The morning after the attack arrived quietly.
The smoke that had covered the port the day before was almost gone. Broken wooden stalls were being cleared from the streets, damaged buildings were being checked, and the harbor was slowly returning to its usual rhythm.
The people of the island had survived.
That was what mattered most.
The remaining Whitebeard Pirates continued to guard the town. Some helped carry injured people, while others watched over the captured pirate ships left behind after the battle.
Fear still remained in the eyes of many residents.
But this time, it was mixed with relief.
The island had been attacked.
Yet before the enemy could take control of the town, the battle had suddenly ended.
No one among the civilians understood how.
They had only seen strange figures descend from the sky.
Silver bodies.
White wings.
Cold, expressionless faces.
The attackers had fallen one after another.
Their ships had been destroyed, and the civilians had been led away from the battlefield before the fighting could reach the town.
Some residents had already begun calling them angels.
Others called them monsters.
Near one of the damaged houses, a young boy looked up at his mother.
"Mom…"
She turned toward him.
"Are the angels going to come back?"
His mother looked toward the harbor.
For a moment, she did not answer.
"I don't know."
The boy lowered his voice.
"Were they here to protect us?"
His mother gently placed a hand on his head.
"I think so."
A few steps away, an old fisherman watched the Whitebeard Pirates repairing a broken fence.
"They didn't even wait for the Whitebeard's ship," he muttered.
Another man beside him nodded.
"They didn't need to."
The old fisherman looked toward the sky.
"I wonder who sent them."
Neither man knew the answer.
The truth was hidden far beneath their feet.
Deep underground, far below the streets and houses, a heavy metal door remained tightly sealed.
A cold light appeared beyond it.
There was no sound from the surface down here.
No voices from the market.
No footsteps from the harbor.
Only the quiet hum of machines.
A long corridor stretched into the darkness.
Metal walls covered both sides, with narrow lines of light running across them. Several sealed doors stood along the passage, each marked with simple symbols unfamiliar to anyone living above.
At the end of the corridor stood a much larger chamber.
The door opened.
Inside was the hidden facility.
It was far larger than the small control room seen during the battle.
Several areas connected to the main chamber.
One section contained rows of storage containers.
Another was filled with tools, spare equipment, and machines used for repairs.
A large hangar extended farther into the underground complex.
Several communication terminals continued to receive information from the surface.
There was also a separate section marked for emergency operations.
Behind it were reinforced rooms designed to shelter civilians during an attack.
A narrow passage connected the shelter to an underground escape route leading toward the outer part of the island.
If an enemy ever proved too strong for the Valkyries, the civilians would be evacuated through this route.
They would not be expected to fight.
The Valkyries could retreat if necessary while the people were moved to safety.
The shelter was not meant to save the island's buildings.
It was meant to save the people living on it.
But the largest room was the one at the center.
Sixty Valkyries stood inside.
Their silver bodies rested inside individual maintenance frames, their wings folded behind their backs.
Most of them were completely motionless.
Some stood upright with their heads lowered, while others were connected to equipment that slowly checked their systems.
They looked almost like statues.
Only five Valkyries were active.
The remaining fifty-five stayed in standby or maintenance mode.
Among the sixty units were several reserve Valkyries, allowing the facility to maintain its usual force even when some units required repairs.
The five active units moved through the facility without wasting a single motion.
One checked the condition of the maintenance frames.
Another moved between the communication terminals.
Two inspected the damaged units that had returned from the battle.
The last one stood before a large screen, monitoring the condition of the island above.
There was no conversation between them.
They did not need one.
Every movement had a purpose.
A soft mechanical sound came from one of the maintenance frames.
The active Valkyrie beside it stopped and turned toward the damaged unit.
A small section of its armor had been removed, revealing the machinery underneath.
The active unit examined the damage for several seconds before entering a command.
A report appeared on the nearby screen.
UNIT STATUS: DAMAGED (LOW)
COMBAT FUNCTION: RESTRICTED
MAINTENANCE REQUIRED
The Valkyrie carefully placed its hand against the damaged armor before turning away.
It was a small movement.
Almost meaningless.
Yet the machine did not treat the damaged unit as something disposable.
Neither did the person who had created them.
A Den Den Mushi began to ring.
One of the active Valkyries moved toward it.
The shell opened its eyes.
A familiar voice came through.
"Report."
The Valkyrie connected the call.
"Master Arthur."
Arthur's voice was calm.
"How is the island?"
"Civilian areas are secure. Medical teams are treating the injured. Reconstruction has begun."
Arthur paused.
"How many civilians were lost?"
There was no hesitation in the answer.
"No civilian fatalities."
"Good."
Arthur let out a quiet breath.
The Valkyrie continued.
