North Blue.
The Drake Pirates encountered a sudden, unexpected battle.
As they landed on a certain island, a group of pirates suddenly attacked them, launching a massive battle without any provocation.
The slaughter among pirates was the most common thing in the half of the world ruled by the Pirate Alliance.
Everyone knew about the great Lord Roa's indulgence of pirates.
He was harsh towards everyone in his territory, with the sole exception of the pirates who revered chaos, plunder, and slaughter—they received preferential treatment.
As long as they weren't actually controlling an island, pirates didn't have to pay taxes, nor did they have to worry about being hunted by the Calamity Corporation.
Whatever they wanted to do, no one would interfere.
Therefore, across this vast ocean, the pirates' enemies were generally other pirates.
Because there were no restraints, and the number of pirates was explosively increasing, naturally, the three seas—West Blue, North Blue, and the New World—had essentially become battlegrounds for pirates.
Although the Drake Pirates were already part of the Calamity Corporation, that didn't mean that all pirates wouldn't attack them.
Take this group, for instance.
They seemed afraid that Drake had discovered something, so they launched an attack the moment they met.
And then, they were brutally crushed.
Only the courage to attack immediately upon sight was commendable; their actual strength was merely that of ordinary North Blue pirates.
Facing Drake, who had already mastered Haki, they were completely powerless and were easily defeated.
Then, as expected, the pirates offered the treasure they had found on the island in order to survive.
One Devil Fruit.
"..."
Rosinante looked at the Devil Fruit covered in swirling patterns in his hand, then lowered his head to look at the pirate who was sobbing and begging for mercy.
No matter how he looked at it, this was just an ordinary pirate.
Was this the capability of the Government's intelligence organizations?
Although the Boss ruled these three seas, who knows how many World Government chess pieces were still hidden in this vast ocean.
If the Boss didn't crave chaos itself and wasn't entirely uninterested in ruling, the World Government would surely cause great trouble.
But no matter what—
Rosinante took a deep breath, his ten fingers tightly gripping the Devil Fruit in his hand.
The fuse to ignite this world was now in his grasp!
Rosinante, who had always been gentle and righteous, now wore a strange expression.
The corner of his left mouth turned down, and his eye drooped, mournful almost to the point of tears.
But his right eye was crazed, and the corner of his mouth was lifted into a wild smile, like a gambler with bloodshot eyes!
Then, let me ignite everything!
The final great war is close at hand!
Rewind to a moment earlier.
East Blue.
A new landmark had appeared in this sea recently.
No one knew how, but a gigantic abyss suddenly appeared somewhere in the East Blue.
No one knew where it came from, and no one knew how it would disappear.
Fearful people fled, believing it was the entrance to hell. Curious people sailed there, wanting to see what this unhealable abyss was all about.
Among those who came to observe, Dragon was undoubtedly the most unique.
He transformed into the wind, hovering above this sea area, quietly looking down at the bottomless black hole.
"This is,"
If his body hadn't transformed into the wind, his fists would likely be clenched until blood came out, "the power of an Ancient Weapon?"
The black hole below was massive enough to swallow an island, and this was merely the result of that Ancient Weapon's casual test of fire.
The mere aftermath had brought devastating disaster to a wide area of the nearby sea, with the gigantic tsunami crushing several nearby islands!
Never before had Dragon realized so clearly.
Without an Ancient Weapon, it would be absolutely impossible to contend with either Roa or Imu!
There was no more time for them to continue developing.
The final decisive battle between the Pirate Alliance and the World Government would come soon.
According to Mr. Zephyr, the World Government should take the initiative and catch Roa off guard.
In that case, perhaps Imu would gain the victory.
That would certainly be a better outcome than Roa ultimately winning.
Although the World Government was already terrible, compared to Roa, it seemed far better.
However, just as Mr. Zephyr worried, if Imu wins, where would they go?
If Imu can crush Roa, then there is a high probability that he will also gain possession of the Ancient Weapon Roa holds!
The power the World Government commands would become even more terrifying, leaving them with even less room to resist!
And, what would happen after Imu reasserts control over the world?
Would everything simply return to the way it was, restoring the original order?
Dragon felt that was unlikely.
The World Government erased the history from nine hundred to eight hundred years ago.
Would Imu now allow the history of himself being cornered to this extent by a man named Roa to be passed down?
The World Government would likely conduct a great purge across the entire world!
What should they do then?
Even Dragon, a man of such composure, felt an unspeakable confusion at this moment.
Where would this world go next? And where should they, caught between Roa and the World Government, go?
It was precisely at this moment, when Dragon was completely discombobulated.
"Hmm?"
Dragon suddenly looked up.
He felt an unusual aura.
Almost instinctively, the wind that Dragon had become suddenly began to blow upwards.
In the blink of an eye, he had passed through the clouds and reached the higher sky.
But just at that instant, a gigantic claw suddenly tore through the air.
Dragon's pupils instantly contracted, but there was no time for anything.
The speed of that claw was so fast that even Dragon, a man who could transform into the wind, was completely caught off guard.
"Ugh!!"
Accompanied by a muffled groan, Dragon, who had transformed into the wind, was forcibly snatched out of the air, the massive claw gripping him in its palm.
This was, Haki?
What is going on?! Haki user!
What kind of monster is this?! Is it a Devil Fruit user?
Dragon couldn't understand it at all.
Though it was a sudden attack, he had genuinely been unable to offer any resistance—no! Forget resistance, he didn't even have a chance to dodge!
What exactly had he encountered?!
He felt like his entire body was being crushed. Facing that surging power, he could only wait for death.
But the gigantic claw suddenly relaxed the next moment.
