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The pirates' openness and the Marines' secrecy
One after another, declarations rang out from the Rocks Pirates camp—various strange or ancient surnames kept popping up, but without exception, each had that mysterious "D" sandwiched in the middle.
The scene was practically like an absurd "family recognition gathering," yet it made the Five Elders' faces darken to the extreme.
Although they knew full well that none of these pirates truly understood the full meaning behind "D"…
Just hearing that letter being brought up over and over was enough to make the five feel an instinctive revulsion and unease.
It was a warning etched deep into their bloodline, a taboo memory passed down through generations during the World Government's centuries of rule.
On Roger's side, people also began to take stock.
"I count as one myself."
Roger held little Shanks casually and said with his usual carefree attitude: "My future son Ace counts as one…"
As he spoke, he glanced around at his crew.
Rayleigh, Scopper Gaban… everyone looked at each other and immediately shook their heads.
Rayleigh watched Roger's serious expression and gave a wry smile while shaking his head: "Roger, we're not like Rocks, recruiting soldiers and buying horses from everywhere with all sorts of mixed rabble under his command.
Though we do have new partners join, they're basically all old comrades we know inside and out."
He paused, then added: "Thinking carefully, aside from you, it really doesn't seem like anyone else."
At that moment, Shakky seemed to suddenly remember something and quietly added from the side: "Roger, don't forget—your future wife is also a 'D.'"
The word "wife" made Roger freeze for a second.
He blinked, then suddenly realized.
Yes—in the scenes from Ace's memories, that great woman named Portgas D. Rouge had left a deep impression on him!
Gloriosa sighed silently to the side, her heart breaking into pieces.
The future wife of Roger wasn't her—and she too was of the "D" clan.
Roger's expression grew complicated.
He didn't know Rouge yet; this "future wife" felt completely unreal to him.
Suddenly being brought up like this, the King of the Pirates unusually showed a hint of embarrassment. He scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly: "Well… that's true, huh…"
While the pirates' camp openly discussed the matter, the Marines' side fell into a subtle silence.
"Actually… I have a 'D' too."
A middle-aged Marine Rear Admiral lowered his voice, glancing warily toward the Five Elders: "But I have no intention of saying it out loud.
Just look at the Five Elders' faces—the World Government clearly fears this name tremendously. Saying it out loud might bring disaster."
A nearby Commodore nodded repeatedly: "Better not say it then. We're just trying to make a living in the Marines, with elders above and kids below—no need to take risks over something like this."
"Actually, my wife and her younger brother also have 'D'…" Another officer started to speak but trailed off.
Whispers rippled through the Marines like undercurrents. In this system, "D" seemed to have become an unspeakable taboo—even when someone with that surname was right beside them, no one dared admit it openly.
When it came to the most conspicuous and widely known "D" in the Marines, it was undoubtedly Monkey D. Garp.
Zephyr felt puzzled and conflicted. He glanced at the grim-faced Five Elders not far away and lowered his voice to the barest whisper, almost mouthing the words: "Garp… your family…"
Garp was picking his nose at the time, looking completely unconcerned and relaxed: "Huh? You mean 'D'? My parents both have 'D,' then there's me, my son Dragon, my future grandson Luffy… What's up?"
He said it so casually, as if discussing tomorrow's weather.
Zephyr looked thoughtful and turned to Sengoku and Tsuru. Both shook their heads—they had no hidden names, and their family histories were clean, with no connection to "D."
The entire God Valley fell into a bizarre atmosphere.
People kept their eyes glued to the crucial conversation between Law and Luffy on the light curtain while quietly discussing that mysterious letter, as if trying to crack some ancient code.
What exactly is "D"?
Why do people who carry this letter always seem to get swept into the whirlpool of the era, writing extraordinary destinies?
And why do the Five Elders—the highest authorities in the world—show that mix of disgust and wariness whenever they hear this letter?
"Interesting…"
Whitebeard grinned, a profound expression crossing his rugged face as he stroked his signature crescent mustache. His gaze seemed to pierce through time: "Looks like this 'D' is hiding quite a few secrets."
Even though his future self had learned the truth of the world from Roger, the current him knew nothing about it and couldn't help feeling curious.
At that moment, Kaido seemed to recall something. He turned to Big Mom with an odd expression: "Linlin, with all the men you've had, you've never come across one with a 'D' in their name?"
The question was blunt and struck right at the heart of Big Mom's colorful romantic history.
Charlotte Linlin narrowed her huge eyes and began racking her brain: "Mam-ma-ma-ma… I've always only talked about romance, never feelings. Who remembers those men's full names?"
