Passing over the Red Line again, Ryuuto couldn't help but marvel at its sheer scale. It was a structure that seemed utterly impossible for human hands to have built.
"The Serpent of Purgatorial Fire illuminates the land!"
Witnessing the sight, Ryuuto murmured the phrase to himself. Perhaps the Red Line was the entity referred to as the Serpent of Purgatorial Fire in the 'Halley Scriptures'.
"The God of the Earth, the God of the Sea, the God of the Forest, and the Sun God. The truth of this world will surely come to light soon," Ryuuto mused, lost in thought.
Beside him, Nami found Ryuuto's words far too profound to understand.
But Ryuuto didn't elaborate further—it was merely a passing reflection.
Time flew by, and when the sun's rays once again bathed the Ark Maxim in light, they had arrived at the winter island—Drum Island.
Ryuuto then began to guide the Ark Maxim in a slow descent.
A significant portion of Drum Island was now submerged, forcing its people to move their lives halfway up the mountains.
WHOOSH!!
The giant propellers of the Ark Maxim kicked up clouds of snow from the ground, causing many people to look up at the sky. Among them, naturally, was Dalton, the current ruler of the Sakura Kingdom.
Of course, Dr. Kureha and Chopper, who lived in the town of Kestia, also saw the massive ship.
THUMP!!
In an instant, Chopper transformed into his reindeer form and began galloping across the ground, charging toward the mountaintop where the Ark Maxim was landing.
To Chopper, this colossal, suddenly appearing vessel was most likely a pirate ship. This time, he would fight to protect the Sakura Kingdom. He had to stop these pirates from running rampant on Drum Island.
Dalton had the exact same thought.
He transformed into his bison form, his hooves pounding deep imprints into the snow as he charged frantically toward the summit.
CRACKLE!!
As Ryuuto's lightning power spread out, he immediately sensed the movements of Dalton and Chopper, which brought a faint smile to his lips.
"Looks like we've startled quite a few old acquaintances."
"In that case, I'll just wait here for you to arrive," Ryuuto said softly.
THUD!!
Sure enough, it wasn't long before two figures appeared. Ryuuto saw Dalton and Chopper for the first time in a year and a half.
"What? Ryu... Ryuuto?"
Seeing Ryuuto standing on the ship's figurehead, Dalton's stern expression instantly vanished, replaced by delighted surprise as he shouted out.
"Ryuuto!!" Chopper exclaimed, immediately shifting into his cute, small form.
"Hahahahahaha... A bit of a surprise, isn't it? But it's great to see you both!" Ryuuto said, leaping down from the ship and pulling Dalton into an emotional hug.
"Yeah, it's been too long!" Dalton replied with a wide grin. They had once been comrades who fought side-by-side, and the joy of their reunion was deeply moving.
"I think the Captain grew up here," Nami said to Vivi, who was standing beside her on the Ark Maxim.
"I'm so curious. I wonder what kind of environment the Captain grew up in," Vivi blurted out without a second thought.
Because of her affection, she wanted to know everything about him.
After Vivi spoke, Nami turned her gaze upon her. She didn't say a word, simply looking Vivi up and down. The intense scrutiny made Vivi feel a little unnerved.
"Ryuuto, let's head to the palace! We need to have a good drink!" Dalton was overjoyed, grabbing Ryuuto's arm and trying to pull him toward the castle.
"Hahahahahaha, tonight, we drink until we drop!" Ryuuto readily agreed.
"Me too..." a loud voice suddenly interjected from the side. It was Chopper, who had been momentarily forgotten. In the past year and a half, he had often accompanied Dr. Kureha to treat patients, and it had made him much bolder.
"Hahahahahaha..."
Laughter filled the air.
Soon, the group arrived at the royal palace.
They gathered around a large bonfire, chatting freely. A huge goat was roasting over the flames, its savory aroma filling everyone's nostrils.
"The roast is ready!"
A delicate figure emerged from the kitchen, speaking softly to the group. The sight sent Ryuuto into a daze. The girl he remembered had grown, her brown hair now tied into two pigtails, and a newfound strength shone in her eyes.
"Eve?" Ryuuto called out.
"Ryuuto, it's so good to see you're okay!!" Eve looked at him, tears welling in her eyes.
Others might only care about how strong Ryuuto had become, but as his childhood friend, Eve's only concern was his safety. After all, from an ordinary person's perspective, being a pirate was an incredibly dangerous profession.
"Yeah, I'm fine! Not only that, I've become very strong. As a pirate, I'm one of the Emperors of the New World!" Ryuuto said, trying to comfort the girl from his memories.
"Mhm!!" Eve nodded repeatedly.
Watching this scene unfold, Hancock and the other two women shot murderous glares at Ryuuto.
"Is he adding another one to the list?" they worried.
Their fears were misplaced. Ryuuto's feelings for Eve were more protective. In his eyes, all he wanted was for her to live a peaceful and stable life.
Jean Bart and Burgess had simpler things on their minds. All they cared about was the delicious roast goat before them.
Incidentally, it was fortunate that Dalton didn't see Ryokugyu's figure among them. Otherwise, he would have cried out in shock. Just a few days ago, Ryokugyu had come to the Sakura Kingdom and conscripted several hundred young men to work on building a bridge.
As a member nation of the World Government, Dalton had absolutely no grounds to refuse.
Happy times always seem to pass too quickly.
While Ryuuto and his friends celebrated, Imu was busy sending a relentless stream of slaves to construct the Tequila Wolf Bridge. He was feeling the pressure and was desperate to see the bridge completed. Once it was finished, he would have a much greater strategic advantage.
At this moment, only the final few hundred meters of the bridge remained.
Imu watched the progress through a Den Den Mushi, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Hundreds of years of effort... finally paying off!" Imu's deep voice rumbled.
