The New World, the scope of the ten thousand kingdoms and the rear of Wano Country.
As the pirates continued to converge towards the center, fewer and fewer pirate ships were seen, until half a day passed without a single one sailing towards them.
Within the hidden verdant space.
Aboard the central warship.
Oni-gumo, standing on the deck at the bow, watched the hands of his pocket watch slowly tick towards the designated time.
He took out his communicator, pressed the button, and a faint static sound crackled. Simultaneously, communicators on the waists of commanders throughout the massive fleet rang out with Oni-gumo's voice:
"Weigh anchor."
"All hands to level one combat readiness."
"Cooperate with the main force to complete the encirclement gap, and annihilate all pirates."
As his words concluded, the mechanical sea beasts at the forefront suddenly reared up.
Their mechanical headlights blazed red, and the hum of equipment operating at full capacity filled the air. The bull-headed imp seated atop one of them raised its hands towards the front.
Several transmission lines connected to the back of the bull-headed imp began to vibrate.
Creak—
Creak—
Creak—
Gigantic air portals materialized on the sea's surface, unfolding automatically and stretching endlessly.
Warships brimming with a killing aura emerged onto the sea, spreading out to form a vast encirclement.
Every few warships, an elite Vice Admiral was stationed.
Much like the purge operation Akainu had once initiated, they advanced to surround the ten thousand kingdoms and Wano Country...
-----------
New World, Marine Forward Command Center.
Momonga and Tsuru sat at the center of the conference hall, with the commanding Vice Admirals of the various fleets seated below them for a meeting.
Silence permeated the hall as everyone watched the officer explaining the current troop deployment on the large screen. The screen then shifted to the rear of the pirate territories:
"Vice Admiral Oni-gumo has now led his fleet to commence the encirclement, completing the final gap."
"The annihilation of the pirates has entered its final countdown."
He swept his hand across the screen, and the image rapidly zoomed out to display a map of the New World.
Within the blue defense line representing the Marines, the gap around the dozens of islands was slowly being filled by a blue line.
The current situation in the New World was exceptionally clear.
All pirates were confined within the former territories of the Yonko Charlotte Linlin and Kaido, but the battle line was stretched thin like a fine thread.
If the pirates broke through the blockade, subsequent pursuit could not be guaranteed.
Therefore, while conducting a comprehensive sweep, a portion of the forces had to be dispatched to push forward, forming a defense line at the very front. This would result in a dual defense system.
The inner defense line would advance, while the outer defense line would contain and slowly compress the encirclement until the pirates were eliminated.
If necessary, warships of the inner defense line would have to sacrifice themselves to intercept escaping pirate vessels, allowing the outer defense line to deliver a comprehensive strike.
After all, although the Yonko were dead and their cadres reduced by more than half, many pirates had survived, along with their bizarre Devil Fruit abilities and the remaining cadres of the Yonko.
The comprehensive strike was like a sieve, capable of clearing out many low-level pirates on various islands. Then, warships would surround them, liberating the entire island.
However, such comprehensive strikes could be resisted by the strong pirates.
Inevitably, many powerful individuals would lead pirate fleets to break through, and the role of the inner defense line was to resist them, hold them back, and even engage in mutually assured destruction.
Pirate ships absolutely could not be allowed to break through to the outer defense line...
After the map zoomed out to show the entire New World, the officer who had been explaining stepped down, and everyone gazed at the map.
Momonga sat in the lead seat, his hands clasped on the table. He scanned the room and said gravely:
"This is the current state of the battlefield."
"We now need a group to form the inner defense line and initiate the advance. The danger level is immense, and there's a high probability of not returning. Are there any volunteers?"
A moment of silence fell upon the meeting room, with everyone exchanging glances.
Doberman, seated at the front, slowly exhaled a puff of cigar smoke:
"Hoo—"
White smoke swirled around him as his gaze seemed distant.
Sss—
The sound of a extinguished flame echoed.
He flicked away the extinguished cigar, his senses returning. Doberman stood up and said:
"Leave the most dangerous places to me."
With Doberman's declaration, the gazes of those who had been looking at each other hesitantly shifted. Smiles then appeared on their faces, and one by one, they stood up:
"I'll go."
"I'll go."
"I'll go..."
The hesitant exchange earlier wasn't silence, but a silent communication between them...
Should we go?
Of course, we should.
What are we waiting for!
Stand up!
Together?
Let's go!!!
-----------
New World, behind Marine defensive lines at Whole Cake Island.
Due to the distance, officers who did not attend the meeting also selected commanders, forming unified inner defense lines and initiating the advance.
Evening.
The established inner defense line was slowly advancing.
Aboard a warship.
Isaac, having completed his shift, sat at the edge of the deck, gazing towards Kages Island, polishing his father's military medal.
*Snap!*
A hand clapped his shoulder.
He fumbled for a moment, nearly dropping the medal he was polishing onto the ground.
The two individuals who had dragged a corpse together months ago, and were later separated and regrouped, were reunited once more.
Isaac looked at the newcomer, a helpless smile on his face:
"Elton, please give me a heads-up next time."
