At this moment, the civilians watching the live broadcast could no longer hold back their emotions and began shouting.
Some of the older people were sobbing uncontrollably.
That simple phrase, "It's over," broke through their last emotional defense.
They had lived through an age of chaos.
Many of them had personally experienced the Great Pirate Era that Roger had set into motion with his own hands.
As survivors who had barely managed to live on, they hated pirates more than anyone.
Perhaps, if their loved ones had not sacrificed themselves back then, they too would have died beneath the pirates' blades.
And now, after finally hearing the words "it's over" from the Marine Fleet Admiral himself, the pain buried deep in their hearts could no longer be suppressed, and they broke down crying.
A little girl about six or seven years old looked at her mother and the uncles and aunties around her, all of them in tears.
Unable to understand, she tugged on her mother's hand and asked, "Mama, why are you and Uncle George crying? Did someone bully you?"
Young Alice had never experienced a pirate attack since the day she was born, so naturally she did not understand the pain of those crying their hearts out.
She tilted her head, staring at everyone around her in complete confusion.
Hearing her daughter's words, her red-eyed mother wiped away her tears, crouched down, and pulled Alice into her arms.
"Alice, no one bullied Mama. From now on, no one will ever bully us again."
"That is why everyone is so happy."
Alice looked even more confused.
"But Mama, didn't you tell me people only cry when they're sad?"
"When Alice is happy, she laughs. She doesn't cry."
Alice's mother hugged her tightly.
Memories she had sealed away for a long time became clear again before her eyes.
She had been about Alice's age then, still a carefree little girl who clung to her older brother every day and begged him to play with her.
Their days had been peaceful and warm.
Until one day, a huge ship flying a black skull flag arrived at their village.
The elderly village chief had his chest pierced by their blades.
Her parents fell beneath their rifles.
To let her survive, her brother hid her in their secret base, then ran out into the distance to draw away two low-level pirates.
The fire burned through the village for the entire night.
Only after everything had turned to ash the next day did she finally crawl out of the secret base.
Pirates.
For no reason.
Without sense or mercy.
They had taken her happy life away as easily as breathing.
Once, she had parents and an older brother who loved her. She had even had a childhood sweetheart she liked.
But a disaster brought by that evil group called pirates had cruelly destroyed every piece of her happiness.
From then on, she became a homeless orphan.
Until she met her husband, a brave soldier who fought pirates.
The two of them came together and had Alice.
Originally, they had decided to live their small, peaceful life well.
But after the Marines issued the order for the worldwide draft, her husband once again took out his uniform without hesitation and stepped onto the battlefield.
She had not complained at all. She had only hoped her husband would come back.
In truth, less than two months after her husband went to the New World battlefield, he died in the great battle against the Charlotte Family.
But she did not drown herself in grief, because his farewell letter and military medal had been sent back together.
"My dear Heli,
When you read this letter, I will already have fallen on the battlefield against the pirates.
But please do not grieve for me, because I died while carrying out my belief.
Fleet Admiral Raleigh once said that if our generation does not solve certain problems, then the next generation will have to solve them.
If the war against pirates cannot end through the efforts of our generation, then Alice will have to live in the same kind of world we did when we were children.
I fear death because death means you and I can no longer stay together. But I cannot allow Alice to live in an age where pirates run rampant.
If one day this sinful era is personally ended by Fleet Admiral Raleigh, and that evil group known as pirates is completely swept away by the brave Marines under his command, you must remember to go to my grave and tell me."
That was why, when she heard the answer she had waited so long for from Fleet Admiral Raleigh during the broadcast, she finally broke down and cried.
"Because…"
"Because your father's wish and mine have finally come true."
"From now on, our little princess Alice can live a carefree life."
Before her eyes, it seemed as if her husband's figure had appeared.
He was looking at her and Alice in her arms with eyes full of love.
Then, behind her husband, more people began appearing one after another.
Her parents when they were young, her older brother who had never grown up, and the childhood sweetheart she had once admired.
They all looked at her with happiness in their eyes.
Their mouths repeated the same words.
"Heli, live well. Live for us and see this world properly."
The scale of this emotional release shocked even Raleigh, despite his expectations.
It lasted for more than half an hour.
If Raleigh had not forcibly spoken and interrupted their continued celebration, he was even afraid some people might die from overexcitement.
Only after he interrupted everyone's emotions did the soldiers remember their duties.
They quickly restored formation and resumed maintaining order at the scene.
The people across the island gradually calmed down as well after venting their feelings.
Even the reporters who had been frantically taking photos could not help swallowing, their eyes shining as they stared at the Fleet Admiral before them.
Once Raleigh saw that everyone's emotions had mostly settled, he returned to the podium and spoke again.
"Everyone present has lived through the Great Pirate Era caused by the so-called Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. And Roger's most famous lie was that he hid all his wealth on the final island, Laugh Tale."
"It was precisely because of this that countless pirates were drawn out to sea, all for the sake of finding the Pirate King's treasure."
"But after so many years, not a single pirate who set sail has found the so-called Pirate King's treasure. Instead, they brought enormous slaughter to the world."
"Now, we will bring Roger's fabricated lie to an absolute end."
Behind Raleigh stood two enormous Poneglyphs.
He pointed at them and said, "The Pirate King Roger once said that those who wished to find his wealth would only have a chance by gathering the Poneglyphs that recorded the route, and they would also need someone capable of deciphering the so-called Poneglyphs."
"Only after all these conditions were met would they have the chance to obtain the route to Laugh Tale and claim the so-called great treasure."
