After pouring out the words she had bottled up in her heart for so long to Sherlock, Anna felt a wave of relief wash over her, as if a heavy burden that had weighed her down for years had finally been lifted. She let out a long breath and spoke faintly to Sherlock:
"Alright, it's too late for anything now. You've become the infamous sorcerer. Kill me—just like you killed Duncan."
"One last question." Sherlock drew the ornate pistol from his waist, locking eyes with Anna.
"If you hate the Celestial Dragons so much, hate me so much, then why, after learning of my death, did you still take up the mantle of the entire Goldglint Trading Company?"
Anna's expression froze, and she fell silent.
Though she despised Sherlock for the sinful blood in his veins, she still held deep affection for the Goldglint Trading Company he had painstakingly built. She had witnessed the rise of a commercial legend. In a way, the Goldglint Trading Company was Anna's second home.
Sherlock gave a meaningful smile, then aimed the gun at Anna.
"Goodbye," he said softly.
As if accepting her fate, Anna closed her eyes, a relieved smile on her face. In that moment, she wondered—if she hadn't let anger cloud her judgment back then, if she hadn't leaked Sherlock's secret to Duncan, what might their ending have been?
(Whatever. Dying by his hand isn't so bad. Father, Mother, Big Sister, Second Sister... I'm coming to join you.)
"While I'm gone, I'm leaving the Goldglint Trading Company in your hands, President Anna."
The words had barely left his mouth when Anna's eyes snapped open in shock. Before her was the familiar room, and Sherlock had vanished into thin air, as if everything that had just happened was nothing more than her imagination.
"Played by him again?"
Anna felt as though she had lost something vital once more. She stood alone in the empty study for a long, long time. Her expression shifted, and she pulled a Den Den Mushi from a cabinet.
"Tell the Marines—the sorcerer is Sarsalian Sherlock, the former president of the Goldglint Trading Company. He's in Loguetown." She hung up the Den Den Mushi, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window in the study, and gazed into the distance. The scenery outside remained unchanged, bustling with people, but the clouds in the sky were gradually thickening, as if rain was coming.
"That bastard... you'd better not get caught by the Marines…" Unconsciously, tears streamed down Anna's face once more. Then, her strength gave out, and she collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably…
Though she desperately didn't want Sherlock to be captured by the Marines, as the third-generation president, Anna had to steel her heart and prioritize the greater good to eliminate the sorcerer's negative impact on the Goldglint Trading Company.
In the center of Loguetown stood a vast plaza, and at its heart rose a tall platform—the infamous execution platform. Twenty-two years ago, Gol D. Roger met his end on this stage with fearless resolve. With a single sentence, he ignited the Great Pirate Era, sending countless pirates charging headlong toward the Grand Line.
People came and went around the plaza. When their eyes fell on the execution platform, their expressions varied—some filled with reverence, others with disgust—just as the world's opinions of the Pirate King differed.
Sherlock, clad in a black robe, stood quietly in the plaza, gazing at the execution platform, his mind swirling with thoughts.
Seventeen years ago.
"Sherlock, I'm gonna become the Pirate King! What do you think of that dream?" A little girl with striking silver hair turned to ask the boy behind her.
"Stupid," the boy replied without looking up from his book. "You didn't actually let that old man brainwash you, did you? What's so great about being the Pirate King? In the end, he just got executed by the Marines right there."
The silver-haired girl looked toward the center of the plaza. The towering execution platform loomed like a giant, radiating an indescribable solemnity and grandeur, as if the Pirate King's spirit still lingered, overlooking the seas.
"Well, the Pirate King may be dead, but his spirit lives on in everyone's heart," the silver-haired girl murmured.
The boy glanced at his older sister in surprise, as if wondering how she could say something so profound.
"Idiot."
"Hmph! Sherlock's the worst! I'm your sister, you know!" The silver-haired girl puffed up her cheeks in anger, her face like a steamed bun.
The corners of Sherlock's mouth curved slightly under his hood. "I wonder how Lisanna's doing now," he said, pushing up his glasses with a nostalgic look. "But as a World Noble living in the Holy Land, she's probably doing just fine."
Sherlock tightened his cloak and prepared to take one last look at the execution platform. But then he noticed a figure at the very top. Squinting, he saw a guy wearing a yellow straw hat and a red vest, sitting on the platform with an excited grin.
"Straw Hat Luffy?" Sherlock recognized him instantly, his eyes narrowing. He hadn't expected to actually run into him in Loguetown.
