The royal army had already lost heart — many of its soldiers were the fathers and sons of those they were ordered to kill.
Even before Kuma broke their morale, defeat was only a matter of time.
The Marine branch reinforcements, proud and confident when they set sail, arrived to find the battlefield already drowned in chaos.
And standing at its center, side by side, were two monsters: Rona D. Sharn and Kaido.
Behind them, the Sharn Pirates loomed like demons descending from the sky.
"The Sorbet Kingdom, huh?"
Sharn's eyes swept across the burning horizon.
"Raise my flag. From this day forward, this land belongs to me!"
At his command, San Juan Wolf climbed the old church tower, hanging the Dragon-Scale Jolly Roger high above the smoke.
The flag fluttered violently in the wind — black and gold, its fangs glinting beneath the sun.
Kuma stared up at it, dazed.
He remembered the first time he'd seen Sharn — in the Valley of the Gods, when the man had slaughtered the untouchable Celestial Dragons before his very eyes.
It was that day the world changed.
Sharn's name became legend — the first rookie in history to earn a bounty exceeding 100 million on his debut.
And then, mysteriously, his official record was erased.
The Marines and the Five Elders scrubbed every detail clean.
They couldn't let the truth spread — that a single pirate had butchered dozens of Celestial Dragons.
Better to bury him in silence than stain the Heavenly name.
But the truth never dies.
Even now, as the seas trembled after Rocks' fall, and the new pirates scrambled to carve up his empire —
even when the Marines were at their most chaotic — two Admirals were still sent to hunt Sharn.
And yet, he lived.
He escaped with the Paw-Paw Fruit's power, the archaeologist Clover, and the truth the world tried to destroy.
"Sharn! Kuma and I used to read about you all the time! When we heard you went missing, we were worried!"
Ginny grinned, her joy returning now that danger had passed.
"Heavenly Tribute? Forget it." Sharn smirked. "If your kingdom supplies my crew, you'll have protection far greater than any World Government."
At his words, Evil Wolf and Molly moved instantly — their Devil Fruit powers wrapping up the remaining Marines like dumplings.
The Steel Hound Vice Admiral, Snagg, managed to rise again, bloodied but furious.
But Kaido stepped forward, hefting his iron club.
"Thunder Bagua!"
The strike exploded like lightning. Snagg was sent flying into the sea — his beast form dissolving beneath the waves.
A Devil Fruit user, sinking fast.
He would never resurface.
"Anyone want to claim his Dog-Dog Fruit when it respawns?"
Sharn joked, spitting out a blade he'd forged from the metal inside his stomach.
"No thanks!" Kuzan said immediately. "I don't plan on becoming anyone's dog."
Olvia chuckled softly, imagining for a moment everyone aboard turning into giant mastiffs.
"Hard pass."
"Same here," Ginny said with a shake of her head. "I'd rather be a partner than a pet."
Kaido grunted from the shore.
"Too late for that. The mutt's already sinking."
Panic broke out among the remaining Marines.
They dove desperately into the sea to recover Snagg's body — but it was no use.
The war was over.
The Marines fled.
The royal army surrendered.
Only King Bekolli remained, trembling in the circle of pirates.
He fell to his knees, sobbing.
"If you kill me, the World Government will never forgive you! The Marines will come! You'll all die!"
Sharn tossed a newspaper at his face.
"You mean the same Marines whose 'heroes' I've already escaped from? Sengoku. Garp. Ring any bells?"
The paper's front page told the tale — The Sharn Pirates Destroy Ohara! Kidnap of Dr. Clover! Evade Two Admirals!
"Let them come," Sharn said coldly. "If they can't stop me now, they never will."
Bekolli's lips trembled. He realized threats were useless.
He had thought Sharn was dead — lost to the sea.
But here he was, alive and unscathed, his crew stronger than ever.
Sharn stepped closer.
"If you're so fond of swimming... why not take a dive?"
"W-Wait, I can't swim—!"
"Good. Saves us the trouble."
With a flick of his wrist, Sharn fired a Paw Shockwave, launching the king into the open sea.
The air bubble burst, and the deep-sea pressure crushed him instantly.
His remains became food for the fish.
The Sorbet War was over.
"Until we find a new king," Sharn declared, turning to the exiled King Bulldog and Queen Dowager Connie,
"you'll manage this land."
"From now on, Sorbet will supply the Sharn Pirates with materials. In return, you'll have our protection."
Bulldog nodded gratefully. Refusal would have meant death anyway.
Queen Connie's eyes glistened with relief.
"Kuma's friend is a good man, after all," she whispered.
And so, Sorbet Kingdom became the first nation in the post-Rocks era to fall under a pirate's rule —
not by fear, but by balance.
In the South Blue, Rona D. Sharn stood alone atop the food chain.
No Marine dared approach.
"Rest for a day. Next stop — the Grand Line!"
That night, Sorbet celebrated for the first time in years.
To them, feeding a pirate crew was nothing compared to paying the Celestial Dragons' tax.
Within the church, Kuma sat by the fire, still deep in thought.
He watched Ginny devour her food with childlike hunger and couldn't help but smile.
"Sharn... do you really believe the future will be like you said?"
Sharn gazed out at the sea, the flames reflecting in his eyes.
"That depends on the choices you make. Don't forget the Valley of the Gods."
Kuma's heare you really?"
"And why did you ask if anyone wanted the Dog-Dog Fruit?"
Sharn said nothing.
He simply closed his eyes and listened —
to the sound of the storm whispering across the sea.
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