At that moment—
The vast Marineford had fallen into absolute silence.
Everyone who had never heard the name Rōmu before felt their hearts shaken to the core.
Some even felt fear.
And Sengoku continued:
"A criminal who so violently overturned the order of the World Government—even though he has vanished, his influence still spreads across the world."
"Countless evildoers were inspired to rise."
"To erase Rōmu's malignant legacy and preserve global stability, the World Government had no choice but to seal the truth of the God Valley incident."
He spoke fluently.
At first—when mentioning the alliance with Roger and the mysterious thirteen beings—his lips had twitched slightly.
But once he returned to the rhetoric of justice and order, his tone grew smoother and more solemn, without the slightest pause.
The effect was immediate.
"So that's why the Government hid it."
"This Rōmu is terrifying… compared to him, Roger feels insignificant."
"Even the so-called 'World's Worst Criminal' Dragon doesn't sound that scary now."
"Sealing the history was the right choice—otherwise piracy would be even worse!"
"No wonder Roger shouted his name before dying… but what exactly did he mean?"
"So Whitebeard, Shiki, Big Mom, and Kaido were all connected to Rōmu…"
Across Marineford—and across the world—people began to accept the Government's version.
The name Rōmu…
became synonymous with absolute evil.
On the floating wooden island—
Dragon stared at Sengoku's righteous face on the giant screen.
The tattoo across his cheek twitched slightly.
"Heh."
"As expected of the Fleet Admiral. Quite the storyteller."
"If I hadn't traveled the world myself… seen how the 'World Government' truly treats people… I might've been moved to tears."
His voice carried naked disgust.
In the original timeline, Dragon had become the soul of the Revolutionary Army.
But at the beginning—
he had never intended rebellion.
Who is born a revolutionary?
He was the son of the "Hero of the Marines," Monkey D. Garp.
Raised on ideals of justice.
Protect peace. Defend order.
He had once believed in the same righteous world his father did.
Until he grew up—
and saw reality.
The Marines' justice was conditional.
The Government's justice was selective.
And the Government itself—
was darkness in divine clothing.
He had seen Celestial Dragons shoot civilians in the street simply for hesitating in fear.
He had seen Cipher Pol slaughter entire villages to erase inconvenient secrets.
He had seen children of every race branded with slave marks by red-hot irons.
He had seen far too much.
And his faith in justice had shattered.
Thus he joined the Revolutionary Army.
And rose to its leader.
To overthrow this rotten world.
In this timeline, Rōmu had accelerated Dragon's growth—but had never altered his path.
Dragon's goal remained unchanged:
To topple the world.
"What a load of sanctimonious garbage," Dragon spat, eyes still fixed on the screen. Then he glanced sideways at Brook. "Honestly, that Fleet Admiral sings better propaganda than our Soul King."
For a second—
everyone froze.
Then they burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"Dragon telling jokes?!"
"I'm dying—!"
The group howled.
They were already monsters by nature, many scarred or deformed, some outright grotesque.
Their laughter looked like a gathering of demons.
Yet Dragon did not laugh.
Because among them were genuine villains.
He hated the Government—
but a world ruled solely by these monsters was not what he wanted either.
"This damned world…"
He clenched his fists.
"Dragon."
Rōmu's voice sounded softly.
Instantly—
the chaotic laughter ceased.
Every monstrous figure straightened and fell silent.
No matter how wicked they were—
Rōmu's power had utterly conquered them.
Their obedience to him was absolute.
Dragon too regained composure and answered respectfully:
"Yes."
Rōmu spoke calmly:
"Whether good or evil."
"As long as this world falls today, that's good enough."
"Even if something worse rises afterward… so be it."
Dragon's pupils trembled.
Rōmu wasn't a saint.
But neither was he a tyrant obsessed with ruling everything.
There was simply one thing he could not tolerate:
Those who wielded power only to humiliate the weak.
Especially Celestial Dragons.
They reminded him of certain beings from his previous world—
ones he had been powerless to challenge.
But here—
he had the strength to crush them.
His solution was simple:
Destroy the existing world order.
What came next?
He didn't care.
Rōmu admitted it freely.
He was no savior.
Just a man who refused to tolerate what disgusted him.
Removing the Celestial Dragons alone—
would already make the world better.
"As long as this world falls today… that's good enough."
Dragon repeated the words quietly.
And fell into thought.
Meanwhile—
back at Marineford.
"Sengoku."
Kong spoke low, subtly giving him a thumbs-up.
He hadn't expected that one of the Government's darkest secrets—
would be reframed into justification for its rule.
The Five Elders beside them relaxed visibly.
"So these insects do have some use after all," the black-suited Elder muttered, stroking his beard.
"Barely adequate," another added coldly.
Yet inside—
they were ecstatic.
They claimed to be divine envoys.
They ruled not only bodies—
but minds.
And now—
their worst scandal had become proof of righteous authority.
Watching the Marines below shouting "Justice will prevail!"
The kimonoed Elder actually smiled.
A serene, holy smile.
"Yes… that's right."
"Worship the gods who grant you your lives, insects."
He savored it.
But then—
a thunderous dragon roar shattered the fervor.
"BULLSHIT JUSTICE!"
"SAKAZUKI!"
"Didn't expect you to be another slime twisting words!"
"Those Celestial Dragons deserved death!"
"Captain Rōmu killed them as justice itself!"
"'Nobles'? What nonsense! No one is born superior!"
Kaido's fury shook the battlefield.
He had grown up oppressed by the World Government.
After Rōmu vanished, the world had seemed unbearably dull.
He had long wanted a war to end everything.
As he always said—
there were no born nobles.
His creed was simple:
Drag every so-called ruler onto the battlefield.
War alone determined worth.
And above all—
no one was allowed to slander Rōmu.
"Boro Breath!"
A blazing torrent erupted from the dragon's maw—
a crimson beam nearly two meters wide—
tearing toward the Marine ranks.
The heat alone scorched the air black.
"Enough of your prattle!"
Akainu's eyes hardened.
To him—
pirates and corrupt nobles alike deserved absolute justice.
But pirates came first.
His aura surged.
His arm transformed into seething magma.
"Inugami Guren!"
With a roar—
his molten arm expanded and morphed into a colossal hellhound head—
fangs bared, jaws wide—
like Cerberus bursting from the underworld.
This—
was the attack that defined the name Akainu.
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