As all eyes turned toward him, Rayleigh let out an almost imperceptible smile. Under Fleet Admiral Sengoku's furious gaze, he spoke the words that Whitebeard had failed to finish.
"Roger's great treasure is real! Do you want the treasure of the Roger Pirates? If you do, then go find it! We left everything there! In the New World..."
Rayleigh laughed heartily as he spoke, and for a moment, it felt as if he had returned to the days of adventure, standing side by side with Roger once again.
People across the world, watching the live broadcast, widened their eyes in shock.
After nearly twenty years, someone had once again confirmed the existence of the One Piece.
Even those who had previously dismissed Whitebeard's words as the ramblings of a dying man now found themselves wavering.
For those who recognized Rayleigh, excitement surged through them. This was no ordinary man—this was the former first mate of the Pirate King himself, Silvers Rayleigh, standing before the world and confirming the truth.
Whitebeard had been Roger's greatest rival and, after Roger's death, the most powerful pirate on the seas. But Rayleigh had been Roger's right-hand man, his confidant. His words carried almost the same weight as Roger's own.
"So it's true... The Pirate King's great treasure!"
"Hahaha! I've decided—I'm setting sail to find the One Piece!"
"Heh, this is gonna be interesting! That's the Pirate King's treasure—who knows, maybe it's enough to buy an entire kingdom!"
In that moment, countless ambitious souls across the world felt the call of the sea.
Once again, a new wave of adventurers would set sail, reigniting the Great Pirate Era—a development that would make the Marines grind their teeth in frustration.
— Somewhere in the North Blue
A blind middle-aged man sat quietly in the corner of a palace square, listening to the broadcast.
Around him, a group of thin, ragged children munched on bread, enthusiastically describing the images on the screen to their kindhearted "blind uncle."
These children were orphans, without homes or families. Any of them could disappear from the world at any moment, and no one would notice.
If not for this blind man regularly sharing food with them, they might have already starved to death in some forgotten alleyway.
"Blind uncle, where are you going?"
Even though the broadcast hadn't ended, the blind man, who had been so engrossed in listening, suddenly stood up and turned toward the port.
"To where I'm needed... I've already spoken to the bakery owner. From now on, you can work there for food and shelter, and even get a small allowance."
With that, he walked away without looking back.
There were many more people who needed his help. And soon, the seas would be in turmoil.
Whether it was because of his old promise to Kizaru or his determination to abolish the corrupt Warlord system, he could no longer sit idly by.
As he recalled his first meeting with Kizaru, the weathered man let out a rare, somewhat awkward smile.
"Fujitora... Issho... That name will do."
— Somewhere in the South Blue
In a lively bar, a bartender with a prominent hooked nose stared intently at the broadcast.
Even in the technologically advanced South Blue, hijacking a World Government broadcast without authorization was nearly impossible.
Yet, the bar's customers weren't particularly surprised.
To them, their bartender seemed capable of anything.
Not even Vegapunk could compare to their boss, Isaac.
"After all these years, the first mate finally couldn't sit still anymore... Hoo-haha! Just in time—I was getting impatient myself!"
Moon Isaac Jr opened a drawer, revealing an old photograph of the entire Roger Pirates crew.
His grin widened.
Rayleigh had set the stage.
Even if Roger himself returned from the grave, he couldn't blame him for joining in.
"Boss Isaac, what's got you so happy?"
A burly, drunk man staggered over, his right hand now a wooden and steel prosthetic.
Even in his drunken state, his mechanical hand held his cup perfectly steady—evidence of the high-level craftsmanship behind it.
"Thinking about old friends puts me in a good mood! Drinks are on the house tonight! No one leaves until my entire stock is gone!"
Isaac roared with laughter.
Even after nearly twenty years, he still didn't understand what Roger had been thinking.
But that didn't matter.
Following Rayleigh's lead—that was never a mistake.
"Woooahhh!"
"Hahaha! You said it!"
"Cheers! To Boss Isaac!"
The bar erupted in cheers.
Life was tough for everyone these days—free booze was a rare and welcome blessing.
— Somewhere in the West Blue
In a small, unknown town, an elderly man with sunglasses, a hunched back, and a face covered in tattoos sat atop a stone pillar, puffing on a pipe as he watched his old friend on the broadcast.
