Chapter 419: To the New World (Grand Finale)
The Grand Line.
"Ooooh, Sabaody Archipelago—we're finally back!"
"Hey hey, Luffy, slow down a bit, your injuries just healed!"
"Yeah, and get one thing straight... this place isn't called Sabaody anymore, it's now called New World Port..."
The easily excited group stepped onto the island under the watchful gaze of the crowd.
"Huh? New World?"
After hearing his companions' words, the boy wearing the straw hat seemed a bit confused.
"...That's not what it means at all, okay!?"
Hearing this, Nami covered her forehead, her face full of exasperation: "This is New World Port, not the New World. This is an island shaped by the Star God after the establishment of the new government, signifying the 'central port before the New World'. After all, Mary Geoise is gone, so even normal merchant ships can't enter and exit the New World through the grand elevator like they used to..."
She explained this, but clearly, Luffy wasn't listening at all.
"Oh, oh."
He nodded with an expression that loudly proclaimed 'I completely didn't understand', and then decisively skipped the topic he couldn't grasp: "Anyway, we finally made it back, let's go to Fish-Man Island now—Rayleigh, earlier Nami seemed to say she was going to ask you to do the coating..."
As he spoke, he looked at Rayleigh beside him, who had followed them back to the former Sabaody Archipelago, now the New World Port.
But Rayleigh just smiled and looked at him, not saying a word.
Instead, it was Reiju beside them who, while pacifying an increasingly irritable Nami—who looked entirely ready to just off this idiot captain and disband the crew—smilingly explained to Luffy: "Luffy, there's no need to go to Fish-Man Island anymore, and the Fish-Man Island of the past doesn't exist either. The current New Fish-Man Island is located inside the Courtyard of Stars."
As she spoke, she raised her hand and pointed.
Only to see that right now, above the sky.
A ship radiating starlight, along with an illusory courtyard, existed at the end of the sky.
And in fact, no matter where one was in this world, when looking up, they could see that ship and that courtyard.
They would rise and set over time just like the sun, and would patrol every corner of the world.
And wherever they passed, all disputes would be mended, and all scars would be healed.
"?"
Hearing this, Luffy also widened his eyes: "Then how do we get to the New World now? Didn't you guys say Ace and the others have already gone ahead?"
"We depart directly from the New World Port, we just need to submit an application to the new government."
"Application?"
"As for us... hm, we probably need to submit an 'Explorer Application'."
"Explorer!?"
Luffy just felt a bit bewildered.
After waking up from a deep slumber, he felt the world was quite unfamiliar.
Not only had his own grandpa inexplicably become the Marine Fleet Admiral, but his own dad had also suddenly popped up to become the Chief of Staff of the new government, and even the World Government and many original things had changed.
He had finally managed to escape to Sabaody amidst his grandpa's scolding of "Luffy you brat, now is not the time to be willful, hurry up and join the Marines to help this old man, don't learn from that bastard Sengoku", and now he heard such a strange term.
"That's right—there are no pirates anymore."
Reiju said with a smile: "Adventurers like us who sail the sea and explore the unknown now have a shared profession, called 'Explorer'."
"They are no longer allowed to pillage, otherwise it's a crime, but the government will provide a fixed allowance every year."
"? No... no pirates!? How can that be?"
Hearing this, Luffy's eyes instantly widened even more, clearly unable to accept it: "I am the man who will become the Pirate King..."
"Ah, that doesn't matter."
Hearing Luffy's words, Sanji beside him also smiled: "ONE PIECE still exists, and it's said that the Star Lord also stored his portion of treasure at Laugh Tale. Recently, more and more explorers have set out to sea."
"It's just that the person who finds ONE PIECE won't be called the Pirate King anymore, but rather the 'King of Navigation'?"
"By the way, it's said that the Star Lord not only allowed the existence of adventurers but will even open up more adventurous journeys in the future."
Hearing this, Luffy paused.
"That kind of thing..."
He instinctively wanted to speak again, but halfway through, he smacked his lips.
Thinking about it carefully, it seemed like that kind of thing didn't really matter?
He just wanted to be the most free person on the sea—that kind of guy was the Pirate King.
