With a thunderous blast, the entire Sabaody Archipelago shook violently, as if the massive mangrove trees themselves were trembling.
The Nine-Tailed Fox that had thrown the world into chaos, that had even attacked Mary Geoise, suddenly vanished.
No one knew if it was truly dead. With Garp's attacks from inside, and Sengoku and Zephyr's strikes from outside, its huge body had suddenly begun to break apart, glowing with red light before scattering into countless fading sparks.
Then Garp, who had been swallowed whole, fell from hundreds of meters in the air. At that moment, he finally seemed to pass out, his condition looking bad—perhaps due to something inside the beast's body.
Sengoku caught him before he hit the ground. But even he was in rough shape, covered in injuries and gasping for air. Still, the Nine-Tails had stopped moving—and was dissolving away.
"Is it really dead? Did we really destroy it?"
Zephyr muttered. Sengoku shook his head—he had no answer.
"Earlier, I ran into someone calling himself 'Zero.' That masked man we saw when we first arrived. He escaped with some strange space-jumping ability. Now with the Nine-Tails… is it really gone, or…"
It should be gone. After all, with their Observation Haki, they could sense its energy fading quickly. Even if this monster wasn't like any normal creature, it should still be able to die.
And yet, neither of them could shake the uneasy feeling deep in their hearts.
"This is only the beginning. It won't end here," Zephyr said.
Sengoku agreed. They each turned to look in other directions and saw the island in ruins. This was only because they had repeatedly used their own bodies to block the Tailed Beast Bombs. Otherwise, the whole Sabaody Archipelago would likely have been destroyed.
"Let's go back to headquarters. I have something important to report to Fleet Admiral Kong."
Zephyr let out a quiet sigh. The world ahead wouldn't be peaceful. This era might spiral out of control or head somewhere else entirely. He couldn't tell if that would be good or bad for the world.
And so, the "Nine-Tails Incident" came to an end. The rain kept pouring down from the sky, as if trying to wash away the sins of the world, or perhaps mourning the death of a powerful being like the Nine-Tails.
The event spread across the world at lightning speed, from the first half of the Grand Line to the New World, and even through the Four Seas. In different places, different people reacted differently when they heard the same news.
Some were afraid, some were excited, some were expectant, and some admired Admiral Sengoku and the two Vice Admirals who stood up. Even though no one had personally seen the massive Nine-Tailed Fox, the names Iron Fist Garp, Black Arm Zephyr, and Admiral Sengoku were already famous throughout the New World, where pirates filled the seas. For many pirates, the name Iron Fist Garp itself was no different from hearing the word "demon."
For all three of them to fight together—and hearing that Garp even fell into a long coma afterward—showed just how terrifyingly strong the Nine-Tails must have been.
On a pirate ship sailing in the New World, the crew ate hotpot, sang songs, and enjoyed a lively and cheerful feast.
"Wahahahahaha…!!"
Suddenly, a loud and hearty laugh came from one corner of the banquet. Everyone turned to look and saw it was their captain, Roger, laughing his heart out.
"What a funny thing! To think that guy Garp actually got knocked out! Too bad we weren't at Sabaody at the time!"
Roger still held a newspaper in his hand, slapping his thigh in amusement as he sat cross-legged. The wind caught the paper, blowing it into the hands of a few curious crewmates nearby.
Rayleigh took the paper, and several others quickly gathered around.
"Vice Captain! What did Captain Roger read that made him so happy?!"
Rayleigh glanced at the article and saw a striking picture of a huge fox with nine tails. In front of it were three figures draped in coats of justice—Sengoku, Zephyr, and Garp. The three looked like fearless heroes standing against a monster a hundred times their size.
In truth, that scene never actually happened. The three of them were never in justice cloaks at the same time, and the image had clearly been pieced together.
Of course, the rest of the world wouldn't know that.
"Marine Heroes Defeat the Nine-Tailed Fox!"
Beneath the bold headline was a detailed account of the incident.
"This kind of thing… really happened?"
Rayleigh's eyes narrowed. Someone had attacked the Sabaody Archipelago and even bombarded Mary Geoise?
This was…
Lawless beyond belief.
Even they had never thought of doing something like that. And the consequences were, as expected, serious. The Marines had dispatched Admiral Sengoku along with Vice Admirals Garp and Zephyr to take down the Nine-Tailed Fox.
The last photo showed the Nine-Tails glowing with light, with Garp falling out from its belly, making it especially eye-catching.
Rayleigh noticed more and more people gathering around. He smiled as well, then tossed the newspaper high into the air. At once, the crowd's eyes lit up, and they scrambled to grab it.
Amid the chaos, Rayleigh walked over to Roger. Roger was laughing loudly while drinking, and when he saw Rayleigh coming, his excitement grew. He pulled him over and poured him a drink.
"That Garp, who's always chasing after us, got beaten down. Makes you wonder, just what kind of monster is that thing?"
Roger kept laughing, but Rayleigh's face turned serious. "This could stir up a new storm across the world, and that might not be good for us."
"The World Government's authority has suffered a heavy blow. Killing the mastermind won't be enough to make up for it. And besides… it's not even certain that they really killed the one behind it."
"What's there to worry about?! Anyway… huh?" Roger had been laughing, but after hearing Rayleigh's words, he suddenly froze. "Wait, what? The Nine-Tails isn't dead?"
"It's not about the Nine-Tails."
Rayleigh shook his head. He was holding a small torn piece of the newspaper.
"Before Zephyr headed for the battlefield, he had a standoff with some masked guy. I think the Nine-Tails showing up might be connected to him."
That piece of newspaper showed the moment Zephyr used Haki to attack Genichi. But cameras couldn't capture a substitute body, so all it showed was Genichi's body being twisted into the void, which looked even more dangerous.
Roger had only paid attention to Garp and the Nine-Tails, not noticing this detail hidden in the corner. He went serious for a while, and Rayleigh just looked at him, then…
Just as Rayleigh expected, Roger burst into laughter again.
"Doesn't that make it even more fun?! Let's turn the world upside down!"