The departure of the remaining World Government forces marked the true end of the Golden Sea War. For a brief moment, the battlefield fell into an unnatural silence, as if the world itself was processing what had just concluded. Then, almost in unison, the pirates erupted into cheers.
Redyat had already released the surviving pirates back toward Jaya Island, and the moment they realized the war was truly over, emotions surged uncontrollably. Some shouted in celebration, others collapsed to their knees, and more than a few quietly wept, overwhelmed by the relief of survival mixed with the weight of everything they had lost.
This war, which had spanned nearly three years across the world, finally reached its conclusion. It stood as one of the longest and most intense conflicts in recorded history, involving combat power at a level few eras had ever witnessed. Even decades later, people would still speak of it. The fact that every moment had been recorded and broadcast by the World Economic News Agency ensured that its legacy would never fade, allowing future generations to witness it in full detail at any time.
"Jiehahaha! A feast, we are having a feast!" Shiki laughed loudly as he and Teach returned to Jaya Island, his voice carrying effortlessly across the sky.
"Feast! Feast!"
The declaration alone ignited the entire island. For pirates, feasts were not optional; they were tradition, release, and celebration all at once. After years of continuous warfare, none of them had experienced anything like this in a long time.
"Then let's enjoy ourselves to the fullest! Hahaha!"
Joy spread rapidly, and the entire island transformed into a massive celebration. Jaya Island, already rebuilt into a central stronghold, became a roaring sea of laughter, music, and clinking cups.
Shiki personally reshaped the surrounding geography, bringing in several floating islands created by Gaia and positioning them around Jaya Island like satellites. His ambition did not stop there. The island was still too small for what he envisioned, and he planned to expand it further by relocating uninhabited islands scattered across the Golden Sea. Conveniently, part of the original Jaya Island had already been lifted into Skypiea centuries ago by the Knock Up Stream, leaving vast empty sea space that could now be filled.
The idea was simple in concept but enormous in execution. Jaya Island would eventually become a massive central hub, large enough to accommodate a population exceeding a million without strain. Shiki's vision was not just territory, but a structured power base that could sustain long-term growth.
Even with victory secured, departure was not immediate. The aftermath required stabilization, restructuring, and long-term planning. A place like Jaya Island could not be left in chaotic pirate-style governance. It needed to function as a neutral ground recognized by multiple forces, a place where even pirates were forced to maintain order.
That principle would become the foundation for everything that followed.
Meanwhile, at the rear of the allied remnants, silence weighed heavily over the surviving forces. Many soldiers still remained, but none of them had any joy left. They understood clearly that the war had been lost, and countless comrades would never return.
No one celebrated defeat.
Sora exhaled slowly, his voice heavy with exhaustion. "We retreat."
With that order, the remaining allied forces silently boarded their ships. The retreat felt less like a withdrawal and more like an escape from a nightmare. Their fleet, now pitifully small, turned toward Marine Headquarters under the leadership of Kuzan and Freda. Most ships were barely filled, their numbers reduced to fragments of what they had once been.
The surviving two to three thousand soldiers would be temporarily reassigned, but everyone understood the truth. The Marine's strength in the Golden Sea had been annihilated.
At the same time, the remaining CP0 agents began their return to Mary Geoise. Of the fourteen deployed, only five made it back alive. The World Government's intelligence and enforcement core had suffered a rare and devastating collapse. Internal instability, weakened naval reach, and unrest across the Red Line all compounded into a situation that bordered on crisis.
Without strong enforcement power, suppressing global unrest became nearly impossible.
Across the sea, the ripple effects of the war were immediate.
In the New World, battles that had continued alongside the Golden Sea conflict began to wind down.
Whitebeard laughed heartily as he struck Sengoku back. "Gurararara! Sengoku, you've lost!"
Moments later, the news reached them. The Golden Sea War had ended. The allied forces were nearly wiped out, and former Fleet Admiral Kong was critically wounded.
Charlotte Linlin stretched lazily, her tone almost cheerful. "Mamamama, it's finally over. I should go home for dessert."
Across from her, Sakazuki stood battered and exhausted, magma dripping from his arms as he struggled to maintain his stance. His battle with Linlin had been completely suppressed. She had even grown bored enough to have her Homies fight in her place, treating him more like an annoyance than a threat.
"Don't look at me like that," Linlin said with a grin. "Go train for a few more years, magma brat."
Sakazuki's expression darkened, but he said nothing. His mission had already been fulfilled. Even so, the humiliation lingered.
Elsewhere, Kaido's laughter echoed across the battlefield as he clashed with Garp. "Is it over? What does that have to do with me!"
The New World war, however, was not so easily concluded. Unlike the Golden Sea conflict, its structure and participants meant it could not simply collapse in a single moment.
Back on Jaya Island, the celebration had fully erupted.
Massive bonfires lit the night sky. Food, alcohol, laughter, and shouting filled every corner of the island. Former enemies and allied crews alike shared tables, drinks, and stories. Rivalries blurred under the weight of victory.
Even fragmented alliances dissolved into shared celebration.
A familiar song echoed across the island.
"Bink's Sake, the winds of the sea…"
The melody spread through the crowd, carried by voices both rough and joyful.
Across the world, the livestream continued. Millions watched the celebration unfold through Den Den Mushi broadcasts, witnessing pirates not as monsters, but as revelers. For many, it was the first time they saw pirates laugh like this.
At the center of the celebration, Den Den Mushi screens lit up across the island. Teach stepped forward, raising a glass slightly, his voice carrying effortlessly through the microphone.
"To celebrate this moment, the Nightfall Pirates present a piece for all pirates across the world. Look forward to it."
The crowd quieted.
Even across the seas, viewers leaned closer.
The screens flickered.
A grand concert hall appeared, illuminated in deep gold and shadowed black. Rows of musicians stood in formation, instruments ready. At the front stood List, signaling calmly.
Then the music began.
The first notes struck like thunder across silence.
The rhythm was urgent, vast, and alive.
The sea, battles, treasure, storms, freedom itself, all of it seemed to rise within the sound. Even those who did not understand music felt something tighten in their chests, as if the ocean itself had begun to breathe.
Shiki closed his eyes briefly, his expression softening. For a moment, he was no longer an Emperor of the Sea, only a man remembering younger days chasing horizons without limits.
When the performance ended, silence lingered before the crowd erupted once again.
Shiki laughed. "Teach, I like this one."
Teach smiled faintly. "Then take it. Or I can send you the score."
That night, beneath the burning lights of Jaya Island, victory was no longer just survival.
It had become celebration.