The huge claw opened, and Dragon, whose skeleton was somewhat twisted, lay in the center of the palm, practically bleeding from every orifice.
Escaping certain death, Dragon instinctively wanted to elementalize and escape. He didn't dare to look at the monster that had severely wounded him for even a second.
However, just as his body was transforming into the wind, a blade, wrapped in powerful two-color Haki, was already placed across his neck.
"Revolutionary Army Commander, Dragon, right!"
An indifferent voice sounded in his ear, "I never expected to run into you here!"
"Huh?"
Dragon, already severely wounded and essentially powerless to resist, instinctively looked up.
He saw a head of vibrant red hair.
Dragon was instantly stunned, "You are, Straw Hat Shanks!"
One of the most renowned pirates in the world before Roa returned! One of the Six Pirate Emperors who dominated the New World!
The captain of the Red Hair Pirates, Straw Hat Shanks!
Why would he appear here?
And—
What was with this dragon?!
Dragon finally saw clearly the appearance of the monster that had nearly crushed him with a single claw!
It was a dragon!
A gigantic dragon covered in pitch-black scales, with wings so vast they blocked out the sun!
What was the background of this monster?
"Judging by your look, you're also here for the black hole below, right?"
A strange light flickered in Shanks's eyes.
Dragon slowly gasped for breath. The intense pain in his body made it almost impossible for him to focus his thoughts.
But he still tried to maintain his composure.
What stance was this man, this former Pirate Emperor, now taking?
Thinking this, Dragon replied, "I don't recall any past conflict between us. If I've disturbed you, I apologize."
"You don't recall any past conflict between us?"
Shanks slowly repeated Dragon's words.
This instantly made Dragon frown.
What did he mean?
Why did it seem like this guy was somewhat dissatisfied with his answer?
Had he somehow inadvertently offended him at some point?
Meanwhile, Shanks was also deep in thought.
Did this guy Dragon truly not know, or was he pretending not to know?
Outwardly, this guy did not seem to be controlled by that bastard Roa.
However, he couldn't immediately conclude whether he was one of Roa's people or not.
Robin suffered because she was too careless.
What should he do with this guy?
At that moment, Dragon finally remembered something.
He definitely hadn't clashed with the Red Hair Pirates.
However, there wasn't just one Revolutionary Army in the world right now.
Or rather, they were currently the false Revolutionary Army!
Dragon took a deep breath and slowly spoke, "If you've suffered harm because of the Revolutionary Army in the North Blue, then I apologize."
"Although I separated from the North Blue Revolutionary Army more than two years ago, it was still the organization I led. I should still be responsible for their actions."
"..."
Shanks paused.
This was not an answer that entirely surprised him.
This man genuinely seemed unaware of the incident with Robin.
"So you left the Revolutionary Army long ago and started a new organization. Was it because of that bastard Roa?"
Dragon's eyes suddenly lit up at that moment.
That bastard Roa?
"That's right!"
Dragon completely disregarded his injuries, nodding heavily. "Roa's people infiltrated the original Revolutionary Army too deeply. After realizing I couldn't break free from his control, I had no choice but to cut off the limb to survive and start anew!"
"So,"
Shanks smiled, "you are indeed still an enemy of the Pirate Alliance, correct?"
"Of course!"
A heartfelt smile appeared on Dragon's blood-stained face. "Roa is the biggest obstacle on this world's path to freedom and liberation!"
"I wholeheartedly agree."
Shanks nodded with satisfaction. "Then it seems we have a foundation for cooperation."
"But before that, there's a crucial issue,"
Shanks's tone became slightly serious. "How can I trust that you're not like the Revolutionary Army in the North Blue—claiming to be Roa's enemy on the surface but secretly colluding with him?"
He was personally inclined to trust Dragon, but he still needed some proof.
"In that case—"
Dragon looked up at the giant black dragon that was quietly observing him, its head bowed.
The power of this monster was unquestionable!
Even Roa probably didn't possess this level of strength!
Although it didn't quite match the description of any of the three legendary Ancient Weapons.
Still, such power was truly astonishing!
Perhaps—
"The World Government and the Pirate Alliance are about to have their final showdown!"
Dragon said.
"What?"
Shanks was suddenly startled.
"The World Government has resurrected the legendary Ancient Weapon, Uranus,"
Dragon continued. "So Imu is confident that the Government now possesses enough power to crush Roa's crew!"
"..."
Shanks instantly sheathed his sword, his face utterly serious. "Then I think we need to talk properly, Mr. Dragon!"
This man should truly have no connection to the Calamity Corporation or Roa, but he was probably deeply entangled with the other side!
Meanwhile, not long after, Calamity City.
Inside Roa's palace, the various monsters of the Pirate Alliance were all gathered.
Roa sat leisurely on the throne, holding up the Devil Fruit in his hand with interest and examining it. "What ability was it again?"
Below, Rosinante, kneeling respectfully on the ground, hurriedly answered, "Boss, it's a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit—the Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Fenrir!"
"Oh! The legendary demon wolf!"
Roa nodded, clearly delighted. "Imu seems to be taking me quite seriously this time. Even I would be tempted by a Devil Fruit of this caliber."
"Worororo!"
Kaido burst into laughter. "So, they've arrived, haven't they?"
"You'll have to ask Rosinante."
Roa glanced at Rosinante.
"I will contact Mr. Sengoku immediately and tell him he can follow the Vivre Card's guidance and come over!"
Rosinante said with a serious expression.
And so, very soon.
In another sky across the world.
The shadowy figure seated on the high throne issued a command,
"It's time to secure the victory!"
The massive floating city roared and set off.