Elton chuckled and sat beside him, his gaze lingering on the battle-scarred medal, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes:
"Missing home again, are we?"
He had to admit, Isaac's medal seemed to possess some kind of unseen power; those bullet holes were the best proof.
Isaac shrugged and carefully placed the polished medal onto his chest:
"Yeah."
His voice held a tinge of emotion. Suddenly, he laughed:
"Honestly, I never expected to make it back alive."
"Back then, I thought killing one would be enough, and killing two would be a bonus. I never imagined I'd live to see the downfall of Yonko like them."
"The Great Pirate Era has ended..."
"Suddenly, I really want to go home. To see my mother, my sister, and my brother-in-law who I can't stand..."
Elton smiled, his tone tinged with envy:
"That's wonderful..."
In truth, he felt the same as Isaac; he had never expected to live to see the end of the war, for his home and his family were long gone.
Isaac chuckled, placing a hand on Elton's shoulder:
"When the war is over, come with me to Kages Island for a visit."
"It's a remarkably beautiful place."
Elton blinked and then smiled:
"Okay..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the warship lurched violently.
Then came a fierce explosion, throwing the two men lounging on deck, along with the ordinary soldiers, to the ground, blood gushing from their orifices, and they fell unconscious...
These ordinary soldiers were like ants to the strong...
Columns of boiling hot water rained down from the sky, striking the center of the fleet.
A voice filled with killing intent followed closely behind:
"Molten Sea!”
*Boom boom boom—!!!*
The water columns pierced the deck, and the warship, commanded by a Vice Admiral, had its keel directly snapped.
Charlotte Oven, his body flushed red, wielding a naginata, swung down like he was cleaving a mountain.
*Boom!!!!*
He slammed the Vice Admiral, who had charged upwards, onto the deck.
Beside the warship, a fifty-foot-tall blue steam demon also swung its naginata, cleaving the warship in half with a single strike.
Charlotte Daifuku, controlling the immense demon summoned from steam, flew towards several other warships emitting powerful auras:
"Demon Form: Shredding!”
*Boom!!!!*
Another warship was severed mid-ship.
From a great distance.
Taking advantage of the setting sun, the remnants of Harlock's followers attacked. These were personnel whom Charlotte Oven and Daifuku had come to escort.
However, there were too many of them, and not enough ships, resulting in slow progress.
Contact with Whole Cake Island had also been suddenly lost, so they could only bring them back first, but they coincidentally ran into the encircling warships...
*Splat—*
Charlotte Oven plunged his naginata into the chest of the commanding Vice Admiral and pulled it out.
The Vice Admiral slowly fell to the ground...
Charlotte Oven touched the wound on his neck that had narrowly missed his windpipe, a flicker of apprehension in his eyes:
"Damn Marines."
The pirates escorting from afar also attacked. Charlotte Oven took a deep breath:
"Capture the ships!!!"
Countless pirates swarmed onto the Marine warships, engaging in a struggle for control.
However, with the backing of powerhouses of this caliber, this Marine fleet was soon...
-----------
New World, Kages Island.
Aria hummed a tune as she cooked.
Every now and then, she would go into the house to check on her mother, who had become senile.
*Crash!*
The door was pushed open directly.
Aria jumped, startled, but relaxed when she saw her husband.
"You scared me to death."
But then she sensed something was wrong.
Her husband was panting heavily, clearly having run all the way back. His face was filled with joy, and he clutched a newspaper and a letter in his hands:
"What happened?"
Tears welled up in Aria's husband's eyes:
"The... The Yonko are dead!"
"The Marines have won!!"
"And here's Isaac's letter."
He walked quickly to Aria's side and spread the newspaper out widely.
The newspaper's cover showed the familiar Marine Headquarters plaza, the place where Fleet Admiral Sakazuki had declared war on the pirates. And now, there...
Four severed heads were impaled!!!!
Aria covered her mouth in disbelief, tears also welling up. The Great Pirate Era had truly ended, just as the Fleet Admiral had said...
It truly...
Had ended...
Aria could no longer control herself, and she hugged her husband, sobbing. No one knew the impact of Gol D. Roger's massacre over twenty years ago on the people here.
It was a pain that generations, two generations, three generations could not erase, a shadow from which they hadn't recovered for decades...
Now.
The era of rampant piracy, initiated by that heinous individual, had finally come to an end...
After crying for a long time.
As if releasing all the pain of the past twenty-odd years, Aria finally stopped, wiping her tears, and looked at the newspaper and letter, now damp with tears:
"I'm going to read this to Mother."
She released her husband and, with tears streaming down her face and a smile, said:
"Go buy more meat. We're having a feast today to celebrate!"
Aria's husband chuckled:
"No problem."
"I'll go right now, or they'll be all bought up if I'm late."
The island was already enveloped in a sea of joy, and sounds of celebration and cheers could be heard even from their home. Tonight would surely be a sleepless one.
Aria also realized:
"Yes, yes."
"Hurry! Hurry!"
Watching her husband leave, Aria went to her mother's room.
