"Nami, calm down."
"Roman… How do you expect me to stay calm?! Robin—Waaah!!"
Nami collapsed into Robin's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. The rest of the Straw Hat Crew remained silent, unsure of what to say.
On the other side—BOOM!!
A bloodied fist slammed down, shattering a massive rock the size of an island! Luffy, like a human drill—no, more like an island-breaking machine—kept punching through the giant red rocks and rubble in front of him. Zoro and Sanji had to hold him back from both sides.
"That's enough, Luffy!"
"Roman is already… Do you want to smash his body to bits too?!"
"Huff… Huff…"
"No way! Roman is too strong, too smart! Without him, I wouldn't have made it this far—there's no way he's dead!!"
To everyone else, it looked like Luffy simply couldn't accept a crewmate's death.
But deep down, Luffy had a gut feeling—Roman wasn't dead! Otherwise, why had his last punch… been filled with Roman's power?!
"Let go of me! Roman is still waiting for me to save him!!"
"Luffy, you need treatment too—"
…
Standing atop a giant Sea King, 'Kong' listened to the Marine officers reporting on the wounded. He turned his gaze to a long row of bodies covered in white sheets.
"This battle… the casualties…"
The losses were devastating.
In the final desperate counterattack of the angel army, Marines, pirates, revolutionaries, royals—everyone had suffered heavy losses.
Compared to that, the Straw Hat Crew had lost only 'one' member. They were the least affected…
But no one with a shred of sense would dare mention that in front of them.
After all—
"The Holy Land… No, the entire Red Line has been blasted through. That kind of power…"
It was terrifying.
"But no matter what, the chains that held this world down have finally been broken."
Garp, covered in blood, sat beside him and patted the ancient Sea King beneath him.
"Good thing that little mermaid girl was there, or this old man wouldn't have had the strength to swim out."
The moment the battle began, Fish-Man Island had started an emergency evacuation.
After all, the fight was happening right above them. Given the level of destruction these people were capable of, it was only natural that falling debris would threaten the island.
But…
"Our home—Fish-Man Island is gone."
The entire Holy Land of Mary Geoise had been sent crashing into the sea by Luffy's punch.
A massive gap had been torn through the Red Line, which had once divided the world.
If not for Roman's warning ahead of time, Fish-Man Island would have been doomed as well.
"As long as our people survive, we can rebuild our home."
King Neptune tried to reassure his son, but deep inside, he was just as lost.
Millions of Fish-Man Island's citizens had boarded the 'Noah' and escaped with the help of the ancient Sea Kings, but their future remained uncertain…
"Shirahoshi, help the Marines with the wounded first."
"Yes, Father."
The massive Sea Kings Shirahoshi summoned didn't just tow the Noah—they also sent some of their… fish hands to rescue the people who had fallen into the ocean after the Red Line collapsed.
Humans, fish-men, long-arm tribe, long-leg tribe, giants, dwarves… Marines, pirates, revolutionaries, royals from various kingdoms—
Now, they all lay together, side by side.
No more divisions. No more arguments.
Because in this moment, they were all comrades who had fought together.
Sometimes, a common enemy was the best way to bring all intelligent races together.
But the cost…
"What's that over there?"
"Bring the critically wounded here! Our medical pods can at least stop their condition from getting worse!"
A fleet of massive snails, each carrying a building on its back, slowly converged.
Together, they formed the mobile kingdom of **Germa 66**.
Standing on the deck—or rather, on their own moving land—was none other than the royal family, led by **Vinsmoke Judge**.
By the way, they had also attended the wedding earlier. Naturally, they got dragged into the battle as well.
Otherwise, given how the Marines had smeared the Vinsmoke name in newspapers, how else could they be standing here?
"Heh, and now we're supposed to accept treatment from the 'murder squad'?"
"Tch, times have changed."
Hanging from one wing, still holding up a Den Den Mushi camera with one hand, 'Big News' Morgans interrupted Akainu's train of thought.
"Next, without a doubt, belongs to the Pirate King—"
"Hmm?!"
Despite being half-paralyzed from Imu's punch, the Marine Fleet Admiral still stood strong. Morgan quickly changed his words:
"The era of the *King of the Seas!*"
...
Akainu shot a glare at a certain sweat-covered bird-man, refusing treatment from the other Marines.
"Take care of the others first. I can still hold on."
Meanwhile, on the other side, a massive Germa 66 snail ship pulled up next to the Sunny Merry.
Among the Straw Hats, still mourning on the deck, a certain blond chef frowned and stepped forward.
"What are you doing here?"
"We came, of course, because someone wants to see you—"
As the Vinsmoke family stepped aside, they revealed a figure casually dressed, drying his hair with a towel—
"Roman?!!!"
???
"Hahaha, everything is under my control—?!"
*Whoosh!!*
A figure rapidly grew in Roman's vision, and his expression changed in shock.
"Wait, wait—"
*Boom!!*
But when has Luffy ever stopped when told to? In the next second, both of them *vanished* from the deck!