"Thirty-seven civilians were injured. Most injuries are minor. Four require extended medical treatment."
"And our people?"
"Seven guards were injured. Three Whitebeard Pirates were also injured. No fatalities."
Arthur remained silent for a moment.
The information seemed to ease his mind.
"Now, the important part," he said. "The Valkyries."
The active unit turned toward the maintenance chamber.
"Several units received damage during the battle."
"How serious?"
"Most damage is minor. Five units require maintenance before they can return to combat."
Arthur's expression hardened.
"Then they don't return to combat before they are one hundred percent ready."
"Understood."
"Don't push damaged units just because the island is still recovering."
"Understood."
Arthur looked at something on his side of the call.
"Send me the full maintenance report when it's ready."
"Yes, Master."
He paused.
"The Valkyries were slow to activate when the threat arrived. Check the communication network again."
"We have already calibrated it twice."
"Do it a third time."
The Valkyrie paused.
Then answered.
"Understood."
Arthur gave a small nod.
He did not ask how many enemies had been defeated.
He did not ask how many ships had been destroyed.
His first concern had been the people.
His second had been the condition of those who had protected them.
To Arthur, the Valkyries were not weapons that could simply be replaced when they broke.
They were part of the system he had built to protect people.
If the system failed, he wanted to know why.
Arthur then asked one final question.
"Anything unusual?"
The active unit looked toward the large screen displaying the island.
"Currently, nothing."
"Good. Keep watching."
"Yes, Master."
The call ended.
The Den Den Mushi closed its eyes.
For a few seconds, the underground chamber returned to silence.
The five active Valkyries continued their work.
Around them, the other fifty-five remained still.
Their weapons were secured.
Their wings were folded.
Their systems were quiet.
They were waiting.
Not dead.
Not abandoned.
Simply sleeping.
Far above them, the people of the island continued their lives without knowing what existed beneath their homes.
And far away, Arthur stood aboard the Athena, looking at the information that had just been sent to him.
His eyes remained on the final report.
Five units require maintenance.
The number was small.
But it was enough to raise another question.
How much could the Valkyries really endure?
Arthur closed the report.
He would find out.
Not today.
First, there was something his crew needed to understand.
Why had he built them in the first place?
The Athena sailed through calm waters.
The sun was already high above the sea.
Several members of the crew had gathered on the deck. The report from the hidden facility was still fresh in Arthur's mind.
Hancock leaned against the railing.
"So that was one of the facilities you mentioned before?"
"Yes," Arthur said with a nod.
Law looked toward him.
"So the Valkyrie facility is complete, Captain?"
"Yes, it is."
"And the emergency shelter?"
"That too."
Law raised an eyebrow.
"That was fast. It only took ten days after the war ended."
Sabo frowned slightly.
"How many islands have shelters like that, Captain?"
Arthur was quiet for a moment.
"Every island that flies our flag."
Baccarat raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds like quite a lot."
"It is."
Sabo crossed his arms.
"And this is part of your agreement with Marco and Ace, isn't it?"
Arthur looked toward the sea.
"Yes."
The deck became quieter.
After the Summit War, Whitebeard's territories had become vulnerable.
Ace and Marco were still leading the remaining Whitebeard Pirates, but they no longer had the strength Whitebeard once had.
Some islands could defend themselves.
Others could not.
Arthur still remembered his conversation with Marco and Ace.
Whitebeard was gone.
Their territories were exposed.
They had never asked Arthur to replace their captain.
They had only asked him to help keep their people safe.
Arthur had given them his word.
And he intended to keep it.
Instead of placing ART Pirates crews on every island, Arthur had chosen another method.
He sent Envoys.
Small ART vessels traveled quietly between the territories. They carried supplies, communication equipment, construction materials, medical equipment, and Valkyrie units.
The Envoys stayed only long enough to establish the system.
They helped construct the hidden facilities, prepared the emergency shelters, connected the communication network, and positioned the Valkyries.
Then they moved to the next island.
One island at a time.
That was how the system spread across the territories without requiring the entire ART fleet to travel from island to island.
Each island under the ART flag received its own permanent Valkyrie force.
The number depended on the island's size, location, and needs.
Most received around fifty units.
Larger or more important territories received more.
Every facility was connected to the ART communication network.
If one island was attacked, the information could quickly reach the others.
If a facility detected a large pirate fleet approaching, nearby ART territories could prepare before the enemy arrived.
Arthur had not simply placed weapons beneath the ART flag.
He had created a network.
A network designed to make sure that an island did not have to wait for Arthur to arrive before someone came to help.
Sabo looked at Arthur for several seconds.
"So that's why the Valkyries were already there."
Arthur nodded.
"They weren't deployed because of yesterday's attack."
