After Doflamingo's body completely vanished, Law's crewmate, Bepo, immediately rushed to Law's side. With a face full of curiosity, he asked, "What exactly happened just now? Did you kill Doflamingo?"
Law offered a mysterious smile. "Kill him? That would be far too easy on him. Next, he will experience something far more terrifying than death. Then, he will die amidst that terror."
Bepo scratched his intelligent head; he felt like Law had said something, but also like he had said nothing at all.
Ren Kurogane watched the figure exiled into the void of space, his mind spinning with new ideas regarding Devil Fruit abilities. Now that Ren had stepped onto the path of godhood, he understood that the true way to use a Devil Fruit wasn't about the specific "ability" itself, but rather human imagination, which had almost no upper limit. As long as you dared to think it, you could turn it into reality. This concept fit the definition of a "God" perfectly. Omnipotence, after all.
Ren didn't worry about whether Doflamingo would starve to death in the exiled space. He simply stepped forward to join his comrades in their celebration.
"Wait, did I forget something?" Ren scanned the area, his gaze landing on the members of the Donquixote Family lying on the ground. Law had used his powers to slice them into pieces, but due to the unique nature of the Op-Op Fruit, they weren't dead. They were currently staring at Ren and the others with wide, fearful eyes.
Walking up to them, Ren took a casual look and shook his head in disappointment. "Too weak."
Not only were they weak, but they were also ugly. The only one halfway decent-looking was Baby 5, but she was the type who could be manipulated by anyone. Ren had no intention of recruiting these people. He looked at Law and asked, "How do you plan to handle them?"
Law thought for a moment, his gaze landing on the top executives. Executives like the snot-trailing Trebol were executed by Law one by one. The rest, like Baby 5, were told to leave. Whether they could survive in the New World was no longer Law's concern.
Halfway through their meal, Ren suddenly remembered Caesar Clown! That idiot scientist who ate the Gas-Gas Fruit, who could turn his body into combustible gas and create vacuums by controlling the air. Ren hadn't seen Caesar among Doflamingo's group earlier; he wondered where the guy was.
At that moment, in Big Mom's Totto Land... inside a dim laboratory, Caesar Clown was shackled with Sea Stone cuffs on all five limbs, tearfully writing something. "Doffy! When are you coming to get me?! Waaaaah~"
While Ren was dealing with Doflamingo, Luffy and his crew hadn't been idle. Not only had they obtained the final Road Poneglyph in Elbaf, the land of giants, but they had also faced and defeated one of the Five Elders who had come to stir up trouble. They were the talk of the world. The newspapers were filled with news of Luffy becoming the new King.
"That kid Luffy finally reached this step," Ren said, smiling at the news. His crew was getting restless as well. This was the birth of the Pirate King; as a top-tier power on the sea, they naturally had to go join the fun.
Most importantly, Morgans had leaked the news that Luffy had gathered all the roadmaps. Countless people across the globe were hunting for Luffy. The unscrupulous Morgans even broadcasted their movements frequently; they had nowhere to hide. Of course, Luffy had no intention of hiding; he just found the persistent crowds annoying.
Pow! Another one of Morgans' spy cameras was punched into scrap metal. Luffy shook out his arms and shouted to Nami, "Nami! How much longer until we reach Laugh Tale?"
"Stop rushing me!" Nami roared with a shark-face. Luffy immediately shrunk his neck back, not daring to say another word.
Nami looked at the four Eternal Poses in her hand, directing Franky to constantly adjust the ship's heading toward the final island.
By the time Ren arrived back at Elbaf, ninety percent of the New World's pirates had gathered there. Surprisingly, even the Shichibukai had arrived, though Shanks was nowhere to be seen. The Straw Hat crew was surrounded by a massive crowd, treated like stars.
After much chaos, someone finally shouted to Luffy, "Straw Hat! What exactly is on the final island? Bring it out and let us see!"
"That's right! What did Roger leave behind? Let us see it!"
Amidst the cacophony, Luffy gave a light cough and said, "That thing is completely useless to us pirates, so I left it there!"
