New World, the Red Hair Pirates' main base.
The atmosphere was heavy.
Shanks sat in his chair with stubble covering his face, unsure what to say.
At first, he had thought that with help from the Five Elders of the World Government, he would be able to hold the Marines back.
He had even thought he might be able to return the world's balance to what it had once been.
But now, with Charlotte Linlin dead and even the Five Elders forced to back down, Shanks understood one thing.
The Marines had become an enemy even the World Government found troublesome.
"Shanks, what do we do next?"
Beckman did not seem to have lost his courage. He slowly smoked his cigar as he asked.
Shanks irritably ran his hands through his hair a few times.
With the Marines' victory celebration beginning, the pirates of the New World were starting to feel despair.
It was as if a cloud of death and hopelessness had gathered above their heads, and the thought of fleeing had begun to take root.
Everyone in the Red Hair Pirates understood this clearly, but there was nothing they could do.
Pirates could be fooled for money and reputation, but when death stood before them, they were more cowardly than anyone.
If even monsters like Kaido of the Beasts and Charlotte Linlin had died at the Marines' hands, how could low-level pirates like them possibly fight an enemy with so many powerful figures?
Wouldn't that be no different from marching straight to their deaths?
Once, the Three Emperors had dominated the New World so heavily that even the World Government and Marines were helpless against them.
But looking at it now, they had only been stubborn rocks in the path of a flood.
The moment the flood came crashing down, those rocks vanished without a trace.
Under the Marines' overwhelming offensive, only one of the Three Emperors remained.
Red-Haired Shanks.
And Shanks was a disabled man who had lost his right arm.
Facing such a situation, most pirates had already begun considering their escape routes. They simply did not want to expose their thoughts before a suitable chance appeared.
After all, the crew of the Red Hair Pirates were not pushovers.
Going against them would end no differently from fighting the Marines.
Shanks forced himself to rally, pinched the space between his brows, and said, "I have already negotiated with the World Government regarding the Marines. Right now, the World Government hopes to use our strength to hold the Marines back, so they will provide us with even more help from now on."
"Also, we have to stabilize the pirate captains under us. If necessary, pick out a few with rebellious thoughts and kill them."
"Tell them that the Marines never accept pirate surrenders. Even if they hide deep in the mountains, the Marines will dig them out and execute them. Fighting the Marines to the end is their only chance of survival."
Shanks no longer tried to hide his relationship with the World Government.
The crew had no doubts about it either.
At this point, survival was their greatest need. Before that goal, no secret mattered more than staying alive.
On the Marines' side, after the incident with the Celestial Dragons, security across New Marineford was raised to its highest level.
At the same time, under Raleigh's orders, large numbers of Marines began transferring away.
Because Raleigh was not sure whether the World Government would take some insane action under these circumstances.
At the very least, he currently had no method of defeating the ancient weapon Uranus.
Some important intelligence personnel and Marine families began moving in large numbers to Fish-Man Island, ten thousand meters beneath the sea.
In Raleigh's estimation, Uranus should not be able to deal with Fish-Man Island at the bottom of the ocean.
Because of that, Fish-Man Island became an important logistical base for the Marines.
Even under these circumstances, Raleigh did not abandon his hardline attitude toward the outside world.
The Marines built an enormous exhibition platform in New Marineford's plaza.
Displayed upon it were the heads, weapons, and trophies of powerful pirates killed since Raleigh joined the Marines, including the heads of Kaido of the Beasts, Charlotte Linlin, and the great pirates under their commands.
Under the leadership of their officers, the soldiers began making all kinds of final adjustments for this last live broadcast.
Every soldier's face was filled with incomparable excitement.
They understood that being able to take part in this broadcast would become something they could brag about for the rest of their lives.
...
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office at New Marineford, Raleigh was not excited like everyone else. His expression was calm, even somewhat tired.
Over the years, with the help of the system, he had quickly reached the level of a top powerhouse in this world.
