In the original timeline, five years later, Fujitora used his clash with Crow of the Revolutionary Army as a pretext to summon a meteor over the Holy Land Mary Geoise. His true intent had been to vent his dissatisfaction with the Celestial Dragons and the World Government, but in the end, he was stopped.
Now, however, everything unfolded differently.
Ash raised a single finger.
In the next instant, an artificial sun manifested high above the sky, radiating unbearable heat and brilliance. It descended rapidly, crashing downward with unstoppable force. Within the blink of an eye, a vast concave semicircle, nearly a hundred kilometers across, was carved into the Red Line, its surface dissolving under the overwhelming heat.
Fortunately, Ash sensed something was off and dispersed the miniature sun just in time. Had it persisted even a few seconds longer, the Red Line, the so-called Serpent of Karmic Fire, would likely have been melted straight through.
At that moment, something stirred deep within the consciousness of countless people across the Pirate World.
From Elbaph to Fish-Man Island, from Zou to the distant Kamabakka Kingdom, memories long buried resurfaced.
Bartholomew Kuma, standing silently in Kamabakka Kingdom, trembled inwardly.
"This… is the Sun God?!"
His thoughts churned violently. This was nothing like the white warrior of freedom, the Sun God Nika, his father had once told him about.
Ash was undoubtedly free-spirited and unrestrained, but he bore none of Nika's defining traits. There was no white transformation, no rhythmic dance of liberation.
And yet…
That blazing sun that nearly erased the Red Line in an instant.
What else could it be?
If Ash had known what Kuma was thinking, he would have laughed without restraint. Nika? That ridiculous figure was nowhere near his level.
As for the so-called Nika Dance, Ash would sooner swing through vines like Tarzan than perform such nonsense.
With the annihilation of the Holy Land Mary Geoise, Ash's press conference came to an end. However, the shockwaves it created would ripple across the world for a long time to come.
Half-asleep as he watched the footage through a Den Den Mushi, Ash calmly began issuing orders.
He instructed Village Chief Grandpa to lead most of the young men from the three villages back to Sky Island. Meanwhile, Sali and Wyper split into two separate forces, launching direct assaults on Impel Down and Enies Lobby.
Enies Lobby housed a significant number of World Government personnel, but Ash's true interest lay in Impel Down. The prison held a large concentration of Devil Fruit users, and he had long set his sights on them.
Tsuki was temporarily assigned to Wyper's team. With the ability to perceive the Voice of All Things acting as a filter, they could distinguish who deserved freedom and who deserved eradication. Those worthy would be released. The rest would be reduced to ash. There was no need for Ash to intervene personally.
As for the Dawn ship, Ash ordered Pini and the others to return to the New World and complete the remainder of their journey. This would allow Nami to continue her dream of charting the world while aiding Robin in collecting more poneglyphs.
With three decoy pirate crews operating in tandem, their voyage would proceed far more smoothly.
Once the Dawn Faction's internal matters were settled, Ash contacted Dragon and Sengoku in succession. After confirming their agreement to meet, he used multiple transports to send the four senior Marine figures to Kamabakka Kingdom.
With the Celestial Dragons erased alongside the Holy Land, the World Government had effectively collapsed overnight. Ash had no interest in dictating the world's future, as long as the descendants of the Twenty Kings never resurfaced.
Retirement was no longer an option for those old men.
They had once stood at the pinnacle of Marine authority, and now, by sheer circumstance, they found themselves among the founders of a new global order.
As for the three Marine Admirals, Ash paid them no attention. He left them to sail back at their own pace.
One was hot-tempered, one obsessively persistent, and one notoriously lazy. None of them were suited for shaping a new government.
Dragon acted swiftly. Within days, he fulfilled his promise, delivering thirty-one Devil Fruits that had been seized from Mary Geoise.
Ash was more than satisfied.
Combined with the mission update triggered by the destruction of the Holy Land, his progress had advanced significantly.
Unique Mission: Number of Fruits Collected [243/500]
The sheer number of Devil Fruits and ability users within the Holy Land, well over a hundred, was both surprising and expected. After nearly a thousand years of accumulation, such wealth was inevitable.
Dragon also revealed that among the freed slaves, more than twenty were Devil Fruit users.
This came as a welcome surprise.
Ash had already considered Dragon's contribution generous, but clearly, there was more.
Without hesitation, Ash replaced all the Devil Fruits belonging to the rescued slaves, updating his mission progress once more before departing in satisfaction.
Unique Mission: Number of Fruits Collected [268/500]
After leaving Kamabakka Kingdom, Ash assumed he would not be needed for some time amidst the world's chaos.
Unexpectedly, he received a call from Vice Admiral Tsuru.
She explained that King Neptune of the Ryugu Kingdom on Fish-Man Island had originally sought to contact Sengoku, requesting a conversation with Ash. Sengoku, however, had redirected the matter to her.
Ash did not know Neptune's exact intentions, but the timing aligned perfectly with his own plans. He had already considered leveraging the Ryugu Kingdom's forces for large-scale underwater Devil Fruit collection.
Their interests were aligned.
On Fish-Man Island, Ash quickly understood the purpose of the meeting.
"So you called me here just to plead for Jinbe?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Neptune spoke at length, carefully choosing his words.
"Jinbe may harbor resentment toward humans like many of the Fish-Man Pirates, but he was originally a soldier of the Ryugu Kingdom. He joined the Sun Pirates out of admiration for Fisher Tiger's character and ideals."
"He later became one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea to protect Fish-Man Island. All these years, he has worked tirelessly to fulfill the wishes of Fisher Tiger and Otohime, striving to bring light to Fish-Man Island and foster harmony with humanity."
After listening, Ash grasped the underlying message.
Neptune was not merely asking for Jinbe's release. He was expressing Fish-Man Island's deeper desire to move to the surface and live under the sun.
As for the claims about protection and coexistence, Ash paid them little mind. He was well aware that Jinbe had joined the Shichibukai primarily to secure the release of imprisoned Fish-Man Pirates from Impel Down.
Sengoku had clearly heard these requests before, yet he had pushed the responsibility onto Ash.
A calculated move.
Ash smirked slightly.
"I can release Jinbe, under two conditions," he said plainly. "First, he must personally contact Morgans and publicly withdraw from the Shichibukai while announcing the disbandment of the Fish-Man Pirates."
"Second, he must report to Sengoku. His future will be decided by the Fleet Admiral."
"If both conditions are met, I will not pursue this matter further. I can also assist Fish-Man Island in relocating to the surface."
Neptune's face lit up with relief.
But Ash raised a hand.
"Do not celebrate yet. In exchange, I require one thing."
"Please, speak freely," Neptune replied immediately.
"It's simple. I want the Ryugu Kingdom to deploy its forces and conduct a systematic search of the seabed for lost Devil Fruits."
Neptune froze for a brief moment, then nodded without hesitation.
"Agreed."
Compared to the demands he had feared, this was trivial.
"Excellent," Ash said.
Neptune quickly added, "Please wait here. I will have Fukaboshi and Ryuboshi organize search teams immediately. Additionally, the Ryugu Kingdom has collected some Devil Fruits over the years. I will bring them to you at once."
"I look forward to it."
That very day, Fish-Man Island mobilized its forces. The Ryugu Kingdom began a sweeping search of the ocean floor, combing the depths for every Devil Fruit they could find.