Sing the World
Golden Lion's Floating Sky Island.
Under the command of the legendary flying pirate Golden Lion Shiki, the island drifted steadily through the clouds, drawing ever closer to Naval Headquarters.
At this moment—
in the grand plaza of the floating island—
"The Straw Hats!"
"That's Straw Hat Luffy and Revolutionary Army's Sabo!"
"Sabo and his brother, Luffy!"
"And look—Mr. Rayleigh and Jinbei are there too!"
The crowd of girls watching the broadcast gasped in astonishment.
"Luffy… is he here to save my brother?"
Rebby's voice wavered, her expression heavy with worry.
"Ace's brothers, huh… but it's too late now," Yamato muttered gloomily. "If they'd arrived just a little earlier, maybe things would've ended differently."
"Wait a second," Erza frowned, her crimson hair flickering in the light. "How did the Straw Hats suddenly appear on the battlefield like that?"
"I'm not sure," Mira said, shaking her head softly. "They just… appeared out of nowhere."
Robin's eyes narrowed with thought. "If… I mean, if all the battles we've witnessed up to now—what if they were all illusions?"
"Hallucinations? That's impossible!" someone protested.
"But…" another murmured, "…if it's the president, then maybe it's not so impossible after all."
"Yeah! Everything that's happened so far has been within the president's control!"
"If it's some kind of large-scale magic, he could definitely make something like this happen!"
Vivi, Perona, and Rebecca all nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Then…" Yamato's eyes brightened suddenly. "Does that mean there's still a chance to bring Ace back?"
"What's really going on, we'll only know once we meet the president," Erza said firmly, her tone steady despite the tension.
Naval Headquarters — atop the battlefield.
"Grandpa… Ace… is Ace really dead?"
Luffy's trembling voice cracked, his tears spilling freely. "He was fine just now… but now…"
He stared at his brother's lifeless body on the execution platform, his mind a blur of grief and disbelief.
"Calm yourself, Luffy."
Garp's deep voice rumbled lowly. "What do you mean Ace was fine before? How did you even get here?"
"Sabo and I—we saved Ace! We pulled him down from the execution platform ourselves…"
Luffy's voice broke as he spoke, choking on his tears.
"Hey, Sabo…" he stammered, "is this all a dream? It has to be! Ace can't be—"
"No!" Sabo's voice was firm, defiant. "Ace is alive! I know he is!"
Garp sighed faintly, his weathered face hard to read.
"What Sabo said… it's true. You two aren't the ones dreaming. It's us—everyone who's been fighting here—that's trapped in the illusion. Hah… what an unbelievable era this has become."
His quiet words confirmed his suspicion.
Across the battlefield, while Garp questioned his grandsons, Marshal Sengoku fixed his burning gaze on the sluggish Blackbeard Pirates.
"Blackbeard! Shiryu! You bastards—what happened to Impel Down!? What about Magellan!? How the hell did you escape and get here again!?"
"Heh heh heh…"
Shiryu of the Rain gave a mocking smile. "Marshal Sengoku, doesn't our presence here already answer your question?"
"If you want the full story," he added calmly, "you can check once you get out of here. For now, we're teaming up—with them."
"Get out?"
Sengoku's face darkened. "What do you mean by that?"
"Hahaha!"
Blackbeard threw back his head and laughed. "You still haven't figured it out, Marshal Sengoku? So much for the 'Resourceful General'—your mind's too damn slow!"
Sengoku's expression tightened. "Blackbeard, what are you talking about?"
"I mean exactly what it sounds like."
Teach's grin turned cruel. "All of you—Marine and Whitebeard Pirates alike—you've all been fooled by that man!"
His finger pointed straight at Sugisawa Yuuto.
"You still don't get it, do you? This whole world isn't real right now! The real world—where the actual war hasn't even started yet—you're all still unconscious there! If that bastard Rayleigh hadn't interfered, I would've already taken every single one of your heads!"
Teach spat the words in disgust, glaring at Rayleigh with pure malice.
As the truth left Blackbeard's mouth, Marshal Sengoku felt a piercing shock in his mind, as though thunder had exploded inside his skull.
From the start, even Garp had sensed something was off.
And Sengoku, too, had faintly noticed it early on.
But the war against Whitebeard had already begun.
With the chaos and shifting tides of battle, he hadn't dared to look away—not even for a second.
Until recently, they'd believed Marine had won—a decisive, historic victory.
But now… the truth from Blackbeard shattered that illusion completely.
Their triumph had been false.
Their "victory" nothing but a dream.
"Sugisawa Yuuto! What have you done!?"
Gion's voice trembled as she stormed forward, her long legs carrying her straight toward him. Her beautiful face was pale, her composure gone.
Yuuto only smiled faintly.
"I already told you from the start," he said quietly. "I'm here to help minimize Marine's losses."
"Don't mock us!" Gion snapped, fury breaking through her fear.
She already suspected the truth—
That all of this had been nothing but an illusion of victory.
"If you don't believe me, that's fine," Yuuto said with a shrug. "But there's something else you should know—an internal matter of our guild."
He looked up, his voice calm yet commanding.
"Alongside the Marine commission, I also accepted a request from Whitebeard himself—to protect his family. That's why I came—to help both sides cut their losses."
He spoke seriously, his gaze unwavering.
"I've fulfilled both commissions. Your Marines have successfully destroyed the Whitebeard Pirates, earning your fame and glory. Meanwhile, Whitebeard has chosen to retire peacefully, fading from the world's stage. Everyone gets what they want."
"Wha—what…?"
Gion's jaw fell open, her thoughts a storm of confusion.
Yuuto exhaled softly. "Well, now that it's all over, there's no need to keep hiding the truth."
He turned, glancing down at the girl resting in his arms.
"Uta," he said gently, "that's enough. You can rest now."
The girl nodded weakly.
As she closed her eyes—
Boom.
The Singing World began to shatter.
Naval Headquarters.
The Sabaody Archipelago.
Golden Lion's Floating Sky Island.
Even the Holy Land, Mariejois.
All of it collapsed—like glass breaking in a dream—
and vanished into nothingness.
Only the people themselves remained.
As the illusions fell away, those from every corner of the world could now see one another clearly.
Sugisawa Yuuto glanced around, his brow lifting slightly.
"So, even my girls got caught in the world of song… at least they're safe."
His gaze then shifted east—toward the Holy Land.
The Five Elders glared at him in rage.
The Celestial Dragons screamed in panic and terror.
Yuuto's lips curved into a sharp grin.
"Well," he said lightly, "since I'm leaving anyway… might as well leave them a parting gift."
He opened his mouth—
And from his throat burst a surge of dark red flames intertwined with pitch-black lightning, roaring like a divine beast unleashed.
The energy tore through the heavens,
swallowing the Five Elders and hundreds of Celestial Dragons whole—
A parting song that drowned their world in fire and thunder.