statement completely offends the Celestial Dragons!"
If any citizen from a World Government allied nation were present, they would have been utterly shaken by the exchange between Shirogai and Shanks.
"No, that is not right!"
Even if they instinctively felt a trace of agreement, fear would quickly take over. They would look around in panic, desperate to distance themselves from Shirogai.
"This has nothing to do with me! The Celestial Dragons are gods! How could it be as he said? He is a heretic, a pirate! He should be executed!"
The common people feared that if the Celestial Dragons learned they had even heard such words, punishment would follow, bringing ruin upon their homes and islands.
Because to them, this was blasphemy.
In their world, the Celestial Dragons were absolute. Their names carried the title Saint, and they were seen as omnipotent, omniscient beings who could act without consequence.
If they desired something, no one could stop them. Not even kings.
Among the allied nations, one belief stood above all others. The Celestial Dragons must never be offended. They must be respected. They must be obeyed.
Even meeting their gaze without permission was forbidden.
For generations, these so called nobles had stood above the world, proclaiming themselves as gods while looking down on those who provided everything for them. Through exploitation and plunder, they seized most of the world's wealth despite being only a fraction of its population.
Yet people had grown used to it.
Not only did they endure it, they feared and revered it.
"If the Marines sent by the Celestial Dragons did not protect us, pirates would loot everything! Our families would lose everything! We should be grateful to the Celestial Dragons for letting us live in peace."
Inside a small, drafty room, a starving man spoke those words with sincerity.
Elsewhere, a parent struggled against the waves, teaching their shivering child to be thankful to the Celestial Dragons.
Others, driven to the brink of starvation, cursed their own rulers without ever realizing that most of their nation's wealth had already been taken from the shadows, leaving their king to bear the blame.
All of this, countless tragedies repeated across history, now appeared within the clouds and mist shaped by Shirogai.
"Gum Gum, Shirahoshi Gun!"
In the distance, Monkey D. Luffy laughed as he clashed against Loki, his excitement growing with every exchange.
"Hehehe! You can take a Shirahoshi Gun head on! You are really strong!"
Luffy abandoned restraint entirely, fighting with pure joy.
"Hmph! Brat, do not get carried away!"
Loki's lone eye gleamed fiercely.
Boom!
A bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky, striking the land in the distance. Flames surged upward, licking at the massive branches of the Adam Tree.
With Iron Thunder back in his grasp, Loki continuously summoned violent lightning, reshaping the environment of Elbaf itself.
Yet neither Shirogai nor Shanks paid it any attention.
Despite the immense power on display, to them it was nothing more than a scuffle between rising fighters.
Their vision had already moved beyond individual battles.
While others focused on strength alone, Shirogai and Shanks looked at the world as a whole.
Whitebeard sought a family.
Big Mom and Kaido sought dominion over a nation.
But Shirogai and Shanks aimed for something far greater.
The entire world.
"Subtle influence is the most dangerous force of all."
Shirogai observed the battlefield across Elbaf, sensing the shifting tides of advantage and disadvantage among his allies. After a brief pause, he turned to Shanks with a faint smile.
"Still, there will always be those whose spirits cannot be crushed. Lives can be taken, but freedom of thought and the desire for equality cannot be erased. Take the origin of the Grand Line, for example."
A small smile formed on Shanks's lips. His scarred left eye and steady right eye both carried a look of respect.
"Yes, the origin of the Grand Line."
Shirogai continued,
"The Grand Line… why is it called Grand? Is it merely because it circles the world? Who gave it that name?"
He paused briefly.
"Few people remember the answer. It is tied to the history the World Government tried to erase."
Shanks nodded, stepping forward to stand beside him as he looked out over the distant sea, shimmering beneath the sunlight.
"It is ironic. The World Government tried to erase the truth, yet the name Grand Line still remains, remembered across the world. Just as Captain intended."
His voice carried a trace of admiration.
"The Grand Line came into existence after the Red Line divided the world, turning it into a controlled domain for the Celestial Dragons. The first rebels crossed that barrier, entering another isolated region. As they traveled, they carved out a path that would later become known as the Grand Line."
"They recorded their journey using a single Log Pose, mapping lands with unpredictable climates, vast territories, and no clear boundaries."
"Many died along the way. Some became skeletons scattered across the seas. Entire groups were wiped out."
"But others followed."
Shanks's tone grew deeper.
"They used their lives to unite people from different races across both halves of the world, forming an alliance to challenge the Celestial Dragons."
He let out a quiet breath.
"What pirates do now is nothing more than a far easier journey."
"Even knowing how difficult it must have been, I still cannot imagine what those pioneers endured or the price they paid."
"They connected two divided worlds with nothing but their own determination."
"In lands filled with distrust and hostility, they united countless races through belief and resolve, all to overthrow tyranny."
Thud!
"Ugh…"
A figure tumbled into the bushes nearby, hitting a rock before rolling across the ground in pain.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Wait… no… did I just hear something incredible?!"
"Idiot!"
Another figure stepped over him, laughing loudly.
"Can you not walk properly for once?"
The next second, he stepped onto a rolling log.
Thud!
He crashed to the ground, the back of his head striking the same rock before he began rolling as well.
"Hiss! Ah! Ow! Ow! Ow!"
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