Chapter 315: After the Storm!
In the days following the war, the seas buzzed with rumors.
Were the Dragon Hunter Pirates truly gone?
Some believed it. Others—especially their loyal followers—refused to accept it. Fanatical supporters across the Grand Line clung to hope.
How could a god-like man like Ryuunosuke fall in battle?
How could a crew that toppled the World Government vanish without a trace?
—
10,000 Meters Beneath the Sea – Fishman Island
Far beneath the surface, in the quiet blue of the ocean depths, King Neptune received the news a full week after the battle.
He immediately rushed to find Shirahoshi.
The mermaid princess was playing happily with her "new friends"—a group of giant Sea Kings circling the island protectively.
Despite their terrifying size, they nuzzled Shirahoshi like puppies.
Even Neptune, battle-hardened and proud, felt uneasy in their presence.
"Father?" Shirahoshi tilted her head. "Is something wrong?"
Normally, Neptune never disturbed her while she played. Ever since the last incident with the intruders from the surface, the Sea Kings had become Fishman Island's guardians. With their presence, no invader could approach.
In turn, Shirahoshi had grown more cheerful, more confident.
"There's news…" Neptune said heavily.
"The Dragon Hunter Pirates launched a full-scale war against the World Government."
"And…"
"They were completely wiped out."
Silence fell over the area.
The Sea Kings paused mid-motion.
Shirahoshi blinked.
Then slowly shook her head.
"Master Ryuunosuke… isn't dead."
She said it with a smile. A calm, unwavering certainty.
Neptune looked at her in disbelief.
"He's not?"
"I can feel it," she whispered. "We made a pact—do you remember?"
"Since then, I've been connected to him… I can't speak with him, but I know he's still alive."
Neptune exhaled slowly.
"Still," he said, "Shirahoshi, you must stay within the island for now."
"If the World Government suspects anything… Fishman Island might become a target."
At his words, the Sea Kings let out low growls. Their massive eyes turned toward Neptune in displeasure.
They didn't like the idea of keeping Shirahoshi caged away again.
"Everyone, please… be patient."
"I won't stay inside forever," Shirahoshi said gently. "But until Master Ryuunosuke recovers, I'll wait."
The Sea Kings calmed immediately.
Her word, to them, was law.
With a final nod, Shirahoshi followed Neptune back to the palace.
The Sea Kings dispersed across the trench, surrounding Fishman Island like an unbreakable wall.
Any fool who dared approach would be torn apart in an instant.
—
Red Line – Former Battlefield
On the shattered lands of Mary Geoise, a cloaked figure stepped onto the scorched earth.
His eyes traced the remnants of the war—the broken ground, the lingering energy in the air.
And yet, no corpses.
No wreckage.
"Where are the bodies?" he muttered.
Not even ashes remained of the Dragon Hunter Pirates.
Surely, if the World Government had claimed victory, they'd have displayed the bodies as a warning.
So why… nothing?
"Still alive, huh?"
A calm voice came from above.
The cloaked figure looked up. Perched atop a meteorite left behind by Fujitora's gravity was a young man with ethereal presence, as if he had been sitting there for days.
The man's aura felt distant, almost divine.
"You're still breathing," the figure replied dryly. "So of course I am."
"But this… this is the state of your precious World Government?"
"All it took was one rookie pirate crew to reduce it to rubble."
"You speak of power… but what are you proud of?"
The young man didn't respond with anger.
Instead, he smiled.
"As expected."
"The rise of men like Ryuunosuke is necessary," he said softly. "Their presence is not a threat… but a turning point."
"I don't care about the World Government's authority. That belongs to fossils."
"My ambition… is something else."
"My name is Roy."
He turned his gaze out toward the sea.
That was where his true path lay.
Not here. Not yet.
"Letting the world fall into chaos… is that your way of preparing for the future?"
The cloaked man narrowed his eyes.
Roy shook his head.
"Chaos is not something I caused."
"It's simply the law of the sea. The strong rise. The weak fall."
"What happens next… is not my concern."
"But I warn you—stay out of this."
"That ship—the Dragon Hunter Pirates, their crew, their captain…"
"They may very well be the key to breaking everything."
"If you interfere…"
"It won't just cost you your life."
As Roy finished, a gust of wind swept across the battlefield.
The stranger's cloak fluttered—
Revealing a bleached skeleton beneath.
His identity, unknown to the world… but his existence whispered of something far older than the World Government.
—
Beneath the Red Line – G Line Border
The Red-Haired Pirates had finally arrived.
Their delay in the East Blue—searching for leads on the Infinity Stones—had cost them precious time.
Shanks stepped off the ship and stared at the aftermath.
The battlefield was empty, but something still lingered.
Energy. Intention. Power.
"Late again," he murmured.
Ben Beckman lit a cigarette and glanced around.
"No bodies," he noted.
"Not even the Dragon Hunter Pirates' dead."
"The naval ships here are still intact," Jesus Burgess added. "Seems like they didn't even bother with these guys."
"Word is, most of the marines stationed here resigned afterward. Some even became pirates themselves."
"It's not hard to imagine why."
"To face monsters like that… it breaks a man."
Shanks remained silent.
Monk looked up toward the cliffs. "Should we head up?"
Shanks shook his head.
"There's nothing more to learn here."
He turned and walked back toward the deck.
"Let's go."
Whatever had happened here… the answers would come in time.
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