"Ah, long time no see."
Seeing Shanks greet him, Buggy greets him back.
Then he instinctively reacted. His body suddenly split apart.
"Hey, have you forgotten that we have a grudge?! Who wants to see you?!"
"Do we have a grudge? After so long, Buggy, have you lost your mind?"
"Shanks!"
Buggy's two detached hands grabbed Shanks by the collar. His nose was right in Shanks's face.
"You bastard, do not forget! If it were not for you, I would not have become a Devil Fruit user and a hammer! And I would not have lost my treasure map!"
Maybe he would be an Emperor by now!
At the thought, Buggy was so angry he nearly cried.
Being on the same ship as Shanks was the unluckiest thing in his life.
"Did that happen?" Shanks thought seriously.
Buggy: "???"
"Bastard! Do not act innocent with me! You have had this personality since we were kids!"
"Alright, alright. My fault."
"What do you mean, 'my fault'?"
"As compensation, after the war, I will give you a treasure map. How about that? I got it a long time ago. I have been meaning to give it to you."
"You are not lying to me?"
At the mention of a treasure map, Buggy's expression changed instantly.
Shanks promised repeatedly, but Buggy still looked suspicious.
The two did not seem like enemies at all. Instead, they seemed as close as childhood friends who had grown up together.
And in fact, Buggy and Shanks had grown up together on the Roger Pirates.
When they were kids, they had even helped each other change clothes. They knew each other inside and out.
"Gurararara. You two are still as noisy as ever," Whitebeard laughed.
"They were always like this?"
Luffy's expression was strange.
When he had met Buggy in the East Blue, he had thought Buggy had come from a circus.
His strength was worlds apart from Shanks's.
It was hard to imagine these two together.
Buggy dared to shout at Shanks, but in front of Luffy and Whitebeard, he immediately wilted.
Standing before these two killers, why did his back feel so cold?
But to outsiders, this scene looked completely different.
Buggy was standing with two Emperors and a man called the Fifth Emperor.
And he was shouting at Emperor Shanks.
Was he... a new Emperor?
Wait. There were four Emperors here. What did that make the two in the New World?
It made perfect sense for there to be six Emperors.
"Hey, Buggy."
Shanks glanced at Luffy and spoke to Buggy. "Do me a favor."
"Hm?" Buggy was taken aback.
"Help me send him away first." Shanks pointed at Luffy.
"What do you mean, Shanks?"
Luffy said, somewhat dissatisfied. "I want to see Beckman, Yasopp, Lucky Roux... and I want to ask you about Uta too."
And this war was not completely over.
"Now is not the time for that, Luffy."
Shanks's expression was serious. "You need to go."
His gaze swept over Luffy.
Whitebeard also noticed something. He stared at Luffy for a moment, then laughed. "Gurararara. The Red Hair brat is right. Thank you for this, Straw Hat. This old man will help end this war with him."
Had he been seen through?
That was normal.
Luffy's body was indeed nearing exhaustion.
Especially after receiving the Gura Gura no Mi. The two Devil Fruit powers were conflicting inside him. Though he seemed fine on the surface, as top strong fighters, Whitebeard and Shanks could both sense that Luffy was not well.
Or rather, the fact that he could still move was a miracle.
"There is a submarine at the shore."
Shanks looked at Luffy. "I met an interesting man on my way here. He should be able to help with your current condition."
The man's Devil Fruit should be able to handle Luffy's situation.
No, only that man could do it. No other doctor could.
"Hey, Shanks! Are you giving me orders?!" Buggy shouted, dissatisfied.
"You little..."
"Get Luffy over there now!"
A roar came from the Den Den Mushi in Buggy's hands. It was Vivi's voice.
The murderous tone made Buggy flinch. The hand holding the Den Den Mushi shook.
He had almost forgotten about that killer.
Buggy quickly took Luffy away.
He was not afraid of Shanks. He was afraid of Vivi.
It was just that the women of the Straw Hat crew were terrifying.
They would threaten to cut you into pieces any minute.
"Fine, fine! I am going!"
"I will go as well."
Golden Lion waved his hand and floated over. "Since the war is over, I will leave too. I owe Straw Hat a favor."
Since the war was over, there was no reason for him to stay.
Overall, he had enjoyed this war. There had been no battles like this since the Rocks Pirates disbanded and Roger died.
His only regret was that the ship's wheel in his head had kept him from using his full power. Instead, he had watched Luffy fight the entire battle.
Compared to that, he was more interested in Luffy's future.
With his strange fruit and now Whitebeard's Gura Gura no Mi, what kind of monster would he become?
He was increasingly curious.
Haki was supposed to surpass all.
But Imu's appearance had shown him something different.
Even a man
with top-level Haki like Whitebeard could not resist that power. Did that mean...
Ability surpassed Haki?
In any case, nothing was certain.
He followed Buggy, flying in the direction Shanks had indicated.
Luffy's body was now nearly frozen.
The two powers were fighting inside him. Though the Nika form was trying to reconcile them, the burden was beyond his current limit.
