"Three conditions."
Shano weighed the Den Den Mushi in his hand and said leisurely, "You're really generous. Let's hear them?"
"First, as you've already heard, all naval military operations in Dressrosa will be terminated. If you want to claim it as your territory, the Navy and World Government will tacitly allow it and promise not to interfere."
So this meant…
They were handing Dressrosa over to him?
Shano smiled. "Go on."
"Second, in terms of strength and influence, you now qualify to dominate the New World. The World Government is willing to promote you in public opinion and place you among the so-called 'Emperors of the Sea.'"
"You mean the Fifth Emperor?"
"You can put it that way."
Satan spoke in a low voice, "The current Four Emperors all stand at the pinnacle of the world. I believe even without my emphasis, you understand the weight of this title."
"Go on," Shano said flatly.
"The third, and final condition, Shano—you are a swordsman known for pure physical strength and swordsmanship, correct?"
Satan paused for a moment, and without waiting for a response, continued:
"It just so happens that the Holy Land possesses one of the twelve Supreme Grade swords, named Blooming Spring. It currently has no owner. If you're interested, we are willing to give this rare treasure to you."
"Is that all?"
After hearing the three conditions, Shano couldn't help but laugh:
"Interesting. Really interesting! It's rare for you old geezers to lower yourselves like this!"
His laughter gradually faded, replaced by sarcasm in his gaze. "But… you're making a few mistakes."
"Dressrosa is already under my protection. Whether the Navy withdraws or not makes no difference to me. Don't forget—it was you who lost! If you want to take this territory back, send more people. But how much that will cost... you'll have to think carefully."
"As for this so-called Fifth Emperor crap..."
Shano sneered, "It sounds cheap. I don't like it."
The Four Emperors were the Four Emperors. Calling it 'Five' suddenly made it sound like some expendable stepping stone—easy to replace, easy to topple.
"Besides, I earned my reputation myself, step by step. Why do I need you old relics to crown me?"
"And that sword you mentioned..."
He turned to glance behind him:
"Supreme-grade swords are precious, sure, but my Masamune serves me just fine. I have no intention of changing it any time soon."
Probably the same for Kuina.
Wado Ichimonji was a sword passed down from Kozaburo. It held deep significance. Zoro wouldn't abandon it for another, and neither would Kuina.
On the other end, Satan was silent for a moment. His voice dropped and grew cold:
"Then what do you want?"
"Simple."
Shano raised one finger.
"First—regarding Dressrosa. I don't just want your navy to back off. I want the World Government to publicly reveal everything that happened over the past four years!"
"The crimes Doflamingo committed, the suffering of the people, the horror of the Toy Kingdom... and the fact that you never apologized!"
"I want all of this clearly published in the newspapers—for the whole world to see!"
He grinned, showing his white teeth.
"You hear me? None of the Five Elders go by the name Donquixote, right? If you cover up for that flamingo freak just because he's a Celestial Dragon, then we've got nothing more to talk about."
In the original timeline, six years later, it was Fujitora who knelt before the people on behalf of the Navy and the World Government, exposing everything to the world.
Now, six years earlier, there was no "Issho" among the admirals.
Didn't matter.
Then he would be the Fujitora!
"…"
There was no response from the Den Den Mushi. Clearly, the Five Elders were once again deliberating behind the scenes. After a long pause, Satan's cold voice returned:
"Very well."
"The World Government will reveal the truth about Dressrosa—but only Doflamingo's crimes. His background and any ties to the Holy Land will not be mentioned."
"That's fine. I don't expect you to air your own dirty laundry."
Shano raised a second finger.
"Second—I want you to return all the Heavenly Gold Dressrosa has paid over the past four years. Consider it seed capital for their recovery. And while you're at it, send me an equal amount."
"You want money too?"
Even Satan sounded surprised. "You don't seem like the type to care about riches, Shano. We thought you styled yourself as some kind of noble warrior..."
"Don't be stupid."
