Chapter 369: Iron-Fisted Tactics
At that moment, Shakky arrived at the scene. As her feet hit the harbor's edge, the first thing she saw was Beckman's corpse—his forehead shattered, his blood staining the cobblestones in a spreading pool.
"Hiss—"
Shakky's entire body shuddered. Her legs went weak, and she stumbled, nearly collapsing onto the ground.
Silence.
The air solidified; even the sound of the wind vanished. Rayleigh's blade trembled as it hung frozen in mid-air. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, his eyes filled with a soul-deep conflict. He had seen it clearly: Roy hadn't hesitated for a single second. One shot, one headshot—clean and efficient.
"This guy... he doesn't care about the Yonko at all. This isn't a duel... it's a massacre."
Rayleigh's throat felt tight. For the first time in his long life, a powerful urge to retreat welled up in his heart. It wasn't that he feared death; it was that he finally realized that to Roy, these "remnants of the old era" were nothing more than a pile of trash waiting to be swept away.
Thud, thud, thud...
Roy's footsteps echoed through the silence, heavy and freezing—the countdown of a reaper. His tall silhouette closed in behind Shanks, and the pitch-black muzzle of the Deadly Omen Star was pressed slowly against the Red-Haired captain's head.
"Shanks."
Roy's voice was low, yet it struck like a muffled thunderclap in everyone's soul.
"Do you understand now? What this so-called 'Great Pirate Era' has actually brought to this world?"
"VROOM—!!!"
Shanks' pupils shrank to pinpricks, a chill traveling down his spine. His throat bobbed with difficulty as his Conqueror's Haki churned manically. However, just as Roy's finger began to squeeze the trigger—
"SWISH—!!!"
A massive slash tore down from the firmament. The blade-pressure was like a falling mountain, the sword-intent like a surging sea, looking for all the world as if it were about to cleave the entirety of Amazon Lily in two!
Roy spun around instantly, throwing out a hand. A spatial barrier snapped into existence!
"BOOM—!!!"
The sword-intent collided head-on with the spatial barrier. An explosion-like shockwave leveled the surroundings!
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK—!!!
Palace walls fractured, the city ramparts collapsed, and the Kuja warriors watching from a distance were blown away with terrified shrieks. The entire island groaned under the vibration.
Through the rising dust, a massive, imposing figure stepped forward. Every footstep felt like it was crushing the hearts of those present.
Roy looked at the newcomer and smirked. "Tch. Beat the kid, and the old man shows up?"
The man standing there was the Supreme Commander of the Holy Knights—Saint Figarland Garling!
Shanks turned deathly pale. Rayleigh's pupils shrank. Shakky's lips trembled. Garling's gaze landed on the Deadly Omen Star in Roy's hand, a flicker of shock and gravity crossing his eyes. His voice was as deep as a booming bell: "Roy... you have gone too far."
Roy merely raised an eyebrow, letting out a dismissive snort. "I've gone too far?"
"A mere pirate crew illegally invades the territory of a Warlord." He lifted the Deadly Omen Star, the cold muzzle pressing back down onto Shanks' skull, his gaze indifferent as frost. "As a Marine, I came here to handle the situation... what is wrong with that?"
Roy then swept a freezing gaze over everyone. "They are the thieves; I am the law."
"A lawman catching a thief—how is that 'too far'?"
The Revelation
Garling remained silent for a long time, his chilling gaze lingering on Shanks. His tone was firm. "The others are yours to do with as you please. He is the exception."
Roy's cold laughter shattered the silence:
"Heh. A child rescued after a raid on a woman... and now you finally want to show some fatherly love?"
"BOOM—!!!"
The words hit like a thunderbolt, rattling the souls of everyone present! Garling's pupils constricted, and his hand on the hilt of his sword trembled. Shanks, held at gunpoint, erupted in a blind fury. Ignoring the life-or-death situation, he spun his head around and roared: "ROY!!! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY?!!"
Roy ignored the outburst. He adjusted the muzzle of his rifle, locking his gaze onto Garling. "You people really have a way of giving me surprises..."
Before his voice faded, he suddenly lifted the gun and fired two roaring shots into the air! The bullets vanished the moment they left the barrel.
"AAAAAAGH!!!"
