-Broadcast-
In the devastated land of Dressrosa, ninety-nine percent of the indigenous population had been killed by the Rumbling. The statistic was almost incomprehensible in its horror—an entire civilization erased in a matter of hours. Of all the survivors, only the Tontatta tribe remained in any significant numbers, and even they had been reduced to fewer than one thousand individuals. This catastrophe was too cruel, too absolute in its destruction.
The main island of Dressrosa had been irrigated with acid rain by Admiral Gin during the desperate battle against the titan horde. The corrosive downpour had soaked into the earth, and now the land was severely acidified—a poisoned wound that would not heal for many years. No vegetation would grow in this toxic soil, no crops would take root, no flowers would bloom. The once-fertile kingdom had been transformed into a wasteland.
Such a ruined homeland would need to be painstakingly restored by the dwarfs, who would have to expand the living space for future tribesmen through backbreaking labor. They would need to replace the poisoned soil inch by inch, cultivate new growth from their hidden sanctuaries, slowly reclaim what had been lost.
Perhaps after this victory banquet concluded, Dressrosa would be completely reduced to a dead place in the eyes of outsiders. Passing ships would deliberately bypass this unlucky location, sailors making signs to ward off evil as they gave the island a wide berth. If the once-famous tourist city wanted to restore even a fraction of its former glory, the process would probably require hundreds of years of dedicated reconstruction.
It would be a blessing if the dwarf people remained undisturbed during that long, lonely period.
The surviving Marines and the Straw Hat Pirates got along quite well with each other at the celebration. After all, the leaders of both groups were good friends, and their respective second-in-commands knew each other from past encounters. It was impossible for conflicts to arise again after such a brutal war, and besides, there simply wasn't enough time to start fights when there was so much delicious food prepared by the okama chef to enjoy.
Under the devoted care of two beautiful crew members, Luffy had eaten nearly a cartload of food by himself, his jaw working constantly as he shoveled meat and rice into his bottomless stomach. His previously shriveled body—that skeletal, deflated form that had resulted from Gear Fourth's overwhelming energy consumption—finally returned to normal. Muscle filled out his frame once more, color returned to his skin, and vitality surged back through his veins.
After regaining his strength, Luffy was immediately able to jump around at the banquet with his characteristic energy, moving from group to group to talk with people he was familiar with. His rubber body bounced with each step, his infectious grin spreading to those around him.
When he spotted a particular bald Marine standing near Admiral Gin, Luffy's eyes widened with recognition and confusion. "Are you really Helmeppo?" His head tilted to the side in that peculiar way he had when genuinely puzzled. "Where is your golden hair?"
Meeting again five years after their last encounter, Luffy hadn't expected that the other man would have become a completely bald. If Admiral Gin hadn't pointed directly at his deputy and explicitly stated that this was Helmeppo, the Straw Hat captain would never have believed it. The two of them had met briefly during the Battle of Marineford, and at that time the Marine officer had still possessed hair on his head—perhaps not the elaborate blonde style of his youth, but hair nonetheless.
"I decided to let go of these troublesome strands on my head." Helmeppo's voice was calm, measured, carrying none of the petulant whining that had once defined his speech. His hand moved unconsciously to touch his smooth scalp. "Beauty and ugliness are meaningless to me now."
The transformation was complete. Helmeppo, the once arrogant and domineering second-generation official who had relied on his father being a Marine Captain to do whatever he wanted in Shells Town, had been completely remade. After being taught a harsh lesson by Luffy and Zoro years ago, he'd had no other place to go but to reintegrate into the Marine system alongside his good friend Coby.
Unfortunately, times had changed dramatically. The two former friends might very well have to fight to the death when they met again, standing on opposite sides of an ideological divide that could not be bridged.
Luffy raised his wine bowl toward his old acquaintance, a gesture of respect and nostalgia for simpler times. He took the initiative to clink his vessel against Helmeppo's, and then both men drank their wine simultaneously. The liquid burned pleasantly going down, and Luffy had to admit—the wine brewed by the dwarfs was genuinely exceptional. Not only did it possess a strong, complex aroma, but it left a light sweetness lingering on the lips and teeth after each swallow. The Tontatta must have fermented it using plants with extraordinarily high sugar content, some species unique to their hidden gardens.
