Nowadays, Elior's actions had made both the Marine and the World Government increasingly uneasy.
His deeds perfectly demonstrated what it means to accomplish everything while seemingly doing nothing — a true storm in motion.
The entire world was shaken by the fall of the Revolutionary Army.
That mighty organization, whose reputation once rivaled that of the Yonko, had been completely annihilated overnight by the Elior Pirates.
"Is what's written in the papers… true?"
Many people refused to believe it. It was too sudden, too terrifying to accept.
Just like the Yonko, such colossal powers were deeply entrenched in the New World, nearly impossible to destroy. The Whitebeard Pirates were an exception, yet even now, their remnants still survive.
But a force on the same level as the Yonko… wiped out just like that?
The world was in shock. Peace had become nothing more than a distant dream.
Many powerful factions began to grow anxious.
They could feel the looming threat of Elior. The leaders of these forces could barely sleep at night — after all, who could guarantee that one day, the fangs of the fearsome Elior wouldn't turn toward them next?
And when that day came, could they possibly resist him? What could they do but surrender?
Even worse — as leaders of their respective powers, they were also the easiest to be killed, just like how large forces devour smaller ones: kill the leader, replace him with an obedient pawn, and move on.
The Revolutionary Army, a power equal to the Yonko, was erased overnight — uprooted from existence. Once again, the New World felt the crushing fangs of Yonko Elior.
People now understood — Elior was not some reckless pirate playing at games.
Elior… perhaps he was walking the path toward becoming the true ruler of the New World — or even the entire world itself.
Such ambition… truly terrifying.
And that overwhelming ambition was supported by strength just as overwhelming.
For a time, the leaders of every major power in the New World trembled in fear.
But in truth, Elior had little interest in them. For now. Yet once his greater plans were complete, perhaps he wouldn't mind erasing every pirate force standing in his way.
After all, as a great pirate, Elior lived by a code — a steel-hard principle: he never harmed civilians. Of course, if civilians were caught up in the crossfire, there was little he could do.
The tides of an era always demand sacrifice — whether small or great.
As for the many evil forces across the New World, they continued spreading chaos, plundering and murdering wherever they went. Outside the territories ruled by the Yonko, almost every sea was infested by their cruelty.
Elior had long despised them.
Sooner or later, their destruction at his hands would be inevitable.
The news of the Revolutionary Army's annihilation spread to every corner of the world.
Windmill Village, East Blue — the birthplace of Dragon.
The villagers could hardly believe their eyes after reading the newspaper.
"Dragon… dead?"
"This can't be…"
"After Ace and Sabo… now even Dragon?"
"Is it that Elior again?"
They couldn't accept it. The deaths of Ace and Sabo had already plunged them into grief that took years to heal. And now this?
Windmill Village was a place of simple folk and warm hearts, bound by the kindness of the Monkey D. family. As a Marine hero, Garp had brought peace to the East Blue for decades. Countless people had benefited from his protection — especially in this very village.
So now, Dragon's death made everyone immediately think of Garp and Luffy.
"How will they handle this nightmare?"
"This must be devastating for them…"
"They must be heartbroken."
At the same time, the scattered members of the Straw Hat Pirates also saw the news.
Back in Water 7, they had already learned that Dragon was Luffy's father. Now, the papers clearly reported that Dragon was killed by the Yonko Elior.
In other words — Luffy's father was dead.
"The death of Luffy's brother, Ace, was already a massive blow to him… and now his father too?"
"Luffy, I hope you can bear this pain… even if all we can do is mourn from afar."
"Hang in there, Luffy! You'll get through this!"
"There's still over a year until we reunite at the Sabaody Archipelago… I'll train hard and become stronger — the future Pirate King! Just wait for me!"
Zoro and the others prayed silently for their captain. They knew that losing a father was an unbearable blow for anyone.
They could only hope Luffy would endure it.
Meanwhile, Luffy himself — worried about Zoro and the villagers of Windmill Village — was still training relentlessly.
With the help of Rayleigh and Jinbe, he had managed to overcome the grief of losing Ace and Sabo. Now, every day, he pushed himself beyond his limits on an island teeming with monstrous beasts.
After the Summit War and the incident at the Sabaody Archipelago, Luffy had come to fully understand how powerless he truly was — too weak to protect his friends, his brothers, his family.
That was why he trained so hard now — so that one day, when his crew faced danger again, his strength would be enough to protect them all.
Because he was the captain.
And a captain's duty… is to protect his comrades.
He was also the man who would become the Pirate King.
He would never lose again.
Never.
This island, where wild beasts ruled, was not the same one he trained on in the original story — there were many such islands across the world.
Rayleigh had brought him here personally.
Elsewhere, while Luffy fought ferocious beasts deep in the forest, Rayleigh stood on the distant shore, tearing the newspaper he had read into shreds and letting the pieces drift into the sea.
It was the very paper announcing the death of Dragon and the fall of the Revolutionary Army.
Rayleigh knew all too well how devastating such news would be for Luffy — it could shatter him mentally once again.
So, he chose to keep it from him.
Perhaps, one day, when Luffy was strong enough, Rayleigh would tell him.
He understood Luffy's immense potential — and at this critical stage of his training, nothing could be allowed to disrupt his focus. Otherwise, all his progress might crumble. It had already taken him half a month to recover from his previous breakdown.
What would happen if he learned of his father's death now?
Rayleigh didn't even want to imagine it.