Rumble!
The shell exploded with the force of divine punishment, its shock wave sweeping across the entire island.
The pirates who had planned to fortify the island and make their last stand against the Marines were left utterly stunned.
The destructive power had already surpassed what even an Emperor-level fighter could unleash.
Every patch of grass was ripped from the ground, turning the island into a wasteland.
At the center of the blast, a huge section of land was driven straight beneath the sea.
Even in areas that had not been struck directly, pirates sheltering behind fortifications were killed by the force of the shock wave alone.
Those who survived were left dazed and disoriented, their vision filled with overlapping figures and blurred shapes.
A pirate captain who could barely remain standing stared at the apocalyptic scene before him and sank into despair.
"Is this the power of a god?"
Even the experienced Marines were speechless before the might of Pluton's cannon.
Some of them had witnessed the explosion of Vegapunk's newly developed bombs, but no matter how powerful those weapons were, a cannon capable of sinking a third of an island with one shot simply should not have existed.
"So terrifying… Is this what an ancient weapon can do?"
High in the distant sky, Enel and the others aboard the Ark Maxim were equally shaken by Pluton's power.
Even though several of them already stood among the strongest fighters in the world, the ancient weapon still inspired genuine fear.
"Brother Raleigh said Pluton is only one of the ancient weapons. The Celestial Dragons possess another one that's even more terrifying."
Everyone aboard belonged to Raleigh's faction, so Enel had no reason to hide the truth from them.
Doberman frowned.
"Good thing we control one of them ourselves. Otherwise, I might actually feel hopeless."
"Destructive power on this scale isn't something an individual can achieve."
Enel and Bullett exchanged a glance before nodding.
In their minds, if there was one person whose personal strength might rival an ancient weapon, it would be Marine Fleet Admiral Christian Raleigh.
"Since Admiral Sakazuki has already made his move, I suppose our mission here is finished."
Jonathan's mustache twitched as he spoke.
They had carried out more than a dozen operations recently, successfully eliminating powerful pirates each time.
They had originally come here to kill the captains stationed on this island.
But clearly, there was no longer any need for them to act.
With Pluton's cannon hanging over the pirates like a blade, the Marines would be able to crush the remaining resistance at an even faster pace.
Out at sea, two warships raced toward the ruined island at full speed to begin the landing operation.
Almost the moment Sakazuki fired, Vice Admiral Tsuru had reacted decisively and ordered the nearby Marine fleets to close in.
The pirates who had been knocked unconscious by the blast had no ability to resist. Marine soldiers cut them down one after another.
The pirate captain who had originally intended to break through by force only realized when the battle began that his courage had vanished without him noticing.
The Marines captured him without difficulty.
Before dying, the pirate captain raised his head and asked, "What was that thing? How could it wipe out all my men and sink the island in one shot?"
Unfortunately, the Marine officer did not know Pluton existed either.
He simply drove his blade into the pirate captain's body and killed him.
Still filled with resentment, the pirate captain remained forever on that ruined land.
The intelligence officer responsible for observing the blast quickly reported the results to Sakazuki and the others in Wano.
"All right. Understood."
Sakazuki ended the call.
Around him, Marine officers waited eagerly, hoping to hear good news.
"Well done, men."
"Pluton's cannon is far more powerful than we expected. Every pirate on the island has been eliminated!"
The moment Sakazuki announced the result, the surrounding Marines erupted into cheers.
They praised Pluton's overwhelming might, already imagining themselves sailing the ancient weapon across the seas and flattening one pirate stronghold after another.
Sakazuki deliberately waited until their excitement settled before speaking again.
"Pluton's cannon is useful, but none of you should become too dependent on it."
"According to the field report, the shell landed in the wrong place. It did not strike the area containing the largest concentration of pirates."
"Of course, I'm not blaming anyone."
"This was our first time firing Pluton, and we still achieved an outstanding result. From here, we only need to improve our accuracy."
The officers around him answered enthusiastically.
"Understood, Admiral Sakazuki!"