To be honest, Luffy and Helmeppo weren't particularly close. The bond between them had always been mediated through Coby—their mutual friend who had connected two people from vastly different worlds. And that same friend had "shined" spectacularly during the Battle of Marineford, though not in a way that brought honor to the Marines.
Standing on the side of the Straw Hat Pirates during that apocalyptic conflict, Coby had actively worked against his supposed comrades. He hadn't done anything to directly hurt Luffy—quite the opposite—but he had launched devastating attacks on the Marine forces he'd once served alongside, resulting in the innocent sacrifice of a large number of elite Marine officers and soldiers.
"I've been training with my master for the past five years and haven't had time to read newspapers regularly." Luffy's expression grew more serious, his usual carefree demeanor fading slightly. "Helmeppo, do you have any news about Coby?"
After all, Coby was Luffy's benefactor—someone who had helped him at critical moments. The first time Luffy left East Blue, Coby had been there to assist him. The second time, during the chaos of Marineford, the pink-haired Marine had provided aid in disguise, protecting Luffy even as he betrayed his uniform. The topic of conversation with Helmeppo naturally turned toward their mutual connection.
Helmeppo's expression darkened. Coby might be a great benefactor to pirates, a hero to those who valued freedom over order, but to the Marine organization he was something else entirely—a traitor and a disgrace to the entire system. Although he wasn't the first person to defect from the Marines to become a pirate, the damage Coby had inflicted on the old Marine structure was greater than that caused by all the Marine traitors in history combined.
"I can only tell you this much." Helmeppo's voice dropped lower, becoming almost confidential despite the celebration around them. "Coby has joined the Blackbeard Pirates. He's become the captain of the No. 10 ship, with the codename 'Bloody Avalokitesvara.'" His eyes met Luffy's directly, carrying a warning. "You need to be careful if you meet him again."
That was all Helmeppo would reveal. The Marines possessed far more detailed intelligence about Coby's activities, his abilities, his position within Blackbeard's crew—but such information would not be casually shared with a pirate, no matter how friendly the current circumstances.
When Luffy heard that Coby had joined the Blackbeard Pirates, his entire expression transformed in an instant. The happy, cheerful face that had been enjoying the banquet became cold and serious, his jaw tightening and his eyes hardening with barely suppressed fury.
Marshall D. Teach—Blackbeard—was someone Luffy could never, would never forgive. The man who had captured Ace, who had set in motion the events that led to Marineford, who represented everything wrong with those who betrayed their comrades for personal gain.
Luffy hadn't expected that his former friend would join the camp of his greatest enemy. Although he didn't know the full story of what had happened during the five years of training, didn't understand what circumstances could have driven Coby to such a decision, it didn't matter. Some betrayals cut too deep for explanations.
Why did he join the Blackbeard Pirates when there are so many other crews in the world? Luffy's mind churned with the question. Of all the organizations Coby could have aligned himself with, why choose that one? The answer eluded him, but one thing was certain: sooner or later, the Straw Hat Pirates would have a decisive battle with the Blackbeard Pirates. And when that day came, Luffy would wake Coby up completely, would make him remember who he used to be.
Admiral Gin, sensing the dangerous shift in atmosphere, took the initiative to pick up his wine glass and deliberately change the subject. His intervention made the tense mood between Luffy and Helmeppo cheerful again, redirecting the conversation toward lighter topics. At this victory banquet, they should talk less about sad and complicated matters. Everyone should temporarily give up their formal identities, take off their social disguises, and simply continue enjoying the wine and food as human beings rather than as Marines and pirates.
The Tontatta tribe had completely escaped the life of slavery under the Donquixote Family's brutal rule. These dwarfs raised their wine glasses high, many of them already drunk from enthusiastically celebrating their newfound freedom. The faces of the tribesmen were filled with genuine, uncomplicated joy—the kind of happiness that came from surviving the impossible, from seeing the sun rise on a day they'd thought would never come.