A loud crash came from one of the buildings on the snail ship, followed by Luffy's panicked voice:
"Roman?! Roman?! Doctor! Doctor!!"
"...Basically, I just climbed out of a cloning tank."
While receiving treatment from Chopper, Roman explained.
On the other side of the ship, the so-called strongest man in the world, the one who ended the old era, the Pirate King himself—Luffy—was completely beaten up by the entire crew.
"So my body is really weak right now, only slightly stronger than an average person."
It was already lucky he hadn't died on the spot when Luffy tackled him. Otherwise, he might've ended up back in the cloning tank as a corpse.
"And earlier…?"
Seeing Nami's rollercoaster of emotions, Roman patted her hand apologetically.
"That was Neo. My soul transferred at the last moment into a Vinsmoke clone through my white dove, 'Roman No. 1'... Sorry about that."
From the start of the wedding, Roman had been fighting, giving orders, and staying on high alert. He completely forgot to tell Nami about his backup plan—though, to be fair, it was a risky one.
"Hmph, this time… I suppose I owe you all one."
Sanji, looking awkward, was suddenly pulled into a gentle handhold by Reiju.
Behind them—
"How boring."
"This has nothing to do with you. This is our deal with Lord Roman!"
"Stop acting like you're so special. I've gotten way stronger lately! You're asking for a beatdown~~~"
The other three Vinsmoke brothers still wore their usual sour expressions, but compared to their former cold, machine-like selves, there was now a faint trace of *humanity*.
Even if it was just as awkward.
"Fine! If you wanna fight, bring it on!"
"Are you leaving?"
On the other side, Zoro asked the question.
Mihawk, carrying his black sword, didn't even look back.
"After this battle, I realized… the title of 'World's Greatest Swordsman'... Heh. If even one of those three had *chosen* to use a blade… But still, being able to witness a greater peak in my lifetime—it's a pleasure."
"Oh? I also learned a lot from this battle. Next time—"
Zoro watched his master's fading figure.
"I will challenge you!"
"I'll be waiting."
"Hehehehe~~~ Alright then… LET'S HAVE A PARTY!!!!"
Even after a disaster that shook the whole world, even with so many lives lost, isn't this the time to celebrate?
For everything we've lost.
For a brighter tomorrow.
For the friends who are still standing!
"Let's celebrate~~~!"
————
One year later, the once-mighty Holy Land of Mary Geoise was gone, replaced by islands of all sizes, now home to merfolk and fishmen.
Between the massive canyons carved into the Red Line, a thriving nation had emerged. People from all four seas could now travel through the Calm Belt using sea trains built beneath the Red Line, passing through this place—
"Wow, that's the new Fishman Island~~!"
"It's so beautiful!!"
"Hmph, what's the point of a pretty view? I've got a huge business deal waiting for me in East Blue…"
"A huge deal, yet you're riding a regular passenger ship with us? Shouldn't you be on a Marine battleship or something?"
"You little—"
"Hahaha~~"
Laughter filled the air as people from all over the world traveled through the giant canyon, with the "New Fishman Island" serving as a hub. On the towering cliffs of the Red Line, two massive statues were being carved.
One was Luffy, wearing his signature straw hat and a captain's coat.
The other was Roman, draped in a Marine cape, gripping a long sword.
"Ahhh!!! I'm so jealous! I want a giant statue too—"
As Usopp practically drooled with envy, Luffy grinned.
"A bronze one would be even better~~"
Rustle, rustle—
"If you guys want statues, that's easy. You'll have plenty of chances in the future."
A flock of white doves flew overhead, forming the shape of Roman. Zoro, now the world's strongest swordsman, barely lifted an eyelid.
"Roman, are you getting used to using the fruit again?"
"Hah, just walking the same path all over again… no, this would be the third time."
With the connections Roman had now, the moment the Paper-Paper Fruit reappeared in the world, it was quickly returned to him. Meanwhile, a group of high-ranking Marines had practically dragged Roman back to East Blue to marry Nami, just to prevent another "Imu" situation. Both Roman and Nami found it ridiculous—but also kind of funny.
"Our adventure…"
Looking at the lively scene before him, Luffy pressed down on his Straw Hat.
The world had entered an era of rapid growth and peace. There were no more enemies left who could rival the Straw Hat Crew. One by one, everyone was settling down and getting married.
So maybe it was time to—
"Not even close!"
?
Nami leaped onto the Sunny-Go, patting its deck.
"The Marines have been developing a special 'bubble' that can maintain its shape in outer space. Pretty soon, navigators like me will need to shift gears—because the difference between the sea and the stars isn't small…"
"What?!" x3
As the three Straw Hat goofballs gawked in shock at something they didn't quite understand, Roman nodded.
"That's right. Our next journey—"
He pointed to the sky.
"Is among the stars."
"So… our adventure will never end."
"Which means~~~"
Standing at the ship's figurehead, Luffy spread his arms wide.
"Hehehe, let's go—King of the Stars! That's my next goal!!"
(The End)
————
PS: Hmm, yeah, this is my idea of a perfect ending.
(End of Chapter)