"No! Stop!"
On the other side, while Pulmin Saint was kowtowing and begging for mercy, Charlia Palace had completely lost her sanity. She twisted her body frantically, screaming with pathological hysteria:
"Filthy commoners, back off! I am a descendant of the Creators! I am a god! You can't do this, you can't!"
How utterly repulsive.
Xiano looked down at these two Celestial Dragons, his eyes flashing with disgust.
He had no interest in wasting more words on them.
Swish!
A blade light flashed.
This time, two heads flew into the air simultaneously, blood gushing from their necks like fountains, tracing two long crimson arcs in the air.
Thud.
The two heads rolled onto the grass.
The twisted, demonic expression on Charlia Palace's face and Pulmin Saint's tear-streaked, terrified visage were forever frozen in that moment.
"..."
Silence.
A deeper, more absolute silence than before enveloped the entire scene.
The bubbling sound of rising resin bubbles, the rustling of sea wind through Red Tree leaves, even the suppressed, tense breathing of the crowd—all seemed to vanish at once.
It was as if the entire world had been muted.
Only the four headless corpses remained, lying quietly on the ground, their blood spreading across the emerald-green grass, converging into winding rivulets of dark red.
"Gulp."
Someone in the distant crowd swallowed hard, the sound like a drop of water hitting boiling oil, instantly igniting the long-suppressed uproar.
"They're all dead! The Celestial Dragons are really dead!"
"Four gods fallen in an instant..."
"Pah! Still calling them gods? So-called gods bleed the same red as us!"
Amid the roaring clamor,
a ragged old man stumbled forward a few steps and knelt before Xiano. Tears streamed down his wrinkled face as he choked out:
"Thank you... thank you, sir!"
"My daughter... five years ago, that green-haired mushroom-head took her as his slave. She was tortured to death within two years, and they never even returned her body to us... I never thought... never thought I'd live to see vengeance served..."
His cries seemed to open the floodgates.
Years of pent-up grief erupted in waves.
"My father was taken as a slave too! He's never come back!"
"My family as well!"
"And mine!"
Sabaody Archipelago.
Being so close to Mariejois and hosting the Human Auctioning House, its residents encountered Celestial Dragons more frequently than those on any other island.
And suffered their atrocities most often.
"Good riddance! Good riddance!"
A woman clutching an infant wiped her tears and pushed through the crowd, spitting viciously on the Celestial Dragons' corpses.
"My father, husband, and eldest son were all dockworkers—rising early, returning late, working hard to feed us. Just because they accidentally blocked the path while moving cargo, they were all shot dead in the street!"
"This is retribution! Retribution!"
Her shrieks were hysterical, startling the baby in her arms, who began wailing loudly.
"Waaah—"
The cries seemed to act as a signal. The crowd, previously hesitant and fearful, began to stir.
Some picked up stones from the ground and hurled them at the headless corpses, others lunged forward to tear at the luxurious robes in a frenzy, while a few grabbed the severed heads and slammed them violently onto the ground...
And the majority.
Though they still stood frozen in place, too afraid to charge forward, the fear in their eyes had clearly been replaced by something far more fervent.
Xiano took in every detail of this scene.
A faint smile curled at the corners of his lips as he accepted a white handkerchief from Kuina beside him, meticulously wiping the blood from his greatsword.
Then he turned, facing the nearest Visual Den Den Mushi.
"Did you all see that?"
Xiano's gaze burned like fire as he stared straight into the lens, baring his teeth in a grin. "You saw it, didn't you? It's not just me who can kill Celestial Dragons—who can make them wail and beg for mercy. You can do it too!"
"Celestial Dragons are not gods!"
"They're nothing but parasites draped in gilded robes! Pigs dressed up and placed on a divine pedestal!"
With a sudden motion, he drove his greatsword into the ground, the blade trembling with a clear, resonant hum:
"For eight hundred years, they've ruled the seas with fear, adorned themselves with sanctity, and enslaved the masses with lies. But starting today—starting here in Sabaody, starting with me, Xiano—"
His eyes swept over the crowd, locking onto the flames igniting in their gazes as he spoke, slow and deliberate:
"These shackles of fear… will be shattered!!!"
Then he lifted his head, his gaze piercing through the clouds as he grinned, flashing his stark white teeth. "Hey, you old fossils in Mariejois."
"I know you're all watching too. So? How do you like this little gift?"
