"..."
Zephyr and Kuzan stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at the space where Akainu had dissipated. For a long time, neither could regain their senses.
They could no longer feel a trace of Akainu's presence. Was it... truly over?
Granted, there was already the precedent of Ryokugyu being kicked to death, but... that man was Sakazuki. His fame and strength were both far above Ryokugyu's, not to mention he had forged that demonic contract, gaining even greater power and an immortal body.
And yet, there was no difference. Like an ant, he had been crushed by a single finger.
"That's terrifying, Captain," Kuzan scratched his hair and gave a bitter smile. "This isn't even in the same league as before your seclusion. Is this what you called a 'small gain'?"
Before the seclusion, he had sparred with Shane several times. While he would inevitably lose if Shane went all out, he could at least hold his own for a good while. But now...
Zephyr suppressed the shock in his heart, stepped forward, and couldn't help but ask: "Lord Shane, please tell me... do you now have enough confidence to defeat that supreme 'God' lurking behind the World Government?"
"God?" Shane turned back and chuckled. His answer was simple: "It won't be any harder than killing Akainu."
The words were spoken nonchalantly, yet they caused Zephyr and Kuzan to gasp simultaneously. Kuzan, especially, had known Shane long enough to know that while this man was arrogant, he always backed up his words and never boasted. If he dared to make such a claim, it meant—
"A-la, has the time finally come?" Kuzan looked toward the Red Line and took a deep breath.
"Is the era truly about to change completely...?" Zephyr murmured. Then, he couldn't help but burst into a hearty laugh. "Hey! Count me in! Count the Neo Marines in, Lord Shane! If I can't participate in this final decisive battle, then for the rest of my life... no, even if I'm dead in hell, I'll die of regret just thinking about it!"
Why bother blowing up Marineford anymore?
The Dyna Stones were back in their hands, yes, and the "Return to Marineford" plan could continue. But in the end, that plan was merely a desperate, suicidal gamble born from the helplessness of facing the gargantuan World Government.
But now... since Lord Shane was here, and Curtain Call was here, they could march right up to the Holy Land. They could personally cut down those bloated swine and overthrow the World Government... Who would choose the former option now!
"Of course you can," Shane smiled as he looked around. Mansherry, along with Ain and Binz, had already treated the majority of the Neo Marine casualties. Given a few days to recover, the Neo Marines would regain their fighting strength.
Which meant, it was time...
"Kuzan." Shane looked toward the distant horizon, his voice turning deep.
"Here, Captain!" Kuzan realised the shift in atmosphere and snapped to attention.
"Pass down my orders." Shane stood with his hands behind his back in the sea breeze. "Summon all executives. Within two days, gather at Dawn Island, the Curtain Call's Headquarters. The Four Great Legions are to enter maximum combat readiness. Prepare for a full-scale offensive!"
"YES!" Kuzan roared in response, his body trembling. At this moment, he felt a long-lost passion—the kind of hot blood he hadn't felt in decades—ignite once more, making him feel boiling hot from the inside out!
"Also, notify Morgans to come to Dawn Island to meet me." Shane paused, looking out at the endless sea. "It's about time the whole world knows that the final war is about to begin."
Over the following days...
The World Economic Journal issued emergency reprints one after another. Giant headlines, like a hurricane, swept across the globe, making the entire sea tremble!
First came the news of the Marines' crushing defeat: the deaths of Admirals Akainu and Ryokugyu, along with several veteran Vice Admirals. Two Admirals dead in one breath? Normally, this news would be shocking enough to be the sole topic of conversation on every street corner for weeks.
However, news of this magnitude was nothing compared to the headline that followed the next day.
Because on the second day, the World Economic Journal officially published a document personally signed by the Leader of Curtain Call, the undisputed strongest man of this era, Shane—
The Proclamation to the World!!!
"To all people on this sea who yearn for freedom and justice: for eight hundred years since the founding of the World Government, the Celestial Dragons, who style themselves as descendants of gods, have committed countless crimes..."