But there was one female dwarf who looked decidedly unhappy amidst all the laughter and celebration. Even when she forced herself to smile for the benefit of her people, it was an ugly, bitter expression that didn't reach her eyes.
Princess Mansherry touched the lion ring on her finger—a simple piece of jewelry that suddenly felt heavy with meaning and regret. She thought about the late Leo, the brave captain of the warriors who had led the initial failed rebellion years ago. She had never confessed her true feelings to him, had always held back out of fear or propriety or simple cowardice. Perhaps she'd only fully realized the depth of her love at the moment he turned into light, his body disintegrating in the aftermath.
If she had been more proactive five years ago, if she had gathered her courage and spoken honestly about her heart, the two of them might have been together. They might have shared something real before the end came.
"Leo, don't worry," Princess Mansherry whispered to herself, her voice barely audible over the celebration around her. She placed her small hand—the one wearing the ring—over her chest, directly above her heart. "I will live well with your share of life. As a princess, I will lead the Tontatta tribe to continue thriving on this land."
She missed Leo with an ache that felt physical, but this time she refused to let tears flow. She had cried enough. Now it was time to honor his memory through action, through leadership, through making sure his sacrifice meant something.
Uncle B (Berserker) and the two women under his protection—Illya and Bellhill—were also enjoying the banquet, though more quietly than most. After the celebration concluded, they had nowhere else to go, no home to return to now that Dressrosa had been transformed into a wasteland. So they had chosen to remain on the island and assist with the reconstruction work alongside the dwarfs, lending their considerable strength to the monumental task ahead.
While most attendees were fully engaged in the festivities, two figures sitting in a corner of the gathering looked particularly isolated and lonely. The Straw Hat Pirates had not treated these two people badly—the okama chef Sanji had even taken the initiative to personally bring them delicious food and drinks, his manner respectful and sympathetic—but neither of them had any appetite.
Trafalgar Law's remains were covered with Marine Justice Coat, though only half of his body remained intact after the battle. Franky had taken less than an hour to construct a transparent refrigerated storage container for the deceased captain, a cylindrical case that used advanced cooling technology to preserve the body as much as possible. The mechanism would protect Law's remains to the greatest extent through constant refrigeration, ensuring that when his crew returned to their hometown, their captain would not have decayed beyond recognition.
A white dove landed quietly on top of the container, its small clawed feet gripping the transparent surface. Lami was immediately alarmed that the bird might defecate and contaminate the instrument. She quickly stood up and tried to shoo it away, waving her arms in frantic gestures. But the bird proved remarkably stubborn, refusing to leave no matter how aggressively she tried to chase it off. It simply circled above her head, persistent and somehow purposeful.
Then Lami noticed something that made her breath catch. The dove was crying—actual tears running from its small black eyes.
"Is it... brother?" Her voice emerged as barely more than a whisper, trembling with desperate hope. "Are you back?"
Hearing the Silver Girl speak the word "brother," the white dove immediately ceased its circling. It landed obediently on the woman's shoulder and rubbed its small head against Lami's face, an unmistakably affectionate gesture. The movement was so familiar, so reminiscent of how Law used to awkwardly show care when they were children.
Feeling this connection, experiencing this moment of impossible recognition, Law's sister burst into tears. The emotions she'd been holding back throughout the entire celebration finally broke free, and she wept openly while the dove remained perched on her shoulder.
The woman gently touched the small head of the dove with one finger, her touch infinitely careful as though afraid the bird might disappear if handled too roughly. "Brother, I don't blame you," she whispered softly, her words meant only for the dove—for the consciousness she believed resided within it. "Don't blame yourself for what happened in Flevance. We will always be family, no matter what."
Unfortunately, the dove—like Law in life—did not stay with Lami for long. After a few precious moments of connection, it spread its wings and took flight once more. It rose into the evening air and flew purposefully toward the direction of the Thousand Sunny, leaving the Silver Girl alone once more with her grief and her brother's refrigerated corpse.
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