A brief silence followed—before chaos erupted.
BOOM—!
The entire Sabaody Archipelago suddenly began to tremble violently. The surrounding Yarukiman Mangroves swayed wildly, resin bubbles bursting in clusters as hundred-meter waves surged across the sea.
Above, the clouds were torn apart by an invisible force, revealing a massive black pentagram array etched across the darkened sky.
CRACK—!
A thick bolt of black lightning erupted from the pentagram, lashing down toward the earth.
Someone far stronger than any member of the God Knights had descended—and made their move.
"Finally lost your patience, huh?"
Xiano's grin widened, the crimson in his eyes deepening.
Who was coming?
One of the Five Elders? Or perhaps Red Hair's father, Saint Garling, who had already made a name for himself at God Valley? Or… could it be Imu himself, seated upon the Empty Throne?
No matter!
Black-and-red lightning erupted from his body, colliding head-on with the crushing pressure descending from above.
ZZZT—!
The black lightning born from the clash of two Conqueror's Haki ravaged the battlefield, toppling the nearest mangroves instantly as countless civilians and marines collapsed unconscious.
And then—
An even more terrifying black bolt of lightning struck down from the pentagram array.
"This just keeps getting bigger and crazier."
At the distant docks, Zephyr had long since abandoned his assault, pausing mid-battle to chew on a toothpick as he squinted at the scene. "And that guy… he's still smiling."
"Is he smiling?"
Fujitora, eyes shut, asked softly.
"Yeah."
Zephyr let out a long sigh and glanced at Fujitora. "I really don't understand how someone as honest and upright as you could follow such a reckless madman."
"Perhaps, as you said, senior, it's because of him..." Fujitora raised his head with a smile. "He's still laughing even at a time like this."
Indeed.
Facing this calamitous pressure, Xiano was still roaring with laughter, his voice piercing through the heavens, mingled with the Black Lightning of Conqueror's Haki, resounding across the entire sky of Sabaody!
"Hahaha, come on! Didn't you call yourself a god?"
He drew his Greatsword, stomped the ground fiercely, and shot like an arrow toward the Pentagram Array in the rift of the clouds:
"Then stop hiding behind this teleportation array! Show yourself! Come out! Let me see—"
A crimson slash, kilometers long, split the sky in two!
"Whether this so-called 'true god' of higher standing..."
"Can bleed or not!!!"
Divine Departure!
BOOM—!
The crimson slash collided with the black lightning thousands of meters in the air, the resulting Shockwave tearing the entire cloud layer to shreds.
The roiling black clouds parted like boiling water, revealing the full form of the Pentagram Array, which trembled violently before being cleaved vertically by the blade, leaving a gaping fissure!
"Audacious!"
A deep, authoritative voice, brimming with suppressed fury, echoed from the rift.
"Audacious my ass!"
Xiano swung his blade again with wild laughter, black-red lightning coiling around the steel. A second Divine Departure tore through the sky, aimed straight at the core of the Pentagram Array!
CRACK!
The Pentagram Array began to crumble. A massive, inhuman, furry black hand seemed to reach out to stop it, but after a moment of hesitation, it withdrew.
POP! The array vanished completely, and the dark clouds gradually dispersed.
Sabaody returned to peace.
"A cowardly bastard."
Xiano sneered in disdain.
From the look of that furry giant hand, it didn't seem to be Imu. As for the remaining possibilities... Hmph, whoever it was, they were nothing special!
Sheathing his blade, he descended slowly from the sky.
The first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds once more, casting their glow upon the land.
Everyone stared up in awe at the figure cloaked in black, standing tall within the beam of light, his dark hair fluttering in the wind, accentuating his strikingly handsome features.
"Whoo-hoo!"
Jack couldn't contain his excitement, throwing a punch into the air. "That's our boss! So damn cool! Those two slashes were absolutely legendary!"
Kuma stood beside him, his reaction far more subdued, but the faintest smile tugged at his lips.
Kuina, suppressing the pounding in her chest, took a deep breath and strode forward.
In her hands, she held a Den Den Mushi borrowed from a nearby reporter.
"Ah, time for a close-up, huh."
Xiano tilted his neck slightly and turned to smile at the Den Den Mushi. "Today's performance is just about over. I hope everyone enjoyed the show."