"Hey! Do not just decide things on your own!"
In his Great Buddha form, Sengoku roared.
They were discussing how to retreat, right in front of him.
Did they have no respect for him as Fleet Admiral?
Shanks turned back. His gaze calmly met Sengoku's.
His expression had changed. The gentle smile was gone. In its place was an unparalleled dominance.
"If anyone is not satisfied,"
Shanks slowly drew Gryphon from his waist. The blade glinted coldly in the sun. "we will be your opponents. Marines?"
Almost as he spoke.
Bang. Bang.
Figures leaped from the Red Hair Pirates' ship, landing behind Shanks.
Benn Beckman, Yasopp, Lucky Roux... and the other officers of the Red Hair Pirates. Each emanated a powerful presence, standing shoulder to shoulder with Shanks.
Whitebeard tapped his Murakumogiri on the ground and grinned. "Do you want another round, Sengoku?"
Though he had lost the Gura Gura no Mi, the presence of an Emperor was undiminished.
The atmosphere on the battlefield froze again.
The elite Vice Admirals of Marine Headquarters also appeared behind Sengoku.
Onigumo, Doberman, Momonga, Yamakaji... Their expressions were grim. Their hands gripped their swords. They were ready for battle.
And Garp's gaze followed Luffy, who was being taken away by Buggy.
The battlefield was silent for a moment.
Watching Luffy and Golden Lion leave, Sengoku took a deep breath and withdrew from his Great Buddha form.
He was compromising.
Not compromising with pirates. Compromising with this absurd reality.
The ice plain was covered in corpses. The wreckage of shattered warships floated on the red-stained sea. The mix of smoke and cold made a nauseating smell.
Row after row of Marine elites had fallen. Those still standing were covered in wounds, their presence weak.
Sengoku's golden Buddha form faded, revealing an old, exhausted face.
He looked around the battlefield he had insisted on commencing.
A third of Impel Down had collapsed. The Gate of Justice was twisted and broken.
On the pirates' side, Whitebeard and Ace were both alive. Straw Hat Luffy had taken the Gura Gura no Mi before the eyes of the world.
The Marines had not won. It could even be said to be a crushing defeat.
This war was a heavy blow to the Marines' prestige and the order of the World Government.
"Sengoku."
Vice Admiral Tsuru walked over. Seeing Sengoku's suddenly hunched back, a flicker of pity passed through her eyes.
"I have decided."
Sengoku waved her off before she could speak.
His gaze met Whitebeard's. The two had been rivals for decades, from the Roger era to the present.
They both knew there was no winner in this war.
The Whitebeard Pirates had lost the Gura Gura no Mi. Their core strength had been damaged. The Marines had lost their prestige and countless lives.
Seeing this, Shanks understood Sengoku's decision.
He stepped forward, standing at the edge of the ice. His red hair fluttered slightly in the snow-flecked wind. His posture under his black cloak was straight.
He did not release Conqueror's Haki. But just standing there, he naturally drew the attention of everyone on the battlefield.
Pirates and Marines alike.
"Everyone. Please sell me this favor. This war is over."
"Fufufufu. How boring. It could have gone on to the end."
Doflamingo laughed wildly, somewhat disappointed.
"Tch. It ends like this?"
Crocodile bit his cigar. His gaze lingered on Whitebeard, then on the departing Luffy.
He exhaled smoke. "No one won."
There was no victor in this war.
Too many had died on both sides, pirates and Marines.
When the top monsters fought, every move was a natural disaster. Ordinary people caught up in it did not even have the chance to leave their names.
The blood frozen in the ice, the young faces that had fallen, were all sacrifices to this absurd war.
And for the Marines, who had achieved none of their strategic objectives, it was undoubtedly a complete and utter defeat.
They had not executed Ace. They had not destroyed the Whitebeard Pirates. They had not even captured Straw Hat Luffy.
"Please allow us to take the bodies of the pirates who fell in this war,"
Shanks spoke again, making a specific request.
This was an unwritten rule among pirates. It was the last dignity given to the fallen.
"Hey, Red Hair! Do not push it!"
A Marine Vice Admiral with a bandaged arm could not help but shout. "You are leaving us with no results at all! Did you come here to start a war?!"
"Silence."
Sengoku cut off his subordinate.
He closed his eyes. His chest heaved once.
"Agreed." Sengoku said the words.
"Fleet Admiral!" Several Vice Admirals cried out.
Sengoku turned sharply. His sharp glare silenced all dissent.
"I said, agreed!"
Sengoku forced the words out. Then he said loudly, "Give full effort to treating the wounded. Gather the bodies of our fallen. Let the pirates take their own dead."
He faced Shanks and Whitebeard again, speaking each word deliberately. "The war is over. I, Sengoku, take full responsibility for all of it."
The density of the World Government?
The fury of the Five Elders?
And the Celestial Dragons?
He would bear the condemnation from the World Government himself. What mattered now was preserving the Marines' remaining strength.
