Chapter 538

Page 538

...........

World Government, the Empty Throne, Im, the Five Elders, the Knights of God...

The "Era of Gods" that has hung over the heads of all living beings for eight hundred years...

Here,

In the burning embers and the silent declaration,

It's all over now.

A new era is about to begin on this blood-stained ruin.

After countless sacrifices and struggles, the difficult yet hopeful prelude began.

Gern, and his "calamities" and powerful warriors.

They are the ones who personally tolled the death knell for the old era and laid the first cornerstone for the new era.

Inside the hall, no one spoke for a moment.

Only the intermittent gunfire in the distance remained, like the lingering, unwilling echoes of a bygone era.

Chapter 740 The Bell Tolls in a New Era (Final Chapter)

The last month of the year 1522 in the Haiyuan calendar.

The good news from New Marine Fendo spread to every corner of the world.

The Navy has officially conquered the Holy Land of Mary Geoise!

Upon hearing the news, some people cheered with joy.

Some were stunned, some were terrified, and many more...

It was a long, unbelievable silence that erupted after generations of suppressed emotions.

Even the cries of hundreds of years.

At the top of Pangu City, the flag of the World Government, which has been flying for eight hundred years, stands.

Under the watchful eyes of countless people, it was replaced by a brand-new flag with a seagull holding a sword, symbolizing an independent navy and a new order.

The flags fluttered in the fierce winds atop the red earth, heralding the complete end of an era.

World Government, the Empty Throne, Im, the Five Elders, the Knights of God...

The "Era of Gods" that has hung over the heads of all living beings for eight hundred years...

And so, the curtain falls completely.

..........

January, 1523 (Haiyuan Calendar).

A month in which cleanup and reconstruction proceed in parallel.

The newly formed, navy-led "World Conference" was urgently convened at the site of the holy city.

The attendees were no longer the high and mighty Celestial Dragons or their proxy kings.

Rather, they are the true representatives from all the islands, races, and powers across the four seas and the Grand Line.

Many of these faces had suffered oppression in the past and were not even considered "human".

On the first day of the conference, I sat upright on the makeshift stage.

Gern Reginald Sigmar, wearing a "World Marshal" overcoat

Under the watchful eyes of Den Den Mushi (snail communication devices) around the world, he announced the execution of all Celestial Dragons and their core vassals with a blank expression.

There was no trial, no defense.

Only a public and thorough execution.

For the past month, blood has stained the newly paved stone slabs of the Holy Land Square.

It also stained the last and most stubborn trace of the old era red.

Following this, the conference adopted the Charter on Racial Equality and Fundamental Rights.

It officially abolished all forms of slavery and human trafficking in the name of the world's highest authority.

Treat all ethnic groups equally!

When the clause stating that "Fish-men and Merfolk enjoy the same rights as humans to live, travel, and establish states on land" was read out...

Fishman Island, viewed through the video Den Den Mushi, erupted in thunderous cheers and tears.

King Neptune wept bitterly in the Dragon Palace, while Queen Otohime's dream...

It arrived suddenly in such an unexpected way.

In February, the wave of change continued to sweep across the world.

Monkey D. Dragon, leader of the revolutionary army and the world's biggest criminal

Delivered a public speech at the temporary command center in Pangu City

The revolutionary army announced the completion of its historical mission and was formally disbanded, its personnel, resources, and unfulfilled ideals being confiscated.

It will be fully integrated into the new world order system dominated by the navy.

This move shocked the world, but it also marked a historic convergence of the forces of "disruption" and "reconstruction".

In the same month, Sabo, the former Chief of Staff and second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army, and Kobi, the former Navy Colonel, met...

Publicly questioning the Navy's "cruelty" in purging the former Celestial Dragons and its "retention" of some members of the old World Government bureaucracy.

They believed this deviated from the original intention of the revolution and attempted to lead some radical cadres to break away.

However, their actions were quickly suppressed.

Sabo himself was arrested by Admiral "Thor" Enel.

Kobi was executed and beheaded on the spot.

In March, another world-renowned execution took place at the Admiralty Headquarters Plaza.

Former "Four Emperors," Shanks, the "Red-Haired," and his core crew were led to the execution platform.

Gern personally presided over the event, aiming to "symbolize the pinnacle of the Great Pirate Era and maintain the old pirate order."

He was publicly executed on charges such as "his very existence is the source of turmoil".

