Chapter 222: The Curtain Falls
Imu was dead.
There was no complicated process, no hesitation.
Killing a beautiful woman was a pity.
But a woman as venomous as her, Silas dared not keep her alive.
Not for anyone else.
Not even for the sake of those around him.
So this battle was destined to end without any twists. The moment Silas had the power to kill Imu, there would be no mercy.
As for that so-called prophecy of salvation—
Before he ever got his system, the world needed Sun God Nika to save it. Even after his system awakened, the world still needed Sun God Nika to save it. So what was the point of his system awakening at all?
Imu was strong.
But Silas's blade was no less sharp.
But only at this moment, only when Imu saw Silas truly determined to kill her, felt the last surge of Haki enter her body, and realized her body could no longer recover—
She stopped resisting.
With the highest level of Conqueror's Haki, even in defeat, Imu would never beg like a clown.
"You claim to give freedom to the world, yet you yourself are the greatest chain upon it. Your descendants will one day become another Celestial Dragon family."
"Haha, if that day comes, someone else will rise to overthrow me."
Silas said openly.
"From now on, it's my era!"
The moment Imu died, the World Government's defeat was sealed.
Silas and Imu had quickly decided the outcome.
Though the battle was fierce, the number of casualties was far lower than expected—less than a tenth.
After all, the people of this world were always incredibly resilient.
As long as they had a breath left, they would not die easily.
Imu's death first caused the Five Elders to vanish.
The Five Elders were not of this era.
They had followed Imu far longer than anyone imagined.
Everyone knew the Five Elders were the highest authority in the World Government, but few noticed that the five had never changed since the beginning.
The Five Elders' lifespans were nearly as long as Imu's.
So when Imu died, the Five Elders died with her.
"How is this possible!?"
"Imu-sama actually..."
"No!!!"
Shock, panic, disbelief—no matter what expression they wore, they could not change the fact that they were about to vanish.
And those who had only signed contracts for immortality in this era felt their power draining away.
Imu had promised them undying strength.
But after her death, that power was taken back, and their bodies rapidly weakened.
Originally, to fight Silas, all World Government fighters above Admiral level had signed contracts. With Imu's death, the World Government instantly lost its ability to resist.
Only Garp and Sengoku, the two young stars, remained standing.
And what did they face?
Rocks and Newgate fighting side by side, Harald with the Blue Dragon Fruit, and Charlotte Linlin, who had fully mastered her talent.
What could they possibly do?
Even Garp, as stubborn as a rock, could only surrender cleanly at this point.
In the year 1470 of the Sea Calendar,
The world's history began a new chapter.
First, the government was reorganized.
Silas retained the World Government's original structure but purged its ranks, removing numerous high-ranking officials deemed useless.
The original member nations remained unchanged. The White Wolf Alliance's dozen or so member states were reintegrated into the original government alliance.
The only change was the membership fee.
After Imu's death, the White Wolf Alliance captured Mary Geoise, seizing treasures worth over a trillion Berries.
Nearly ninety percent of the Celestial Dragons were executed after capture. The remaining, less than ten percent, were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Only a handful—perhaps one or two out of ten thousand—were spared in the trial against the Celestial Dragons.
There was no worry of wrongful judgment.
After all, the world had Devil Fruits of all kinds, including those that could distinguish truth from lies, and Observation Haki that could read hearts.
Silas drafted Rocks's first mate, Patrick Redfield, into service.
Who else had such useful talent?
Silas did not expect that among the few spared Celestial Dragons was Imu's former avatar, Manmayer Gunko.
Called a Celestial Dragon, but Silas later learned—
Gunko was not a true Celestial Dragon, but an honorary one.
And becoming a Celestial Dragon was not her choice.
She had been taken by the Celestial Dragons.
She was originally a princess of a member nation, taken because her body was suitable, and made into Imu's avatar and a member of the God's Knights.
After Imu took her, her memories were erased.
Only after Imu's death did her memories return.
But that was not why she was spared.
The real reason was that she had not been taken for long. When she first appeared at Acropolis Port, she was not yet fourteen years old.
She was still under twenty now.
During her time as an honorary Celestial Dragon, she mostly served Imu in the Flower Room, never having the chance to commit the same crimes as ordinary Celestial Dragons.
In the final battle, Gunko showed strength rivaling the top great pirates, but was watched by opponents of equal rank, and did not kill a single person before Imu's defeat.
So, though she was pardoned, she still had to undergo a year of ideological re-education. All pardoned Celestial Dragons had to go through this.
Silas's war with Imu was over.
But Silas removing the greatest burden from the people's shoulders did not mean ordinary lives would suddenly improve.
But this was already the most Silas could do.
Rona absorbed the defeated Marines, reorganized the Marines, and replaced Ortega as the new Fleet Admiral.
Tsuru began her days running between nations.
Without surprise,
She might become the first Secretary-General of the World Government after the Five Elders vanished.
Silas continued being a pirate.
Oh.
Now he should be called an adventurer.
Silas did not seize any power, but his strength itself was the greatest power.
He could not make the world perfect.
But he could be the sword of Damocles over everyone's head.
Making the world better than before.
An era had ended.
The next era belonged to the White King, Silas.
Until the year 1473 of the Sea Calendar.
Thirteen years later, Rocks finally challenged Silas.
No one knew the result of that battle.
But after that battle, the Rocks Pirates disbanded.
The story began here, and ended here.