But in the years that followed, he had relied more on his understanding of the plot to slowly reform the Marines and this world step by step.
He had gradually freed the Marines from the World Government's restraints, eventually turning them into the enormous monster they were now—the true overlord of the seas.
Tap, tap, tap…
The crisp sound of high heels rang out from outside the door. Gion slowly pushed open the door to the Fleet Admiral's office and walked in.
Looking at the figure standing before the floor-to-ceiling window, Gion's eyes were full of pride and heartache.
This was her man.
A man who could conquer the world.
Raleigh knew who had come without turning around.
He opened his arms, and Gion gently leaned into his embrace.
"Raleigh, do we really have to transfer away?"
Gion did not want to be separated from Raleigh.
She considered herself a Marine officer capable of standing on her own, so at a time like this, she felt she should not leave New Marineford.
Raleigh rubbed his chin against the top of Gion's head and said gently, "Gion, before I can be sure the World Government will not go insane, all of you must transfer away. No matter who wins between me and the World Government, you have to survive."
"As long as you're alive, there will be more chances."
Although Raleigh was confident the Marines would achieve the greatest victory in this war, no one could say whether the World Government would be driven into desperation at the final moment and launch an attack on New Marineford.
To reduce unnecessary casualties, the Marines had to begin dispersing their top fighters and prevent them from being wiped out all at once.
"All right. I promise you, this war will be over soon. When that happens, I will step down as Fleet Admiral, and the two of us will travel around the world together."
This was something Raleigh had once told Gion when they were young.
He still remembered it now.
Gion did not speak again.
She only buried her face deeper into Raleigh's chest.
...
The next day, when the sun rose, New Marineford was already filled with soldiers on duty.
Some Marine family members who had not yet evacuated also stood early in every corner of the plaza, preparing to watch the live broadcast.
Reporters who had rushed over overnight from every corner of the world had no time to care about the dark circles under their eyes.
The cameras in their hands were already flashing nonstop as they photographed everything in New Marineford.
They understood very clearly that any photo taken today might become an unforgettable part of future history books.
On the exhibition platform, aside from the heads of New World pirates, there were also two Road Poneglyphs taken from them.
At this moment, the reporters were extremely curious about the so-called Poneglyphs.
Although they had never seen real Poneglyphs before, whether from their knowledge of pirates or history, Poneglyphs had always been objects pursued by every major power.
Because of that, they wanted to record as much of the Poneglyphs as possible with their cameras.
Raleigh did not give them the chance to record the text on the Poneglyphs.
The areas carved with writing had all been sealed with red wax, making it impossible to tell what the Poneglyphs actually said.
However, the reporters clearly did not care about such details.
The cameras in their hands continued flashing.
Time passed bit by bit.
When the hands of New Marineford's clock tower reached ten o'clock, grand military music rang through the entire fortress, as if setting the tone for this event.
An imposing aura that seemed capable of suppressing the Four Seas began spreading across New Marineford, making everyone in the plaza fall silent.
Even the people watching the live broadcast around the world unconsciously held their breath, quietly waiting for that person to appear.
The military music echoing through the fortress stopped.
Tap… tap… tap…
The sound of military boots striking the ground echoed across the silent plaza. Like drumbeats, each step tugged at everyone's heartbeat.
The footsteps were so clear that it felt as if the person making them was right beside them.
Only when the sound of the boots suddenly stopped did the people in the plaza and those watching the broadcast realize what had happened.
The person they had been waiting for had already appeared on the exhibition platform.
The cloak symbolizing justice fluttered wildly behind him, and his tall figure seemed capable of shouldering anything in the world.
From the very first time he appeared before the world, he had used those resolute eyes to tell everyone that he was a man who would never bow.
The current Marine Fleet Admiral—Christian Raleigh!
The moment Raleigh appeared, everyone froze for a heartbeat.
Then came earth-shaking cheers and applause, along with voices praising Raleigh from every direction.
Even those watching through the live broadcast could not help cheering when they saw his figure appear.