"But before we wrap up, there's one last thing I need to address. Now that we've come this far, I think it's time to correct our reputation. Jack."
"Yes, boss!"
Jack stepped forward, bending slightly as he pointed a thumb at himself, grinning widely:
"The 'Falling Stars Adventure Pirates'—that's the title the World Government has pinned on us, but in truth, calling us a 'pirate crew' is absolute nonsense! We were never pirates!"
"We never plundered merchant ships, never slaughtered innocents, never oppressed civilians, and we certainly never treated people like slaves, unlike those Celestial Dragons who are worse than pigs and dogs!"
"Look closely! This is our true flag!"
With a sudden burst of strength, he pulled out a massive flag from nowhere, planting it firmly into the ground. It unfurled in the wind, snapping loudly.
The flag's background was pure white.
No skull in sight—only two crossed swords piercing through the blue seagull emblem symbolizing the Marine Headquarters.
"And the meaning of 'Curtain Closer,'" Kuma spoke calmly from the side, his voice warm and steady, "has always been singular: to draw the curtain on this irredeemably rotten era, to uproot the shadows looming over the people's heads."
"For this, we will sever all injustice and oppression! For this, we will stand against anyone who stands in our way!"
Kuina followed up coldly, "Whether it's pirates, marines, or even these so-called 'gods' blocking our path!"
The scene shifted.
Back to Xiano.
The strikingly handsome black-haired youth spread his arms wide toward the camera, laughing boldly and freely. "That about sums it up!"
"In short, remember this, world! If fear still binds you, remember today's Sabaody! If lies still blind you, look at the blood spilled by these gods!"
"And if you wish to rise up and walk this path with us, the Curtain Closers welcome you!"
Xiano's voice suddenly rose an octave higher:
"Whether you're an oppressed civilian, a marine with a sense of justice, or even those good-hearted souls forced into piracy by circumstance!"
"As long as you're willing to fight to end this rotten era, beneath the flag of the Curtain Closers, under my command, there will always be a place for you!"
"And for those who insist on standing in our way..."
The camera abruptly zoomed out, freezing on the four headless corpses scattered around the pure white flag standing defiantly in the gale behind Xiano.
"This is your fate!"
Bzzzt—snap!
The live feed cut off abruptly.
The silence that had gripped Sabaody Archipelago for a while was shattered in that instant.
"Curtain Closer! Curtain Closer! Curtain Closer!"
Someone in the crowd was the first to shout the name, and like wildfire, the chant spread from the center of the field to the entire island.
Countless people raised their arms, tears streaming down their faces as they repeated the name symbolizing rebellion and an end.
"Curtain Closer!"
Even a young marine, his face flushed, raised his fist and joined the roaring chant.
"Hey! You bastard, have you forgotten your place? Planning a mutiny?!" A nearby major snarled, glaring at him.
"Curtain Closer! Curtain Closer!"
The young marine ignored him, shouting even louder.
Another older marine hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth, tearing off his uniform and hurling it to the ground.
"I quit this damn job!"
He roared, "What's the point of being a Marine at this Sabaody base! In just these two years, we've been deployed over a dozen times just to protect those Celestial Dragons, helped capture slaves, killed innocent civilians... Justice? Is this fucking justice?! I'd rather join the Curtain Closers!"
"You!"
The major flew into a rage and was about to draw his gun when he noticed more and more soldiers around him following suit—some tearing off their uniforms, others throwing their caps to the ground...
"I'm fucking done too!"
"To hell with the Marines!"
Those who acted out on the spot weren't actually a high proportion, less than a third at most, but the numbers added up quickly.
The major's expression shifted, and he hesitated to act rashly, quietly retreating into the crowd.
In the distance.
Zephyr watched the scene, rolling a toothpick in his mouth.
After a long silence, he finally sighed deeply. "Sengoku, oh Sengoku... Can you hear it? The bell of the new era has officially begun tolling."
Fujitora stood beside him, a faint smile on his lips. "Senior Zephyr, you see it too, don't you? This is what Lord Xiano called 'breaking the chains.'"
"Tch."
Zephyr scoffed but didn't argue further.
His gaze swept past the seething crowd, landing on the fluttering white flag and the black-haired youth bathed in sunlight.
Zephyr narrowed his eyes, remaining silent for a long while.
Suddenly, he spat out the toothpick and grinned:
"Tsk. Not bad at all."
(End of Chapter)