On the third day after the war, the Straw Hat Crew returned to the Sea of the Sun, and Onigashima was taken by Luffy, becoming the fourth island of the Sea of the Sun.
There were still nearly 20,000 Marine prisoners on the island. All of them were elite naval soldiers.
Naturally, Luffy had no intention of killing them, nor was there any need for that.
All of them would be handed over to Garp's Neo Marine.
At first, the prisoners were still hesitant. Although it was a relief not to be executed, switching sides so suddenly after the battle was still difficult to accept.
Even if they were invited to join Garp and Zephyr's Neo Marine, some people would rather die than surrender.
But then Sengoku stepped in!
Luffy didn't know exactly what method Garp had used. In short, after Sengoku was convinced, he decided to join the Neo Marine.
Instantly, all the prisoners were shocked.
Sengoku, the former Fleet Admiral of the Marines, retired and currently the Inspector General of the Marines… had joined the Neo Marine?
What kind of joke was that?!
What were the responsibilities of the Inspector General?
Supervising the Marines!
And now the Inspector General himself had rebelled.
After that, the prisoners had nothing left to say and eventually became part of the Neo Marine.
The Neo Marine, which originally only had a few important figures, expanded explosively overnight.
Fortunately, with the financial support of the Golden Emperor, there was no need to worry about military expenses.
Of course, expansion brought far more problems than just money.
They also needed to create a complete organizational structure.
They could no longer continue fighting as before. They needed clear rules, regulations, and a military ranking system.
Luckily, Garp, Zephyr, and Sengoku were top-level Marine veterans and fully understood how to build an organizational structure suited to the current situation.
Supreme Commander: Marshal Luffy!
As the Neo Marine's main military force and also the man with the greatest combat power, it was impossible not to give him that position.
There was a very simple truth behind all of this.
Regardless of whether the Neo Marine officially granted him the rank of Marshal or not, the army would still obey Luffy.
It wasn't the title of Marshal that gave Luffy authority.
It was Luffy who gave authority to the position of Marshal.
That was the logic behind it.
Of course, Luffy had little interest in participating in the Neo Marine's daily administration.
Because of that, Kalifa was appointed as his personal secretary, responsible for delivering reports directly to him.
Daily decisions would remain in the hands of the three old men.
Only when they failed to reach a conclusion would they contact Luffy through Kalifa.
Garp, Zephyr, and Sengoku, the former pillars of the Marines, became the Three Great Powers of the Neo Marine.
As for Aokiji, he was currently the only man holding the title of "Admiral" within the Neo Marine.
Originally, he was already an Admiral. Only the prefix changed from "Marine" to "Neo Marine."
Below him, there were still no Vice Admirals.
Instead, the entire former CP9 was directly incorporated under Aokiji's command.
Besides the difficulty of rapidly expanding a large organization, there was also another urgent problem:
The construction of the new Naval Headquarters.
At that moment, the outer island of Elegia had completely transformed into a gigantic construction site.
The first task assigned to the captured Marines after switching sides was precisely to build the new base.
After the headquarters was completed, the ruined city of Elegia would also be rebuilt.
In the future, that place would serve as housing for military families.
Speaking of families...
If the World Government officially discovered that those soldiers had defected, they would probably execute their families without hesitation.
Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr were fully aware of that.
The World Government would definitely do it.
And the worst part:
It would be legal.
The World Government had the legal authority to execute the families of those soldiers.
Just like twenty years ago, it also had the legal authority to destroy Ohara and massacre the archaeologists who studied the Void Century.
Legal.
But irrational.
There are many irrational things in this world, and Luffy had no interest in thinking too deeply about them.
He only needed to find a way to snatch people away from the World Government.
It sounded a little absurd...
The captured Marines had defected to the Neo Marine, and now Luffy intended to demand that the World Government hand over the families of those soldiers in order to stabilize the internal situation.
Could that actually work?
Of course it could.
You just had to use public opinion correctly.
If the World Government really massacred those military families, it might be "legal," but it would also be a political disaster.
And Luffy would love to see that happen.
The enemy's stupidity often becomes your greatest weapon.
Of course, there was no need to rush.