"This is Fleet Admiral Raleigh's presence!"
"It is so good that this world has Fleet Admiral Raleigh!"
Across the world, when civilians saw Raleigh appear, their hearts filled with indescribable excitement.
Most of them were pitiful people who had once suffered under pirates or the World Government.
Only after Raleigh appeared had their lives improved step by step.
They no longer had to worry that they or their family members might suddenly be killed by pirates passing through.
The people at the bottom were Raleigh's greatest supporters.
At this moment, they clasped their hands tightly, waiting for what Raleigh would say next.
Raleigh's gaze also became slightly dazed.
For an instant, he remembered the first time he had faced the entire world. Back then, the answer he had given was that he would eliminate every pirate.
Now, that promise had basically been fulfilled.
As long as he destroyed the pirate forces led by Red-Haired Shanks, the purge of pirates across the world would essentially be complete.
By the time Raleigh came back to himself, he had already reached the podium.
After clearing his voice, Raleigh began his speech to the world.
"Everyone, today's speech is to tell the world that the promise we once made has basically been fulfilled."
"After this speech, the chaotic era known to the world as the Great Pirate Era, the era personally ignited by Pirate King Roger, will finally be ended through the efforts of our generation."
"At the same time, this will also serve as preparation before the final battle."
"Since I took office as Marine Fleet Admiral, through the efforts of countless brave Marine soldiers and the hard work of countless Marine officers, pirate forces have been broken and destroyed one after another."
"For this, we have paid the price of a full one hundred and fifty thousand Marine soldiers sacrificing their lives, as well as nearly thirty thousand Marine soldiers left disabled or severely injured."
"But their sacrifice was worth it. Their sacrifice carried extraordinary meaning."
"It is because of their sacrifice that we were able to achieve today's results and protect people all over the world from pirate oppression."
"Now, we have basically fulfilled our promise to the world. The great pirates of the New World have been eliminated one after another. At present, only the tens of thousands of pirates led by the Red Hair Pirates remain."
Behind Raleigh, Bullett and Enel worked together to carry an enormous screen to the center of the exhibition platform.
Raleigh walked up to the screen covered in red cloth and, without hesitation, pulled away the mysterious veil.
A detailed sea chart marking every island in the New World appeared before the world.
At this moment, countless islands across the entire screen had already been painted blue to symbolize the Marines, occupying four-fifths of the map.
Only a small corner remained painted black, labeled as the territory of the Red Hair Pirates.
Surrounding it everywhere was the blue of the Marines.
The pirates had completely fallen into the Marines' encirclement.
Raleigh continued speaking.
"Everyone, this is the result of years of Marine effort. This is also the answer we give to the world."
"As long as we eliminate the pirates led by Red-Haired Shanks, this eight-hundred-year war between the Marines and pirates will come to a complete end."
Boom!
Raleigh's words were like a thunderclap, stunning the people across the world who were watching this scene and sending tears streaming down their faces.
"Is it finally going to end?"
For a moment, people even thought they were having a beautiful dream.
Because they could not believe something like this was truly happening in this world.
Hiss…
Everywhere, people pinched their own arms hard, afraid they were dreaming.
When they realized that none of this was a dream, they erupted with incomparable passion.
Everyone screamed wildly, as if they wanted to pour out all the depression buried in their hearts.
Only one thought remained in their minds.
That hateful group known as pirates was finally going to disappear completely from this sea.
Everywhere, people cried out as they released their emotions.
Even the Marine soldiers lined up in the plaza to maintain order could not suppress the joy in their hearts.
They began cheering excitedly as well.
All other thoughts had vanished from people's minds.
They remembered only the final words in Raleigh's speech.
"It's over."
"It's finally over!"
No one knew who shouted it first, but soon everyone's faces were filled with fanatic emotion as they repeated those words again and again.
"It's over!"
Raleigh did not ruin their excitement.
He simply waited quietly for them to finish releasing their emotions.