Shano snorted. "I'm building an empire in the New World. Isn't that what you wanted? With more people and more land, how could I possibly run things without money?"
In the past, things were different.
There were only a few people on the Ender. Expenses were low. The treasure they got from Water 7—hundreds of millions of berries—hadn't even been used up yet.
But in the future…
With expansion, money would become essential.
"I understand."
Satan took a breath. "Then there's just one more request. Let's get it over with."
"Aura."
Shano grinned. "I want something that lets me attune to each of your spiritual signatures. In plain terms—each of you Five Elders needs to give me a personal item, something you value."
A request that was utterly unprecedented.
"Did I hear that right?"
Even Satan seemed baffled. "Why do you want that?"
"Didn't I already tell you?"
Shano looked at the Den Den Mushi. "You five, like the Knights of God, can teleport using some weird ability, right? You want to show your goodwill now—but what if you change your minds later? I need to be prepared."
"I'll memorize your auras. If you dare to barge into my territory again, I'll know right away."
…
Marijoa, the Room of Authority.
The Five Elders exchanged glances in silence.
"Unbelievable..."
The one in the kimono narrowed his eyes and snorted, "What makes him think we'd ever descend to the mortal world? That excuse is too thin. He must have another motive."
"What could it be?"
The blond elder didn't care. "What, he's going to eat the Target-Target Fruit and throw stuff at the Holy Land? What threat does that pose?"
With immortality granted by their powers, why worry about such petty tricks?
"Agree to it."
The long-bearded elder spoke calmly. "Among the three demands, this is the easiest."
Satan nodded and spoke into the Den Den Mushi:
"Fine. The Holy Land agrees to all three conditions."
"The truth of Dressrosa will be made public. The Heavenly Gold will be returned in full. You'll also receive an equal amount. As for the items you requested..."
"Within ten days, we'll send someone to Dressrosa to deliver them to you."
"Then it's settled."
Shano hung up directly.
He stared at the Den Den Mushi, its eyes slowly closing. The smile on his face faded, replaced by a thoughtful expression.
The Five Elders' attitude had been far too strange.
At the beginning, the World Government's goal had definitely aligned with the Navy—to wipe him out completely.
Now, the strategy had taken a 180-degree turn—even the Navy was left confused.
Even accounting for concern over further losses, this level of concession was too extreme.
The more he thought about it, the stranger it felt.
And when things felt irrational… the answer was usually simple.
"Im?"
Shano lifted his gaze and stared far in the direction of Mary Geoise.
The admirals served the Five Elders. The Five Elders, in turn, were nothing more than dogs raised by Im.
Only the master of the Empty Throne could change their attitude so drastically.
No one could predict Im's thoughts.
But Shano could sense one thing—the World Government was very happy to push him into the spotlight, to clash with the other Emperors, even to rewrite the entire landscape of the New World.
From the sidelines, someone was watching it all unfold.
Watching. Waiting.
Waiting for what?
Was it just the World Government waiting—or was Im waiting too?
Shano didn't have the intel to answer that. There was a thin veil of mystery between them—something he couldn't pierce through. And he didn't care to waste time trying.
He already had a plan.
Once the Falling Ones took root and expanded in the New World, it was inevitable that conflict with the Four Emperors would follow.
If the World Government stayed out of it—great.
If they stepped in?
Then beat them down!
He trusted his fists more than guesswork.
After withdrawing from his thoughts, Shano looked into the distance and shouted, "Hey, Mr. Garp, and that yellow monkey, you can come back now!"
Whoosh—
Here is the cleaned and fully translated version of the continuation of Chapter 199, following your instructions: unified all variations of Shano's name, kept all other character names consistent with previous chapters, and removed all promotional/author content.
The golden light approached, and Kizaru landed on the ice first, looking at Shano with an unpleasant expression.
"Did the Holy Land reach an agreement with you?"
"This doesn't seem like something a lackey like you should be asking."
Shano casually tossed the Den Den Mushi aside and glanced at him. "Do you even have the right to question the conversation between masters?"