"Admiral Sakazuki, I think accuracy can only be improved through live-fire practice. Why don't we use a few more pirate islands as targets?"
No one knew who had made the suggestion, but it immediately gained everyone's approval.
They all thought it was an excellent idea.
Every one of them wanted a chance to experience firing the weapon.
After all, they might only have one opportunity in their lives to operate the ancient weapon Pluton in battle.
Sakazuki considered it briefly before nodding.
"Fine. I'll contact Vice Admiral Tsuru and ask which islands require artillery support."
"That's great! Admiral Sakazuki really does understand his soldiers!"
"It's my turn next, right?"
"No way! I want to fire it too!"
Watching the officers argue like children over who would operate Pluton next, the corner of Sakazuki's mouth curved into a faint smile.
Among the group, only Stainless stood apart, leaning against the railing as he stared into the distance.
The sea was a clear blue, and the breeze carried the salty scent of seawater mixed with the faint smell of gunpowder.
Sakazuki walked up behind him.
"What are you thinking about, Stainless?"
Stainless pulled a box of cigars from his coat and offered one to Sakazuki before lighting his own.
"Admiral Sakazuki, I was thinking about how close we are to victory. The people around the world must be very happy."
"Living beneath the shadow of pirates is a miserable way to survive."
A faint change passed across Sakazuki's hardened face.
"Of course they'll be happy. Every one of us has endured that suffering before."
Whether it was Sakazuki, Stainless, Onigumo, Doberman, or the others, every one of them had been shaped by tragedies caused by pirates.
The homes where they had grown up had been reduced to ruins.
The people closest to them had become corpses.
Hatred buried in the heart for so many years could only be washed away little by little with pirate blood.
That was why they had joined the Marines.
Sakazuki leaned against the railing as well, his eyes losing focus as an old memory surfaced.
It had happened many years ago, in an unnamed village somewhere in the North Blue.
A pirate crew had appeared from nowhere and burned the village to the ground.
His parents were murdered, and blazing buildings filled the landscape.
Sakazuki had spent two unforgettable days and nights hidden inside a cellar.
From that moment onward, he had walked the path toward strength.
Over the years, fewer and fewer of the comrades who had joined the Marines beside him remained. They had died bravely one after another while fighting pirates.
Only Sakazuki had continued climbing until he reached the rank of Admiral.
And now—
The dawn of victory was finally reaching toward him!
"Onigumo, you bastard. If you'd waited a little longer before dying, you might have seen every pirate in the world wiped out."
The words suddenly slipped from Sakazuki's mouth.
Onigumo had once been a subordinate who often spoke with him about the future.
In Onigumo's mind, the best ending he could hope for was to die during the campaign to eliminate pirates.
That was why he always put the mission above everything else in battle.
As for sacrifice?
He had never valued his own life in the first place.
Sakazuki shook his head, then let out an unexpected laugh.
Whatever else could be said, Onigumo had fulfilled the promise he had made to himself.
He had died while hunting pirates.
By wagering his own life, he had destroyed the remnants of the Charlotte Family and made a major contribution to the Marines' strategy.
...
On the other side of the New World, Zephyr also received the report concerning Pluton.
After reading it, he was overcome with excitement.
"Good! Good! Good!"
Three words were enough to reveal how thrilled he was.
He was genuinely delighted that the Marines now controlled Pluton.
It meant the pirates' end was finally approaching.
However, once he finished speaking, Zephyr suddenly began coughing violently.
"Teacher Zephyr, you can't get this worked up in your condition!"
Hearing him cough, Ain hurried in from outside and gently patted his back.
It took a long while before Zephyr's breathing finally eased.
His face was flushed as he looked at her.
"Ain, do you know something?"
"I should have died many years ago. If Raleigh hadn't saved my son, I might have walked down a completely different road."
Zephyr fell quiet for a moment before continuing.
"Ain, I may not live long enough to see you and Karl hold your wedding."
"She's been waiting for me down there for far too long."
From the moment Zephyr left Marineford for this war, the outcome had already been decided in his heart.