She thought for a long time but really couldn't recall anything special.
To her, those men were just tools for satisfying desires and producing offspring—who cared about their names, backgrounds, or surnames?
"But…"
Big Mom suddenly remembered something, and her tone turned dangerous. "Kaido, what do you mean by that? Questioning my taste?"
Kaido gave her a helpless glance, too lazy to argue, and turned his gaze back to the light curtain.
He stared fixedly at Law and Luffy on the screen. His beast-like eyes glinted with dangerous light, as if assessing the potential threat these two members of the "D" clan might pose.
At this point in the light curtain scene, Law had already used his ability to roughly clear the seawater from Luffy's body.
Luffy had regained a bit of strength but still sat weakly on the ground, his rubber body limp.
"Tra-guy…"
Luffy panted heavily, but his eyes beneath the straw hat were unusually sharp: "Did you find some kind of clue?"
Law leaned against a broken wall, hands in his pockets, his entire figure shrouded in shadow. His tone was as cold as a scalpel:
"I came to investigate Elegia. This country… isn't simple."
He turned his head toward the brightly lit stage in the distance. His sharp eyes seemed capable of piercing the distance to stare straight at the truth: "Uta choosing to hold her final concert here is no coincidence. Elegia is the 'Music Kingdom'—and also the 'Cursed Kingdom.'"
Law paused, lowering his voice even further: "According to the fragmented records I've found, Red-Haired Shanks once led his pirate crew to attack this place. That attack was very strange—it felt more like… an attempt to seize or cover up some secret."
"Shanks?!" Luffy jerked his head up, eyes full of shock and confusion.
No matter how much you beat him, Luffy wouldn't believe that the man who saved him, gave him the straw hat, and taught him what it meant to be a man—Red-Haired Shanks—would attack a music kingdom.
"I don't know exactly what happened."
Law cut off Luffy's thoughts and continued laying out his findings: "All related records have been deliberately erased or altered, but piecing together the remaining clues…"
He slowly crouched down to meet Luffy's gaze eye-to-eye and said word by word: "What we can confirm now is that Uta's obsession, the Wake-shroom she consumed, the legend of Tot Musica passed down in Elegia… all of it points to the same truth."
Law's voice carried no emotion, yet it sent chills down the listener's spine: "Straw Hat captain, that woman… may be planning a 'sacrifice.'"
"Sacrifice?!"
Bartolomeo let out an involuntary cry of shock from the side.
Law didn't look at him; he just stared intently into Luffy's eyes: "Using her own life and soul as the offering to awaken some ancient entity, and then… with that entity's immeasurable power, fulfill her insane wish…
To create a 'new era' that completely eradicates pirates."
Luffy's pupils contracted sharply. He opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound, only shaking his head desperately.
No… Uta wouldn't…
The Uta who raced with him in Windmill Village, pulled pranks with him, and smiled with her eyes curved into crescents—how could she walk down such an extreme path?
"She already ate the Wake-shroom."
Law's voice rang like a judgment bell, shattering Luffy's last sliver of hope: "As a doctor, I've heard of this thing—a chronic poison. The user remains conscious until the very last moment of life, with their mind gradually breaking down amid excruciating pain."
He stood up and looked down at the trembling Luffy: "She's counting down her own life, Straw Hat captain. Every minute, every second, she's heading toward the endpoint of self-destruction."
The scene switched back to the stage.
The spotlight refocused on Uta.
She had changed into an even more glamorous performance outfit, her hair fluttering in the night breeze. The music started again. She picked up the microphone, and her singing flowed like a clear spring: "♪♪~"
Her voice was still beautiful, her smile still radiant.
She even improvised a light, cheerful dance, drawing waves of cheers from the fans below.
But the powerhouses in God Valley saw something different.
"Look at her forehead," Rayleigh said in a low voice.
In the high-definition light curtain image, it was clearly visible: fine beads of cold sweat were seeping from Uta's smooth forehead.
The droplets were tiny, almost invisible under the stage lights.
But every time she hit a high note or turned, sweat would slide down her cheek, and she would quickly wipe it away with her sleeve.
Her movements remained fluid, her smile remained perfect.
Yet the slight tremble in her fingertips and the occasional, fleeting, barely noticeable furrowed brow silently told the story: the toxicity of the Wake-shroom had already begun eroding her body.
"She's forcing herself to hold on."
Stussy let out a soft sigh. "What exactly is this child carrying… to torment herself like this?"
...