Most of the crowd never truly saw the battle on the execution square.
A handful fainted under the spillover of clashing Conqueror's Haki—never the kings' intent, just the wake of their power. The rest had long since bolted, sprinting from the blast zone. Only a razor-thin sliver of witnesses—those with freakish luck and enough spine to face monsters—remained to watch legends trade blows.
On the bell tower of a cathedral skirting the plaza, a figure in a teal cloak tucked beneath a hood watched from the closest "safe" perch a man could find without being noticed by the gods below.
Monkey D. Dragon had the composure to stare—until Dimon erased an admiral in a single stroke. Then his expression cracked.
An admiral—one of the World Government's pinnacle blades—snuffed by one finger. If Zephyr hadn't been undying, half a man would already be a corpse.
Worse—the immortality knitting him back together came from Dimon's own brew.
"What a terrifying man… another Rox-class monster—Dimon the Brewer," Dragon breathed, stunned.
When he was little, his father—Garp—had mentioned a rumor in a rare unguarded moment: once, a mad pirate stormed Mariejois alone, kidnapped kings, fought through an admiral on the way out, and left that admiral dying. History rhymed. Another one-blow execution, right before his eyes.
Down a side alley, Crocodile braced on a wall, staring at the child-sized silhouette in the square.
A ten-year-old frame. One finger. An admiral in two pieces. His thoughts jammed.
"Not Dio… Dimon himself," his gaze burned. "The legendary brewer of the Immortality Wine!"
As a member of [New Age], his pulse kicked. The name had sounded like a kid's secret club. But if Dimon was the founder… Then this wasn't play. And his invitation meant potential recognized.
And the others Dimon had tagged? They wouldn't be nobodies either.
Holy Land, Mariejois.
The Celestial Dragons watched the execution on a massive projection courtesy of a gargantuan image Transponder Snail. For once, the ornate park fell silent. A breath earlier they'd howled for Roger's head; after Zephyr was vaporized, even they shut up.
Only a knot of Celestial Dragon brats huddled behind a great tree could still whisper, faces shining.
"It's Big Bro Dio!"
"Big Bro Dio is insane! Unstoppable!"
"An admiral? Pfft, like an ant in front of our Big Bro!"
Donquixote Doflamingo stared at them, deadpan. Whose side are you brats on again? Forget you're Celestial Dragons?
Mangaia Malledez shook like a leaf, turning to Doflamingo with a betrayed look. "Y-you… how dare you lie to me!"
Doffy clicked his tongue. "You helped too. Back at the old chapel, Big Bro Dio—ahem, Dimon—was hunting Rox. Your intel mattered."
Malledez looked ready to cry. The world was cruel. Adults cheated. Even worse—some adults disguised themselves as children and cheated harder.
If the God Knights learned he'd blabbed, would they execute him? …No, Lady Gunzi would save him. She would—right?
Doflamingo leaned in, voice a velvet saw. "Fufufufu. Since you're already in, stop wringing your hands. We're ants on the same string."
"I—I get it. I'll keep quiet!" Malledez gulped. Heaven help him—he was a Dragon traitor now. Heavy stuff for tiny shoulders.
Doffy, meanwhile, stayed unnervingly cool. Dio's cover was blown. Collateral splash was bad. Best to find an excuse to vanish from the Holy Land—his father still babbled about renouncing their status. Perhaps this was the opening. He'd never surrender the title of World Noble… but a trip below for "safety"? Perfect.
Rogue Town—Execution Square.
Zephyr's lower half still stood. Above the belt, blood knitted excruciatingly slow. Not even undying flesh regrew quickly from being erased.
A shame. If the square weren't crawling with eyes, Dimon would have devoured him.
A flicker of killing intent whispered from beneath. Dimon's future-sight flashed; he slid sideways just as a massive hound's head burst from the stones, jaws clamping where he'd stood.
Two more heads followed. A three-headed hellhound tore free, black flame-clouds licking its hide—a fully awakened Zoan.
"You dodged?" A voice cooled the air.
Gringhu Saint stepped in behind the beast, his rapier connected to the hound by a tendon-like tail of shadowed metal.
"With killing intent that loud, even stones notice," Dimon said dryly. "Also—moon-face, that scar's taking its sweet time. Want to trade for one cup of Immortality Wine? My undying is far more convenient."
The moment he saw that face, Dimon couldn't help needling him.
Gringhu's eyes iced over. He leveled the rapier. "Kerberos."
The three heads separated, lunging. Dimon tensed—then cut his sight further ahead. A different future snapped into focus.
If he dodged clean, the three heads wouldn't curl back to him—they'd streak to the image Transponder Snail at the square's edge.
Kill the feed. Summon the God Knights. He didn't need to think to know who would answer.
Even if he blocked this time, they'd cut the next line. Reinforcements would be here in moments.
"Time to go, Roger!"
He slip-stepped past the biting maws, and while everyone still blinked at Zephyr's half-torso, he snapped to Roger's side in a crackle of air.
"Wasn't the plan to raise hell?" Roger grinned, still itching. "Zephyr's down. Three-on-two—we've got the edge!"
Dimon didn't waste breath. Another half minute and they'd be buried.
He caught Roger by the collar and lifted him, looking down at Sengoku and the rest from midair.
"Another time, gentlemen. Mountains high, roads long. We'll meet again."
A black pentagram bloomed beneath his feet, rising like an elevator, swallowing the two of them.
Sengoku exploded into a golden Buddha, body bulking skyward.
Dimon raised a finger—black lightning coiling at the tip. Sengoku's face went slate; he juked aside immediately. If it was the same shot that erased Zephyr, he wasn't testing it.
"Heh. Kidding."
The lightning flickered and went out.
"Instead of craning up at us relics of the old era, look down." Dimon's smile tilted. "The old era's over. The New Age will grow fast. Welcome the Great Pirate Era."
His laughter rolled and the two of them vanished into the glyph—just as Gringhu's hound heads bit the broadcast snails to mush.
Ten-plus five-pointed transfer sigils flashed across the square.
Too late.
Across the world, people who'd tuned in to watch a king die were on their feet, roaring.
"Laugh Tale!"
"The One Piece!!"
"Immortality Wine!!!"
The seas boiled.
The Great Pirate Era truly began.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews.
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
patreon.com/MugiwaraTL