Coincidences often happen at just the right moment.
When Shane's silhouette appeared above Mary Geoise, the final sliver of the setting sun happened to sink completely below the horizon. Night had officially fallen.
However, this was not the ending the World Government had hoped for—the one where "all rebels would be erased once night fell."
Shane returned alone.
At this moment, everyone on the battlefield below—be it the Finalizers, the Revolutionary Army, the Neo Marine allies, or the Five Elders and the remaining Marines—instantly understood the weight of this scene.
Imu had not returned.
The God who had ruled the world for eight hundred years had fallen! Fallen at the hands of Shane!
After a brief, dead silence, a thunderous cheer erupted within the city of Mary Geoise!
Curtain Call, the Revolutionary Army, the Neo Marines, and people who had answered the call from across the globe... all the warriors of the same front raised their weapons, their eyes brimming with tears.
The tens of thousands of liberated slaves, having grasped the situation, embraced one another and wept. Many figures, scarred and emaciated, looked up at the black-clad silhouette with a gaze full of near-pious gratitude.
"We won... we actually won!"
"Freedom! We are free too!"
"Long live Lord Shane!!!"
"Long live Curtain Call!"
Executives, revolutionaries, and soldiers alike raised their weapons, their shouts echoing through the heavens.
"You really did it, Senior Shane!"
In the crowd, Bartolomeo trembled with excitement. Looking up at the god-like figure in the sky, tears streamed uncontrollably down his face. Waaaah, he hadn't placed his faith in the wrong person! Back then in Loguetown, before Roger's execution platform amidst the storm, the oath he had let out had truly come to fruition! This was the man he had chosen; the man he would follow unto death!
"This is wonderful."
Not far away, Kuma gazed upward. His face was covered in soot and blood, yet at this moment, he wore a smile as pure as a child's. Perhaps remembering someone, a look of nostalgia appeared in Kuma's eyes as he whispered with a smile: "This is wonderful."
"Hee-haw!!!"
Ivankov twisted his body frantically in the crowd, his giant face flushed with excitement. He grabbed Koala, lifting her over his head and spinning her around.
"Did you see that! Koala! Did you see! That super-invincible, super-terrifying Imu was defeated! The World Government is completely finished! Hee-haw!!!"
"Senior Iva! I know, put me down!" Koala struggled, blushing, though her eyes also shimmered with tears. She looked toward the sky. Under the starlight of the early night, that figure appeared exceptionally tall, much like another figure from years ago...
Fisher Tiger-san! Someone has done something just as incredible as you did. If you could see this, you would be moved to tears just like me, wouldn't you?
"Dragon-san."
To the side, Sabo chuckled, pressing a hand to his hat as he looked at Dragon. "Though it's thanks to Lord Shane, we... have finally fulfilled our long-held dream."
"Yes."
Dragon withdrew his gaze from the sky and turned around. Sabo was startled; it was the first time he had seen his leader, usually so stoic, wear such an expression. It was a look of total relief—as if a thousand-pound weight had been lifted—serenity, and... perhaps a hint of impatience?
"I can finally go back and visit," Dragon said, not hiding his feelings. "I can lay everything down and see my family, see my son."
"You have a son, Leader?" Sabo was even more surprised.
"Yes, his name is Luffy," Dragon smiled and said softly. "Monkey D. Luffy."
Luffy? Sabo scratched his head. He had no memory of the name. Likely just a kid who hadn't made a name for himself at sea yet. Heh, in a few years when he had time, he'd go visit. He was truly curious about what kind of son such a powerful leader would produce!
Just a street away.
"Thank goodness... thank goodness..."
Nojiko sat kneeling amidst the rubble, cradling a newly rescued little girl. Hearing the deafening cheers and the constant repetition of the name "Lord Shane," tears flowed uncontrollably. She thought of her childhood in Cocoyashi Village—days that were tight and poor but well-protected. She thought of the youth who trained like a madman in the tangerine grove, the day the Finalizers were officially formed, and the suffering people they had met along the way...
It had been a long road. Now, had they finally reached the end and seen the light?