A slight unease stirred in Sherlock's chest. This idiot-looking guy was far too conspicuous, practically begging the Marines to come arrest him. Logic told Sherlock to leave immediately, but his instincts screamed that if he walked away now, he'd miss something crucial.
On the other side of the plaza…
Luffy sat calmly on the execution platform, gazing into the distance, completely ignoring the pointing and whispering of the crowd below.
"Is this the view the Pirate King saw before his execution?" Luffy muttered to himself. A gentle breeze blew, making the straw hat on his head sway lightly.
At that moment, a pleasant female voice called up from below the platform.
"Finally found you, Luffy! It's been a while."
Luffy looked down and saw a black-haired beauty holding a massive iron mace. Her skin was as fair as lamb fat, her face like a peach blossom, her lips red and teeth white. A pair of large, dark eyes stared intently at Luffy on the platform.
"So pretty!" "She's an absolute goddess!" "She's as beautiful as President Anna!" The clueless onlookers began shouting all sorts of praise, as if Sanji's soul had possessed them.
"I don't know you," Luffy said, scratching his head, unable to recall where he'd met this stunning woman.
"Forgot what I look like? I could never forget you." The black-haired beauty reached out and stroked her smooth cheek.
"Because you're the first man to ever punch this beautiful face of mine… that heavy fist of yours…"
She stuck out her delicate tongue and licked her lips, her movement sultry and provocative.
"It set my heart racing!" The crowd's jaws dropped in unison.
"I like strong men. I want you to be my man, Luffy!"
Sherlock, watching quietly from the side, wore a strange expression. He hadn't expected this gorgeous woman to have masochistic tendencies—a total M, in short.
"No way! Who are you, anyway?" Luffy rejected her firmly.
"…"
Just as the two were locked in their heated argument, a fountain in the plaza suddenly exploded with a boom. A massive chunk of stone hurtled through the air with a gust of wind, flying straight toward the black-haired beauty, eliciting screams from the crowd.
The woman didn't dodge. She smiled faintly, and something miraculous happened—the stone slid unnaturally off her skin the moment it made contact, smashing a huge hole into a nearby building. She emerged unscathed and laughed toward the direction of the explosion. "You guys really need to be more careful."
"A Devil Fruit user?" Sherlock's eyes narrowed. Her ability was similar to his, though hers deflected attacks while his reflected them.
At that moment, a group of uninvited guests appeared from the direction of the explosion, clad in gray robes and radiating menace.
"Our apologies, but with that slippery skin of yours, of course you're unharmed. So don't mind us."
"Beautiful Lady Alvida."
"…" Luffy stared blankly at Alvida's curvaceous figure, unable to connect the woman before him with the pig-like figure in his memory.
The leader of the gray-robed group and his men threw off their disguising cloaks into the air and roared, "Straw Hat kid, I've finally found you! Alvida, since he won't be your man, let me take him out!"
Seeing the distinctive red nose, Luffy immediately recognized the newcomer.
"Oh, it's Buggy," Luffy said casually, as if he didn't take the man seriously at all. Buggy's forehead bulged with veins in rage.
"Buggy the Clown!" a townsman shouted.
"Pirates! Pirates are in the plaza!" Seeing the armed, menacing pirates, the townspeople panicked and scattered in all directions.
Buggy waved a hand, and his crew aimed their weapons at the fleeing townspeople. Then Buggy declared loudly, "Nobody move! You're about to witness the terror of Buggy the Clown!"
As soon as he spoke, a cry of surprise rang out. Sherlock turned to see Straw Hat Luffy restrained on the execution platform with a wooden yoke by one of Buggy's men.
Buggy, seeing Luffy now at his mercy, laughed arrogantly. He spread his arms and shouted to the crowd, "Your public execution begins now! Hahaha, what an honor, right? Dying in the same place as the Pirate King!"
"?"
Luffy's expression was blank, as if he hadn't realized just how bad his situation was.
Sherlock stood there quietly, watching Buggy show off.
What the hell are the Marines doing? Waiting to swoop in at the last second? Sherlock pushed up his glasses. In his memory, Smoker's efficiency was top-notch. That justice-obsessed guy would never let pirates run wild like this.
At that moment, Sherlock raised a hand, sensing a shift in air pressure. He looked up at the sky, where the dark clouds were steadily gathering.
Is it going to rain? he thought.
--