Whether it was King of Navigation, explorer, or whatever else... those were just minor details.
Rather, compared to that...
"New adventures?"
Luffy was much more interested in this.
"Mhm—you should know... never mind, you definitely don't know. Anyway, our world is actually just a part of the stars in the universe. The 'People of the Moon' who created our world in the past were also a race from the starry sky."
"And the Star Lord can use his power to let us explore the sea of stars, travel to various worlds, and gather information from them."
Speaking of this, the Straw Hat crew also had excited faces.
Although they didn't know the Star Lord's reason for doing this, without a doubt—it sounded...
"Super interesting!!!"
Luffy's eyes instantly sparkled.
"Yeah, ingredients from alien planets... just hearing about it fills me with fighting spirit!"
"That man who gave you the straw hat, Red-Haired Shanks, has supposedly already embarked on the journey to the sea of stars!"
"On other planets, there might be swordsmen even stronger than Hawkeye..."
The Straw Hat crew discussed fervently.
And ultimately, it was Luffy who made the final call: "Since that's the case, let's set off immediately—first we go to the New World, find ONE PIECE, and then we let the Star Lord send us to that place called the sea of stars!"
"...First of all, the sea of stars isn't... never mind."
"Anyway, we can't depart just yet."
"!? Why!?"
"Didn't you notice we're missing someone? That guy Brook went to visit an old friend—it's said to be a princess he used to look after in the past..."
"Oh oh, so there's such a thing... but since it's Brook's friend, it must be an interesting person. Let's go visit them too—maybe she could become our companion as well!"
"How could that be possible?!"
"It's possible, isn't it? Didn't Princess Vivi of Alabasta also become an explorer not long ago? And she even caused a commotion, right?"
Amidst their respective discussions.
Above the sky, in the center of the Courtyard of Stars.
Roy sat steadily beneath the throne of the stars, watching the myriad living beings below, and the world that was rapidly adapting from the changes.
He could understand why Imu and the Celestial Dragons styled themselves as gods.
Because this feeling of standing on high and dominating everything was indeed intoxicating.
But...
"Are you sure you won't stay?"
Beside Roy, Dragon asked this question.
"Haven't I already stayed?"
Hearing this, Roy smiled and looked at Dragon: "The Zodiacs will all remain on this planet. They will be in a dormant state for the vast majority of the time, but they will manifest when the world encounters a crisis or if you all become corrupt and degenerate, bringing the world back on the right track."
"As for myself... a God remaining in this world is not a good thing."
He calmly stated his decision.
Roy was not Imu, nor would he be the Abyss.
He had seen a better world, and had no interest in dominating and enslaving others.
But Roy was also very clear.
After a long period of time, he might also change, might also become corrupt, might also degenerate.
Therefore, he had long made his choice.
"I am going to head to the sea of stars."
He looked at the sky, seemingly able to see the endless meteors and civilizations beyond the heavens—even the People of the Moon, who were powerful to the extreme in the past, were merely one of many civilizations.
"...This world will thank you for your choice and sacrifice."
After hearing this, Dragon fell silent for a moment, ultimately saying softly.
His words were sincere.
Since he established the Revolutionary Army.
Even in his most optimistic estimates, he had never anticipated the current state of the world.
He had also never imagined that someone like Roy would appear in this world, leading everyone to overturn the Abyss, and then choosing to leave rather than to rule.
"It's not a sacrifice."
Hearing this, however, Roy shook his head.
As he said so, his thoughts had already drifted very far.
After coming to this world, he found it very displeasing, but he didn't have the power to detach from it or change it.
But now, he possessed the power.
So he changed this world, making it better, more like the world in his memories.
But that was still not enough.
It ultimately wasn't her.
To this world, he was merely a passerby.
So just as Roy said.
This was a journey he had decided on long ago.
He was going to search among the stars—search for his homeland.
She might exist somewhere among the stars, or perhaps in another universe outside this universe.
But it didn't matter.
He already had enough power, and a long enough time to explore and to pursue.
So...
"That is the journey I have long been looking forward to."
"And now... I shall depart."
(End of Book)