Looking down at Dragon's lifeless body, Elior felt almost nothing.
The death of Monkey D. Dragon meant the total annihilation of the Revolutionary Army — and with it, one of the greatest obstacles in his path had vanished.
"Dragon is dead… and so will Luffy and Garp" he murmured coldly.
He hadn't forgotten them. Back at Marineford, when he killed Ace, he had earned the eternal hatred of both grandfather and grandson.
But Elior wasn't afraid of either of them.
If anything, both were roadblocks that needed to be removed. And when the time came, he would kill them too.
Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.
[Sign-in available]
Without hesitation, Elior replied mentally, Sign in.
[Sign-in successful. Reward: Ability Devour, Ability Soul Split.]
"Ability Devour? Ability Soul Split?"
For a moment, Elior blinked in confusion — but as new knowledge flooded into his mind, understanding followed.
The first allowed him to plunder the abilities of others.
The second — Soul Split — granted him the power to share his own abilities with others.
In essence, he could now strip powers from his enemies… or bestow his own upon those he trusted.
His women, for instance, could wield a fragment of his strength — and if they died, he could instantly reclaim it.
"Plunder abilities, huh…"
Elior's eyes fell to Dragon's corpse. He crouched beside it, pressing his right palm against the man's chest.
A dark crimson magic circle flared to life beneath them — ancient runes spinning slowly as a surge of energy flooded into Elior's body.
"So this is the wind fruit" he murmured, his aura crackling faintly with wind and thunder. "It can't fully elementalize. Must be a special Paramecia, not a Logia."
He analyzed it calmly.
Although wind was a natural element, Dragon's body had never truly transformed into it. Similar to the the gold Fruit, which manipulated metal without being Logia-class — the wind fruit too was a special Paramecia.
"A formidable power," Elior said with faint amusement. "The ability to control storms, rain, and thunder… and it's mine now."
Yet, he had no interest in using it himself.
Instead, he thought of his women — those closest to him. Through Soul Split, he could grant one of them this power as a means of protection.
Hiyori, for example, was still physically weak. Recently, Elior had noticed her growing more obedient and composed — a change that pleased him greatly.
And besides, there were countless other powers waiting to be taken. The Marine alone was crawling with Devil Fruit users — ripe for the taking.
Elior rose from the crater, leaving Dragon's body behind. No one would collect it. The leader of the Revolutionaries would rot on the battlefield he chose to die on.
"It's finally over."
When Elior emerged, Barrett and the others immediately knew.
"Captain," Bullet called, "what happened to Dragon?"
Elior's tone was cold and matter-of-fact.
"Punched a hole straight through his chest. Dead."
He said it so casually that it sent a chill down everyone's spine.
"That's our captain for you."
"Taking down Dragon as if it's nothing!"
"Haha! If that were me, I'd brag about it for three years straight!"
"When will I ever have a captain like that?"
"Keep dreaming!"
The crew broke into laughter, but their awe was unmistakable.
Meanwhile, the remaining Revolutionaries had collapsed in despair. Their morale shattered, their hopes crushed — they knew it was over.
Elior gave a simple order: "Wipe them all out."
His subordinates obeyed without hesitation.
For the next hour, Bullet and the others led an all-out extermination campaign.
By the time silence returned, the Revolutionary Army — once called the light of the world — had been wiped out completely.
Under the hollow gazes of Robin and Betty, the revolution they had dedicated their lives to… was dead.
Both women sat motionless on the ground, trembling, staring blankly into the ruins of their fallen comrades.
Nearby, Elior stood calmly as Reiju and Bonney brushed dust from his shoulders — the only marks left from the battle.
"He didn't even get injured…" Bonney muttered under her breath. "That's… terrifying."
Reiju smirked. "Would you rather your husband did get hurt?"
"Tch. That's not what I meant."
"Maybe he's just too powerful," Reiju teased, her tone light but her eyes filled with awe.
They had watched him annihilate Dragon — one of the world's strongest men — and come out completely unscathed. His power was beyond imagination.
An hour later, the battlefield was silent.
Elior ordered his men to search the area, then began their withdrawal.
The island was in ruins — littered with corpses and shattered weapons. Not a single Revolutionary soldier remained alive.
The Revolutionary Army… was gone.
Seven ships set sail from the devastated island, heading for the New World.
Elior's forces had suffered almost no casualties. Only a few hundred of the Germa soldiers were lost — and since they were mass-produced, Elior didn't care in the slightest.
"Let's throw a celebration when we get back" he said, glancing at Barrett and the others drinking aboard a nearby ship.
"The fall of the Revolutionary Army is definitely worth celebrating!"
Everyone agreed.
Shiryu grinned. "Next up… we destroy the Red-Haired Pirates."
"Now that will be a real challenge!"
"Ugh, I've been itching to deal with that red-haired bastard anyway."
"It seems the final victory is getting closer and closer…"
Elior nodded. "When we return, contact that bird-man from the World Economy News Paper. Tell him to report it — the Revolutionary Army was destroyed by us."
They all knew who he meant: Big News Morgans, the giant albatross who ran the world's largest news network.
Morgans now worked under Elior's thumb — his headquarters located well within Elior's sphere of influence. Had he refused, he would've been long since stewed alive.
The death of Dragon and the fall of the Revolution would send shockwaves across the world — news that rivaled even Whitebeard's death.
How would the world's great powers react?
"Also" Elior added, "make sure he writes that Dragon was killed by me."
Bullet raised an eyebrow. "Huh. You don't usually care about fame, Captain. There's a reason for that, isn't there?"
He was right — Elior wasn't one for boasting. Normally, he didn't care whether the world knew of his victories.
But this time…
"My son is dead," Elior said, his voice calm yet sharp as lightning. "When Garp finds out, he'll lose his mind — and come for me. Let him. We'll kill him early. That way, when the final war comes… there'll be one less threat."
Bullet laughed. "Smart move."
"Always thinking ahead, Captain" Shiryu added.
Elior's eyes narrowed, a faint smirk crossing his face.
"Let him come."
Because when the time came… even Luffy wouldn't escape him.