At the other end of the Red Line, which is where the paths from the four seas connect to the Grand Line, stood two tall twin towers.
These twin towers were like two quiet and strong guards, silently watching the changing events in this ocean world.
Once, a huge whale named Laboon kept hitting the strong Red Line with its big body, just to meet its dear friend again.
However, after returning from the Devil's Triangle, everything changed.
When Laboon saw the skeleton of Brook, its stubborn heart seemed to finally find some comfort.
From then on, Laboon gave up its obsession and spent its "retirement" time with Crocus in these twin towers.
At this seemingly peaceful moment, Crocus was carefully watching the screen, viewing a live broadcast of the intense battle happening far away in Mary Geoise.
Laboon, like a human, was also watching the screen, as if drawn in by the exciting fight.
Unexpectedly, Crocus and Laboon weren't the only special residents in the twin towers at this time.
There were also a few pirate groups that had just come from the four seas after facing many dangers. They arrived at this important landmark with dreams and hopes for unknown adventures.
At this time, the sky above Mary Geoise was colored red by the setting sun, showing that the day was ending.
But in contrast, at the twin towers, the night had just ended, and the eastern sky was just starting to turn light, like the light of new hope breaking through the dark night.
----
Right now, the scene on the live broadcast was still shocking to watch.
--Kaido, Garp, and Dragon, three strong people, were working together to fight the mysterious and powerful Imu!
This big battle drew the attention of many people, including the pirate groups that had just struggled their way in from the four seas.
When these pirates first arrived, their hearts were full of courage and limitless hopes for the future.
After all, in the four seas, even meeting some Marine Vice Admirals from headquarters would make them feel hopeless.
If they hadn't been lucky, they would have been killed by those Marines in the four seas, and they wouldn't have been able to reach the Grand Line.
However at that time.
They still believed that if they kept trying to get stronger, they would one day become famous on this big sea, and even have a chance to fight for the legendary One Piece treasure.
But!
When they saw the fierce battle on the screen in Mary Geoise, all of their beliefs and hopes seemed to be destroyed in an instant.
Watching those top-level strong people on the screen who could cause the earth to shake with their every move, the pirates were all shocked and couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"C...Captain, can we really fight with these monster-like people to get the One Piece?" Finally, one pirate couldn't hold back his fear any longer. His face was pale and his voice shook as he asked his captain.
The captain also looked lost. After a while, he slowly said, "I... I think so..."
But anyone could see that even he didn't believe his own answer.
The other pirate groups were in the same bad situation, feeling hopeless and losing all hope for the future, just like them.
Not long ago, they had just arrived at the legendary Grand Line, happily dreaming of making their own stories here.
However,
Reality hit them hard, waking them up in an instant.
Almost as soon as they stepped onto this mysterious sea, they saw the strongest power that existed on this big ocean.
That overwhelming strength made them afraid, and their original courage disappeared.
Now, they had completely lost the courage and belief to keep going...
Not far from them, Crocus stood quietly, as if nothing around him had anything to do with him.
At this moment, his attention wasn't on the battle between Kaido, Garp, Dragon, and Imu.
Actually, since Sharmock said the scary words "Ancient Weapon," Crocus couldn't focus on anything else.
Others might not know about it, but he knew very well what the three Ancient Weapons meant.
They were: Poseidon, who could control sea kings, Pluton, who could destroy an island with one shot, and Uranus, who controlled the sky...
"Ryuen... How will you deal with the World Government's Uranus..." Crocus looked at the sea with cloudy eyes, muttering to himself absentmindedly.
----
Mary Geoise, night quietly fell, and the sun slowly disappeared below the horizon.
But the sky didn't turn dark because a full moon was slowly rising, giving off a soft and cold light, like a silver plate hanging in the sky.
Even though it was late, it didn't affect the intense battle between Kaido and the others at all.
Their figures crossed in the moonlight, each attack with the force of thunder, as if trying to tear the world apart.
Shouts and crashes echoed in the sky, making all of Mary Geoise shake.
At the same time, in a corner not far from the battlefield, Ryuen and Sharmock were sitting comfortably across from each other.
There were different kinds of good wine and food in front of them, and they didn't seem to be bothered by the battle around them at all.
At this time, Sharmock suddenly looked up and turned his attention to the bright moon hanging in the sky.
He quietly stared at the silver plate of the moon, as if having a silent talk with it.
At this time, his tight face slowly relaxed, showing an unusual calmness, as if nothing in the world could touch his heart anymore.
At the same time.
An unspeakable feeling of confidence slowly came from Sharmock, as if he was holding a key power that could change the situation.
This sudden change made Ryuen's heart move, and he sensed the difference.
Sure enough, Ryuen soon found that Sharmock's eyes were always on the moon in the night sky.
He thought for a moment, then said, "I see, you've been waiting for the moon... I guess if there's no Mother Flame, you really do need the moon's mysterious power to successfully start Uranus..."
Hearing Ryuen's words, Sharmock didn't rush to argue, but his lips curved up slightly, showing a small smile.
He softly replied, "Hehe, Mr. Ryuen is really smart, figuring out my plan right away.
You guessed right, Mr. Ryuen, I'm waiting for the full moon, so... What are you waiting for?"
Actually, he wasn't telling the truth, which was that he wasn't waiting for the moon, but the sun!