Even when Rayleigh spoke the words confirming the One Piece's existence, the old man's expression remained unchanged.
"Sigh... Has it really been twenty years already? Rayleigh doesn't look much different—just a bit more gray in his hair. How unfair..."
The old man mumbled to himself but had no intention of reuniting with his old friend.
Not everyone was like Isaac, who couldn't bear the solitude, or like Rayleigh, forced by circumstances to step back into the spotlight.
Twenty years of seclusion were more than enough to wear away the ambitions of the past.
Even if he were to appear on the battlefield of Marineford now, no one would recognize him as the once-formidable Scopper Gaban, who had fought alongside Rayleigh.
---
Somewhere in the East Blue, on a Floating Island
"Jihahahaha! This show is just too damn good! I'm starting to regret not joining Newgate in his rampage! If I had known he was going to stir up this much trouble, teaming up with Whitebeard wouldn't have been such a bad idea!"
Golden Lion Shiki laughed uproariously.
Unlike another timeline, where he had wasted decades raising mutant animals for a foolish revenge plot, only to suffer a humiliating defeat at the hands of Monkey D. Luffy, things were different in this world.
Having suffered repeated losses to Kizaru, Shiki had come to a realization—avenging himself against the World Government and the Marines with his own strength alone was impossible.
So, in search of a way to counter Kizaru, he had allied with Vinsmoke Judge, who was obsessed with restoring Germa Kingdom's former glory.
By utilizing Germa 66's cloning technology and genetic modifications, Shiki had been mass-producing and enhancing his own clones.
As he gazed at the soldiers floating in the nutrient tanks, each an exact replica of his younger self, his eyes burned with anticipation.
"It's almost time… When the Golden Lion Army makes its grand entrance, the whole world will know—after Roger, this era belongs to me! Jihahahaha!"
Shiki cackled uncontrollably.
Who would have thought that, after vanishing for over a decade, he was brewing a force that could shake the world?
The only regret he had was that his clones couldn't truly inherit his powers.
Even with lineage factor modifications, the strongest of his clone soldiers were only at the level of a Marine Vice Admiral.
And Shiki wasn't much younger than Whitebeard. Seeing his old rival fall at Kizaru's hands, he couldn't help but feel a sense of sympathetic dread.
In his mind, if Whitebeard hadn't been so old, there was no way Kizaru could have defeated him.
"Eternal youth… the Pure Gold, huh? That's something I could use, too!"
Shiki had already decided how the Golden Lion Army would make its debut.
Right in front of the Marines, he would steal the Pure Gold from the World Government itself.
No grand entrance could possibly top that.
---
Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters
Fleet Admiral Sengoku was seething with rage.
Twenty years of hard-fought battles and countless Marine sacrifices—all ruined by a single statement from Rayleigh.
Soon, the seas would be flooded with new pirates, all obsessed with the One Piece.
If they were just treasure hunters, that would be one thing.
But the reality was that most of them would never even reach the New World, let alone find Roger's treasure.
And what would happen to those failures?
They wouldn't simply vanish.
They would survive by raiding and pillaging the innocent, plunging the world into chaos once more.
"Enough, Rayleigh! You've said more than enough!"
As Sengoku prepared to act, Kizaru, who had been watching from the sidelines, finally spoke up.
"Are you still trying to stop me? Haven't we played this game long enough?"
Kizaru sighed, clearly growing impatient.
Out of respect for his friendship with Kuma, he had allowed Dragon to put on his little show.
But if Dragon didn't know when to quit, next time wouldn't be just a simple beating.
Just as he expected, the moment he finished speaking, Bartholomew Kuma—who had been standing in his way—suddenly stepped aside.
At the same time, the subtle traces of Kuma's original self completely vanished, leaving behind only the expressionless husk of a Pacifista prototype.
Kizaru's lips twitched.
So Kuma had been faking it this entire time?
For years, Kizaru had regretted that Kuma had lost his sense of self due to the modifications.
But now?
It turned out the bastard had been playing along.
No, wait… that wasn't something anyone could fake.
Even the best disguise wouldn't have fooled Vegapunk.