"The Marines have cleared out the territories of two Emperors and recovered two so-called Road Poneglyphs. Next, what I will do is destroy them completely."
Following Raleigh's words, Enel and Bullett worked together to carry over an enormous device.
It looked very much like a bullet, yet it was clearly different from one.
Raleigh did not explain the source of this equipment. Instead, he told everyone present what it was used for.
"This is something that can break free from gravity, fly endlessly toward the sky, and eventually leave this world."
"I have named it the rocket."
Raleigh pressed a button on the device, and under the movement of machinery, the rocket's nose cone tilted open to the side, revealing its hollow interior.
Enel jumped onto the edge of the rocket, while Barrett below grabbed one of the Poneglyphs with force and hurled it toward Enel's position.
Enel caught it, then shoved the Poneglyph into the hollow interior of the rocket.
The rocket's nose cone slowly began closing.
Raleigh turned and looked solemnly at the civilians, Marine soldiers, and reporters from the major newspapers below.
"The moment I press this button, this Poneglyph will never again be found in this world. The dream of the so-called Pirate King should be shattered as well."
Raleigh pressed another red button on the side of the rocket.
After a burst of mechanical movement, blazing flames suddenly erupted from the bottom.
Carrying immense thrust, the rocket slowly lifted into the air.
Its speed continued increasing.
At this moment, everyone's eyes moved along with the rising rocket.
They could not even bear to blink, afraid they would miss this important historical moment.
The rocket rose halfway into the sky, shed its base, and erupted with an even stronger wave of thrust.
Boom!
With a massive roar, the rocket grew faster and faster until it had already exceeded the limits of what the naked eye could follow.
At such speed, no one could stop the rocket as it rose into the sky.
The broadcast view also shifted along the rocket's path until the rocket finally became a tiny black dot and disappeared into the sky.
Raleigh did not make them wait long. He once again placed the second Poneglyph into another rocket and launched it.
This time, however, the rocket flew in the exact opposite direction from the first.
Only after the civilians were completely immersed in the sight of the rockets flying into the sky did Raleigh's calm voice ring out again.
"Everyone, this is the newest propulsion device developed by the Marines, named the rocket."
"It is equipped with our most advanced fuel and can provide the power needed to break free from this world. It will carry the so-called Poneglyphs and sail through outer space forever."
"Also, we deliberately adjusted the direction of the two Poneglyphs. Barring an accident, there is only a one-in-a-billion chance they will ever return to this world."
"But I imagine that by then, pirates will have already become nothing more than a word in history books."
Raleigh's light laugh seemed to mock the lie Roger had so carefully built.
He had used the simplest method to destroy every pirate who had gone out to sea for the sake of a dream.
He did not know how those pirates would curse him, but he did not care.
Because next, he would launch the final offensive against the pirates and completely wipe out every pirate force that remained.
As for the viewers before the screens, even with their necks stiff and aching from staring upward, they still refused to lower their heads.
They watched the rocket disappear completely and remained motionless for a long time.
Several minutes later, a shout from the first uncle to snap back to his senses reignited the passion that had only just faded.
Because this was a broadcast aimed at the entire world, the news spread to every corner of the world at the fastest speed possible.
It could be said that the Marines' broadcast had completely shattered the hearts of every pirate who dreamed of obtaining the great treasure and the title of Pirate King, stomping their ridiculous dreams and pitiful goals beneath their feet.
...
The Holy Land of Mary Geoise, inside the council hall.
The Five Elders fell into a long silence.
The quiet atmosphere left even the Cipher Pol members guarding the darkness unable to remain calm.
Only after a long while did Nusjuro slowly speak.
"I suggest raising the danger assessment of Christian Raleigh by another level."
"That man has surpassed everyone's imagination."
If one word had to be used to describe Raleigh's way of doing things, it would be absolute.
Being ruthless toward enemies and toward oneself was not enough to make someone the most terrifying kind of opponent.
The most terrifying opponent was always someone who cut off every path.
Because once he had no path left, he could only walk to the very end.
Even the Five Elders, who hated Raleigh deeply, had no choice but to admire the effect this move could achieve.
As long as those pirates learned that the dream they had worked so hard to pursue had been destroyed, most of them might lose their will to fight on the spot.
...
On the Grand Line, the Straw Hat Pirates, who had only recently entered Paradise, were also watching the broadcast.
When they saw the two Poneglyphs disappear into the sky, everyone fell silent.
Even the few who usually talked the most quietly looked at the boy who had buried his head beneath his straw hat.
Zoro, with his earrings and green hair, frowned deeply.
His dream was not the so-called Pirate King, but to become the world's greatest swordsman.
However, based on the information revealed in this broadcast, the Marines were about to launch the final decisive battle against the pirates.
Judging by their journey, even if they took the fastest route, they would not be able to reach the New World in time.
Besides, even in Paradise, they had only escaped the Marines' capture net several times through sheer luck.
If nothing unexpected happened, they would ultimately be stopped at Sabaody Archipelago, unable to cross the Red Line and reach the New World.
"Damn it. If only I had a little more time."
"I was clearly so close to my goal—the world's greatest swordsman, Red-Haired Shanks!"
Zoro was deeply frustrated, and he did not believe Red-Haired Shanks could withstand the Marines' offensive.
That was a siege by three full Admirals.
No matter how strong Red-Hair's swordsmanship and Haki were, there was no way he could handle two Admirals at once.
Luffy, whose face was hidden beneath the straw hat, revealed a firm look in his eyes.
"Nami, I need to rush to the New World with everything we have!"
"I have to find Shanks. I have to help him!"
"Please, you've gotta help me!"