...
The entire scene fell deathly silent.
The God Valley site—which had just been noisy from the appearance of the red-haired twins and Saint Garling's manic laughter—suddenly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Everyone's thoughts seemed to be slammed on pause by an invisible hand…
Then their minds were forcibly accelerated, frantically rewinding and piecing together the flashes from the light curtain:
The mysterious knight appears… blocks Tiger… the instant clash… precisely destroys the collar… half the bandages torn off… revealing a bleeding wound… points to the armory… flashes away…
The Mary Geoise assault incident…
The next day, Saint Garling appears with his second son, Shanks…
The complex, distant expression on young Shanks' face, as if he had just undergone massive upheaval…
The future Saint Garling saying Shanks "suffered in the lower world," "separated due to an accident"…
And… that faint trace on Shanks' forehead, partially hidden by red bangs but—if examined closely—possibly present… a subtle mark?
Countless fragmented clues, under Roger's earth-shattering prompt, began colliding and combining wildly!
Gloriosa, holding the still innocent and curiously looking red-haired infant Shanks in her arms, suddenly jolted!
She was one of the first to piece it together. Her eyes erupted with incredulous light as she cried out, her voice sharp from sheer excitement:
"Roger!! Are you saying the mysterious knight who helped Tiger was Shanks?! The future Shanks!
Then after the Roger Pirates disbanded, for some reason he entered Mary Geoise, participated in the assault incident, and secretly helped Tiger!
And perhaps during that process, he exposed his identity—or chose to reveal himself willingly—leading to Saint Garling 'reclaiming' him?!"
Gloriosa's words exploded like a bomb in the silent deep waters!
"Wha—!!!"
Everyone's brains were completely blanked out by this subversive yet logically airtight deduction!
Countless gazes shot like searchlights toward the light curtain—at the young man who had just proudly introduced his son…
Then snapped back to reality, to Saint Garling—his manic laughter frozen on his face, color draining instantly to paper-white, pupils contracting violently!
If… if this was true…
Then all of Saint Garling's earlier ecstatic declarations of "fate ordained," "sons returned," "family glory"…
Had become the biggest, most ironic, self-slapping joke imaginable!
The "son" he was so proud of, whom he saw as the hope of family revival,
Had personally helped Tiger set Mary Geoise ablaze and delivered a resounding slap to the World Government.
Saint Garling stood rooted, his body trembling uncontrollably. His face—red from earlier laughter—now completely bloodless, left only with pallor and utter disbelief.
He opened his mouth, but found he couldn't utter a single syllable—as if an invisible hand had clamped his throat shut.
The sea breeze at God Valley seemed to carry an icy, mocking edge.
On the light curtain, the young Shanks stood quietly.
"Puhahahaha! Mam-ma-ma-ma~ If that's really the case, that's seriously hilarious!"
Big Mom, after hearing Gloriosa and Roger's reasoning, pictured it in her mind and successfully got "amused" by them.
At this moment Saint Garling was utterly speechless. He didn't even care about the dirt—he simply collapsed to the ground in dejection…
His self-respect, dignity, and prestige had all shattered around him.
Beside him, Saint Sommers watched Saint Garling take such a brutal hit. Though his face showed no expression, inside he was wildly delighted.
Though Saint Garling was his "boss," Saint Sommers had long disliked him—otherwise he wouldn't have tried to kill Shakky. If he couldn't have her, neither would Saint Garling…
The Five Elders saw Saint Garling in this state but had no time to bother with him. Even they couldn't make sense of the current plot development, though one thing was clear: the future was far from peaceful!
False arrogance and silent undercurrents…
Above the light curtain, in the future timeline,
Saint Garling remained completely ignorant of the truth behind the Mary Geoise assault incident—or rather, he was immersed in the immense joy of reuniting with his lost blood son, the family lineage restored…
From this moment, he was still beaming as he introduced the red-haired young man beside him to Harald.
"So, in terms of position, Shanks is now the same as you—a 'Blade of the Gods.'"
Saint Garling's tone carried a subtle, fatherly boast.
Though the rank was the same, Harald knew full well that Shanks was different from him.
With that noble Figarland bloodline, the resources and attention Shanks would receive in the future would naturally be greater.
Harald understood this.
Though Saint Garling phrased it subtly, the meaning was clear:
"Shanks starts at the same level as you, but his future is destined to be brighter, his status inherently higher."
Suppressing the emotions in his heart, Harald's massive body leaned slightly forward as he tried to distinguish between the mirror-like brothers before him.
He looked at the familiar, indifferent Shamrock Saint, then at this new Shanks with his distant gaze.
"At first I thought it was Shamrock—these two brothers really look identical…"
Harald rumbled in his deep voice, his huge face showing a simple, friendly attempt at a smile.
But then, as if recalling something, his brows furrowed. "Speaking of which… I feel like I've seen you somewhere before? You look really familiar…"
Harald's gaze casually swept over Shanks, suddenly feeling the other was somehow recognizable.
The aura emanating from this "Saint Shanks" was completely different from Shamrock's—Shamrock seemed like a refined doll, indifferent to everything.
However, before Harald could finish, Shanks interrupted him in an extremely cold tone laced with obvious impatience.
"I don't know you at all!"
Shanks' voice wasn't loud, but it carried the arrogance and detachment of a Celestial Dragon elite. He slightly lifted his chin.
His gaze didn't even fully land on Harald—as if he were merely looking down at an insignificant giant ornament.
"Just a slightly bigger 'lower-world commoner'… don't try to get familiar with me."
He paused, his tone growing even more resolute, as if stating a life creed: "From the beginning, I inherited the highest nobility of the Figarland bloodline!
This is innate glory—something a commoner like you could never understand."
Shanks even took a small step forward. Though far shorter than Harald, the pressure he released—blending Celestial Dragon privilege with personal sharpness—
Made the surrounding air seem to freeze…
"I will become a true God's Knight far sooner than you. Just watch."
These blunt words, laced with humiliation, left Harald stunned.
A flash of bewilderment and embarrassment crossed his huge face. He quickly lowered his massive head awkwardly, his voice somewhat dry: "Yes… I spoke out of turn. I'm sorry… Saint Shanks, please don't take offense."
Beside him, Shamrock Saint glanced sideways at his twin brother. His face—identical to Shanks'—remained expressionless.
His gaze was so indifferent it seemed nothing in the world concerned him…
And Saint Garling, standing behind Shanks, was not annoyed by his son's rudeness at all. Instead, a more satisfied and gratified smile spread across his face!
This was exactly the effect he wanted!
If Shanks had been too polite or friendly toward a "lower-worlder" like Harald, that would have truly disappointed him!
...