What Shanks actually took away—
Was only Whitebeard's body.
Ace's body had already been burned to ashes by Akainu's magma—
Leaving behind nothing but fragments of bone.
Not long after Shanks departed—
Mihawk caught up.
Traveling alongside Shanks—
Were the grieving remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates:
Marco, Jozu, Vista… and the rest.
After boarding the ship, Mihawk frowned.
"Shanks… where is Beckman?"
"As your right-hand man, your vice-captain… he should be here."
Shanks' eyes dimmed with sorrow.
"Beckman is dead."
"He died saving us… killed by Kaido and Charlotte Linlin… after they fused into a single giant."
"…What?!"
Mihawk was shaken to his core.
Beckman—
Was on par with Shanks.
Even comparable to Mihawk himself.
And yet—
He was killed?
And from Shanks' tone—
If he hadn't fled—
He would have died too.
What kind of power—
Could push two Emperors to such a terrifying level?
Mihawk took a deep breath.
"A fusion giant…"
"You mean… the legendary fusion earrings?"
Shanks nodded with a bitter sigh.
"Yes."
"The fusion boosted their strength to an unimaginable level."
"Their combined technique—'Supreme Conquest: Ocean Sovereign'—had the power to destroy everything."
Mihawk fell silent.
Completely stunned.
After a long pause, he spoke:
"Shanks… the one you lost to wasn't Kaido and Big Mom."
"It was that man."
Shanks understood immediately.
There was only one person Mihawk could mean—
Luo Xing.
It was his inventions—
That had completely changed the structure of war.
Especially—
At the level of top-tier fighters.
In the past—
Battles between such monsters would last days and nights.
With the Red-Haired Pirates' strength—
Even if they couldn't stop Kaido and Big Mom—
They could have retreated safely.
But reality—
Had been brutal.
They paid the price of Beckman's life—
Just to escape.
And the root cause—
Was Luo Xing.
In other words—
Shanks hadn't lost to Kaido or Big Mom.
He had lost—
To a man who wasn't even there.
Mihawk continued:
"That man used the Paramount War as a turning point."
"On one side, Kaido and Big Mom seized Whitebeard's territories."
"On the other, he personally destroyed Impel Down and took Sabaody."
"The war may be over…"
"But it's only the beginning."
"A greater war is coming."
"One no one can stop."
"A new era… is about to arrive."
He looked at them all.
"So… what will you do?"
Silence.
Long… heavy silence.
Marco spoke first, his voice hollow:
"I'll bury Pops… and Ace… in his homeland."
"And then… I'll stay there."
"As for the world… and whatever comes next…"
"It has nothing to do with me."
Jozu, Vista, and the other commanders exchanged glances.
The allied crews of Whitebeard would scatter.
But they—
Had nowhere else to go.
The Moby Dick—
Was their home.
And now—
It was gone.
Destroyed by the Marines…
But the true culprit—
Was Blackbeard.
Their fists clenched tightly.
"We won't let Teach get away with this."
"We'll avenge Thatch… and Pops!"
Shanks opened his mouth—
But stopped.
He knew—
Even if he tried to persuade them—
They wouldn't listen.
With a sigh, he finally said:
"The era cannot be reversed."
"But I still believe…"
"The new era… will not be started by Kaido."
Mihawk asked calmly:
"And why are you so certain?"
Shanks raised his left arm—
Or rather—
What remained of it.
"Because… I already bet this arm on the new era."
His belief—
Never wavered.
The straw hat inherited from Roger.
The Sun God Nika fruit.
The will of the D.
Luffy—
Was Joy Boy.
The one who would change the world.
Not Luo Xing.
Not Kaido.
Not anyone else.
And Shanks wasn't alone.
Rayleigh believed it too.
He had already gone to the Revolutionary Army—
To train Luffy.
To accelerate his growth.
To awaken that power—
Before the world fell into chaos.
Shanks gazed into the distance.
"I'll be waiting in the New World… Luffy."
Meanwhile—
At the top of the world.
Red Line.
Mary Geoise.
Within the depths of Pangaea Castle—
The Five Elders knelt trembling.
Before—
Im.
"You failed to kill that man…"
"And instead allowed him to destroy Impel Down and seize Sabaody…"
"You five are worthless."
The Five Elders trembled violently, drenched in sweat.
"We deserve death, Lord Im!"
"We will correct this immediately—we will retake Sabaody!"
"Then go!"
Im's voice thundered.
"If you fail…"
"Don't bother returning."
"…Yes, Lord Im!"
They rushed back to the Hall of Authority—
Immediately summoning Kong.
At that moment—
Sengoku arrived as well.
The Five Elders exploded in fury:
"Sengoku! Look at the disaster your Marines caused!"
"Impel Down destroyed! Do you understand the damage to the Government's authority?!"
"And Sabaody—have you already decided to hand Mary Geoise over next?!"
Sengoku's expression darkened.
But he didn't argue.
Instead, he said coldly:
"This is my responsibility as Fleet Admiral."
"I am here to resign."
Kong was startled.
"Sengoku! If you step down, who will lead the Marines?!"
Sengoku answered without hesitation:
"Aokiji."
"I recommend Admiral Kuzan as the next Fleet Admiral."
The Five Elders calmed slightly.
But—
They weren't convinced.
One of them said:
"We've heard Sakazuki contributed the most in this war."
"He seems more qualified."
Sengoku knew this.
But—
Their ideologies differed.
And Garp—
Still held hatred toward Akainu.
If Akainu became Fleet Admiral—
Things would become… complicated.
So Sengoku stood firm.
"I still recommend Kuzan."
The Five Elders exchanged glances.
"We'll discuss that later."
"For now—the priority is Sabaody."
"We cannot allow that man to stab a blade into the heart of the Government."
"Kong—you will personally lead this operation."
"CP0 will assist you."
"Sengoku—return immediately."
"Mobilize all available Marine forces and march on Sabaody."
Sengoku protested:
"The Marines just finished a war!"
"They need time to recover—this is too rushed!"
But the Five Elders cut him off.
"No delays."
"The operation begins immediately."
Behind their decision—
Was fear.
Im's command—
Was absolute.
If they failed—
They would die.
As for Marine soldiers?
Exhausted?
Broken?
To them—
That didn't matter.
Lives were expendable.
Even if thousands—
Or tens of thousands—
Died.
It meant nothing.
"Attack Sabaody immediately."
"No hesitation."
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
patreon.com/ZoroTL442