After Gojo was taken away by the attendants and the royal staff to the palace where he would be staying, the events unfolding outside continued to leave a deep impression on everyone present.
Fujitora stepped forward and, in front of the citizens of Dressrosa, asked for forgiveness from King Riku. The Admiral knelt down before the king and bowed prostrate on the ground, while all the Marines accompanying him followed his example. The sight was so shocking that silence spread across the area.
An Admiral of the Marines, one of the strongest powers in the world, lowering his head before ordinary citizens was something almost unimaginable.
Many people present felt their emotions stirring after witnessing it. Some even began to cry. The suffering they had endured under Doflamingo's rule had finally come to an end, and seeing a representative of the World Government openly acknowledge that failure gave them a sense of justice they had long been denied.
The scene was undoubtedly impactful, and it also showed the honesty and character of Admiral Fujitora. Regardless of what people thought of the Marines as a whole, very few could deny the sincerity behind his actions.
Meanwhile, the pirates who had survived the battle and had been saved by Gojo (indirectly) naturally wished to thank him. However, after observing his attitude, most quickly gave up on the idea.
Gojo simply did not care.
He had no interest in accepting gratitude from strangers, nor did he seem interested in forming connections with pirates. Aside from speaking briefly with a handful of people he already knew, namely the Straw Hats, he largely kept to himself.
Because of this, much of the admiration those pirates initially felt toward Gojo gradually shifted toward Luffy instead.
After all, Luffy had fought with his life on the line throughout the conflict. He had stood at the forefront of the battle from beginning to end and had directly challenged Doflamingo himself.
Just like in the original storyline, many of those pirates developed a deep respect for him.
This was especially true for those who had personally been rescued by Luffy or had witnessed his determination firsthand. To them, Luffy represented the kind of captain they wished to follow.
Among those individuals was Hajrudin, one of the giants.
The giant warrior watched Luffy with great respect in his eyes. The image of the young pirate fearlessly charging into impossible battles had firmly engraved itself into Hajrudin's mind.
The next morning, the news spread across the world.
The headline itself was enough to shock countless people.
Gojo had killed a Warlord.
Not just any Warlord, but Donquixote Doflamingo.
The newspapers spared no effort in making the story as explosive as possible. However, that was not all. Another piece of information had deliberately been mixed into the report and revealed to the public.
Donquixote Doflamingo had once been a Celestial Dragon.
Furthermore, he had been expelled from Mary Geoise.
As soon as this information became public knowledge, the story exploded even further.
A former Celestial Dragon had secretly become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
A man connected to the highest authority in the world had ruled Dressrosa from the shadows for years.
And now that same man had been killed.
The shockwaves generated by the report spread across the seas at an astonishing speed.
Not to mention that a Marine Admiral had been present throughout the incident.
The fact that Gojo had killed Doflamingo right in front of Admiral Fujitora made the story even more sensational.
Every major power immediately took notice.
Pirates.
Marines.
Revolutionaries.
The World Government.
Everyone began reevaluating Gojo's threat level.
When Sakazuki received the report, his mood became extremely foul.
His anger had already been simmering because of Fujitora's actions in Dressrosa.
The image of a Marine Admiral kneeling before King Riku and apologizing to the citizens for the World Government's incompetence had spread nearly as quickly as the battle itself. In Sakazuki's eyes, such behavior damaged the authority of the Marines.
Naturally, he was furious.
At the same time, he was also frustrated that Doflamingo had died.
Although Sakazuki had never particularly liked Doflamingo, the man was still one of the Seven Warlords. His death carried significant political consequences.
What angered him even more was the fact that Gojo had managed to kill Doflamingo despite Fujitora's presence.
However, despite his rage, Sakazuki trusted Fujitora enough to understand one thing.
Fujitora would never intentionally allow such a thing to happen.
The Admiral was not the type to hold back for personal reasons or deliberately ignore his responsibilities.
If Doflamingo died despite Fujitora being there, then there was only one reasonable explanation.
