Amid the thin mist, a colossal dark silhouette slowly approached the coast of Brown Square.
"Something is approaching!"
Everyone along the coast witnessed the scene.
Shock spread across their faces.
"So... so huge!!!"
As the dark silhouette drew closer, its appearance gradually became clear before everyone's eyes.
It was an unimaginably massive ancient ship.
The hull was covered in moss and coral, as though they were ancient emblems bestowed by the sea itself. They resembled intricate inscriptions, recording countless ages of history and the ocean's deepest secrets.
Its size was immense, nearly as large as half of Crusimia.
Every piece of timber used in its construction was extraordinarily thick and gigantic, as though carved from mountain-sized trees. Every inch of the vessel bore the marks of time.
Countless massive chains wrapped around the hull. Each seemed to contain an ancient power, hanging from the ship like the arms of giants. As they rose and fell with the waves, they produced sounds that felt as though they had echoed through the ages.
The bow resembled a gigantic Island Whale with its mouth wide open.
As the ship cut through the sea, towering waves surged outward from its massive hull and rushed toward Brown Square.
Under the sunlight filtering through the clouds, the entire vessel shimmered with a faint blue glow.
This enormous ship stood in direct contrast to San Juan Wolf in the sky above.
Everyone stared at the colossal vessel in stunned silence. Compared to it, they appeared no larger than ants.
As the ship approached, people could make out countless figures peering through the windows along its hull.
Most were humans, though there were also various animals and plants.
"What kind of ship is this?! It has everything on board!"
"Is that... is that the legendary Ark of Salvation, Noah?!"
"What?! That's Noah?!"
The crowd erupted into shock.
The gigantic ship arriving at Crusimia was indeed Fish-Man Island's legendary Ark of Salvation, Noah.
At this moment, it carried countless species gathered from across the entire One Piece world.
"This is Noah?! The legendary ark meant to save the world during the apocalypse? It's enormous!"
"Does that mean the end of the world is really here?!"
People looked at the gigantic warship hanging in the sky and radiating overwhelming pressure, then at the massive vessel resting by the coast.
The two giants inspired completely different emotions.
If the warship suspended in the sky was the embodiment of destruction, then Noah felt like a sanctuary, radiating warmth and acceptance.
"According to legend, Noah exists to save the world. Now that it has arrived at Crusimia's shores, is it here to save us?" a World Government agent asked while trembling as he pointed toward San Juan Wolf above.
At this point, he desperately wanted to escape.
He no longer cared about any punishment from the World Government.
His words caused many people to nod.
Ever since San Juan Wolf had appeared overhead, everyone had felt the suffocating aura surrounding it.
Many had already begun thinking about fleeing Crusimia.
Now Noah's arrival perfectly matched their hopes.
As agents of the World Government, they understood better than most how that organization operated.
To the World Government, there were no people.
There were only tools.
Anyone who stood in the way of its goals would be eliminated without hesitation.
None of them fully understood the true nature of Uranus, but they knew it was one of the World Government's greatest weapons.
Once such a weapon attacked, an entire island could be erased from existence.
Its appearance and the indiscriminate killing intent it emitted made its purpose obvious.
It intended to destroy all of Crusimia while crushing the Ion Pirates.
Many of their former comrades had not died at the hands of enemies.
Instead, they had been sacrificed by the World Government itself.
At this moment, the instinct to survive overwhelmed their loyalty.
Their identities as government agents no longer mattered.
"This guy finally arrived. He's really slow," Lina grumbled as she rubbed her delicate chin.
"Lina, he's already moving as fast as possible. Besides, Captain Rolan doesn't seem to be aboard," Nami said from beside her.
Lina pouted.
"I was just worried about him."
Nami reached over and tapped her forehead.
"Don't worry. That guy will be fine even if the world ends."
"But if he's late, then we..."
She pointed toward Uranus hanging overhead.
Her eyes were filled with concern.
Nami immediately understood what she was thinking.
Smiling reassuringly, she said, "Don't worry. We'll all be fine."
Robin's voice suddenly came from nearby.
"Lina, it's alright. If Uranus attacks, we'll die instantly without feeling any pain. We'll be vaporized immediately."
Lina's face turned pale.
"Ah! I don't want to die! I haven't given Captain Rolan any children yet!"
Nami helplessly rubbed Lina's head.
"Robin-chan, don't casually say things that terrifying."
"Hehehe."
Robin chuckled softly.
"Let's go. Hancock has already moved."
As she spoke, she pointed toward the graceful figure soaring through the sky.
It was Hancock.
On the other side, Issho sensed Noah's arrival and smiled.
"Captain Rolan truly is a righteous man."
As the member of the Ion Pirates whose Observation Haki was second only to Captain Rolan's, he could clearly sense the countless life forms aboard Noah.
It carried an entire ecosystem from across the One Piece world.
Captain Rolan had chosen not to appear in Crusimia because he had gone to Pangaea Castle to stop Imu.
At the same time, he had ordered Noah and numerous ships to gather the world's inhabitants.
The goal was simple.
To save lives from the catastrophic rise in sea levels foretold by prophecy.
Across from him, Garp burst into laughter.
"Wahahaha! That brat Rolan actually pulled it off! Hahaha!"
Sengoku nodded as well.
"That kid truly is extraordinary."
Zoro turned toward Issho.
"Mr. Issho, let's go."
Issho nodded.
"Hehe, let's go."
The two immediately stepped into the air using Geppo and flew upward.
...
Kuro watched Noah arrive at the coastline and pushed up his glasses with his palm.
"It seems the final moment has arrived."
His wings trembled slightly.
In an instant, he appeared beside Kuzan.
"Kuzan, Noah is here. Now it's up to you, Dragon, Whitebeard, and Shanks."
Kuzan nodded.
"I still haven't seen that guy, nor have I witnessed Uranus's attack with my own eyes. Be careful."
Kuro chuckled.
"Don't worry. Aren't miracles meant to be created?"
As he spoke, he raised his head and looked toward the gigantic object hanging above.
"Besides, for us, this hardly qualifies as a miracle."
Kuzan looked deeply at Kuro.
After a long sigh, he said,
"It's just that in this situation, I can't help you."
Kuro shook his head.
"No. Only you can control this battlefield. What you're doing is even more important than what we're doing."
With those words, his figure gradually vanished.
Kuzan looked toward the sky.
"Good luck. The fate of this world rests in your hands."
Then he raised the small Den Den Mushi in his left hand and spoke.
"Everyone at Brown Square..."