The sunlight broke through the clouds, casting a golden glow on the shimmering sea, like a sheet of gold floating on the water.
A fully loaded Navy transport ship sailed towards the Navy Headquarters, illuminated by the brilliance of the morning sun.
On the deck, Sengoku, Aokiji, and Tsuru stood at the bow, watching as the Wailord slowly vanished beneath the waves, their expressions solemn.
Gazing at the rising sun in the distance, Sengoku spoke with a stern tone:
"I never expected those stubborn old men from the World Government to actually reach out to the dimensional merchants. It seems they aren't as irrational as we thought."
Beside him, Tsuru smoothed the ends of her pale hair, which seemed to have grown more silver overnight. The sleepless night had clearly taken a toll on the elderly Vice Admiral, leaving her visibly fatigued.
She shook her head slightly, her tired eyes betraying a hint of worry.
"Reality has already made itself known. When Akainu was defeated in the East Blue, I anticipated this development," she said softly. "No matter how much the Celestial Dragons cling to their supremacy, in front of merchants who can easily influence the world, they are nothing more than monkeys in a zoo, performing for their amusement. The Five Elders must have realized this too, hence the change."
Sengoku pondered her words before responding, "It's fortunate that the dimensional merchant refused the World Government's proposal. At least we know they have limits in their dealings."
"Yes, it means we still have a chance to set things right," Tsuru murmured, her eyes following the rhythmic rise and fall of the waves.
At this moment, both Sengoku and Tsuru were fully convinced of what Garp had told them earlier.
The dimensional merchants had no reason to deceive them.
Although Aokiji had been the one in direct communication with the dimensional merchant, neither Sengoku nor Tsuru let their guard down for a moment.
The instant Leo appeared, they had both used their Haki to gauge his strength.
The overwhelming pressure they felt confirmed what they had feared: the world could be destroyed on a whim by someone like him.
This only reinforced their resolve to oppose the World Government.
If even the dimensional merchants believe the Celestial Dragons should no longer exist, then what is there left to fear?
...
In the New World, on a secluded island, a strange-looking den-den mushi wearing a white Navy hat suddenly rang.
Brring... Brring... Brring...
Dragon, who was busy reviewing documents, suddenly paused, a look of surprise flashing across his face. He quickly reached for the den-den mushi.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Dragon," came the voice of Sengoku from the other end of the line. "We've just completed a transaction with a dimensional merchant and acquired resources to strengthen our Pokémon. However, it may take some time before the Navy's Pokémon can fully realize their combat potential. What's the situation on your end?"
"My end?" Dragon was momentarily confused, then a smile of realization spread across his face.
He immediately understood that Sengoku's inquiry meant that his previous proposal had been accepted.
Dragon quickly responded, "We're ready. Just a few days ago, the Revolutionary Army made a 10 billion Beli deal with the dimensional merchant's assistant in the East Blue, right before the final discount deadline."
"With the Revolutionary Army's current strength in the East Blue, combined with the Navy's power... I'm 60% confident!"
"Sixty percent!?" Sengoku's voice on the other end grew stern. "That's not enough certainty."
"And don't forget, in the New World, there are still many pirates with their eyes on this situation," he continued. "Although the dimensional merchants haven't yet ventured into the New World, the Four Emperors likely have connections and information about dimensional transactions. They've probably prepared funds and are just waiting for the dimensional merchants to arrive in the New World."
"Even if we manage to overthrow the World Government, how will we handle the repercussions in the New World?"
"I believe this matter requires further discussion. I'll ask Garp to return soon and then send him and Tsuru to the New World to meet with you."
"Afterward, you and Tsuru can work together to formulate a detailed plan."
"No problem!" Dragon replied, showing no rejection despite Sengoku's rejection. Instead, he smiled, feeling reassured that he wasn't alone in this fight.
At least... there were still people in the world willing to face its darkest moments alongside him.
After all, Sengoku was his father's partner. Even with his high rank in the Navy, his thoughts were still with the common people.
There must be many others like him in the world.
Dragon's gaze sharpened as he looked out at the sky.
The early morning sun rose from the east, banishing the darkness and bringing new light to the world.
Dragon slowly clenched his fists.
The emergence of dimensional merchants had given him unprecedented hope.
He had to seize this opportunity and use his current advantages to completely change the world!
"The sun will always rise!" he declared.
...
...
"What a blazing sun!"
In the New World, the Spade Pirates, who had just escaped from a blizzard, were now basking in the beautiful weather.
Ace sat on the deck, grilling skewers with one hand and holding a mug of liquor in the other, clearly in high spirits.
"Hey, Charizard, it's party time!" Ace called out, looking towards Charizard, who was still working out in the training room.
Deuce, standing nearby, shook his head and walked over to Ace, urging him, "Stop yelling, Ace."
"Charizard won't come out until it finishes its morning training. I just had some food delivered to it, so don't worry."
"That guy..." Ace grumbled. "It's just upset because it hasn't beaten Suicune yet. I mean, I saved the day in that battle. I won in the end, so why so serious?"
Deuce chuckled. "Don't say that. If Charizard hears you, it'll be heartbroken."
"As a Pokémon, it's never beaten its rival's Pokémon. Instead, it relied on its trainer to win the battle..."
"Ever since that fight, Charizard has been feeling like it let down the team."
"Tsk!" Banshee, the ship's temporary cook, interjected, "I think Charizard is just avoiding my cooking!"
"I made the meat this time, and it's disrespecting me!? No way, I'm dragging it out here today!" The spirited female pirate immediately stood up and marched towards Charizard's training room.
A short while later, Banshee emerged, dragging Charizard, who still had dumbbells in its hands.
"Roar…(Please don't do this, I don't want to be embarrassed...)" Charizard groaned, looking forlorn.
It wasn't that Charizard couldn't break free from Banshee's grip—it just didn't want to accidentally hurt her, especially since its head was pressed against her chest, leaving it awkwardly stuck.
With no other option, Charizard reluctantly sat down on the deck, holding a dumbbell in one hand and eating the barbecue with the other.
It couldn't understand why, despite being a mighty Charizard, it wasn't improving as quickly as its trainer, despite all the daily training.
Currently at level 59, Charizard had long mastered the fiery power within its body, just one step away from reaching the next major stage.
However...
During its battle with Suicune a month ago, it was shocked to find that Ace's strength had reached stage 60 after mastering Armament Haki and Observation Haki.
Even though Charizard had also learned Armament Haki, it hadn't performed as well in the battle as Ace had.
This left Charizard feeling depressed.
It was confused—who was the Pokémon between the two of them? It often felt like its trainer was the real monster, sneaking ahead while it struggled to keep up.
Here, Charizard continued to sulk.
But Ace, who had already downed three mugs of strong liquor, stood up in the lively atmosphere.
"Hey, everyone!!!"
He shouted, his face flushed from the alcohol, "We're about to enter the Whitebeard Pirates' territory!"
"From now on, we'll face one tough battle after another!"
"But I know everyone is ready for this!"
"Since we've set our sights on the highest goal, we're going to face all kinds of challenges and obstacles!"
"So..."
"I'm counting on all of you for the rest of the journey!!!"
Gulp, gulp, gulp...
Ace quickly downed more strong liquor.
His face turned even redder.
Bang!
The empty mug hit the table with a crash.
With the warmth of the alcohol spreading through him, Ace suddenly opened his arms, looked up at the blazing sun, and shouted:
"I'm going to be the Pirate King!!!"
(End of this chapter)