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"So, do we still have to go to Loguetown to watch Roger's execution? Why don't we go directly to the New World to find Ayr and discuss cooperation?" Ivankov asked.
There's a high chance that Ayr would also appear in Loguetown.
Trailing behind, Nagli remained silent.
"Don't be reckless, Garp. Many notorious pirates are gathered here today. Even if Ayr does appear, we cannot afford a direct confrontation. Our sole objective is to execute the Pirate King, Roger," Sengoku warned sternly.
Hearing this, Ayr opened his eyes lazily, stretching.
He possessed Observation Haki so advanced it bordered on future sight, a level close to Katakuri's, and an intuition eerily similar to the Mind's Eye from Wano's sword saints.
The news of Roger's execution spread across the world like wildfire, carried on the Grand Line winds and den den mushi broadcasts.
If nothing else, the enigmatic figure Ayr faced recently seemed to be the actual leader of CP0, someone who rarely showed their face even in Mariejois.
"Don't worry about Ivankov. If Ayr's interested in cooperating, we'll find another chance to reach him," Dragon replied, his tone calm but calculating.
Glancing briefly at the towering execution platform, Ayr noted the formation of elite Marines stationed nearby—each one a battle-hardened veteran of many wars.
"That man, Ayr… we'll deal with him eventually," Garp muttered. "But not now. Remember, Roger turned himself in." His fists clenched tightly, bones cracking.
"How amusing," Ayr whispered to himself. "I can't read you at all, Garp."
"Damn it, is Ayr here just to stir trouble?" Garp growled quietly, furrowing his brow.
He still remembered the recent clash at Marineford where Ayr had nearly crushed his ribs with a single Conqueror's Haki clash.
A few days passed.
Now, Ayr's distinct figure stood tall, unmistakable even amidst the surging crowd.
Among the spectators, Hawkeye Mihawk noticed Ayr—particularly the sheathed blade at his waist. Even at a young age, Mihawk's instinct for swordsmanship told him Ayr was something... terrifying.
"We could use him to challenge the World Government's control," Dragon thought to himself, observing Ayr from a rooftop.
Despite the chaos, no one dared approach Ayr too closely—pirates and civilians instinctively made way.
He carried a presence like Whitebeard or Rocks D. Xebec, an overwhelming force that made even veteran pirates' spines go cold.
Loguetown's port was packed.
Garp showed no signs of the injuries he'd suffered at Marineford just days ago. Not even a bandage.
That was thanks to the healing abilities of the Chiyu Chiyu no Mi, the same fruit once wielded by Princess Mansherry of the Tontatta Kingdom. The World Government had its ways.
"Furfurfur... the strongest pirate of the New World, Ayr, with a bounty of seven billion berries?" Doflamingo smirked from the shadows, his Kabuto-like shades glinting.
Ayr and Nagli walked casually toward the execution platform.
Regardless of the crowd or his surroundings, Ayr's eyes eventually focused solely on the man bound to the platform: Gol D. Roger.
"So it's really come to this, huh, Mr. Ayr," Nagli said, following behind.
Roger had claimed the title of Pirate King by reaching Laugh Tale, the last island, ahead of all others—even Rocks and Whitebeard.
Ayr yawned.
"Ayr?"
When he noticed Garp, their eyes locked. The surrounding Marines instinctively tightened their grip on their weapons.
"Heeheehee… Even someone like you shows up for Roger's execution?" Moria chuckled grimly nearby.
Countless people from every corner of the world gathered here today.
"Of course... Ayr," Dragon muttered, smiling faintly as he spotted the legendary swordsman in the crowd.
"Is it really time?"
After all, Roger and Ayr were both titans of the same era. Two monsters who once tore apart the skies in their duels.
Ayr, Kaido, and the Golden Lion had invaded Marineford years earlier and nearly sank the fortress into the sea.
Mihawk's eyes glinted. He was still young, but his swordsmanship had already begun to rival that of master swordsmen. To him, Ayr was a living legend.
Sengoku quickly stepped beside Garp. "Calm down. We don't want a war here."
That healing fruit—held in secret by the Celestial Dragons—could rapidly recover even fatal wounds.
The crowd in front of the execution platform was bursting, shoulder to shoulder.
From afar, Doflamingo noticed Ayr and grinned wickedly. "So he did come."
He had suspected Ayr would show interest in today's historic event.
And why not? The Pirate King's death marked the end of an era.
Ayr's bounty had reached a jaw-dropping seven billion berries. Even Emperors had to think twice before clashing with him.
People instinctively made space around him. His very presence warped the atmosphere.
He was the sun at the center of Loguetown's solar system today.
A small boat docked at the harbor, and two figures stepped off—one unmistakably Ayr.
"Even alone, he stands on par with Whitebeard and Roger," said Crocodile from a nearby bar, puffing a cigar. "Interesting…"
Ayr scanned the crowd and briefly locked eyes with Garp, Sengoku, Zephyr, Tsuru, Kong, and the Admirals—Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji.
Dragon, watching from a nearby building, thought to himself, If I meet him, I'll speak with him directly about our alliance.
Ayr was momentarily observed by a mysterious figure in a red coat and umbrella—none other than Shanks, then still a young man but already aware of Ayr's legend.
"Oh? Garp's wounds are gone," Ayr noted, eyebrow raising.
Beside Shanks stood a masked agent of CP0, who kept his gaze firmly on Ayr but said nothing.
"Understood," replied the agent through a den den mushi.
Dragon finally came face to face with Ayr at Loguetown.
He looked at him for a moment, then gave a small, subtle smile.
Although Mihawk was still refining his skill, his Observation Haki had already reached a high level—comparable to a Second Stage Sharingan in Naruto terms, capable of discerning intentions.
Yet when he turned his Haki to Ayr... he saw nothing. A blank.
It was as if Ayr's willpower cloaked his entire being in an abyssal fog.
Even now, Roger knelt calmly upon the platform. He showed no fear, no regret.
"If the title of Pirate King reflected strength alone," thought Dragon, "then it should belong to Ayr."
But the world had declared Roger the Pirate King. That was the narrative the Government wanted.
Still, Dragon noticed: he couldn't read Ayr. Couldn't see him through Observation Haki.
It was an eerie experience—like trying to see through space-time fog.
Roger's face remained peaceful, as if he'd already made peace with death.
"Ayr... The world's strongest?" Crocodile mused again, his eyes sharp as daggers.
Ayr leapt from the boat, landing soundlessly on the island's stone pier.
Roger's title came from being the first to find Laugh Tale and discover the secrets of the Void Century.
That's how he was crowned King of the Pirates.
Even Whitebeard hadn't made it there first.
Ayr walked ahead, uncaring of the whispers, the awe, the fear.
The world knew his name, and feared it.
Although Garp and others had taken serious damage in their battle with Ayr days ago, the rapid recovery made sense now—it was due to Mariejois's hidden healing fruit.
That fruit alone could rewrite wars.
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