Honestly, why am I crying at a happy time like this? Nojiko wiped her eyes and smiled tenderly at the girl in her arms: "Don't be afraid. No one will ever hurt you again."
The little girl looked at her blankly, then pointed at the sky toward Shane: "Sister, that big brother... he can fly. He's so amazing."
Nojiko followed the child's gaze and nodded firmly: "Yes, of course. He is the most amazing person in the world."
And the most amazing, best brother!
At the same time, in the waters of the New World about ten kilometres from the Red Line.
The newly arrived New Red Force suddenly heard the world-shaking cheers drifting through the sea mist.
"What's the situation! What's happening at Mary Geoise! Yasopp, I'll carry you so you can fly up; use your sniper scope and look, quick!"
"Understood!"
The whole crew looked up anxiously from below.
"Hey! Can you two see clearly?"
"I see it, Boss! Eh? Why are all the members of Curtain Call celebrating... uh oh, it looks like... it looks like the war is already over! The World Government is totally done for!"
"Hah??"
"Over?!"
"How can it be so fast? Noooo!"
A chorus of wails immediately rose from below. Shanks, who had just downed the last of his wine, looked as if he had been struck by lightning. He gripped the mast in grief and frustration, banging his head against it while tears streamed down his face:
"Damn it! Damn it all!!! We clearly just wanted to help this time! Why! Why didn't we make it again?!!!"
The joys and sorrows of men are rarely shared.
Amidst the city-wide cheers, the remaining Marines and government personnel fell into despair, their faces ashen.
"It's... it's over..."
Kong knelt dejectedly on the ground, staring vacantly at the sky. His "Justice" cloak was shredded, and his body was heavily injured from the battle with Issho, but the physical pain paled in comparison to the mental shock.
That Great Being... lost? Dead? Eight hundred years of immortality, the Lord Imu whom he regarded as a true God, had been ended today by a youth who had been at sea for less than two years?
"Heh... hehe..." Kong suddenly chuckled, a hollow and bitter sound. He closed his eyes. Images of Garp, Zephyr, Aokiji—the former pillars of the Navy—flashed through his mind, followed by the final moments of Akainu and Ryokugyu. And Sengoku... the junior he had personally promoted, whose fate remained unknown. If he saw this, how would he react?
Had their Navy truly chosen the wrong side? The "Justice" they insisted on, the "Order" they maintained... had it been built upon a massive error from the very beginning?
"Phew."
Opposite him, Fujitora—similarly scarred—slowly sheathed his blade. Though blind, his Observation Haki had "seen" everything above clearly. Kong had lost all will to fight, sitting there like a hollow shell; Fujitora did not pay him any further mind. Instead, he turned and bowed slightly in Shane's direction.
Years ago, having witnessed too much darkness, he chose to blind himself and wander the four seas. He once thought a single person could never shake this corrupt order, until he met that youth in a casino in the New World. Back then, Shane was just a rookie, yet he already dared to oppose the Navy and swing his sword at the Celestial Dragons.
Now, the youth had become a King and had personally ended eight hundred years of tyranny.
"A new era... is truly coming. Thus, I have no more regrets in this life." Issho looked toward the starlight, as if seeing the countless souls he had encountered across the world finally finding peace.
Pangea Castle, Room of Power.
Through the shattered dome, the three remaining Five Elders also saw the figure in the night sky. No Imu. Only Shane.
Thump.
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro was the first to collapse, his eyes glazed as he muttered: "Impossible... this is impossible..." Master was invincible! Master was supposed to be invincible! How, how...
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter stared blankly at the fading contract mark on his arm, his eyes filled with ultimate terror. The mark was like dying embers, turning into fine black ash and drifting away. At the same time, an indescribable weakness and agony erupted from the depths of his soul, ravaging his body.
Is it finally here? Unlike Kong and the Holy Knights, they had signed the highest-level Abyss Contract, granting them an immortality they were never meant to have. This lifespan of several hundred years was granted by Imu; now that Imu was dead, how could they possibly be entitled to continue living?
