Amazon Lily was slowly flying toward the New World.
Their destination this time was Elegia, the Capital of Music. With an Eternal Pose in hand, there was no chance Luffy would get lost.
---xXx---
Hancock sat beside Luffy, smiling as she watched him eat.
"Bring more food—Luffy must've spent a lot of energy moving the island."
"Yes, Lady Hancock!"
The cooks hurried off to the kitchen.
The long dining table was covered with enough food to feed hundreds.
While eating, Luffy said casually, "I could've gotten there fast on my own, but moving the whole island's gonna take a few days."
Across the table sat Gloriosa, Shakky, and Hancock's two younger sisters.
As for Rayleigh… poor Rayleigh, forbidden from setting foot on the island, was still out in the forest picking wild fruit.
"Monkey D. Luffy, this is the second time we've met like this," Gloriosa said, unable to stop herself from thinking about it. The man who had once invaded Amazon Lily, taken Hancock away, and later returned her safe and sound was now moving the island itself.
"You always manage to stir up something big. Leaving the Calm Belt is good and all, but losing that natural barrier will bring us the same problems that ordinary countries face."
They were heading for the New World—
A sea ruled by the Yonkou.
Even though Hancock was strong, facing powers on the level of the Yonkou would bring no shortage of trouble.
"Don't worry. Hancock's way stronger now. Besides, if you hang my flag on the island, I doubt anyone'd be crazy enough to attack you," Luffy replied.
Of course, he could easily tell what the old woman was thinking, even without reading minds—her odd smile said it all.
"You're surprisingly reliable, Luffy. You don't have to worry, Gloriosa—this boy's very strong," Shakky said as she stood, grabbing a basket from the table and filling it with food and wine.
"Rayleigh must be hungry too. I'll take this to him."
She wasn't nearly as strict as Hancock; even during her time as Empress, she never allowed a man to enter the island.
As Shakky left, Luffy leaned toward Hancock and asked in a low voice, "How old is Shakky, anyway?"
"Hmm… Shakky should be in her sixties by now," Hancock replied with a small smile.
'Holy crap… she doesn't look a day over thirty.'
Luffy couldn't help but grin wryly.
Poor Rayleigh… no wonder his stamina dropped so fast. No wonder he didn't wanna stay home when he was on Sabaody—he'd go drinking every night. The man probably got drained to death when he was younger.
While Luffy continued carrying Amazon Lily across the seas—
---xXx---
The outside world had erupted into chaos over two massive pieces of news.
The first report stated that the Holy Land of Mariejois had been attacked last night, and that Straw Hat Luffy had killed 39 Celestial Dragons.
The moment that news spread, it shook the entire world to its core.
Everyone knew about the incident at Sabaody, when three Celestial Dragons were killed—it had already caused an uproar back then. But this… this was on another level entirely.
This was Mariejois, the Holy Land itself—the home of the Celestial Dragons, the so-called descendants of the Creator.
It represented absolute status, absolute rule, and the authority of the so-called "gods."
And Luffy hadn't just invaded that sacred place—he had slaughtered dozens of its residents.
When the reports spread, some people panicked—but far more people cheered.
Revolutions, rebellions, and uprisings erupted in celebration.
Countless people displayed portraits of the Straw Hat boy, worshipping his image.
It went far beyond admiration.
It was reverence.
It was the rise of a symbol.
"God, please keep Straw Hat Luffy safe!"
Prayers echoed around the world.
"Please, kill all the Celestial Dragons!"
Roars of fury followed those prayers.
"What kind of world will this become…?"
Some, of course, trembled in fear.
But barely half a day later, the second announcement swept across the globe.
"The Man with a 5-Billion-Berry Bounty! A pirate who possesses three Devil Fruit powers—declared the next Emperor of the Sea!"
This was the statement the Five Elders had ordered Morgans to publish.
Their original intent was to exaggerate and condemn Luffy's actions—
to brand him a menace and declare their opposition.
But Morgans twisted the story in his own flamboyant way.
The newspaper's front page featured portraits of the three current Yonkou, along with their bounties:
Red-Haired Shanks, Captain of the Red Hair Pirates — 4,048,900,000 Berries
Charlotte Linlin (Big Mom), Captain of the Big Mom Pirates — 4,388,000,000 Berries
Kaido of the Beasts, Captain of the Beasts Pirates — 4,611,100,000 Berries
And below them—
Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, Straw Hat Luffy — Bounty: 5,000,000,000 Berries!!
From 71 million, to 3.5 billion after Marineford, and now 5 billion after the assault on the Holy Land!
Monkey D. Luffy's rise had been astonishingly fast—barely three or four months.
Morgans even bragged in the article that he had "always known this pirate would make history," claiming that Luffy had exceeded even his wildest expectations.
Three Devil Fruit powers:
Gomu Gomu no Mi
Gura Gura no Mi
Fuwa Fuwa no Mi
"Now, with Whitebeard's death, the so-called Era of Whitebeard has ended—
and a new era will be forged by this man!"
In the end, Morgans didn't hold back his praise in the slightest.
No one knew what he truly thought, nor what his real motives were—
but one thing was certain:
This second piece of news, following so closely after the first, sent shockwaves through the entire world.
(End of Chapter)