The crowd went silent. "Hey! Are you kidding me? Kid, did you even actually reach the island?"
"Yeah! Don't worry about whether it's useful to us, just bring the treasure out!"
"Or tell us the location of the island, and we'll go see what it is ourselves!"
Listening to the chattering below, Luffy's face grew impatient. He yelled at the crowd, "Shut up! I said I didn't take it, so I didn't take it! Stop nagging me and telling me what to do! If you're not happy, let's have a fight!"
Silenced by Luffy's roar, the crowd didn't dare speak up again. Fight Luffy? Don't be stupid. This was the man who had defeated two Emperors simultaneously. What right did they have to fight him?
If anyone was going to fight him, it would have to be that other monster. The crowd silently glanced at Ren Kurogane standing in the back. After their eyes met his, they quickly looked away. Forget it, neither of these two are pushovers. No need to look for trouble, the pirates muttered to themselves.
Luffy didn't feel like wasting breath on them either; they weren't worthy of listening. He led his crew toward Ren, shouting, "Ren! Let's throw a banquet!"
"Alright!" Ren agreed with a smile. He guessed Luffy had something important to tell him. Though, knowing Luffy, the primary goal was definitely eating meat.
Soon, under the expectant gazes of many pirates, the two groups headed to the back mountains of Elbaf. The scenery was beautiful and undisturbed—a perfect place for a party.
Not long after they sat down, the Giants and the Straw Hat Grand Fleet arrived as well. Even the Shichibukai and Kaido's remnants followed. Standing here were the elites of the pirate world. They didn't speak or demand to join; they just stood aside silently, listening.
Luffy was helpless against them. He knew that if he didn't leak some news today, these people wouldn't leave easily. He made a mental note to settle a score with Morgans later. If that bird hadn't been broadcasting his every move, he could have kept his gains quiet. This feeling of being under a spotlight wasn't "pirate-like" at all!
"Alright, tell us. What did you see there?" Ren laughed. He didn't drive away the surrounding experts; he knew they wouldn't go. Besides, the mystery Roger left behind had been itching the world's collective mind for over twenty years. They desperately wanted the truth.
Luffy said, "Simply put, a long, long time ago, a giant ate the Gum-Gum Fruit. After awakening the fruit, he established a very large and powerful country. This country had no racial divisions and no class distinctions. Everyone was equal, and people lived the lives they wanted."
As Luffy spoke, the "Void Century" gradually unfolded before their eyes. Back then, a giant named Joy Boy became that generation's Nika. To allow the people of the world to live freely, he established diplomatic ties between races, gathering all the world's races to form the largest nation in history. The name of the country was simple: "Family."
The meaning was literal. To make everyone a family and stop the wars. The idea was beautiful, and they had already begun implementing it, even recruiting the Moon People who held core technologies. But in the end, it failed. They were blindsided by a twenty-nation alliance of humans and torn to pieces.
This resulted in rare races becoming even rarer. The Lunarians, who held the heritage of the Moon Civilization, were reduced to a mere handful of survivors living in hiding. By the current generation, that once-glorious civilization was left with only King, who knew nothing of the past. Others, like the Mink Tribe, had survivors, but they were essentially playthings for the Celestial Dragons—rare "exotics" to be hunted, used, and discarded. This was one reason why minority races were so few in number. They were all devastated by the Celestial Dragons!
"That's the general background. As for specific details, I'll let Robin tell you; she understands it better than I do!" Luffy laughed.
Ren nodded but didn't immediately ask Robin about the country. Instead, he asked Luffy, "Did Joy Boy leave any message for you?"
Luffy picked his nose and said, "He did, but I'm not interested in his words. I have my own way of achieving my dream."
"I see." Hearing Luffy talk about completing his dream, the people around them grew curious. Some of them knew Luffy's dream was to be the Pirate King. Seeing as he had already reached that goal, why was he still talking like this? Did Luffy have another dream? However, Luffy didn't intend to explain.