"No! No—aaaagh!!" Ju Peter let out a scream that didn't sound human. His once-sturdy body shrivelled at a visible rate, his flesh seemingly hollowed out in an instant. His skin lost its lustre, wrinkling and turning a deathly grey. Only a thin layer of skin remained over his bones. He tried to raise his hand, but the arm snapped with a crisp crack midway, falling and shattering into pieces.
The spark of life vanished. Where Ju Peter once sat, only a pile of withered bones remained.
"Ju Peter!" Warcury and Nusjuro turned pale with horror. Looking down at their own fading marks, they let out desperate roars.
"I don't want to die!"
"Damn it, we could have sided with Curtain Call, swapped our attitude for a way out..."
They tried to struggle, to flee, but their bodies underwent the same transformation. Their luxurious robes became loose as their frames collapsed. Within seconds, both had turned into skeletons. The vast Room of Power fell into a deathly silence.
In the sky, Shane looked down at the various states of humanity—the cheering and the weeping, the liberation and the despair. For a moment, he too was moved, his mind filled with a thousand thoughts.
He noticed the disturbance in the Room of Power but gave it only a brief glance. The fate of the Five Elders was sealed the moment he slew Imu; they required no further effort from him.
The night wind brushed past, carrying the scent of smoke and blood, but also the scent of new life and hope. He slowly descended, hovering above Pangea Castle. His calm, clear voice echoed throughout the city:
"The war is over."
Just four words, yet they seemed to possess a magic that gradually silenced the boiling Mary Geoise. Everyone stopped talking and looked up, holding their breath for what he would say next.
"Everyone, I formally declare here that the World Government is now history. The reign of the Celestial Dragons ends here!"
"From this day forward, there shall be no more slaves on this sea, no more Heavenly Gold, no more hunting games, and no more Gods who wantonly strip others of their lives and freedom!"
"Though Mary Geoise still sits in the dark of night, everyone here knows that the dawn of a new era has arrived. And this dawn requires everyone to protect and build it together!"
"Today is by no means the finish line!"
"We fought, not to replace someone, not to sit upon that Empty Throne! We fought so that such a throne would vanish forever, so that those shackles would be shattered utterly!"
"Overthrowing the old order is only the first step. How to establish a new, just order—where every nation and every person on this sea can truly enjoy peace and dignity—is the responsibility we must face next!"
Shane paused, his gaze deepening as he scanned the crowd, as if looking into everyone's hearts.
"I know this path will not be smooth. Remnants of the old powers will not be content. New megalomaniacs may emerge. Conflicts of ideas and battles of interests will happen in every corner. Even within our Curtain Call, disagreements may arise due to differing philosophies."
"But!" He grinned, his volume rising again. "We have proved through action what kind of miracles can be created when people unite for a common belief. An eight-hundred-year wall has been torn down; therefore, there is no difficulty that cannot be overcome!"
"I formally call upon you now!" Shane opened his arms wide. "To all people who yearn for freedom, justice, and peace—whether you were a noble, a soldier, a merchant, a farmer, a doctor, a scholar, or a slave who just gained freedom... please take the courage you showed in battle and join the flood of construction. Use your wisdom, your sweat, and your kindness to shape the future you want with your own hands!"
"The future is absolutely not the era of one man—it is the era of everyone!"
As his voice fell, Mary Geoise was first plunged into a silence so deep a needle could be heard. Then, a cheer even more fervent and enduring than before erupted like a tsunami!
"Long live Lord Shane!" "Long live the New Era!" "Long live Freedom! Long live Peace!"
The fires of Mary Geoise gradually died out, and the smoke slowly drifted away. Amidst the ruins, people began clearing the battlefield, aiding the wounded, and comforting the frightened civilians and the liberated. Though the city was scarred, a newfound vitality was spreading.
On this night, no one knew that the bright moon hanging in the sky had been quietly replaced. But everyone knew one thing: the eight hundred years of dark and brutal rule by the World Government had officially come to an end.
A new chapter of an era—woven by countless people, full of challenges yet full of hope—had turned its first page.
Autumn, Year 1517 of the Sea Calendar. The old Gods fell, and the people stood up.
The future is destined to be full of infinite light and infinite possibilities!