After all, he and the World Government were still in a life-and-death relationship.
If he simply appeared demanding people, he would obviously be rejected, and it might only provoke another direct conflict.
At the same time, the World Government also didn't dare execute the prisoners' families recklessly.
If thousands of military families were executed all at once, even the Marines themselves might rebel.
Elegia — Central Castle.
Back in his main territory, Luffy sat on the living room sofa, browsing through the system shop.
Monet brought him a cup of coffee she had personally prepared.
Her coffee wasn't as good as Uta's, but it had a different flavor.
"Master Luffy…"
After serving the coffee, Monet obediently stepped back like a maid.
"We received an encrypted communication from Doflamingo."
"What happened?"
"He's being hunted. The World Government seems to be preparing to act against him."
Why?
Luffy slowly took a sip of coffee while thinking about the answer.
And the answer was simple.
Doflamingo knew too much.
On top of that, Kaido, one of the Four Emperors who had operated in the shadows alongside him, had fallen.
And that had already been exposed by the newspapers.
Naturally, the World Government knew everything.
Therefore, Doflamingo inevitably became a target that needed to be eliminated.
"He wants to ask for help?"
"Yes."
Monet nodded without saying anything else.
She understood her position perfectly.
Now, she was Luffy's woman.
But...
She also knew she couldn't compare herself to Uta or Nami.
In terms of status, she might only be considered a close maid.
So she couldn't simply throw herself into Luffy's arms and beg:
"Please save Doflamingo."
She was too intelligent to do something like that.
She knew insisting on the matter might irritate Luffy and produce the opposite effect.
So she remained silent.
If Luffy wanted to save him, he would.
If he didn't, then any request would be useless.
"Do you want me to help him?" Luffy asked with a smile.
Monet shook her head.
"Every decision you make is correct."
She understood her own position very well.
And Luffy had always admired intelligent women.
Just as he admired Robin.
"He knows too much. The World Government definitely won't let him live."
"Don't worry. I won't let him die."
After thinking for a moment, Luffy reassured Monet.
Doflamingo still couldn't die.
At least, not yet.
The score between him and Law would need to be settled personally in the future.
But during the previous war, Doflamingo had still revealed some important and honest information, so naturally, Luffy needed to keep his word.
As the leader of a great force, he had the privilege of breaking promises.
He could do that.
But there was an old saying: every gift from fate already has its price secretly marked.
Breaking a promise was possible, but the price would eventually be collected someday in the future.
Hearing that, Monet sighed in relief.
"Luffy…"
She quickly knelt down and placed her hands on Luffy's thighs. The meaning behind her actions was obvious.
Luffy immediately stopped her.
"There's no need for that."
A trace of confusion appeared in Monet's eyes.
She remembered that the last time, on Fish-Man Island, her "technique" really hadn't been very good, but there wasn't much she could do since it had been her first time.
"I practiced a lot!" Monet said seriously.
Luffy waved his hand helplessly.
With no other choice, Monet simply stood up and left, feeling slightly frustrated... Was her charm as a woman really that bad?
Watching her leave the room, Luffy couldn't help rolling his eyes.
Through his Observation Haki, he sensed Hancock's presence appearing at the harbor.
Not long after, the Pirate Empress arrived at the castle.
"Luffy! You're not hurt, are you?" Hancock asked worriedly. "Sorry for not being by your side during the war."
"It's fine."
Luffy pulled her into his arms and smiled.
"So you finally decided to leave Amazon Lily?"
He had already heard the reports from his subordinates.
Before this, Neptune had tried visiting Hancock on Amazon Lily, but he had been firmly rejected.
The reason was simple: men were not welcome on the island, not even male fish-men.
After that, Neptune invited Hancock to visit Fish-Man Island as a guest. After all, they were neighbors now and needed to maintain relations.
But Hancock refused.
Ever since Amazon Lily had been moved to that region, Hancock had never left the island, focusing only on internal affairs.
This was the first time she had come to Elegia.
"I... was just a little busy..."
In front of the man she loved, Hancock became embarrassed and made up an excuse.
"You should go out more and see the world. Amazon Lily is no longer isolated in the Calm Belt. We need more contact with the outside world."
