Chapter 410: The Curtain Falls on the Paramount War
This unprecedented Paramount War had finally come to an end.
Triggered by the execution of the Pirate King's right hand, "Dark King" Silvers Rayleigh, this massive conflict—drawing in the Marines, the Four Emperors, the Seven Warlords, the death-row inmates of Impel Down, and even the Celestial Dragons themselves—was the largest war in history. It gathered countless powerhouses who could sweep across the seas, nearly shaking the very foundation of the entire world.
Rivers of blood flowed through Marineford, and corpses piled up like hills.
Above the ruins and the smoke of gunpowder, this colossal war—the likes of which history had never seen, yet was witnessed with their own eyes by the entire world—concluded in an unimaginable manner.
The members of the Holy Knights remained deathly silent.
They did not know what Roy had ultimately said to "Them," but they silently gathered the stark white skeletons of Saint Saturn and Saint Somars.
Immediately after, the group followed Junzigong and stepped into the slowly opening pentagram teleportation array.
Before the light completely dissipated, Saint Figarland Garling and Saint Shamrock cast one final look back—
Their gazes lingered on Shanks.
This former "Emperor of the Sea" now had hollow eyes. His convictions had completely crumbled, looking as if even his soul had been drained of its color.
That single glance felt like a final farewell, or perhaps... pity.
In the next moment, as the teleportation array vanished, they returned entirely to nothingness.
The light faded, and the battlefield finally returned to a dead silence.
On the frozen plaza of Marineford, only the Marines and droves of unconscious pirate inmates remained.
The earth was riddled with scars and craters, and the residual waves of clashing Haki still permeated the air.
Very few of the powerful pirates survived.
Shanks, Buggy, Bullet, World, Shiryu, Doflamingo—
They did not choose to continue resisting. Instead, they simply lowered their heads amidst the deadly silent battlefield.
…
Morgans' News Coos arrived just in time. The live broadcast was reconnected, and "Dark King" Rayleigh was finally executed.
Deep within the prisons of Marineford, upon hearing the news, Shakky chose to take her own life in her cell, following him in her own way.
With this, a generation's pirate legend had completely taken its final bow.
As for those Impel Down monsters who were released during the war—
Catarina Devon, Sanjuan Wolf, Vasco Shot, Avalo Pizarro—
They failed to make any real waves and were easily slaughtered in the aftermath.
Roy casually harvested Devon's Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, stowing it in the palm of his hand.
When the world broadcast spread across the Four Blues, the entire ocean instantly boiled over!
"Dark King Rayleigh executed!"
"The Impel Down monsters completely annihilated!"
"Yonko Shanks captured! The Emperors of the Sea have met their absolute end!"
"The Paramount War concludes—a flawless victory for the Marines!!!"
Countless cheers rose and fell across ports, towns, villages, and islands.
People raised their glasses in celebration, lighting bonfires and fireworks. The streets boiled, the archipelagos roared, and the oceans echoed with joy.
It was a long-lost sense of exhilaration and liberation.
It felt as if the haze and shackles that had pressed down upon the world for decades had finally been completely torn apart in this very moment!
The dawn of a New Era had torn through the darkness, shining upon the Four Blues!
The smoke of gunpowder had yet to clear, and the scent of blood and scorched earth still hung thick in the air.
The battlefield was dead silent, save for low, heavy panting and the hurried footsteps of rescue teams.
Luffy, Sanji, Usopp, and Nami silently led the soldiers in clearing the wreckage. The shadows cast over their faces betrayed not a single hint of relief.
Law and Chopper's medical teams shuttled through the mountains of corpses and seas of blood. The interweaving of blood and medicine became the final salvation in this purgatory.
Roy waved his hand, layers of spatial ripples expanding from his fingertips.
Marine officers and soldiers buried deep beneath the ruins were precisely teleported, appearing one after another at the medical stations, where anyone still breathing was immediately treated.
…
Sengoku receded from his Giant Buddha form, his bare upper body covered in scars and blood.
He walked up to Roy alongside the three Admirals, his voice low and suppressed: "Roy... that woman..."
Roy's gaze didn't shift, his tone flat: "Yeah, she is exactly who you think she is."
