Chapter 18: The Great Purge
The Ur-Jormungandr was sealed, the massive, uneven scar of the reformed Red Line now acting as the tomb of the World Serpent. Monkey D. Kelean stood motionless atop the structure, a silent, granite-red statue—the final, exhausted guardian.
In the ruins of Mariejois, Imu was consumed by a cold, surgical fury. Kelean had cost them the Void Weapon and the strategic invulnerability of the Red Line. He had broken their entire system of control with one final, world-altering move.
"The time for subtlety is over," Imu commanded, addressing the remaining, terrified Five Elders. "He cleared the field for the child. We must eliminate the child before he reaches the capital."
Total War: The Wano Annihilation
Imu's command was simple and absolute: Total War against Wano. They didn't mobilize the entire fleet, which was still reeling from the Haki shockwaves. Instead, they unleashed the Marine's most devastating, reliable weapon: the Buster Call, scaled up to an unprecedented, apocalyptic level.
Every available Vice Admiral, every remaining Admiral (still recovering from previous clashes but terrified into obedience), and every experimental military asset was redirected to Wano Country. The target was annihilation—not just of the Straw Hats, but of the entire, newly liberated nation, to send an immutable message to the global revolts Kelean's actions had ignited.
The Warning and the Escape
In Wano, the Straw Hat Pirates were celebrating their victory, albeit weakly. However, their celebration was cut short by a furious, frantic pulse of Observation Haki that sliced across the sea—a warning that came from the one man who still held a conflicted loyalty to the D. lineage.
Monkey D. Garp, who had recovered and returned to his duties after the Founder's sacrifice, sent a telepathic shout of pure willpower across the ocean: Run, Luffy! They are mobilizing everything! The Final Purge is coming to Wano!
Luffy, now resting, felt the frantic warning. His Conqueror's Haki, still elevated from the fight with Kaidou, immediately recognized the scale of the threat. The danger wasn't a single Emperor; it was the entire infrastructure of the world descending on them.
"Pack it up!" Luffy yelled, scrambling to his feet. "We're leaving! Fast! They're mad!"
The entire fleet of allies—the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, the Heart Pirates, the Kid Pirates, and the remaining samurai forces—scrambled. They knew the danger of a standard Buster Call; this was something far worse.
As they began their frantic escape from Wano's closed borders, the horizon darkened. The sea was choked with the silhouettes of hundreds of battleships, led by the remaining Admirals, their sails bearing the terrifying, vengeful symbol of the World Government.
The Convergence of Freedom
Luffy's fleet broke free of Wano just as the first massive artillery blasts began to strike the Flower Capital. Their escape was successful, but they were now hunted across the vast, open ocean.
However, Luffy was not alone.
As the Straw Hat fleet fled, a familiar, fast-moving ship met them near the borders of the New World.
Monkey D. Dragon, standing on the deck of his flagship, met eyes with his son. He didn't offer a traditional greeting, only a sharp command.
"The distraction is over, Luffy! Kelean bought you the time, but now Imu is coming for the core of your freedom! You can't win this war by fighting their fleet piecemeal!"
Dragon's Revolutionary Army fleet positioned themselves immediately behind the Straw Hats, acting as a massive, defiant shield against the pursuing Marine forces.
From another angle, cutting through the chaos of the fleeing ships, came the silent, formidable presence of Red-Haired Shanks. His Red Force slipped between the Marine blockades, his crew ready for war.
Shanks lifted his single, powerful sword, Gryphon, and pointed it toward the Red Line—toward the scarred, distant silhouette of the immobile Kelean.
"The Ancestor did his part," Shanks shouted, his voice ringing with power. "Now, we will ensure the heir reaches the throne. The final war is not here! It is there!"
With the combined forces of the Revolutionary Army and the Red-Haired Pirates shielding their rear, the Straw Hat Pirates turned their flagship, the Thousand Sunny, and steered not away from danger, but directly toward the greatest source of it: the shattered heart of the World Government—Mariejois.
The final pieces are moving. Luffy is now leading a coalition fleet directly toward the enemy's heart.