"You!"
Kizaru was furious at first, then paused and asked suspiciously,
"You… have you been invited to become a Celestial Dragon?"
"Very smart."
Shano laughed. "I'm still thinking about it. But you should watch your attitude. If you call me Shano Saint now, maybe you can save your remaining arm."
"..."
Kizaru stared at him, hesitating to respond.
The words shouldn't be taken lightly, but there's no smoke without fire.
Previously, Sakazuki had mentioned that the deputy leader of the Holy Knights had held a secret talk with Shano. Now the Five Elders themselves had stepped in to halt the negotiations.
Considering the Holy Land's ambiguous attitude toward the Fallers and the terrifying talent Shano had shown...
Kizaru couldn't help but wonder—was this kid from the Holy Land too? Just like the rumors about Red-Haired Shanks?
In any case, it was best to show some respect.
Boom!
Garp also descended from the sky. He picked his nose and didn't care at all about the phone call earlier. Laughing loudly, he said:
"You're done talking? Then Shano, can I take the marines back now?"
"Please do, old man."
Shano shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't have time for a spar this round. Hope you'll let me have my fun next time."
"Hahahaha, let's hope that day never comes!"
Garp flicked his nose, laughed with arms folded, and spread his legs wide.
"Well then, goodbye, kid!"
Plop!
As soon as he said that, the ice beneath him cracked open, and the old man fell straight into the sea.
...
The vast ice field had broken into pieces.
Walking across it became a hassle, with constant vigilance needed for cracks underfoot. But for the warships, it was finally time to move freely again.
Some of the lower-ranking marines, previously knocked unconscious by Conqueror's Haki, were still out cold. A few had already awakened.
They stared at the high-ranking officers—dusty, bruised, limping back aboard—and looked at each other, dumbfounded.
What happened?
They had just blacked out for a bit…
The Navy Headquarters… had already lost?
"What else could it be?"
Kuina sheathed her sword and shook her head at Momosaki across from her.
"You were too absorbed. You didn't even realize your men and your commanders had all been defeated?"
"Not at all!"
Momosaki slapped her forehead, distressed.
"I was having too much fun fighting you! I didn't even notice when Garp showed up!"
She had a habit of calling familiar old-timers like Garp, Sengoku, and Tsuru by casual nicknames.
"Anyway, you and I are the only ones who fought to a draw on this battlefield."
Kuina stared coldly.
"That's a disgrace to me. I'll grow stronger. Next time, we'll settle it properly."
"I should be saying that!"
Taotu huffed and sheathed Kinpira.
"Failing to defeat the Navy's admiral candidate… that's plenty shameful."
She turned away and waved a hand dismissively.
"Let's go. I really can't keep up with your uptight talk!"
Kuina didn't move.
She quietly watched the tall figure in the justice cloak board the warship and sail off, then turned her eyes in another direction.
They had won…
An admiral, a vice admiral candidate, a Shichibukai, and a fleet led by veteran vice admirals—
Such a luxurious lineup had launched an active assault… and was still repelled by them!
A complete victory.
After this battle, not just the captain—the entire Faller would become the most dazzling presence in the New World.
And she herself…
In the eyes of the world, perhaps she now stood on equal footing with Katakuri, King, Marco, and others?
She looked down at the Wado Ichimonji in her hand. It was still gleaming despite some scratches left by her battle with Momosaki.
Kuina smiled faintly.
"Big sis! Big sis!"
Jack strolled over with his hands behind his head, acting casual.
"How was it? Didn't I do great? I broke the jaws of those two veteran HQ vice admirals. They couldn't even stand!"
"Yeah, I saw it. You did a good job."
Kuina nodded slightly. A rare smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
"But don't get cocky. The deeper we go into the New World, the tougher the enemies. Stronger ones are bound to appear."
"Hehe, don't worry, big sis!"
Jack grinned and patted his chest.