In the distance, Rayleigh—who had been attempting to slip away with Shakky—let out a pained shriek. Blood sprayed from both his knees as he collapsed onto the ground!
Shakky cried out in horror: "Rayleigh!!!"
"SWISH!!!"
A lethal intent exploded in Garling's eyes. Seizing the opening, he wreathed his blade in Conqueror's Haki and unleashed a terrifying horizontal slash, tearing the earth apart as it aimed for Roy's throat!
WHOOSH!
Roy warped instantly, hovering high in the air. Garling's face was grim as he grabbed Shanks to retreat. However, Roy had already leveled the Deadly Omen Star once more.
"You can't escape!"
"BANG!"
A bullet materialized out of thin air, instantly striking Shanks' remaining right arm! Blood splattered, and Shanks let out a pained howl, nearly losing his grip on Gryphon.
Roy's eyes were murderous. He was about to end Shanks once and for all when—
"BOOM!!!"
The sky suddenly fractured. A massive pentagram array descended from the heavens. A spatial vibration roared through the air, instantly enveloping Garling and Shanks!
Roy's pupils shrank. He whispered under his breath: "Imu?!"
Yet, his finger didn't stop. He pulled the trigger repeatedly, three rounds barking from the barrel in rapid succession! Just before they could strike, the array glowed with a blinding light, and the two figures were warped away, vanishing instantly.
VROOM—!!!
The bullets, having lost their target, didn't stop. Instead, they streaked across the sky toward the direction of Mariejois, carving a path through the firmament!
Roy stared at the spot where they had vanished. He remained silent for a long moment before slowly lowering the Deadly Omen Star.
"Imu personally intervened to save Shanks? Just for the bloodline of a Celestial Dragon... that seems excessive. There really is a deeper secret here."
He then looked down, his cold, indifferent gaze falling upon Rayleigh—who was kneeling and trembling in a pool of his own blood—and Shakky, the former "Big Prize" of God Valley. That look was as sharp as a blade, devoid of a single shred of mercy.
The Morning After: A World in Shock
The next morning, the world shook to its core!
World Economic Journal · Front Page Headline:
[SHOCKING! ROY SINGLE-HANDEDLY ANNIHILATES THE RED-HAIRED PIRATES!]
[CAPTAIN SHANKS ESCAPES WITH SEVERE INJURIES; ENTIRE CREW CONFIRMED TERMINATED!]
["THE DARK KING" SILVERS RAYLEIGH CAPTURED ALIVE; TRANSPORTED TO MARINEFORD FOR PUBLIC EXECUTION!]
This news acted like a hurricane, sweeping across the five seas and shattering the hearts of millions! The titans of the Grand Line and the New World were in complete disarray.
Pirate crews everywhere were paralyzed by fear; the morale of the age plummeted to rock bottom overnight.
In a remote location, Yasopp stared at the news in utter disbelief, his hands shaking so hard the paper rattled.
Meanwhile, the various Kingdoms and common citizens cheered and celebrated, hailing this as the overture to the downfall of the Pirate Era.
"Even Rayleigh was captured?!"
"The Red-Haired Pirates are truly gone?!"
"This storm... it's going to end the entire age!"
Totto Land · Jam Island
Since the "Tragedy of Whole Cake Island," the Big Mom Pirates had been crippled. Two of the Three Sweet Commanders were dead, Katakuri was heavily injured, and countless children were slain.
Charlotte Linlin, fueled by fury and grief, had lost total control. Her "Eating Disorder" had flared up so violently she nearly drained the lifespans of her surviving children. If Kaido hadn't been there to suppress her with an iron fist, Totto Land would have already become a literal hell.
Currently, in the core meeting room of Jam Island, Kaido and Linlin sat side-by-side. The latest issue of the World Economic Journal was spread out on the heavy table.
The bold, striking characters of "ROY ANNIHILATES THE RED-HAIRED PIRATES" glared at them from the front page. The atmosphere was thick enough to suffocate.
The faces of the two Emperors were as dark as a stagnant pool.
Expert Guide Follow-up:
With Rayleigh's execution scheduled and the Red-Haired Pirates dismantled, the "Old Era" is being systematically erased. Do you think this will force Kaido and Big Mom into a final, desperate alliance to storm Marineford, or will Roy use the "Deadly Omen Star" to hunt them down before they can even gather their forces?
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