The ruins were shrouded in silence.
Luffy's roar, filled with resolve and desperation, seemed to still echo through the shattered skies of Onigashima.
That will, born from the depths of his soul, shook everyone present.
Even Marco felt a chill surge from within.
He stared at the man whose eyes now burned like wildfire, and waves of shock thundered through his heart.
'So this is… the man who will one day become the Pirate King?'
'Just for the chance to save Ace—for a shot at redemption—he could unleash such terrifying resolve…'
Suddenly, he understood.
He understood why Lucian chose to come to this point in time and place his bet on this young man.
Lucian gazed at the fire blazing in Luffy's eyes, and at last, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
It was done.
The second goal of this mission—achieved.
Without hesitation, Lucian stepped forward, appearing right in front of Luffy in an instant.
"System," Lucian commanded in his mind.
"Apply the [Temporal Imprint] to him."
『Command confirmed.』
『Applying [Temporal Imprint] to target: Sun God · Nika · Monkey D. Luffy…』
Buzz—!
A golden light, barely visible to the naked eye, flickered from Lucian's fingertip and shot straight into the center of Luffy's brow—faster than lightning.
Luffy didn't even react—he just felt a brief warmth on his forehead, and then nothing.
Ding!
『[Temporal Imprint] applied successfully!』
『Target has been locked as a summonable unit!』
The system notification echoed clearly in Lucian's mind.
"Done."
"From now on, with a single thought, no matter where you are—I can summon you to my side in an instant."
It was a success.
Both of his most important goals on this trip—Peak Rayleigh and Peak Luffy—were now secured!
Lucian's mood was soaring.
He turned and looked at Marco, who was still caught in shock, and gave his shoulder a solid pat.
"Our mission's complete."
Just as Lucian turned around, ready to activate the Gate of Time and Space to leave—
A low, magnetic voice suddenly called out beside him.
"Hey."
It wasn't loud.
Zoro, who had stood silently the whole time like a statue, slowly raised his head.
In his single visible eye, a blade-sharp glint flickered as he locked his gaze onto Lucian.
"That marking thing."
"Give me one too."
The moment the words left his mouth, everyone was stunned.
Even Lucian's amused expression faded a bit.
He looked at Zoro with mild surprise, a trace of curiosity in his eyes.
Even Luffy blinked in confusion and turned his head. "Zoro? You…"
On the other side, Marco's face twisted with disbelief.
'What the hell?'
'This moss-head wants to go too?'
'Doesn't he know how dangerous that war was?!'
'They're talking about infiltrating Marineford, right under the noses of top-tier monsters!'
'One misstep, and he's dead!'
But Zoro's expression didn't change under the shocked gazes around him.
He simply looked Lucian in the eye and repeated himself.
"I said—give me one too."
His voice wasn't loud, but the will behind it was like the blade of his sword—unyielding, sharp, and impossible to sway.
Lucian raised an eyebrow.
Now he was interested.
"Oh?"
He examined Zoro carefully, the corners of his lips lifting in interest.
After a pause, he asked, "Why?"
Zoro didn't answer right away.
He turned to look at Luffy beside him.
He stared at that flushed face—flushed from excitement and hope—and in that moment, Zoro's gaze grew gentle.
It was the kind of gaze you only gave to someone who mattered more than anything else.
Then, in the next second—
He snapped his head back, eyes sharp as lightning, staring straight at Lucian!
Clang!
His calloused hand landed heavily on the hilt of Wado Ichimonji at his waist.
An overwhelming wave of sword intent erupted from him, like it could slice open the very sky.
"Reason?"
Zoro's voice was like steel.
"I'm his first crewmate!"
Boom!!!
A simple sentence—but it hit everyone present like a hammer to the chest!
Especially Marco—
His pupils contracted violently.
'First… crewmate?'
Zoro ignored their shock.
His voice rose suddenly, now filled with deep regret and frustration.
"When Ace died in front of him… I wasn't there."
"During the war at Marineford, none of us—no one from the Straw Hat Pirates—were by his side!"
"That's my captain—and that scar is something he'll never heal from!"
"And for all of us, it's a regret we'll carry for life!"
He paused.
His grip on the sword hilt had turned his knuckles bone white.
He took a deep breath—and with a roar that carried all the weight of a vice-captain's conviction, he declared:
"Now!"
"Now that we've got a chance to make up for that mistake!"
"How the hell could I let him face it alone again?!"
"His brother… is my brother too!"
And with that—
His hand gripped the hilt tight!
Shiiing—!!!
All three of his blades let out a sharp metallic hum, responding to his will.
A wave of pure, deadly killing intent erupted into the sky!
Zoro stared down Lucian, voice firm, eyes fierce. His tone was one of complete, unshakable resolve—a vow sworn in the name of the Straw Hat crew's vice-captain.
"This time!"
"I won't let anyone—"
"Hurt his family—"
"Right in front of him ever again!!!"
Silence.
A dead, heavy silence.
Luffy stared at Zoro, wide-eyed. Without even realizing it, his eyes had gone red.
He said nothing.
He simply reached out and laid a hand on Zoro's shoulder—firm, steady.
No words were needed.
And on the other side, Marco had long been stunned into speechlessness.
His jaw dropped as he stared at the green-haired swordsman radiating killing intent, his mind a complete blank.
'These guys…'
'What kind of monsters are they?!'
He had always thought that only the Whitebeard Pirates held their bond of brotherhood above life itself.
But today, he saw it with his own eyes—
This crew called the Straw Hats was no different.
He saw his younger self in them—saw Pops, saw his brothers from the Whitebeard Pirates.
'The captain's family… is our family.'
Such a familiar conviction.
So this… was the Straw Hat crew?
"Hahahahaha…"
A hearty laugh broke the silence.
Lucian looked at the scene before him and laughed from the heart.
He looked at Zoro, his eyes full of undisguised admiration.
What a vice-captain.
What a future World's Greatest Swordsman.
In this man… he even saw a glimmer of Dark King Rayleigh.
No…
Perhaps in the future—he'd surpass him.
"Alright."
Lucian's smile faded. He nodded deeply.
"Well said."