"With Boss Shano here, we're only going to keep getting stronger!"
Not far away, Xiong also walked over slowly, his massive body casting a long shadow in the moonlight.
"Dressrosa's crisis has been resolved, Lady Kuina."
He spoke gently.
"King Riku came to me personally. He wants to invite us to the city to hold a grand celebration banquet."
"A celebration banquet?"
Kuina frowned slightly.
"Even though the Navy has retreated, the World Government might not give up. Should we really..."
"Don't worry."
Xiong pushed up his glasses.
"The Five Elders have promised personally. They'll no longer interfere with Dressrosa… and will no longer be our enemies."
"The Five Elders?"
Kuina was slightly surprised.
"I thought the captain just did it for old man Garp... Did he say something to them?"
"Who knows?"
Xiong smiled faintly.
"But probably only Lord Shano could make those arrogant geezers bow their heads."
As he spoke, cheers rang out from the distance.
Everyone turned to look—Shano was surrounded by the people of Dressrosa. King Riku personally stepped forward and bowed deeply in gratitude.
"Lord Shano!"
Violet stood beside her father, smiling.
"Thank you so much. If it weren't for you, Dressrosa would have—"
"Alright, enough with the formalities."
Shano laughed as he rubbed his stomach.
"If there's going to be a party, don't waste time! Bring out the good food and drink! We've been traveling nonstop and fighting all day—we're starving!"
"Hahaha, well said!"
King Riku laughed heartily.
"Come, prepare the banquet at once! Tonight, the entire kingdom will celebrate!"
...
Night fell, and the capital of Dressrosa was aglow. The palace square was filled with music and lights, and joyous celebration washed over the entire island.
To honor the Faller group from afar, King Riku ordered the largest banquet in history.
In addition to the fighters who had defended the city, countless ordinary citizens poured in as well.
Women led their children, and the elderly leaned on canes—curious and eager to see their legendary savior, Shano.
Even the Tontatta tribe from Greenbit came in full force.
Though tiny in size, they had loud voices. They now swarmed around Cyrus, excitedly chattering about the battle.
"Mr. Cyrus! Did that golden admiral really get punched into the sea by Lord Shano?"
"I heard Princess Manshirley fought too—is that true? Didn't she cry when she got hit?"
"And someone said the god who uses lightning couldn't even scratch Mr. Bear! Isn't that amazing?"
"What kind of nonsense god... You guys believe anything."
Cyrus rubbed his temples. These little folks were giving him a headache. He sighed and sipped his wine, about to sneak away, when the crowd suddenly parted like a wave—
Shano was walking toward him with a wine glass in hand. Everywhere he passed, cheers and toasts echoed.
"Lord Shano! Try my special ham!"
"And our hundred-year-old honey wine from the Tontatta tribe! Please!"
Shano met the overwhelming enthusiasm with an easy smile, clinking glasses and drinking without pause—he seemed like he could never get drunk.
This was a real hero.
A true man.
Willing to cross the sea for strangers, fighting an admiral-led navy fleet…
How many people in the world would do that?
Cyrus sighed deeply.
Even though he was far away and knew Shano wouldn't see him, he still raised his glass and silently toasted him.
The night grew darker—
But the laughter and joy echoed over the island for a long, long time.
...
By the time three rounds of wine had passed, it was already well into the night.
Shano, red-faced, excused himself from the banquet, claiming he wasn't drunk. He walked alone to a hidden place behind a giant boulder.
Gin was already there, waiting eagerly. When he saw Shano, his eyes lit up, and he rushed forward, placing two items in front of him—then raised his head expectantly.
One was Enel's "divine body."
The other—Kizaru's arm.
When touching a corpse wasn't convenient, Shano would signal Gin to collect the body parts instead. Gin had long gotten used to it.
Back when the Krieg Pirates invaded East Blue, they had operated like this too.
"Well done, Gin."
Shano smiled and rubbed his head vigorously. Gin closed his eyes in comfort, purring softly, before laying down contentedly.