......
"Accelerate! Full speed ahead!!" Rayleigh roared hoarsely on the deck.
The sails of the Oro Jackson billowed to their utmost limit. Despite the captain's grave injuries, the crew unleashed an astonishing will to survive!
They finally, by the narrowest margin, broke free from the edge of that terrifying suction force and charged toward the relatively calm outer sea.
Behind them, God Valley—along with all its bloodshed, glory, conspiracies, and tragic heroism—rapidly sank and vanished beneath the maw of that abyssal abyss…
Ultimately swallowed completely by the vast ocean, leaving no trace behind.
This scene was utterly shocking and profoundly eerie.
No one could explain what that sudden undersea abyss was. A natural disaster?
Or… a leak of power connected to Imu and that dark ritual?
No one knew.
It became the final unsolved mystery of the God Valley Incident, and also the most thorough "grave" for concealing the truth.
Escaping the God Valley sea area did not mean smooth sailing from there.
The Oro Jackson had only just entered relatively safe waters when it encountered a Marine fleet ordered to patrol the periphery, mopping up and intercepting any stragglers.
A brief but fierce exchange of fire erupted between both sides.
Scopper Gaban wrapped the still-unconscious Garp in a tattered canvas sheet, seized an opportunity, and hurled him with all his strength toward the deck of the nearest Marine warship.
"Catch! Your 'hero'!" he roared.
The Marines panicked for a moment but quickly caught Garp. After confirming his identity, their offensive noticeably slowed!
Their attention shifted more toward rescuing other people who had fallen overboard and intercepting pirates fleeing in other directions.
Taking advantage of this, Scopper Gaban commanded the Oro Jackson—relying on superior navigation skills and the ship's performance—to slip through the gaps in the Marine fleet, carrying the gravely wounded Roger and his exhausted comrades deep into the vast sea.
Roger and Garp—this pair of arch-rivals who had just fought side by side to save each other's lives—parted ways here, taken in different directions by their respective comrades.
The next time they met, they would still be pirate and Marine hero, pursuer and pursued, enemies with utterly opposing stances.
But in the depths of each other's hearts, perhaps a complex memory was buried—of those shared life-and-death moments and of their mutual opponent who had already passed away.
The light curtain's scenes accelerated.
Charlotte Linlin's massive figure appeared in Totto Land, beginning to build her "Whole Cake Island" dream. Beneath her sickly-sweet smile lay iron-fisted rule and a greedy collection of special races.
Kaido, transformed into his azure dragon form, drank heavily, recruited strong fighters, and step by step forged his "Beast Pirates" that worshiped absolute violence—his eyes burning with even greater ambition and destructive desire than before.
Edward Newgate, Whitebeard, stood at the bow of the Moby Dick, surrounded by an ever-growing number of "children" who called him "Pops"…
The Murakumogiri in his hand pointed toward the New World, determined to build a true "family"—one different from Rocks'.
Golden Lion Shiki floated atop his airborne warships, overlooking seas of clouds, plotting a world-shaking plan. His wild laughter echoed through the skies.
One after another, figures destined to stir the seas in the future lit up like stars, drawing nourishment from the embers of God Valley, expanding their forces, and preparing for what was to come.
The old era belonging to Rocks had completely ended, and the eve of a grander, more chaotic, and more magnificent "Great Pirate Era"—with heroes rising in multitudes—had arrived.
The timeline converged, returning to a crucial node.
On the light curtain: aboard the Roger Pirates' ship.
Roger, his grave wounds just beginning to heal but his face still pale, eagerly flipped through the few spoils brought back from the "adventure" at God Valley…
Several treasure chests, picked up from the ruins and still relatively intact, were slowly opened.
And inside one of those treasure chests was an infant with vivid red hair and delicate features.
Roger froze, staring blankly at the child.
The infant seemed to sense something; his small brows furrowed. A pair of clear eyes curiously examined the man before him, whose expression was one of utter astonishment.
This scene perfectly overlapped with the memory Shanks later recalled—of the Roger Pirates discovering him.
So that red-haired infant—this tiny life—had miraculously survived that world-destroying catastrophe.
And was taken away from the sinking island, becoming the youngest "apprentice crew member" aboard Roger's ship…
Also becoming a subtle link connecting past and future.
The light curtain's final switch.
Headlines from newspapers flashed in close-up, accompanied by images of Garp—somewhat disheveled but still standing tall.
"Marine Hero Garp Single-Handedly Crushes Rocks Pirates!"
"God Valley Great Victory! The Era of Evil Ends!"
"Vice Admiral Garp: The Guardian God of the New Era!"
The text overflowed with the highest praise, reducing the God Valley Incident to a glorious Marine triumph over evil pirates.
All credit for the Rocks Pirates' destruction was attributed solely to Garp.
Roger's existence was deliberately downplayed, mentioned only as "one of the repelled pirates." Imu, the dark ritual, demons, the Celestial Dragons' hunt, the God's Knights' finishing blows, the island's eerie sinking…
All these hidden, terrifying truths were covered up, erased, rewritten.
The name of "Marine Hero" Monkey D. Garp resounded across the seas from that day forward, becoming a symbol of justice and strength, an idol and pillar in the hearts of countless Marines and civilians.
However, at Marine Headquarters, the awakened Garp was exploding with rage over the newspapers.
"Bang!!!"
After reading the first report, Garp furiously smashed the solid wooden desk in front of him to pieces! Wood chips flew everywhere.
"Damn it! Those lying bastards!!"
Veins bulged on Garp's forehead, his face flushed red—not from glory, but from extreme anger and humiliation.
"When the hell did I go 'single-handedly'?! That guy Roger! Rocks he…! And those…!"
He was so furious he became incoherent, his chest heaving as if it might explode.
This "hero" title was woven from lies and the sacrifices and pain of countless people—wearing it felt like a red-hot brand on his head.
Humiliation! This was not what he wanted at all!
He would rather bear the stigma of defeat than this false, blood-soaked "glory"!
His roar drew his contemporary comrade, Sengoku.
The two future pillars of the Marines argued fiercely in the office, eventually escalating into a no-holds-barred, fist-to-flesh brawl!
Walls were punched through, furniture reduced to splinters. The massive noise drew more Marine officers to watch and try to intervene.
The fight lasted a long time, until both were exhausted, bruised and swollen, lying amid the wreckage gasping for breath.
"…Huff… huff…"
Sengoku wiped the blood from his mouth, staring at the ceiling, and said gravely: "Garp, I know you're upset. I'm upset too. But this is reality.
We wear this uniform—some things… we have no choice. But at least, we can uphold the justice we believe in our own way.
Stay here, climb to higher positions, gain more voice. Perhaps… in the future, we can change some things."
Garp said nothing, his chest rising and falling heavily.
After a long while, he finally spoke in a muffled, hoarse but exceptionally firm voice: "I won't leave the Marines. Beneath that cliff… I still have a lot to protect…"
Garp looked at Sengoku. The earlier anger and confusion in his eyes gradually settled, replaced by a deeper, heavier resolve.
......