Unless…
Unless Dragon's Revolutionary Army had developed some kind of technology even Vegapunk hadn't seen before.
That thought sent a shiver down Kizaru's spine.
It sounded impossible.
After all, Vegapunk was five hundred years ahead of the current era in scientific knowledge.
But considering Dragon had been plotting for decades, and had even managed to deceive Kizaru once before, maybe it wasn't so far-fetched.
The world of pirates was filled with mysterious technologies, and even Vegapunk couldn't be a master of everything.
Pacifista research was just one of his many projects.
His attention had likely been split between countless other scientific pursuits.
If someone had exploited that blind spot… it wasn't entirely impossible that Kuma had slipped through the cracks.
And Kizaru already had a prime suspect in mind.
Years ago, during his Sky Island expedition, he had casually mentioned the ancient Moon civilization to Dragon.
Maybe Dragon couldn't reach the Moon.
But the robotic technology left behind by the ancient Lunarians?
That wasn't exclusive to the Moon.
"A technology that gives robots human emotions… a method to retain one's mind even after full cybernetic conversion…"
Even Kizaru could see the similarities.
"Nuclear weapons, Pure Gold, and now Kuma… Dragon, my boy, you've certainly given this old man plenty of surprises."
Kizaru grinned.
Suddenly, he realized something.
Had he been slacking off for too long?
His strength hadn't deteriorated.
But this feeling—this constant step behind—was beginning to irritate him.
After all, wasn't it his job to stay two steps ahead of Dragon?
When did the tables turn?
"Tsk… When did I let you start playing me, Dragon?"
Since Dragon wanted to challenge him, Kizaru didn't mind getting a little serious. It was time to remind Dragon that big brother is always big brother.
Taking advantage of Silvers Rayleigh distracting the Marines, the Whitebeard Pirates and members of the Revolutionary Army were hastily retreating from Marineford.
As long as they could make it to the sea, even with the Marines' overwhelming fleet, it would be difficult to catch pirates who were focused solely on escape.
The Marines knew exactly what the pirates were thinking, but the Red-Haired Pirates were determined to cover Whitebeard's escape.
If it came down to a direct clash, the Red-Haired Pirates—who had the smallest crew among the Four Emperors—stood no chance against the elite forces of Marine Headquarters.
However, their goal wasn't to win; they just needed to slow the Marines down and make pursuit difficult.
That left the Marines with two choices: continue targeting the Whitebeard Pirates and the Revolutionaries while being held back by the Red-Haired Pirates, or deal with the Red-Haired Pirates first but lose the chance to stop Whitebeard's forces from escaping.
Of course, all of this depended on whether Kizaru stepped in.
If this had been before Dragon had played his tricks, Kizaru might have let Whitebeard's remnants go.
But now that Dragon wanted to play, Kizaru had no reason to be polite.
"Twenty-eight."
Lucky Roux took his time picking the right prey.
Anyone he locked onto was at least a Marine officer.
In the face of this top-tier sniper, only Vice Admirals could take his bullets head-on with Armament Haki.
Any other Marine officer he set his sights on was as good as dead.
Bang!
A Marine captain, leading a charge with his men, fell to the battlefield.
Lucky Roux never aimed for vital spots, but his Haki-infused bullets were devastating.
Unless luck was on his side and he received immediate treatment, that Marine captain was as good as dead.
Bang!
Another shot rang out.
There was no need to look—whoever got hit was most likely already dead.
"Thirty. Still a little behind me."
Yasopp smirked, but before he could finish speaking, his expression changed dramatically.
He swiftly raised his rifle to block.
Boom!
A golden flash streaked across the battlefield.
Yasopp's Haki-infused rifle was shattered, and he himself was sent flying over a hundred meters.
For a top-tier sniper, mastering Observation Haki was the bare minimum—without it, they wouldn't be able to threaten true powerhouses.
Unfortunately, this time, the one targeting Yasopp was Kizaru.
Whether in terms of strength or Observation Haki, Kizaru completely overwhelmed him.
If Kizaru hadn't been holding back, Yasopp probably wouldn't have even had the chance to raise his rifle.
"Yasopp!"
°°°
If you want to read ahead and access 20 advanced chapters, check the patreon
Link: Patreon/Moziel