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New Marineford, Marshal's office.

Gern stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the bustling and orderly scene of the port outside.

Ships coming and going were no longer pirate raiding vessels or privileged ships of the World Government.

More numerous were merchant ships, passenger ships, and patrol vessels flying the flags of newly established autonomous regimes in various regions.

On the desk, the latest world map was spread out.

The new map after the four seas were connected.

The once insurmountable "red line" on the red earth continent.

Now, a strait marker has appeared connecting the first half of the Grand Line with the New World.

The Den Den Mushi rang; it was a communication from Fishman Island.

King Neptune warmly invited him to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the first true "sea town" on Fishman Island.

Another report mentioned several pilot areas of the "ideal land" formerly controlled by the revolutionary army.

After being incorporated into the naval civil affairs system, it began orderly land reform and production construction.

Of course, there are also less harmonious reports: some remnants of the original CP0 and certain Celestial Dragons who are unwilling to accept defeat are still active in the shadows.

In some seas of the New World, pirate adventures and plundering have not completely disappeared, but their scale and arrogance have greatly diminished.

Friction between old and new forces occurs frequently in various regions...

The world did not become perfect overnight.

But at least, the "god" who had been pressing down on us for eight hundred years has disappeared.

Many of the shackles that bound freedom were smashed.

A thoroughfare now connects the four seas.

For the first time, people of different races had the opportunity to sit at the same table and discuss their shared future.

This is an era scarred yet full of vitality.

A new era forcibly opened by naval force, but which also requires countless people to compromise and slowly fill.

Gern turned around, his gaze sweeping over the black sword "Eight Desolations" hanging on the wall.

His gaze was calm.

The road ahead is still long.

The challenges never end.

But at least the first step, the most difficult, bloodiest, and most disruptive step, has been taken.

He walked to his desk, picked up a pen, and signed his name on a preparatory document for the "First Joint Maritime Safety Conference".

Gern Reginald Sigmar.

Outside the window, the sunlight was just right, shining on the azure, now connected sea, creating shimmering waves.

A new era has begun.

In this era, the navy has finally reached its pinnacle!

(End of the article)

......................

Hello everyone, this is Xianyu. This book is officially finished today!

Since I started writing on June 8th, for a full 240 days, I have been writing three updates every day without fail, racing all the way to today.

to be frank

Without your constant urging for updates, every comment, and every "godfather-like" support...

(That's right, I'll call him "godfather" first out of respect!)

After get off work, a lazy bum will probably just collapse into a real salted fish, unable to type a single word.

Of course... there were inevitably some filler text in the book.

(Ahem, sometimes it's to meet the attendance requirement, sometimes it's just a sudden whim).

For example, the Elbaf chapter, because the original work hadn't been fully explained yet.

Fearing that his fanfiction would become a heavily modified version of "Seafood Porridge," Xianyu had no choice but to reluctantly cut it.

For example, Egghead Island was supposed to be finished by mid-January.

But with the perfect attendance award waving at me... that's right, I forcibly "added" a few more chapters!

(Here's a deep bow to all my godfathers: *thump*)

In the end, even the secret of "Im" was explained by the Horcrux system created by "Homework Book," otherwise, the salted fish's imagination would have scared even himself.

What if one day Oda-sensei suddenly reveals the setting and finds it's different from what I wrote...

Let's just consider it a parallel universe then! (I'm outta here!)

This book has its highlights and its flaws, but the important thing is...

We finally reached the finish line together!

Thank you all for your support over the past six months; you are the true "final surprise" of this book.

Next, I'll lie down and rest for a while, and maybe find some inspiration to start a new project...

(Whispering: Actually, there are already three or five of them in my notes.)

Finally, best wishes to all godfathers.

Happy New Year and all the best!

Let's meet again next year and start a new chapter!

— A salted fish bows, 2026, 1.2 The book is finished.