Gojo had simply been stronger.
Strong enough to accomplish what he wanted even while facing an Admiral.
That realization made Sakazuki's expression darken considerably.
Gojo's strength was now being compared to that of the Emperors.
Even if some people believed those comparisons were exaggerated, the fact that such discussions were happening at all spoke volumes.
The Marines could no longer treat him as merely another powerful pirate.
He had become a genuine force capable of influencing the balance of the world.
Because of that, even Sakazuki had to think carefully before taking direct action.
If the Marines or the World Government decided to move against Gojo, the cost would be enormous.
The casualties would be heavy.
And there was no guarantee of success.
Three days passed peacefully within Dressrosa.
The kingdom was still busy rebuilding and celebrating its liberation.
As for Gojo, he spent those days resting.
On the fourth day, he decided it was time to leave.
He already knew what would happen if he announced his departure.
King Riku, Rebecca, Viola, and many others would certainly come to express their gratitude again. The citizens would likely gather as well.
Gojo found all of that completely unnecessary.
I don't have time to entertain a crowd.
He had never helped people because he wanted recognition.
Nor did he enjoy lengthy farewells.
So, rather than informing anyone, he simply chose to leave quietly.
With his abilities and strength, hiding his movements was not difficult.
As long as he did not want someone to notice his presence, very few people in the world could successfully track him.
Early that day, Gojo left the city on his own.
He casually walked through the outskirts of Dressrosa and eventually passed directly through the Marine encampment.
There was not the slightest fear in his movements.
He walked openly and naturally, as though he were strolling through a public park.
Many Marines noticed him.
Some became tense.
Others instinctively gripped their weapons.
Yet none dared move.
Fujitora was present when Gojo passed by.
Not only him.
Sengoku and Tsuru were also there.
Three legendary figures watched as Gojo calmly walked past them.
Yet nobody stopped him.
Nobody attempted to arrest him.
Nobody even stepped into his path.
The atmosphere remained strangely quiet.
Eventually, Gojo's figure began moving farther away.
Just as his back was about to disappear into the distance, Sengoku suddenly spoke.
"Well, now that you have appeared in the world, I hope that you don't cause even more trouble."
His voice carried both seriousness and helplessness.
After all, Gojo had only recently emerged, yet he had already shaken the world multiple times.
Gojo chuckled after hearing that.
"Well, it was never me who caused trouble. Trouble always seems to follow me."
He continued walking as he spoke.
Then he paused for a moment.
His footsteps stopped.
A grin appeared on his face.
"Well, no."
He corrected himself.
"Sometimes I do make trouble."
He slightly tilted his head.
"After all, I killed a Celestial Dragon."
"Hahaha."
His laughter echoed briefly through the air.
Even Sengoku could not help but feel speechless after hearing that.
There was no way to argue against such a statement.
Gojo himself seemed highly amused by it.
Without waiting for anyone's response, he resumed walking.
Moments later, he reached the coast.
Then, with a casual jump, he landed directly on his ship.
The vessel rocked slightly.
The sails were raised.
The anchor was lifted.
Under the bright sky, the ship slowly began moving away from Dressrosa.
Standing on the deck, Gojo looked ahead toward the vast sea before him.
Behind him, Dressrosa gradually faded into the distance.
…
A few days ago, Jack was on Zou, continuing his relentless search for the ninja Raizo.
During that time, news from Dressrosa had reached even him.
Doflamingo was dead.
Killed by the hands of Gojo.
Jack was quite familiar with that name. After all, Gojo had become famous throughout the world long ago. The title of God Slayer was not something people easily forgot. He was the man who had openly killed a Celestial Dragon in broad daylight, in front of many witnesses, and then somehow survived the consequences.
That alone had made him a notorious figure.
However, what Gojo had done now was far more troublesome from Jack's perspective.
This time, he had directly harmed the interests of the Beasts Pirates.
Doflamingo was dead.