He had never intended to return alive.
The first reason was his pride. He could not tolerate becoming a useless old man who needed others to care for him while he lay in bed waiting to die.
The second was that Karl had grown up and no longer needed his protection.
Ever since his wife's death, Zephyr had devoted everything he had to his son.
Now it was finally time to let go.
Fortunately, Karl was Raleigh's disciple and had a very good relationship with Enel.
Ain, the student Zephyr had watched grow up, had also become engaged to Karl.
They planned to hold their wedding once the war ended.
Zephyr wanted to see his son's wedding, but he also did not want to keep his wife waiting any longer.
"Teacher Zephyr, you can't think like that!"
"Karl and I still need you!"
Ain panicked when she heard his words.
She desperately tried to explain, hoping to change his mind.
Zephyr only smiled.
"There's no need to persuade me, Ain."
"You know what I'm like. No one can change my mind."
In truth, Zephyr was satisfied with this ending to his story.
He was also deeply grateful for Raleigh's help.
Raleigh had saved the last hope he still had in life, and he had given Zephyr another opportunity to return to the battlefield.
Zephyr had considered the possibility that Raleigh had only done it to secure his support, but even if that were true, Raleigh had still done those things for him.
Zephyr had no reason not to stand beside him.
Now he had no regrets left.
Only death could bring his story to a fitting end.
...
New World, aboard a special Marine warship.
The newly appointed Admiral Aramaki looked carelessly at the CP0 agent standing before him.
"You said your name is Lucci, and you're here to recruit me on behalf of the World Government?"
"Do you not realize that I'm already a Marine Admiral? What could you possibly offer me?"
Aramaki spoke with complete indifference.
As far as he was concerned, the fact that he had not already killed the CP0 agent showed extraordinary patience.
Even if the man calling himself Lucci possessed the strength of an Admiral candidate, that did not impress him much.
Lucci was not angered by Aramaki's attitude. He answered at an unhurried pace.
"The Marines may appear glorious now, but without the World Government's support, they are nothing."
"The only reason we have not moved against the Marines is that we wish to minimize casualties."
"You have no understanding of how great the gods truly are."
The fanatical look in Lucci's eyes felt strangely familiar to Aramaki.
Once, he had looked at Fleet Admiral Raleigh and Admiral Sakazuki with that exact same expression.
"Sorry, but I refuse."
Aramaki rejected him without hesitation.
He was not cut off from outside information.
Naturally, he knew that the Revolutionary Army was currently attacking Mary Geoise.
Several days had already passed, yet the World Government still had not eliminated the Revolutionary Army led by Dragon.
It was difficult for an organization like that to inspire much interest from Aramaki.
Before joining the Marines, Aramaki had believed the World Government's way of thinking was correct.
But after being exposed to the ideas of Sakazuki and Raleigh, he had begun to feel that the World Government's logic was not nearly as sound as he once thought.
"Aren't the Marines restricting your abilities and the way you operate?" Lucci asked. "Join the World Government, and we will place no limits on your actions."
"Anything else you want can also be granted, including the position of Marine Fleet Admiral."
Seeing Aramaki's expression, Lucci had no choice but to reveal the Five Elders' bottom line.
They were willing to offer him the position of Fleet Admiral and complete freedom of action.
"Think carefully. The World Government has stood at the top of the world for eight hundred years, and it did not achieve that because of the Marines."
"The so-called Revolutionary Army is merely taking part in a performance arranged by the Five Elders. None of the World Government's real trump cards have been revealed yet."
Lucci's words made Aramaki pause.
He naturally understood how powerful the World Government was.
And judging by Lucci's complete confidence, the World Government still possessed many hidden cards.
Perhaps drawing even one of them would be enough to eliminate the Revolutionary Army led by Dragon.
The only reason they had not acted was that they did not want the Marines to learn what those trump cards were.
"Give me some time to think about it."
Aramaki had to admit that he was tempted.
It was not the position or freedom Lucci had offered that attracted him.
It was the strength of the World Government itself.