Her mother, who had been senile, stopped her constant murmuring as Aria read the newspaper. Tears trickled down her cheeks...
Her gaze slowly moved to a photograph placed in the center of the room.
It was a family photo taken over twenty years ago, and it was their only family photo.
The senile woman was the young woman in the picture, holding the infant Aria.
Beside the young woman stood a man in a national military uniform, and next to him stood a little boy brandishing a wooden sword.
And that little boy was Isaac...
Aria, reading with her head bowed, didn't notice her mother's change.
She even took out a letter Isaac had sent from the New World, complaining:
"And Isaac's letter too."
"Honestly, with the Den Den Moshis so convenient, why can't he afford to make a call?"
"He insists on sending letters, and by the time I get them, it's already been a long time."
"But the Yonko are dead."
"The war is almost over, and Isaac should be back soon."
"When he gets back..."
As she spoke, she looked up and saw her mother's clear eyes gazing at the photograph.
Aria felt uncertain, her voice trembling as she asked:
"Mom..."
The woman, who had been senile, came back to her senses and opened her mouth.
The gentle voice from her childhood memories rang out:
"Aria..."
-----------
New World, the attacked fleet.
The battle was over, and the pirates were frantically clearing the battlefield.
The bodies of Marine soldiers were being thrown into the sea one by one.
At the center of the battlefield.
The warship on which the commanding Vice Admiral had perished, its keel broken, was half submerged in the ocean, split in two.
On the second deck.
Isaac, who had been thrown to a corner of the deck and knocked unconscious, seemed to have been protected by his father's medal. He struggled to push away the debris pressing down on him.
*Plop—*
Elton's corpse rolled off. Isaac’s head was reeling, his mind a blank. He scanned his surroundings, not knowing what had happened.
He tried to recall, but his head throbbed with pain...
Everything around him was so familiar, the warships, the corpses...
But what had happened?
At this moment, Isaac also noticed Elton's body at his feet. His face looked familiar, but Isaac's mind was a complete blank...
He scanned his surroundings and suddenly spotted a blinking Den Den Moshu.
It had been thrown out from the ship's cabin...
Isaac stumbled dazedly towards the Den Den Moshu's location, failing to notice the edge in front of him and falling directly onto the first deck.
*Plop—*
A faint sound of a bone cracking echoed, but Isaac couldn't hear it.
Blood gushed from his seven orifices, his mind a blank. The sudden fall felt like his entire body had come apart. He writhed in pain.
But he looked towards the Den Den Moshu, struggling to get up. For some reason, he felt it was very important.
The commotion on the ship also alerted pirates on nearby warships who were carrying corpses. They exchanged glances, picked up their weapons, and charged towards this warship.
On the warship.
Isaac painstakingly crawled to the Den Den Moshu's location. He looked at the blinking Den Den Moshu and picked up the receiver. A desperate voice came through:
"Finally connected."
"This is the encirclement command post."
"What happened? Please respond."
It was understandable why they were anxious. Fleet 57's communications had suddenly dropped from the channel, and they had lost contact. The Den Den Moshu was also unreachable, and it was highly likely they had encountered an accident...
But Isaac, bleeding from his seven orifices, couldn't hear the voice. He just gaped, his mind a blank, and stammered involuntarily:
"5... 7.... Fleet.... *cough*.... *cough*...."
"Under.... under attack......"
"57.... Fleet......"
"Here!!!!!!"
Suddenly, a sharp voice rang out.
Several pirates with swords spotted Isaac dialing the Den Den Moshu. Their eyes blazed with ferocity as they charged forward, brandishing their blades.
The sound of flesh being rent echoed.
This time.....
His father's medal could not protect him...
Isaac's life was rapidly ebbing away.
At the brink of death, his mind suddenly cleared. He remembered everything.
The corpse at his feet was Elton, who had just invited him to his hometown. It seemed he wouldn't be able to keep his promise...
And his mother, he felt most regretful towards her in this life.
He had been a scoundrel since childhood. After finally waking up, he hadn't stayed by her side, but had instead joined the army to kill pirates...
He had wanted to return and show her that her son had grown up, but now that was impossible...
And Aria, I'm so sorry...
*Boom!!!*
*Boom!!!*
*Boom!!!*
Warships began to explode one after another. The pirates who were trying to capture the ships had nowhere to escape and were all blown to smithereens.
Charlotte Oven and Daifuku shot into the sky, their faces contorted with fury:
"Damn it."
"What's going on!!!"
On the warship.
Isaac, on the verge of losing consciousness, felt a violent tremor. He knew it was the detonation initiated by the command post.
Each warship was equipped with high explosives at its base, intended for use in case of pirate capture or to carry out a suicidal attack.
A smile involuntarily formed on his lips. With his last ounce of strength, he reached out and clutched the medal on his chest, gripping his father's medal tightly...
What a pity, I can't go back...
*Boom!!!!!!!*
Amidst the sky-high flames.
A severed arm was torn from a corpse and tossed into the air.
In the palm of the severed hand, a piece of cloth and a battered medal were tightly clenched...
Falling into the endless dark ocean.