He looked toward the horizon.
"They were deployed because I promised Ace and Marco that I would help protect these territories."
Kuina's expression softened.
"You kept your promise."
"I intend to keep every promise I make."
Baccarat smiled faintly.
"And the shelters?"
Arthur nodded.
"Those were part of the same plan."
He explained that the Valkyries were not expected to hold an island at all costs.
Their first priority was the people.
If an enemy became too strong for the local Legion, the civilians would be evacuated while the Valkyries delayed the enemy for as long as they could.
They were not expected to die protecting a building.
The people came first.
Sabo looked thoughtful.
"So even if the Valkyries lose…"
"The people can escape."
Arthur finished the sentence.
"That is the point."
He looked toward the sea.
"I don't want a system that only protects an island as long as our weapons can win."
His voice remained calm.
"I want a system that gives people a chance to survive even when we can't."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Sabo looked toward Arthur.
"So the island we saw yesterday was already prepared before the attack?"
Arthur nodded.
"Exactly."
"And the other islands are prepared the same way?"
"The basic system is the same," Arthur replied. "The details depend on the island."
Sabo was quiet for a moment.
"So you prepared all of this before you even knew who would attack."
"I didn't need to know who would attack," Arthur said. "I only needed to know that someone eventually would."
Sabo let out a quiet breath.
"You really planned this far ahead."
Arthur gave him a small smile.
"I had to."
He turned toward the crew.
"After the war, I knew the balance would change. Whitebeard was gone. Ace and Marco could not protect every territory at the same level he once did."
His expression became more serious.
"I couldn't replace Whitebeard."
Nobody interrupted him.
"And I didn't want to."
Arthur placed one hand on the railing.
"But I could make sure his people weren't left completely alone."
The deck fell silent.
Arthur had visited almost every part of the world.
He had seen islands that were rich, poor, peaceful, broken, proud, and forgotten.
He knew he could not protect every island by being there himself.
"Because we can't be everywhere," Arthur said.
Sabo nodded.
"Protection means very little if it only exists where we happen to be."
Arthur looked at him.
"Exactly."
Baccarat crossed her arms.
"Then what happens when an island is safe?"
Arthur answered immediately.
"The Valkyries watch."
"That's all?"
"That's all."
He glanced toward the sea.
"Our flag means protection. Not ownership."
Sabo looked at him.
"Protect without controlling."
Arthur nodded.
"That is the principle."
He explained that if an island wanted to govern itself, ART would allow it.
If its people wanted their own laws, they could keep them.
If they wanted to choose their own leader, that choice remained theirs.
"They can stop an invasion," Arthur said.
"They can protect civilians."
"They can hold a port until support arrives."
"But they don't become the government."
He paused.
"Otherwise, we would only be replacing one form of control with another."
The crew remained silent.
Arthur had seen enough of the world to understand how easily protection could become authority.
He did not want the ART flag to become another reason for people to fear the person above them.
He wanted people to feel safe enough to live their own lives.
Sabo looked toward the horizon.
"So the island we saw yesterday wasn't special."
Arthur shook his head.
"No."
Sabo smiled slightly.
"And we were wondering where those Valkyries came from."
Arthur smiled faintly.
"They came from the same place everything else does."
"Planning?"
"Preparation."
The crew laughed softly.
Arthur's expression remained thoughtful.
The system had worked.
But that did not mean it was perfect.
Kuina noticed the change in his expression.
"You're not satisfied?"
"They did what they were made to do."
Arthur looked down at the report.
"But that doesn't mean they're ready for everything."
Sabo smiled.
"You're never satisfied, are you?"
Arthur gave him a sideways look.
"Should I be?"
Sabo laughed.
"Fair point."
Baccarat shook her head.
"Let me guess. You already have another list of things to improve."
Arthur looked away.
"The Athena has been rebuilt three times."
"That isn't an answer."
"It is part of the answer."
The crew laughed again.
But beneath the humor, Arthur understood the truth.
The Valkyrie Legion was powerful, but it was not invincible.
He needed to know exactly where its limits were.
He did not want to test how much destruction the Valkyries could cause.
He wanted to know what they could and could not handle, because one day they might have to protect people without him.
He had not created an army that could win every battle.
He had created a shield.
A shield designed to protect people even when he was somewhere else.
But every shield had a limit.
And Arthur intended to find that limit before someone else forced him to.
Far beyond the calm waters surrounding the Athena, the balance of the world was already beginning to shift.
Old territories were becoming vulnerable.
New powers were watching.
And the ART flag was beginning to attract attention.
Sooner or later, someone would come looking for the islands beneath it.
When that happened, Arthur would learn whether the shield he had built was strong enough.
For now, the army beneath the islands remained asleep.