And with Doflamingo's death, the entire supply chain of SMILE fruits had effectively been destroyed.
Kaido's dream of creating an enormous army of artificial Devil Fruit users had suffered a devastating blow.
Jack could already imagine how furious Kaido must have been after hearing the news.
In fact, even Jack himself was furious.
His mood had already been terrible.
For days, he had remained on Zou, interrogating and torturing the Minks, yet he had failed to obtain any information regarding Raizo's whereabouts.
No matter what methods he used, the Minks stubbornly refused to reveal anything.
Their resistance only increased his frustration.
Now, hearing that Doflamingo had been killed only added fuel to the fire.
The massive Fish-Man smashed his fist into a nearby wall, creating cracks across its surface with a deafening boom.
"Damn it!"
The surrounding subordinates immediately lowered their heads.
Nobody dared speak.
Jack's temper was infamous even among the Beasts Pirates.
After pacing back and forth for some time, a decision formed in his mind.
If I can't find the ninja, I'll deal with this God Slayer instead.
Since he was getting nowhere on Zou, he would deal with another problem first.
Gojo.
That bastard had ruined one of Kaido's most important plans.
Jack wanted to see for himself what kind of person this so-called God Slayer was.
Without hesitation, he immediately gave the order to depart.
His fleet of four ships prepared for travel at once.
The anchors were lifted, sails adjusted, and the ships gradually moved away from Zunesha.
Only a handful of Jack's most trusted subordinates remained behind to continue searching for any clues regarding Raizo.
Meanwhile, Jack himself headed out to hunt down Gojo.
Far away from Zou, the target of his attention was completely unaware of all this.
…
Gojo had already left Dressrosa and was peacefully traveling through the sea.
The events of Dressrosa were behind him, and for the moment, things were unusually calm.
A gentle sea breeze blew across the deck of his ship.
The waves rolled steadily beneath the vessel as it sailed through the New World's waters.
Gojo appeared completely relaxed.
He was lying comfortably in a chair placed on the deck, occasionally looking toward the horizon while enjoying the quiet journey.
Roughly an hour had passed since his departure from Dressrosa.
Then something unusual entered his vision.
A ship.
A rather distinctive ship.
Gojo's gaze shifted toward it.
The vessel was decorated almost entirely around a sweet cake theme.
Its colors were bright and extravagant, with decorations resembling desserts and pastries covering various parts of the ship.
The moment he saw it, Gojo immediately recognized where it came from.
There was simply no mistaking it.
Not to mention the enormous pirate symbol displayed proudly on its sail.
"The Big Mom Pirates, huh?"
A small smile appeared on his face.
His Six Eyes observed the approaching vessel as it steadily drew closer.
Standing prominently at the front of the deck were two figures.
Bobbin.
And Knight Tamago.
The two officers appeared to be leading the ship.
Gojo watched them with slight curiosity.
It was not difficult to guess why they had come.
After all, there was only one likely reason for the Big Mom Pirates to seek him out at this particular time.
The upcoming tea party.
Charlotte Linlin, better known as Big Mom, was famous for her tea parties.
And considering the attention Gojo had attracted recently, it would not be surprising if she wanted to invite him personally.
Or perhaps demand his attendance.
With Big Mom, either possibility was equally likely.
The distance between the two ships continued shrinking.
Yet despite that, Gojo remained completely calm.
There wasn't the slightest tension on his face.
He simply leaned back deeper into his chair, one arm resting casually against the side.
The sea breeze rustled his hair as he watched the approaching vessel.
His expression almost made it seem as though he was waiting for entertainment rather than a meeting with one of the most powerful pirate organizations in the world.
The Big Mom Pirates' ship eventually pulled alongside his own.
The massive vessels sailed side by side over the waves.
Standing on the deck, Bobbin and Tamago looked toward Gojo.
Meanwhile, Gojo looked back at them with mild curiosity and a hint of anticipation.
Whatever they had come for, he was interested to hear it.
----
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