In Marineford, at Marine Headquarters, Kong's face was grim as he listened to his sweating adjutant read the report with a trembling voice.
"Massacres, enslavement, oppression... their atrocities are too numerous to record! In the dungeons of Mary Geoise, countless bones pile up; beneath the soil of the Red Line, the earth is soaked in blood... la, lala, la~~~~ Cough, sorry, Your Majesty, Princess, I was so excited I couldn't help but want to burst into song."
In Alabasta, Igaram blushed and bowed apologetically before unfolding the newspaper again. Vivi sat beside Cobra, poised and serious, listening with absolute intensity.
"And today, this eight-hundred-year tyranny shall end! Curtain Call, representing all oppressed nations and peoples of the world, issue the final challenge to this unjust order! With sword and fire, we shall march upon the high-and-mighty Mary Geoise to tear open the final veil of night for this sea!"
In Tequila Wolf, during dinner time, an old labourer with white hair and beard stood atop a wooden crate, reading aloud with fervour. Around him, more and more labourers put down their coarse food and gathered silently.
"We call upon all nations and people oppressed by the World Government to follow us! Stand up bravely! Launch the final assault together! Witness it with your own eyes! Create it with your own hands! The wheels of history are unstoppable; the dawn of a new era has arrived! — Shane, Leader of Curtain Call, written on 2nd October, Year 1517 of the Sea Calendar."
Revolutionary Army Headquarters
Dragon gazed at the Proclamation in his hand and suddenly grinned, laughing. He placed it gently on the table and pressed it down with his palm.
"Hee-haw! You laughed! You're laughing, aren't you!" Ivankov, who had recently escaped prison with a certain someone, stared in amazement. "That's rare, Dragon! Your eyes are crinkling! The last time I saw you show such a heartfelt smile was many, many years ago!"
Are my eyes crinkling? Dragon looked toward Koala across from him; the goggles on her forehead reflected his current image. He really couldn't stop smiling.
It was wonderful. To think he would actually live to see this day. Dragon laughed even more happily, making no effort to restrain himself.
The future of a revolutionary was meant to be long and fraught with obstacles. But because of the sudden appearance of that man... everything was happening much faster than expected.
If the "him" from years ago—the one who fired a gun at a Celestial Dragon in God Valley, or the one who roared in rage at Garp in Impel Down—could see this through time and space, he would probably be like this too... No, he would be laughing even harder. He would be howling at the sky, clutching his stomach, laughing until tears streamed down his face, unable to stop.
"It is rare, though Iva-san, you're exaggerating. It hasn't been that long; you just feel that way because you were in prison for so many years." Lindbergh, Commander of the South Army, gave a snicker and tapped the newspaper on the table. "Look, everyone heard, right? Curtain Call directly declared they will launch the general offensive on Mary Geoise in ten days. Tsk tsk, they published it openly without any intention of hiding."
Whenever the Revolutionary Army acted, they kept it as secret as possible to avoid detection and keep the enemy's alert level low. But Curtain Call were the exact opposite. They seemed to have such absolute confidence that they disdained hiding—in fact, they seemed to welcome the enemy bringing out every card they had.
"Truly dominant. Only Lord Shane has this kind of charisma," Sabo adjusted the brim of his hat with a smile. "But it should be this way. Let those swine tremble in the shadow of fear first, then crush them fairly and squarely so the whole world can see the outcome of this war."
He turned to Dragon. "Chief, do we act immediately?"
"Of course!" Dragon responded without hesitation. He looked around at everyone and spoke in a deep voice: "The Revolutionary Army will not be absent from such a grand event! Sabo, Iva, notify all commanders immediately—whether in the four seas or the Grand Line... Full mobilization. Prepare to march on the Red Line!"
Curtain Call's attack would surely start from the New World side. They wouldn't be able to surround it completely, so some would inevitably slip through the cracks. Those cracks would be filled by the Revolutionary Army!
"Let's move, everyone!"
"YES!" Led by Chief of Staff Sabo, the Revolutionary Army officers responded in a thunderous roar!
