Marineford.
On Sengoku’s desk, the Transponder Snail rang.
He picked it up and listened for thirty seconds.
The expression on his face shifted from exhaustion to bewilderment, and from bewilderment to an indescribable blankness.
He put down the Transponder Snail.
Garp was still beside him, eating rice crackers.
“What’s wrong?” “The East Blue.” Sengoku’s voice was flat, unnervingly so.
“Four East Blue branches have submitted a joint report, requesting a campaign to cull a coastal fish.
The reason given is that the sky screen certified it as possessing Emperor-level bite force.
One branch has even requested Admiral support.” Garp stopped chewing his rice cracker.
He paused for two seconds.
Then, the old man burst out laughing.
It wasn’t just a chuckle; he was slapping his thigh, spraying rice cracker crumbs all over Sengoku’s face.
“Hahahahahaha!
Emperor-level!
That fish!
Hahahaha!” Garp laughed so hard he slid right off the sofa and sat on the floor, pounding the ground.
Sengoku tossed the Transponder Snail onto the desk and rubbed his temples.
That damned light screen—every segment of content was creating new trouble.
The serious information shook the world’s power structure, while the ridiculous information drove his subordinates collectively insane.
He now faced a choice: reply to those four East Blue branches and tell them it was a joke.
But the problem was, how could he prove it?
The chart on the sky screen looked quite professional.
The achievement column read ‘Bit off an Emperor’s arm (Confirmed).’ This achievement was real.
Shanks’s arm had indeed been bitten off by that fish.
You couldn’t say the sky screen was faking it.
Because the factual part wasn’t a lie.
Sengoku closed his eyes.
He felt that today was the longest day since he became Fleet Admiral.
…
And the images on the light screen continued.
“Next, let’s get back to the main topic.” “During the Marineford War, as the guide for Straw Hat Luffy, what did the Emperor Red Hair do?” The color tone on the light screen changed.
Previously, whether it was Whitebeard dying on his feet or Ace being pierced through the chest by magma, the background of the images was dark and oppressive, filled with the smoke and bloodstains unique to a battlefield.
But now, the screen brightened.
The final stages of the Marineford War.
The battlefield was already in shambles.
The plaza was split open, the ice was mostly shattered, and fallen bodies were everywhere.
Whitebeard’s corpse still stood, and Ace’s blood was not yet dry.
Luffy had already been carried away by Jinbe, completely unconscious.
Akainu was still in pursuit.
The battlefield was collapsing; order was disintegrating.
Everything was sliding toward the worst possible outcome, with both sides fighting to the bitter end.
Only Koby stood before Akainu to block his path, denouncing the cruelty of the war.
His speech moved everyone present.
“The Marines have no need for soldiers with weak wills!” Akainu swung his fist, intending to kill this soldier who did not believe in Absolute Justice.
At that moment, Shanks appeared, drawing his saber and blocking Koby, clashing head-on with Akainu’s magma fist.
Sparks flew as the shockwave swept away all the surrounding rubble and knocked Koby unconscious.
“You did well, young Marine.
These few seconds of courage you risked your life for, for better or worse, have now greatly changed the fate of the world…” The camera zoomed in.
A ship emerged from the sea mist; it wasn’t moving fast, but the aura radiating from the people standing on board seemed to weigh down the air of the entire sea.
The background music changed here.
All the previous piano melodies, drum beats, and electronic sounds faded away.
They were replaced by a low-pitched string arrangement that climbed note by note, stopping at the highest point and hanging there without falling.
On the light screen, Shanks stood in the center of the battlefield, facing all the Marines and all the pirates.
It wasn’t a forced silence, but the Marines, pirates, Shichibukai, and Admirals all simultaneously stopped what they were doing.
That man was now standing at the very center of the battlefield.
Shanks sheathed his sword.
He didn’t look at Akainu, nor at any specific person.
His gaze swept across the entirety of Marineford, from the plaza to the harbor, and from the harbor to the execution platform.
It swept past Sengoku.
It swept past Whitebeard’s corpse.
It swept past the spot where Ace lay, that small patch of ice soaked in blood.
It swept past the scarred members of the Whitebeard Pirates.
It swept past the fallen Marine soldiers, some still gasping for air, others already motionless.
He spoke.
“I am here to end this war.” His voice wasn’t loud.
But everyone on the battlefield heard him loud and clear.
“If this war continues any longer, it will only increase the losses for both sides indefinitely.” “If there are still guys who haven’t had enough…” Shanks placed his hand on his sword hilt.
Behind him, Benn Beckman raised his rifle and rested it on his shoulder.
Lucky Roux drew his saber.
Yasopp took off his goggles.
The Red Hair Pirates, every member entered a battle stance.
“Come!
We will be your opponents!” The two sides faced off for a few more seconds.
Then Shanks withdrew his hand from his sword hilt.
He took two steps forward.
His empty sleeve fluttered once in the wind.
His gaze moved from Sengoku to the members of the Whitebeard Pirates, and then to the wounded Marines collapsed on the ground.
“Everyone.” His voice slowed down.
It wasn’t soft, but carried a weight that forced everyone to listen intently.
“I hope you can give me some face here.” “This war ends here.” The image on the light screen froze at this moment.
Shanks stood in the center of the battlefield, his Red Hair blown by the sea breeze, revealing the three scars on his forehead.
Austin’s narration exploded at this point.
“Did you see that?
One sentence.
Just one sentence brought the entire Marineford War to a halt.” “The Three Admirals fought all day without a clear victor.
A hundred thousand Marines plus the Shichibukai ganged up on the Whitebeard Pirates for a whole day.
Who knows how many died.” “Red Hair arrives, says ‘Give me some face’…” “And the war is over.” A final summary line popped up on the light screen.
The font was golden, with a crown special effect.
One word at a time bounced out from the light screen, accompanied by award ceremony background music: [System Notification: Devil Fruit Paramecia] [System Notification: Face-Face Fruit] [System Notification: User Red Hair Shanks] [System Notification: Effect Give Me Face] On the Red Hair Pirates’ ship, the laughter was no longer just from one or two people.
The entire ship was shaking.
Lucky Roux laughed so hard he rolled from the deck to the gunwale, nearly falling into the sea.
Yasopp clutched his stomach and rolled on the ground.
Even Beckman couldn’t hold it back; the cigarette fell from his mouth as he laughed out loud.
Shanks released his grip on his saber.
He turned around, his back to the light screen, facing the sea.
His empty sleeve fluttered twice in the wind.
“Beckman.” “Hmm?
Haha…
cough, yeah.” “You’re laughing too.” “I’m not.
The wind is too strong, I choked on it.” Shanks lowered his head.
His Red Hair covered half his face, obscuring his expression.
Three seconds passed.
His shoulders also began to shake.
From laughing.
“Face-Face Fruit…” Shanks muttered the name a second time, his voice carrying a resigned helplessness, “The person behind this light screen is truly talented.”