Robin soon shared more about the ancient Great Kingdom. "It was a nation with incredibly advanced technology. With the help of the Moon People, they built an advanced 'Future City' in just ten years. They mastered incredible techniques; people didn't have to worry about food. Even if they did nothing, there was plenty to eat. People only needed to live the lives they chose. Unfortunately, Joy Boy's actions soon drew the ire of the old era's royalty. Stirred up by a mysterious existence, the ancestors of the Twenty Kings launched a war. For some reason, Joy Boy didn't resist. After leaving behind historical records, he died."
The crowd was enlightened. So that's what the Great Kingdom was 800 years ago. Being at the peak of the world, they immediately understood the subtext. It was just an upper-class power struggle. The World Government likely used dishonorable means to defeat Joy Boy, which is why they covered up the truth. Thinking this, they immediately lost interest in Joy Boy. They had expected world-conquering weapons or endless treasure; they didn't expect "boring history."
However, Vegapunk's eyes gleamed. He had researched the Void Century and knew the Great Kingdom's greatest strength wasn't this "Family" concept, but their technology, which could be called miraculous. He had only uncovered a tiny shadow of the Kingdom and had achieved his current status; he couldn't imagine how strong they were at their peak!
Robin didn't seem inclined to explain the technical details. If Vegapunk wanted to know, he'd have to talk to Luffy privately later and see if they would take him to Laugh Tale to see the remains.
The banquet ended, and the crowds began to leave Elbaf. Luffy's status as Pirate King was solidified, and the stories of 800 years ago leaked out, though they didn't cause much of a stir. Robin hadn't revealed the true secrets, so there wasn't much for people to get riled up about. Even Morgans stopped filming Luffy and went back to write about Ace. Recently, Ace had made a name for himself, reclaiming Whitebeard's old territory and ascending to the throne of a Yonko, filling the gap left by Luffy.
Once everyone was gone, Luffy suddenly approached Ren, acting very secretive. He whispered, "Ren! I've got something amazing to tell you!"
Seeing the kid acting so cautious, Ren was intrigued. He walked behind a large tree with Luffy to hear what he had to say.
"Actually, Joy Boy left me one more message. He wanted me to continue his dream—to build a kingdom where all races coexist in peace! But I don't want to do that. It doesn't fit my original intention!"
"Joy Boy knew you would reach that place?" Ren asked, puzzled.
"Yeah. He said someone saw the present through a Devil Fruit ability, so he didn't resist back then." Luffy nodded. "Well, he actually did resist, but the power of Uranus wasn't strong enough. It didn't meet his expectations, so he just put up a symbolic fight and gave up."
"Uranus wasn't strong enough? So he gave up? Wait, what are you talking about? Slow down, I'm confused!" Ren frowned. The more Luffy talked, the less he understood.
At that moment, Robin's voice appeared from behind them. "Let me explain!" She leaned against the tree with a smile. "Let's start from the very beginning. Long, long ago, before Joy Boy was even born... the Moon People came to this blue planet. They had incredibly powerful technology, and the power source for that technology was gold. To get more gold, the Moon People began plundering the natives—us. But we weren't pushers. With Devil Fruits and Haki, Moon technology couldn't gain an advantage over us. So, they changed tactics. They switched from unilateral invasion to exchanging advanced technology for gold. This trade continued for centuries. Over time, the Moon People and the people of the Blue Planet established a basic friendship. However, those people lived atop the Red Line and rarely came down, so the relationship was just a basic business one. But when Joy Boy appeared, everything changed!"
Ren's eyes lit up. He tried to guess: "Was Joy Boy so strong that the Moon People felt threatened, and they ended up fighting?"
Robin gave him an eye-roll. "How is that possible? Joy Boy's personality was similar to Luffy's—actually, he was much more reliable. How could he fight the Moon People? Stop talking and listen. "
Unknown to them, both crews had gathered around to listen to Robin's story. Sanji, ever the gentleman, prepared drinks for the ladies. After being met with grumbles from the men, he threw some random beverages their way to keep them quiet.
Robin moistened her throat, thanked Sanji, and resumed. "Joy Boy didn't bring war. After traveling the world, he recruited the two most powerful nations at the time to form the Great Kingdom. Those two nations were Alabasta and the Moon People's 'Kingdom of God'."