"Yes... I understand."
Hancock nodded. She was willing to listen to anything Luffy said.
Her eyes were full of affection.
"I missed you."
"I missed you too."
Then the two of them started kissing in the living room as if nobody else existed.
Afterward, they headed to the bedroom on the upper floor of the castle.
Luffy hadn't refused Monet because of some sudden change of attitude. It was simply that even he had physical limits.
After all, even landowners need to manage their ammunition supply.
Elegia, outer island.
Work continued at full speed on the enormous construction site.
The foundations of a gigantic fortress had already been raised, and the men worked while sweating intensely.
When Robin arrived at the site, she quickly found Aokiji.
"Nico Robin?"
Aokiji also saw her, showing surprise.
"I'm here to deliver lunch."
Robin asked the people behind her to unload the food.
A construction site with more than twenty thousand people required countless trips just to transport enough meals.
Of course, the ones suffering the most from that were the cooks led by Sanji.
"Really? I thought you came looking for me." Aokiji smiled.
"Actually, there's something I want to ask you."
Robin's expression remained calm as always. In the past, if she encountered someone like Aokiji, she would only think about running away. But now things were different.
"The last time at Punk Hazard, what did you mean by that? Luffy told me that Ohara wasn't completely destroyed..."
Hearing that, Aokiji's expression changed.
He hesitated for a moment before scratching his head.
"Come with me. Let's talk somewhere else."
The two walked toward the shore.
Then Aokiji spoke lazily:
"Saul didn't die."
That single sentence was enough to make Robin's eyes widen instantly.
"Ohara's books were also saved. The scholars threw all of them into the water before the attack. I... protected them in secret and didn't report it to my superiors."
Aokiji let out a long sigh.
"Saul is in Elbaf now. And the books are there too."
"It's true...?"
Robin covered her mouth, unable to contain her emotions.
"Whether it's true or not, go see it with your own eyes. Ah, and Elbaf usually doesn't welcome foreigners. Better have your captain accompany you."
After saying that, Aokiji waved his hand and started walking away.
"Give Saul my regards. And if possible, bring him some gifts."
Robin remained standing there for a long time, unable to hide her happiness.
She had always been a calm and reserved woman, rarely showing intense emotions.
But at that moment, she was genuinely happy.
Robin quickly returned to Elegia, wanting to share that joy.
"Luffy!"
When she entered the room, she found nobody there.
She was about to use her abilities to look for him when Luffy walked through the door.
He had just gotten out of the bath and wore only a towel around his waist, leaving his upper body completely exposed.
"Luffy!" Robin said excitedly. "Aokiji said Saul is alive! He's in Elbaf! I want to go there..."
"Then go."
Luffy smiled lightly.
"I was also planning to go to that country."
The fourth and final Road Poneglyph was probably in one of these four places:
First, on Pirate Island.
Second, in Elbaf.
Third, in the hands of the World Government.
Fourth, Shanks knows where it is.
In any case, Elbaf was the gigantic kingdom known as "the strongest country in the world," so there was a high chance the red stone was there.
Suddenly, Robin stepped forward and threw herself into Luffy's arms.
Her eyes shone softly, filled with emotion.
"Thank you, Luffy..."
After saying that, she stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek.
As she recalled everything she had gone through, Robin realized that under that man's protection, her life had become completely different.
She no longer needed to run away.
She no longer needed to live worrying about tomorrow.
And she could also feel that Luffy genuinely liked her. Before, she had never found the courage to respond to those feelings because the weight of her past still imprisoned her heart.
But now, upon discovering that Saul was alive, she finally felt that weight lessen.
As if the pain she had carried since Ohara could finally rest a little.
That gave her the courage to respond to Luffy's feelings.
Luffy looked slightly surprised and held Robin by the waist.
"What happened?"
"I'm so happy that I can't find words to express my feelings."
Inside, Luffy felt helpless.
He had just "taken care" of Hancock, and now another woman needed emotional comfort.
What a difficult life.
He gently held Robin's chin.
The archaeologist showed no shyness whatsoever; on the contrary, she looked at him full of anticipation.
Not long after, Luffy headed upstairs again with her.
(End of Chapter)