The battlefield of Thriller Bark was quiet now.
Where once there had been chaos, screams and the clash of steel now only silence remained broken by the crackle of fire and the heavy breaths of warriors who had survived the storm.
Magnus stood at the heart of it all, cloak torn and marked by soot, Shusui resting across his shoulder. His gaze was turned not to the ruins but to the horizon, where the sea stretched endless beneath the moon.
Behind him, his crew regrouped. Bullet grinned savagely, rolling his shoulders, bloodied but eager for more.
Kael leaned on his spear, golden sparks still faintly twitching around him as he wrestled with the aftershocks of his new power.
Brogy and Dorry laughed thunderously, the Elbaf warriors raising their weapons to the sky in triumphant roars.
It was a victory but Magnus's mind was already leagues ahead.
He turned to face them, his voice calm but commanding.
"Tonight marks only the beginning. Moria was weak. A carrion bird hiding in shadows. But his fall… it will echo across the world.
Every power worth its name will be watching us now. Waiting to see if we rise… or if we fall."
The crew quieted, drawn into his words.
Bullet barked a laugh, breaking the silence.
"Then let 'em watch! Let the Marines send their dogs, let the pirates come crawling for our heads! I'll crush every one of them, Captain!"
Magnus's smirk was faint, but there."No. We won't waste time fighting carrion. We aim higher."
His eyes glinted darkly."The Warlords. The Emperors. The Navy's iron pillars. We'll tear down anyone who holds a piece of the world's throne."
Kael frowned, his voice steady despite the strain in his body."You mean… to challenge them all? One by one?"
Magnus nodded once.
"Piece by piece, we'll take apart the foundation of this rotten world. I know who we need… and who must be broken."
The crew leaned forward. Even the giants quieted.
"Moria was the first. But he won't be the last. Crocodile lurks in the shadows again, too ambitious for his own good.
Kuma is chained to the Government, but his strength makes him worth watching.
Hancock rules with beauty and fear… and Mihawk…" Magnus's eyes narrowed as Shusui hummed faintly at his back. "…
Mihawk is the world's strongest swordsman. A title I will claim before this era ends."
The words cut like steel.
Kael's brows furrowed, Bullet's grin widened, and even Gryphon, silent until now, gave a low rumble of approval.
Brogy's booming voice broke the silence.
"And what of us, Captain? The warriors of Elbaf did not come to sit idle."
Magnus turned to them, his voice unwavering.
"You'll march with me. The world has forgotten the terror of Elbaf steel. We'll remind them together."
The giants roared as one, the ground trembling under their unified cry.
Magnus let it wash over him before raising his voice again, sharp and decisive.
"Our next target lies ahead. The seas will churn with blood and fire before long. But remember this.." His gaze swept across Kael, Bullet, Gryphon, Brogy, Dorry, and every warrior who now followed him.
"We're not building a crew. We're building an empire. One the world will not withstand."
The fire reflected in their eyes told him all he needed to know. The pieces were falling into place.