Dressrosa
King Riku stood high in the plaza, raising a newspaper. "Curtain Call have declared war! Dressrosa will support them with everything we have!"
Below, countless citizens raised their arms and cheered, their passionate shouts echoing to the clouds. "Down with the World Government! Long live freedom! Long live Lord Shane! Long live the Finalizers!"
Sakura Kingdom
King Dalton stood at the bow of a ship, looking at the soldiers gathered on the pier. They were armed and solemn, protecting a group of doctors in pink coats in their midst.
"Everyone!" Dalton raised his voice. "Lord Shane has declared war on the World Government—a feat never before seen in eight hundred years! Our Sakura Kingdom may be small, but we are a famous medical power of the Grand Line. Since Wapol's tyranny was overthrown, over three hundred doctors have returned to the country! We are absolutely qualified to contribute our strength to this war!"
"That's right!" The doctors looked at each other and raised their right arms, shouting along with the surrounding soldiers: "To Mary Geoise! Let's do our part!!!"
They remembered clearly. Before Lord Shane arrived, Wapol's rule was brutal beyond measure. Doctors were hunted and expelled, and the citizens had nowhere to turn for medical help. Now was the time to repay that debt!
Just then, a familiar voice came from the back of the crowd. "Hmph, you're so loud you woke me up. It seems you youngsters are even more hot-blooded than I thought."
Dalton turned to see Dr. Kureha strolling over, a bottle of booze in her hand. She still looked as lazy as ever, but she boarded the ship without stopping, leaning against the railing with a smile.
"Dr. Kureha!" Dalton said in surprise. "Are you... are you also joining this war?"
"Otherwise? Do you expect me to sit at home and watch you brats hog all the glory?" Kureha took a swig of booze and laughed. "Besides, I have a stupid son who will be heading to the same place. For a scene this dangerous and grand, I can't rest easy without being there to keep an eye on him!"
"I've been away from home for many years and only recently returned," one doctor couldn't help but say. "The witch living deep in the forest... I've never met you, but I heard of your reputation as a child. Are you sure? At your age, your body might not be able to—"
BAM!
With a dull thud, the young doctor collapsed, smoke rising from his head.
"Now do you know whose body can't take it?" Kureha retracted her leg and shook the last bit of liquid in her bottle. "Where'd this stupid kid come from? Hey, hey, hey, anyone else object? Don't you brats underestimate a 139-year-old girl in the bloom of youth!"
For a moment, there was pin-drop silence. Dalton wiped his cold sweat and roared at the soldiers: "What are you standing there for? Escort all the doctors onto the ship! Set sail!"
Fish-Man Island, Sea Forest
Before the massive Poneglyph, Neptune suddenly opened his eyes and looked at the back in the distance. "Are you setting off, Jinbe?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Jinbe looked up at the seawater above, as if he could pierce through ten thousand metres of deep sea to see the distant world on the surface. "The Marines issued an emergency summons for the Warlords, demanding I assist in defending Mary Geoise. This is the best chance to strike from within. I cannot miss it, no matter what."
"And of course, this is the best chance our Fish-Man race has waited eight hundred years for." Jinbe turned and grinned at Neptune. "The old era is about to end. At a time like this, if we don't contribute, how can we have the face to fight for Fish-Man Island's right to live under the sun?"
South Blue, a picturesque rural countryside
Before dawn had even broken, Pudding woke up dazed. Sensing movement, she got up and tiptoed to the door. There, she found a burly figure taking a long-unused trident down from the wall.
"Brother Katakuri?" Pudding rubbed her eyes and spoke in surprise. "Where are you going?"
"Did I wake you? Sorry. I was afraid some of you would follow me, so I left a note and chose this time to leave." Katakuri patted her head. "But since Pudding found out, please tell our brothers and sisters for me."
"Eh? But you haven't answered my question. Where are you going?"
"Just a long trip. Don't worry, it's nothing major. I'll be back in a few days." Katakuri smiled and pushed open the door. Under Pudding's uneasy gaze, he looked out at the night sky. "I owe a man a promise. Now, it's time to fulfil it."