On the plaza.
After a few seconds of eerie silence, a furious questioning finally broke through.
"What are you talking about, Shano!"
A captain shouted through gritted teeth, "Does that mean you still see us as enemies? Don't forget, you just killed a Vice Admiral of the Navy! You'll undoubtedly be wanted by the World Government like a pirate, so why act all noble!"
"That's right! We're supposed to be on the same side now, aren't we? And you won't even let us plunder, yet you talk about your reputation back in the day? Don't you think you're overplaying it?!"
Another pirate captain immediately followed up with questioning.
"Show off? Acting noble? Since when do pirates start accusing each other like this?"
Shano raised an eyebrow and slightly lifted his forefinger, "Listen up, trash, the Navy I've killed was because they deserved to die, and you? You're just another bunch of damned hyenas!"
Boom!
Instantly as he finished speaking, a strong shockwave burst forth from his fingertip.
Flying Finger Gun!
The two pirate captains who questioned him couldn't even react before their heads exploded, turning into corpses on the ground.
Bang!
Shano immediately jumped down from the execution platform, landing on the ground, startling the surrounding pirates.
Looking at the bodies on the ground, the pirates swallowed hard and hesitantly watched him, momentarily unsure whether to flee or approach.
"Hey, Kuina." Shano ignored these ragtag groups and turned his gaze somewhere.
"I'm here, Captain!" The young swordswoman immediately raised her hand in response.
"Weren't you always asking me in the cafe, what is my dream?"
He looked around at the surroundings, taking in the broken walls and cannonball remnants.
"Now seems like the perfect time to tell you!"
"Eh?" Kuina exclaimed in surprise, "Now? Here?"
Boom!
Thunder timely flashed, splitting the clouds.
Pale lightning illuminated Shano's chiseled profile, his black hair tousled by the fierce wind as he grinned malevolently:
"Of course, it should be in front of the world-famous execution platform!"
He bent down, suddenly plunging his fingers into the stone base of the platform, the gray stones groaning under his palm's weight.
The execution platform washed over by rain for eighteen years without wavering now suddenly rose up amidst everyone's stunned gazes!
"Eighteen years ago, the Great Pirate Era began here, and you guys all came here for it..."
"Are you kidding me, Roger!!!"
With a roar, the execution platform completely left the ground, and he astonishingly raised it with one hand, hoisting it onto his shoulder:
"Using mere treasures to lure fools worldwide into sea battles, dangling the so-called Ultimate Treasure like wild dogs tearing at each other, citizens barely scraping together enough money to pay Heaven's Gold, and they're further harassed by you trash, what kind of bullshit era is this worth looking forward to!!!"
His roar rolled out with the rain, shaking the air into trembling.
"If you really want to change something, go do it yourself! Starting this Great Pirate Era, after waiting decades for destined offspring, what sense does this make?!"
"Feeling oppressed, go bother those who oppress you! Joining the Navy or becoming dogs, surrendering meekly, becoming pirates only leads to plunder, burning, and bullying the weaker, what kind of bullshit logic is this?!!"
The plaza went silent.
All pirates seemed like ducks caught by the throat, staring up dazedly at the execution platform and the figure holding it.
"This world never needed any Pirate King, nor all those lofty fools!!!"
"Roger ushered in the Great Pirate Era, making this world worse, but everyone has long been fed up with this state of things!"
"So my dream is to become the Endgame of this bullshit world! And to bury this shit-like Great Pirate Era—"
"In Roger's coffin!!!"
Shano suddenly hurled the execution platform from his shoulder.
The several-ton stone platform now took off like a cannonball, whistling towards the distant sea!
Bzzz—
Watching the retreating execution platform, Shano spread his arms wide, baring his ivory teeth in reckless laughter, terrifying invisible Qi waves bursting dramatically from him!
Supreme King Haki!
Thunderous black lightning flashed across the sky, causing all of Log Town to flicker, fierce winds rising, bricks shattering, clouds rolling!
On the plaza, the pirates suddenly felt a dizzying sensation, like wheat being reaped, plunging into unconsciousness en masse.
The few surviving pirates' knees weakened, kneeling on the ground, their teeth chattering, staring at their comrades foaming at the mouth, shocked in terror towards the platform below—
The black-haired young man stood there, seemingly trying to pull the entire sky down!
...
In the distance.
Nojiko, Nami, Kuina, and others looked up at the strange, terrifying weather phenomenon, their faces full of shock.
"This, is this trouble caused by my brother?"
Nami swallowed, her words stammering, "It's just a dream declaration, but? Although I'm quite inspired, how, how did he do this?"
"It's Supreme King Haki."
Zeff's voice came from beside them, the old man's expression complex as he gazed at the figure amidst the storm, speaking softly:
"Perhaps it should have been foreseen... our captain is a man rare among millions with the Supreme King's aptitude."
Become the Endgame?
End the Great Pirate Era?
Pull those high-up guys down one by one?
Hey, hey, hey, to say something like this, that dream is even more exaggerated than finding the All Blue...
Supreme King Haki?
Is that a kind of Haki too? Nami wondered, her head full of questions.
But it does seem impressive, she looked at the pirates sprawled all over the plaza, eyes full of envy:
"Wow, just as expected of my brother! Damn, I wish I could learn this ability too, waving a hand and knocking down so many people, no Devil Fruit could possibly compare!"
"Supreme King is naturally inherited, not something anyone can learn."
Zeff shook his head, recalling scenes he witnessed firsthand back in his day, comparing them to the spectacle in front of them, feeling increasingly nostalgic, "You may not know, even among those with Supreme King aptitudes, the initial awakening's strength varies greatly."
"What about my brother?" Nojiko asked curiously, "How does his awakening rank, is it strong?"
"I've never seen anything more exaggerated."
Zeff clicked his tongue, "And the most terrifying thing is, although it's a first awakening, he should technically be unable to control it, yet see, all the unconscious people on the plaza are pirates, not only us, even the residents hiding on both sides were completely unscathed."
That doesn't seem wrong...
Kuina followed the old man's gaze, unable to hide the astonishment in her heart.
Truly worthy of Lord Shano...
The crew chatted away, their attention focused entirely ahead.
None of them noticed, not far from them beyond the ruins.
A tall, white-haired figure, shackled by Seastone Handcuffs, was also staring at the direction of the execution platform, motionless like a sculpture...