Blood stained the execution platform, yet Shanks remained calm until his death.

This execution shocked all those who still harbored illusions about the glory of pirates in the old era.

The banners of the Four Emperors fell one after another.

In April, news of the pirate forces' reactions began to arrive.

Buggy, one of the "Four Emperors" and known as "Thousand-Ryade Transformation," learned of Shanks' execution and witnessed the Navy's overwhelming power.

Made the most "Pakistani" choice

He tearfully (though perhaps not entirely) announced the disbandment of the "Buggy Pirates".

At the same time, it publicly declared that its "Cross Guild" was a legally registered "mercenary and security group".

Effective immediately, it will completely transform into an underground force (intermediaries and mercenaries) under the supervision of the Navy.

And with a sense of righteous indignation, he took the initiative to hand over a group of notorious pirates under his command to the Navy as a sign of his "sincerity".

Clown King's "Assessing the Situation" and Survival Wisdom

This allowed him and his forces to find a foothold amidst the upheaval.

Meanwhile, an even more shocking message came from the depths of the new world.

Monkey D. Luffy, one of the "Four Emperors," and his crew, unite with the giant nation of Elbaf.

Led by the giant prince Loki, they officially declared war on the navy!

The reason given was that "naval dictatorship stifles freedom and dreams."

The terrifying fighting power of the giants and the Straw Hat crew's prestige make this declaration of war seem quite significant.

In May, the flames of war reignited.

The navy did not give the opponent much time to prepare.

Admiral "Devil" Douglas Barrett personally led an elite fleet to launch a surprise attack on the area where the Straw Hat Grand Fleet was assembled.

After an unequal, purely brute-force battle

The Straw Hat Grand Fleet collapsed, its captains were either defeated or fled, and the alliance disintegrated.

Immediately afterwards, World Marshal Gern personally went to Elbaf.

Facing the combined might of the giant kingdom and the challenge from Prince Loki

Gern demonstrated absolute power that transcended race and numbers.

They defeated Loki, the giant prince, with overwhelming superiority, and through a combination of force and negotiation.

This forced Elbaf to temporarily submit to naval control.

The threat of the giants has been eliminated.

The Straw Hat crew broke through the enemy lines again during the Battle of Elbaf, escaping into the vast ocean and beginning a new escape.

1524 in the Haiyuan calendar.

Six months have passed, and the world is adapting and moving forward under the new order.

The navy's dominance permeated every corner of the seas, chaos was forcefully contained, and everything was in need of rebuilding.

One year later, on an unnamed island in the New World.

A duel took place that was known to only a very few, yet was powerful enough to influence the course of the world.

A conflict erupts between Straw Hat Luffy, the last remaining member of the Four Emperors from the Great Pirate Era, and World Fleet Admiral Guern.

The battle was fierce, the process was unseen by anyone, and the outcome was not made public.

But after this battle

Shortly thereafter, the Straw Hat crew seemed to have collected all the red Poneglyph road signs leading to Laugh Tale.

Meanwhile, the Navy Headquarters quietly withdrew its global arrest warrant for the Straw Hat Pirates.

They were redefined as "a historical exploration and adventure group with a certain degree of danger".

The reasons behind this transaction have become another mystery in the new era.

In May of the same year.

A massive, transformative project was launched under Guern's leadership.

He personally led his strongest warriors to a key point on the Red Earth.

Faced with this natural barrier that spans the world and separates the four seas for eight hundred years, Gern unleashed the full power of the awakened Heaven-Shatter Fruit.

After six months of terrifying tremors that shook the entire planet...

A sufficiently wide strait passage was forcibly "shaken" out from the main body of the red earth continent!

The waters of the four seas flow together here!

Even more astonishing is that, with the permanent alteration of the red continental structure...

As the planet's water cycle and crustal stress undergo subtle adjustments, global sea levels have begun to decline slowly and steadily!

Some ancient, submerged landmasses have re-emerged, altering the coastal landscape.

Dr. Vegapunk's world-shaking prediction that "the world may sink"

With the red earth continent breached and sea levels falling instead of rising, it collapsed without a fight.

Although the long-term effects of geology and climate still need to be observed, the current scene...

This undoubtedly brings unprecedented hope to coastal residents who have long been threatened by rising sea levels.

Early spring of 1525 (Haiyuan calendar).