A week had passed since the Battle of Elbaf, but its echoes still shattered the silence of the world.
The image of Red Hair Shanks, slain, impaled on a blade darker than the abyss had burned itself into the eyes of the world. Though no news outlet had dared publish it, the rumors spread faster than light. It wasn't just that an Emperor had died.
It was who had killed him.
The murderer still remains a mystery.
Holy Land Mary Geoise
The Five Elders sat in silence, faces grave, the air thick with tension. Not even Im had spoken in days.
"Shanks is dead," murmured Saturn, fingers clenched around his cane.
"And Shamrock did it without our order," said Ju Peter, glaring into the black scrying orb on the table. "Without warning. Without restraint."
"No," said Mars softly. "He made a statement. He wanted the world to know."
The orb displayed images recorded by hidden transponders scattered across Elbaf. They watched, again and again, the final blow Shamrock descending like the hand of a god, severing an era.
"Should we restrain him?" Warcury asked.
No one answered.
Then, a shadow flickered across the room.
Im had arrived.
"Let him be," she said, her voice calm. "For now, he serves his purpose. The world needs fear. Let them remember what happens when they resist the Divine Order. Release the news that it was a secret operation of the government"
The Five Elders bowed their heads.
The Revolutionary Army - Baltigo
Dragon stared at the map table, lines drawn across the Red Line and the Grand Line.
"The god's knights have moved. Their commander Shamrock has killed Red hair Shanks," Koala whispered, disbelief in her voice.
"He did more than that," said Sabo, fists clenched. "He broke the balance."
Dragon nodded. "And now the people are afraid. Not of pirates. But of world government."
Pirate Island Hachinosu - Blackbeard's Stronghold
"Zehahaha! He did it! The madman did it!"
Blackbeard roared with laughter, slamming his drink down, foam spilling across the table.
"I had heard rumors about this secret group of celestial dragons who have the authority to judge other celestial dragons. I didn't expect the rumors to be true. I thought I'd be the one to take the red bastard's head, but damn if the god's knights didn't upstage me."
His lieutenants looked uneasy.
"Are we... going to challenge them?" Lafitte asked carefully.
Blackbeard's laughter died instantly.
"No. Not now. Let the demon eat his fill. We'll wait for the cracks. They always show."
He turned to the sea, expression grim.
"Even gods bleed. Eventually."
Wano Country
Momonosuke stood atop the rebuilt palace, jaw tight.
"This isn't the age of freedom anymore," he said.
Beside him, Yamato clenched her teeth.
"Luffy... will want to fight him."
"He won't be ready. Not yet."
East Blue - Foosha Village
Makino dropped her glass. The tavern was silent. Villagers stared at the Den Den Mushi in horror.
"Shanks is... gone?"
Outside, the wind blew through the trees, eerily still.
Grandline New World Shamrock's Flagship
Amid the wreckage of Elbaf and the floating remains of warships, Shamrock stood alone on the deck of his ship.
[System Alert: Cerberus Evolution - Stage II Complete.] [New Skill Unlocked: World Devourer Slash] [Current Blood Saturation: 81%]
Cerberus gleamed under the moonlight, blade now pulsating with a crimson glow that mimicked a heartbeat.
Shamrock raised it to the heavens.
"Let them tremble. Let them plot. I welcome it."
He turned to the remaining God's Knights gathered on deck.
"Time for the next step."