Sengoku's pupils shrank, his heart skipping a beat before he fell into a heavy silence.
—The master of the Empty Throne had personally stepped onto the battlefield. He knew better than anyone what that signified.
The rift between the Marines and the World Government could never be mended from this day forward.
Sakazuki was covered in scorched magma, his breathing ragged.
A faint light flashed at Roy's fingertips. Spatial ripples enveloped Akainu, instantly erasing the injuries within his body.
Sakazuki froze for a moment. Gritting his teeth, his voice came out hoarse: "With this kind of ability, I thought... you would have just attacked them directly."
Hearing this, Kizaru broke his usual demeanor, his eyes widening in shock: "Whoa, whoa, whoa~ Brother, that's a very dangerous line of thought~"
Aokiji sighed, frost quietly spreading from his feet: "Arara~ If we kept fighting, this island really would have sunk."
Roy shook his head slightly. Gazing in the direction of the Red Line, his eyes were as sharp as blades.
"Not yet."
"If we really fought it out... other than the few of us, no one on this island would survive."
Sengoku and the three Admirals felt their hearts jolt simultaneously, their expressions changing drastically!
They acutely realized—
Roy's apprehension didn't stem from a gap in raw strength, but rather from some deeper, taboo power capable of annihilating all living beings!
Roy closed his eyes. Deep in his mind, the hellish tapestry he had witnessed when he traveled eight hundred years into the past resurfaced:
—Imu's fingertips wrapped in black-purple contract runes, a pentagram projected mid-air onto the earth.
—Thousands of soldiers swallowed within the array of light, their screams intertwining with flames, becoming an eternal echo.
—When they reappeared, they were no longer human, but "demons" reshaped by fel energy and hellfire.
That single scene was enough to shred one's sanity.
"A demonic contract..."
Roy's words fell low and slow in the dim corner of the ruins.
Sengoku, Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji listened quietly.
The light in their four pairs of eyes gradually solidified. As those deliberately omitted words and indescribable images surfaced in their minds, their faces slowly paled.
This was the first time they had ever heard of such a taboo that thoroughly desecrated life and the soul.
Even someone as volatile as an active volcano like Sakazuki fell silent in that moment, feeling as if a heavy iron block had been pressed against his chest.
He lowered his eyes, pondering the "future" calmly and rationally for the very first time.
…
Time slowly marched on.
The entire battlefield of Marineford was gradually restored to order under the dispatch of the Marine elites.
The ruined walls and debris were cleared, the wounded were transferred for treatment, and the bodies of the fallen were laid to rest one by one, neatly covered with snow-white sheets.
The smoke of gunpowder dissipated, and order was reclaimed bit by bit.
Sengoku stood upon a high platform to preside over the aftermath and deliver a speech, his voice hoarse but firm:
—Pensions would be delivered to the families of the fallen at the highest standard and at the very first opportunity, resolving their financial concerns.
—A commitment was made and enforced to provide long-term care for the bereaved, with Marine Headquarters taking responsibility for their children's education, elderly care for their parents, and medical needs.
—All fallen soldiers would be posthumously promoted by one rank, and those who displayed exceptional bravery would be awarded high-level medals, ensuring their families enjoyed eternal honor.
He wanted every single Marine soldier to believe:
—Dying in battle did not mean being forgotten, but being immortalized.
—The Marines were becoming better, becoming stronger.
—And they themselves, as members of this force, had a future filled with hope and honor.
—The "Marine Family" would never abandon any of its own.
Nightfall slowly descended.
Inside the ruined prison, it was as silent as the deep sea.
Roy walked alone to the iron bars, his gaze passing through the cold metal grating.
On the other side, the former "Emperor of the Sea" Shanks sat despondently in the shadows. His eyes were hollow, his entire being looking as if his soul had been scooped out.
One man stood in the light; one man sank into the darkness.
The silhouettes of the two men gazed at each other silently through the iron bars.
That silence spoke louder than a thousand words.
—With this, the Paramount War had truly come to an end.
♧♧♧
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
♧♧♧
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.patreon.com/c/Segais
(Just remove the hyphen to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you