Looking at the tragic battlefield, at the cold bodies of the young soldiers, Sengoku's heart, which had been warmed by absolute justice for decades, felt the cold for the first time.
The Marines were just a sharp blade in the hands of the World Government. Use it, then discard it.
From the moment Imu appeared, from the moment the God's Knights intervened, this war had changed in nature.
He saw it.
And he was tired.
Keeping a distance from the World Government and gathering strength might be the Marines' only way forward.
Once the thought appeared, it took root in his heart.
"Gurararara. Sengoku, you old bastard, you finally said something human." Whitebeard laughed loudly.
Shanks nodded slightly. "Thank you."
Sengoku watched the departing figures of Straw Hat and Golden Lion. His expression was complex.
Straw Hat, Monkey D. Luffy.
From today, that name would truly shake the world.
He had killed a Celestial Dragon. He had defeated Blackbeard. He had taken the Gura Gura no Mi from Whitebeard. He had fought alongside Garp, Whitebeard, and Golden Lion in the Summit War. And then he had escaped unharmed before everyone's eyes.
How long had it been since he set sail? Six months? A year?
His growth rate was terrifying.
What was even more terrifying was the force gathering around him.
The former Warlords Jinbe and Crocodile. The Revolutionary Army officer Ivankov. And now, Golden Lion Shiki traveling with him. Even the Whitebeard Pirates owed him a great debt.
"A new era?" Sengoku muttered to himself, a bitter smile on his lips.
He suddenly understood why Garp always had that pained expression.
Who would not be pained with a grandson like that?
Not far away.
The seawater at the edge of the ice parted with a splash. A strangely shaped yellow submarine surfaced. Its hatch opened.
"Captain! They are coming!"
On the submarine's lookout, a white bear in clothes pointed nervously at the sky.
Using his splitting ability, Buggy swayed and bobbed as he carried Luffy, floating toward the submarine.
Golden Lion walked on air, floating casually beside them.
Luffy also saw it. A white bear.
And it could talk?
"Oh? It is that bear from the Sabaody Archipelago?"
Luffy smiled. "So Shanks was talking about them."
"You know them?" Golden Lion asked.
"I fought their captain on the Sabaody Archipelago."
Luffy said. "But then the Admirals came. And Gramps too."
Everyone had run for their lives.
"Captain, we should run!"
Bepo was terrified.
Seeing Luffy, carried by Buggy, especially the presence radiating from him even from a distance, Bepo's legs were shaking.
Why were these two killers coming?
"Bepo. He is a guest." Law said.
A guest?
What kind of joke was that?
Bepo was so scared he yelped. He quickly hid behind his captain, Trafalgar Law, only half his head and his twitching ears visible.
To be honest, Bepo was truly afraid of Luffy.
Even though Luffy and his captain had both been called Supernovas on the Sabaody Archipelago, after witnessing Luffy's actions in this war... he was no longer any Supernova.
He was already a monster with the qualifications to be called an Emperor, to stand shoulder to shoulder with Whitebeard.
He had gone toe-to-toe with an Admiral. He had cut down Akainu with his sword. He had even taken the Gura Gura no Mi from Whitebeard.
"Hey, Straw Hat. You owe me a big favor! If it were not for me, you would not have gotten here so fast."
Buggy droned on, emphasizing his own contribution.
This could very well be an Emperor's favor.
A favor among pirates was very important.
He could say that in the Impel Down War, he, the great Buggy-sama, had saved the most popular new Emperor.
That would be enough to brag for ten years.
"Thanks, Buggy."
Luffy grinned. "Whitebeard owes me a huge banquet. How about I invite you?"
An Emperor-level banquet?
Buggy's small eyes widened. His heart pounded.
That was not something just anyone could attend.
It would be a feast of the true top pirates. A symbol of status.
If he could attend a banquet like that, the name of Buggy-sama would surely resound throughout the New World.
"A-A mere banquet with Whitebeard!"
Buggy was still acting tough, but his slightly trembling hands betrayed his excitement.
"It should be a lively banquet," Luffy said.
"Hmph. Back on Captain Roger's ship, what banquets have I not attended?" Buggy sniffed.
Beside them, Golden Lion glanced at Buggy, huffed, and laughed. "Jihahaha. Red Nose, as an apprentice, when Roger and Whitebeard held banquets, you were probably hiding behind Red Hair, stealing drinks, were you not?"
The Roger Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates had actually been on good terms. They often held banquets after fighting.
Buggy was so choked he turned red, but he did not dare to argue.
Before he was the legendary pirate Golden Lion Shiki, as famous as Roger and Whitebeard.
A true veteran among pirates.
Buggy was a traditional pirate. He instinctively held a certain reverence for the old-timers.
Luffy suddenly remembered something. He looked at Buggy. "I almost forgot. You and Shanks were both crewmates of the Pirate King."
His expression was strange.
Buggy and Red Hair did not look like they came from the same world.
"Um, Straw Hat. Forget the banquet. I helped you so much. How about giving me that armband? As thanks!"
Buggy could not help but rub his hands together, creeping closer.
***
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