Chapter 338: Gathering of the Pirates

High atop the Red Line, the surviving structures of the former Holy Land were now occupied by the Revolutionary Army and the Neo-Marines.

Inside the tallest remaining building, Weitian, Dragon, and other senior officials were busily managing the myriad affairs of the newly forming government.

In a top-floor office, Weitian sat at her desk, reviewing administrative reports pouring in from Neo-Marine branches worldwide.

Finally setting down the last document, she rose to her feet and walked over to the window, gazing out at the churning whitecaps of the sea below.

He... must have read that letter by now...

Thinking of this, Weitian lowered her head slightly. Just then, two knocks sounded at the door.

"Fleet Admiral, I have a report."

Weitian quickly returned to her seat and composed herself. "Enter."

A cloaked figure stepped before her desk, dressed in the distinctive garb of the Revolutionary Army.

"Fleet Admiral Weitian, Leader Dragon requests your presence to discuss an important matter. Please come with me," the revolutionary said respectfully.

"Do you know specifically what Leader Dragon wishes to discuss?" Weitian asked.

"I believe it concerns the merger of our two forces."

"Understood. You may step out; I will head over shortly once I prepare."

"Yes, ma'am."

After the revolutionary left, Weitian stood up once more.

The unification of the two forces was an urgent imperative. She and Dragon had already discussed the broad framework; all that remained was finalizing the operational details and the systemic impacts of the merger.

Once unified, it would mark the official founding of the New World Government.

They were charting a course entirely different from the past—the New World Government would present a brand-new face to the world.

The full details would be laid out during the Levely scheduled to convene in one week.

Everything was advancing according to their blueprint. She firmly believed that through her cooperation with Dragon, the establishment of this new regime was an unstoppable historical tide.

A new era and a luminous future were steadily approaching.

Yet an absolute prerequisite for all of this was that Im must never return.

The world-ending power Im had displayed was no joke; a single-handed reversal of the geopolitical board was entirely within her means.

So... I leave everything in your hands, Drake!

If it's you, there won't be any problem.

Gathering her documents, Weitian strode toward Dragon's office.

Across the four seas, the entire world was watching with bated breath, knowing that the trajectory of history would be determined by the Levely in one week's time.

Amid the geopolitical shockwaves of the New World Government's formation, another development seized global attention.

Virtually overnight, pirates across every ocean began mobilizing in an absolute frenzy.

Leading this charge were the new generation of rising stars known as the Supernovas.

These young captains had once built roaring reputations across their respective seas, only to be completely overshadowed by the blinding radiance of the Legendary Four Brothers.

Now, they surged back into the global spotlight, mobilizing and congregating with astonishing speed and cohesion.

Their targets...

Former Emperors of the Sea: Beast Kaido and Charlotte Linlin!

Ordinary civilians were kept in the dark, but well-informed powerhouses had already caught wind of the underlying truth.

Numerous pirate crews were fully prepared—and what they were preparing for went without saying: an all-out bid for that solitary, vacant throne!

The King of the Pirates!

Would that supreme seat, empty for more than two decades, finally crown its successor in this tempestuous new era?

Countless pirate crews flooded into the latter half of the New World. Intelligence had spread like wildfire: the former Emperors Kaido and Big Mom had secured the final Road Poneglyph rubbing.

They were preparing to set sail for the legendary final island, Laugh Tale!

How could rival pirates simply stand by and watch that throne be handed over so easily?

Even if they lacked the complete set of four Road Poneglyphs, intercepting Kaido and Big Mom to plunder their rubbings would solve everything!

Pirates across the world mobilized in droves, plunging the seas into utter chaos in the aftermath of the Holy War.

The "Holy War"—the shorthand given by the world to the Battle of the Holy Land.

Captain Kid, Trafalgar Law, the Mad Monk Urouge, X Drake, and many more...

Alongside them, veteran pirate crews that had once contested the seas during Whitebeard's golden era surged back into the fray.

With the next Pirate King about to be crowned, how could they possibly sit on the sidelines?

Thus, the pirate world witnessed an unprecedented, global convergence of forces.

Skirmishes erupted endlessly across the New World, with clashes between rival crews growing increasingly violent and frequent.

Naturally, the world's primary focus remained fixed on the titan crews; minor pirate bands weren't even considered worthy of note.

Amid this escalating mayhem, two towering presences appeared within view: Emperor crews—the Red Hair Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates!

The emergence of these two legendary fleets set the New World completely ablaze.

The political winds shifted violently, and the overarching landscape blurred into chaos.

No one could predict what the next second would bring, let alone who would ultimately claim the crown of Pirate King.

The entire world looked on in suspended awe.

Meanwhile, led by the New Giant Warrior Pirates, the Straw Hat crew was en route to Elbaph.

That was the destination where their beloved ship, the Thousand Sunny, awaited them.

In a quiet bar on the Sabaody Archipelago, the former right-hand man of the Pirate King and his First Mate—Silvers Rayleigh, the "Dark King"—sipped from his glass with a knowing smile playing on his lips.

A ray of sunlight bounced off his round spectacles, casting a bright gleam across his face.

"Has this day finally arrived...? Faster than I imagined... Luffy! Don't look back—press forward. That impossible dream is right within your grasp..."

"Living a bit longer... really isn't so bad after all!"

"Wouldn't you agree... Newgate?"

"Rayleigh..." Shakky stubbed out her cigarette, gazing out toward the distant horizon.

This world was truly miraculous; in such a brief span of time, it had evolved into this unrecognizable state.

Had she not witnessed the historical shifts with her own eyes, she would never have believed it.

It felt as though a colossal, unseen hand were driving the gears of history forward, accelerating their spin with every passing day.

"Just what will the future look like? It truly is something to look forward to."

While the entire world churned with tectonic change, the Dragon Flag Pirates, single-mindedly pursuing Im, remained completely oblivious to the commotion.

"She went to the East Blue?!" Drake looked out at the Calm Belt before them, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Having the System guide their route during this Ultimate Quest was immensely convenient, but even it couldn't pinpoint Im's exact coordinates in real time. It could only extrapolate her general heading based on the lingering residual traces of her dark fog.

And right now, those traces pointed directly ahead, across the Calm Belt—into the East Blue!

Indeed, they were about to exit the Grand Line entirely and enter one of the Four Blues, the East Blue—the very sea where Luffy, Ace, and Sabo had grown up as boys.

"That monster actually fled to the East Blue! Where on earth is she heading, and what is she planning to do?!"

"Demon Warder, enter maximum cruising speed! Take evasive maneuvers against subterranean Sea Kings—we need to move faster!"

[Demon Warder: Commencing full-speed navigation!]

The eternally serene, glassy waters of the Calm Belt suddenly churned with violent swells as the Demon Warder tore through the ocean, cutting through the winds and parting the waves at blinding speed.