Red Conqueror's Haki lightning exploded in the sky. A black figure appeared before Luffy's eyes, clad in a black cloak.
A man with only one arm, holding a saber, charged towards the enemy. Even amidst the storm, lightning, and thunder, he showed no fear.
Darkness lay ahead, threatening to devour everything.
Ability users were merely lambs to the slaughter before the darkness. Faced with the powerful dark force, Luffy's body flew uncontrollably towards it.
As the dark figure placed itself in front of Luffy, raising its sword and swinging it down with its last ounce of strength, Luffy stood frozen in place. But Gaban saw another figure.
"Roger!!!"
The will passed down through generations... Buggy once thought Shanks was the most likely to become the King. But after learning his own identity, Shanks understood he could not be the one to change the world.
He could not become the Pirate King, nor could he change the world.
After the Roger Pirates disbanded, he returned to Marie Jois and witnessed what the Celestial Dragons truly were.
In the world ruled by Imu, as a Celestial Dragon himself, he had no power to change anything.
Even if he obtained the Great Treasure, he felt he wouldn't be the person Roger spoke of.
Back then Shanks held Roger, crying bitterly...
Besides Roger telling him he was a Celestial Dragon and that the Celestial Dragons had already made contact, Shanks almost wanted to hit Roger.
"Why don't you believe in me? I'm a member of the Roger Pirates! I am not a Celestial Dragon!!!"
This was one of the reasons Shanks cried so bitterly holding Roger back then.
Because of his identity, because he was of Celestial Dragon origin, he and Buggy couldn't go to Laugh Tale.
And Buggy's cold was deliberately caused by Crocus, with the aim of making Shanks stay behind.
Celestial Dragons had already contacted Shanks by then; he knew his own identity.
He felt Roger had betrayed him. Why didn't he believe in him? Why make him stay behind?
Besides that, Shanks also wanted to prove himself. He actually wanted to become the Pirate King himself.
Later, a single sentence from Roger made his heart turn to ashes. Roger told him that because of his Celestial Dragon identity, the hope of the world did not rest on him.
Celestial Dragons were Imu's servants; they fundamentally could not bear the world's hope.
Over the years, Shanks discovered this was indeed true. He truly could not bear it.
Even when he obtained the Gomu Gomu no Mi, he understood that even if he ate it, he might never awaken it in his lifetime.
The true power of the Nika Fruit was to transform into the Sun God upon awakening. And whether one could awaken and become Nika wasn't just a matter of training enough to awaken.
It was about being chosen by the fruit. Only the chosen one could become the Sun God Nika.
Shanks' intuition told him he was not the one chosen by the Nika Fruit. Even if he ate it, he would only gain rubber abilities, never to awaken its true power.
But Luffy was different. Luffy, in a fit of hunger in the tavern, ate the Nika Fruit.
Just like that, he was chosen by Nika. From that moment, Shanks knew he had found the right person. Luffy was the Nika he had been searching for.
When he learned Luffy's grandfather was Garp, he feared Luffy might become a Marine. So, he planted the seed of piracy in his heart.
He traded his own arm for Luffy's journey to the sea, becoming the first guide on his pirate path.
Now, he was again in the role of a guide. He had to pave a way for Luffy.
"Shanks!!"
Luffy was shocked that Shanks was shielding him. Everyone in the Red Hair Pirates stared at Shanks in astonishment.
"Divine Departure!"
Shanks had no time to speak. Facing the darkness created by Imu, he swiftly swung his blade.
Conqueror's Haki concentrated on the blade's edge. The sky became entangled with red lightning.
BOOM!
A loud explosion from the strike created shockwaves. The enormous slash devoured Imu, shattering the darkness.
"An insect."
Yet Imu felt no threat. To her, Shanks was still nothing more than an ant.
"Divine Might!"
Her gaze fell on Shanks. A pressure greater than Conqueror's Haki crushed into his spirit.
The Celestial Dragons' chance to awaken Conqueror's Haki was the best in the world.
Even Haki itself was unfair. There was no such thing as equality in the world.
The weight of Imu's divine might nearly shattered Shanks' consciousness.
Facing Imu's Divine Might, Shanks' consciousness suffered a tremendous impact.
He couldn't help but recall what Roger once told him: Celestial Dragons fundamentally cannot oppose the world.
Celestial Dragons are merely Imu's servants.
"Captain… I can't do it. But… I can open the way for others." Shanks' eyes turned bloodshot. Blood flowed from his ears, nose, and even bloody tears streamed from his eyes.
Shanks did not retreat a single step. Before Imu, he raised his sword once more.
At that moment, it was as if he had embraced the darkness within himself. He raised his sword against Imu, the master of the Celestial Dragons, their creator.
"Shanks!!!"
Luffy, untouched by divine might, watched in shock. Shanks was once again paving the way for him.
What did this scene resemble?
It was the same as twelve years ago, when Shanks gave his arm to save him from the Sea King.
The first episode mirrored the last.
Once again, in the most dangerous moment, Shanks stood before him. Facing the strongest enemy, he used his body as a shield.
Luffy saw the Shanks of twelve years ago. His heartbeat pounded like war drums, shaking the heavens.
Squelch!
Imu's hand pierced through Shanks' chest, pulling his heart out from his body.
The heart was still beating. The blood was scalding hot.
At this moment, the eyes of everyone in the Red Hair Pirates turned red, watching in disbelief.
And Shanks, at the cost of his life, swung his final blow.
It struck the Sunlight Tree Eve, severing a branch.
Instantly, the Divine Might suppressing everyone vanished. The moment Luffy saw Shanks' heart, tears streamed down his face, yet a smile still hung there.
Now he strongly resembled someone.
That girl Tama in Wano, who ate the failed SMILE fruit, smiling yet crying.
Nika was the god who brought light. He did not cry. He only brought smiles to the world.
The failure of the artificial Devil Fruits might originate from Nika, a punishment for the blasphemy of artificial Devil Fruits.
Nika was the same now. The smile on his face... clearly Luffy's heart was weeping, but only the smile remained.
"THE REST... IS UP TO YOU...LUFFY!!!"