"Send more men. Every member nation is to provide another 1,000 people. I want this bridge completed within one month!"
Imu's voice thundered like a command from the heavens, relayed directly to Marine Headquarters.
"Damn it!!"
"Have those Celestial Dragons lost their minds?"
Upon hearing the news, Akainu slammed his fists on his desk and roared. Even he was stunned by the shamelessness of the order.
"Ooooh, what a cruel command," Kizaru drawled mockingly from across the desk.
"Is there still no contact with Ryokugyu?" Akainu suddenly asked, as if remembering something.
"No matter how hard we try, we can't reach him," Kizaru said with a hint of helplessness, one hand in his pocket while the other adjusted his glasses.
"Everything lately has been such a headache."
"Keep trying to contact him. How can a Marine Admiral just disappear on a trip to the East Blue?"
"Any movement from the pirates?" Akainu asked after muttering to himself.
"The seas are a complete mess right now. Big Mom has vanished. It seems she fought Aokiji on some unknown island a while back. Kaido seems to be mixed up with Ryuuto lately."
"As for Shanks, he and his crew have completely disappeared."
"And finally... there's Blackbeard, who came back from the dead. His crew is expanding at an alarming rate."
As Kizaru spoke, even he couldn't hide the look of frustration on his face.
Of course, a careful analysis of Kizaru's report would reveal that he had completely omitted any mention of Dragon's activities or the role he played.
"How did the world suddenly get like this?" Akainu let out a heavy breath, his brows furrowed deeply. The pressure on him was immense. On one hand, the Celestial Dragons were constantly forcing them to capture more civilians for the Tequila Wolf project. On the other, the Four Emperors seemed to be brewing an even bigger storm.
"Right, are the new bounty posters ready?" Akainu suddenly remembered another task and looked at Kizaru.
"They're ready, but... they're sure to shock the world! Ooooh... Five billion Beri!!" A glint flashed across Kizaru's glasses as he spoke in a sinister, unreadable tone.
"Fine! In that case, release them," Akainu said, a deep weariness etched on his face.
Tap, tap, tap.
Kizaru slowly walked out of the office.
Soon, only Akainu's figure remained. He slowly turned, his gaze falling upon the massive world map hanging on the wall.
While some suffered, others rejoiced.
As the new Fleet Admiral was feeling utterly stifled, Blackbeard was sailing toward the East Blue aboard Thriller Bark.
His objective was, of course, to destroy the Tequila Wolf Bridge.
His forces had expanded dramatically, largely thanks to the corpses collected by Gecko Moria. Combined with his newly acquired abilities, these subordinates would provide him with formidable power. Among them were former members of the Rocks Pirates, like Captain John and Silver Axe.
"Zehahahahaha! This world has been quiet for far too long! It's our time to take the stage! Let them know the true fury of the sea!" Blackbeard roared, his voice low and guttural. But if one listened closely, the shout seemed to be a composite of several different voices.
"Hehehehehehe..."
"Fufufufufufu..."
The shadowy figures standing beside Blackbeard let out a chorus of sinister laughter.
Meanwhile, far away in the Calm Belt, on Fish-Man Island, the Mermaid Princess had fallen into a high fever for reasons unknown. She could only lie weakly in her bed, tormented by one nightmare after another, a condition that persisted for a very long time.
The cause was perhaps linked to Blackbeard in some peculiar way.
"Shanks, have you found a trace of Teach?" Aboard the Red Force, Marco and the other remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates fixed their gazes on the red-haired captain at the bow.
"East Blue."
"They're in the East Blue."
The powerful aura emanating from Shanks instantly retracted back into his body. He had his answer.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go straight to the East Blue!" Jozu shouted impatiently.
"I no longer understand this world. Every step we take from now on could be a mistake. If possible... we might need a god of our own," Shanks said in a low tone. His gaze drifted toward the figure fishing off the side of the ship: Luffy.
"Isn't it too late?"
"I feel like we're already behind."
"We've been behind from the very beginning," Benn Beckman said, instantly grasping Shanks' meaning, though his reply was uncertain.
The others, however, were completely lost. Marco and his men had no idea what the two were talking about.
"Who knows?"
"The future is in chaos. But no matter what, this is something we have to do," Shanks said, his brow tightly furrowed, his voice filled with conviction.
"Alright, I understand."
"In that case, let's head here."
With that, Benn Beckman slapped a stack of newspapers into Shanks' hand. The headline described the massive battle between Big Mom, Sengoku, and Aokiji on a certain island. The destructive power of the fight had lasted for days, and the island was left almost completely destroyed in its wake.
Shanks nodded, then walked over to Luffy.
"Luffy, have you mastered the high-tier Haki I taught you?" Shanks placed a hand on Luffy's head, ruffling his hair vigorously before speaking softly.
"Uhm? Well... maybe... I still need a little time!" Luffy was completely absorbed in having fun. As the chosen one of destiny, his talent lay in learning and mastering abilities in the heat of battle.
Shanks saw this and nodded slowly. He had expected as much.
Having been raised by Dragon, Shanks was, in fact, the one who had best inherited his will. However, unlike Dragon's ideology of constantly saving common people, Shanks pursued stability for the world. He had long known most of the world's secrets, but the more he knew, the more he felt compelled to maintain the balance.
In a way, this will was remarkably similar to Imu's.
And so he had to wait. Wait for the return of the Sun God.
Wait for the Sun God to liberate the world.
To this end, Shanks had done many things, whether it was stopping Kaido from going to Marineford or trying to end the Summit War. It was all for the sake of stability.
But now, everything had changed.
Shanks could no longer see a clear future. The only thing he could do was use every ounce of his strength to facilitate the Sun God's emergence.
Luffy, you're too slow, Shanks sighed faintly in his heart.