"How can they do that? Are the families of pirates not still families?"
A black-clad mafia member with a somewhat roguish appearance stammered those words, only for a nearby young man who could no longer stand it to punch him.
"I think you deserve to die!"
After hearing the thug's words, several others could not help joining in.
They beat him harshly before finally letting him go.
All across the world, people began discussing the impact Raleigh's words would have.
Many understood in their hearts that this would become another large-scale purge.
A great number of families with members who had left home began to panic, because they could not be certain whether their relatives had become pirates outside.
"I hope he dies outside soon. Please, whatever happens, do not become a pirate."
Many people began cursing their own children, siblings, or relatives. They did not want one person's crimes to drag the entire family down with them.
...
Even the pirate world itself erupted.
Although they were people who yearned for freedom, that did not mean they had no fathers or mothers.
In many cases, they only pretended not to care on the surface. In reality, they still kept contact with their families.
Now that Raleigh had done this, it meant their families would also suffer for the things they had done.
"Damn it! The Marines are trying to drive us into a dead end!"
"If we don't defeat the Marines, we definitely will not survive. Fight them!"
The remaining pirates of the New World began cursing one after another.
...
On the execution platform at New Marineford, Uta stared blankly at the calm, composed man before her, and a deep fear rose in her heart.
She seemed to see the entire world soaked in blood.
"You… you demon… you will destroy this world!"
Uta suddenly screamed madly.
"That's right. I am a demon who brings destruction to pirates."
"I know that by doing this, many people who should have been innocent will be dragged into it. But this world should have been peaceful and beautiful. It was those pirates burning, killing, and looting outside that turned it into this."
"Pirates are killing people every moment of every day. Since this world will always have people dying endlessly, why can the families of pirates not die?"
"Their relatives committed crimes. That means their education was insufficient. Since it was insufficient, do not blame the Marines for educating them with iron and blood."
"Many years ago, the Pirate King Roger, who had committed grave crimes, was also executed by the Marines on an execution platform. I was still very young back then, but I told him that one person's death could not offset all his sins."
"So afterward, I made a trip through the Four Blues and handed his wife and unborn child over to the people for judgment. In that battle, I killed the vice captain of the Roger Pirates, Dark King Rayleigh."
Under the eyes of the world, Raleigh lit a cigar.
After taking a deep inhale, he exhaled the smoke.
"Roger's bloodline died by my hand. Then Red-Haired Shanks, who inherited Roger's will and carries the same sinful blood, should not have any descendants surviving in this world either."
Click. Click.
Every reporter frantically took photographs.
They dared say this was the most insane declaration and the biggest event they had heard in recent years.
Any single sentence could become a news headline.
They did not need to polish it artistically.
Merely passing Raleigh's original words to the world would be enough to cause a worldwide sensation.
It even involved secrets from many years ago about Pirate King Roger and his descendants.
The reporters did not dare imagine how explosive this would become.
...
At the same time, deep in the New World, where the broadcast was also being watched, layer after layer of dark clouds were shattered.
Blood-red lightning continued circling above the island.
On the deck, Shanks' eyes carried murderous intent that would not rest until one side was dead.
He stared into the distance.
The other crew members had also taken up their weapons, their eyes filled with killing intent.
They had already contacted the remaining pirates of the New World and decided to sail toward the Marines' New World base, making the Marines pay the price for killing Uta.
The Marines stationed in the New World also began moving.
Under Borsalino's command, the Marines, who had originally occupied a large number of islands, directly abandoned many islands that were unsuitable for defense and instead firmly held the strategic strongholds.
Borsalino sat in his office, looking at Raleigh on the screen. The corner of his mouth could not help twitching.
He knew his little brother never had good intentions.
He had transferred him to the New World to block Red-Haired Shanks' rage!
"Admiral Borsalino, the items brought from Headquarters have already been placed in the warehouse and can be activated at any time."
Barrett, who had not appeared for a long time, silently appeared at this Marine base.
Borsalino nodded.
Although Raleigh had sent Borsalino out, he had also given him quite a few good things.
The most important among them were Vegapunk's war machines, the Pacifista, as well as Barrett himself.
Ten Pacifista, Bullett, and the Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals already stationed here should be enough to deal with one Emperor crew.
It was as if this was a war of annihilation.
...
"No… things should not be like this… You cannot do this…"
Uta collapsed weakly onto the ground.
In her understanding, no one had ever connected these things together before.
Raleigh extinguished the cigar in his hand and spoke.
"Uta, your death is because you massacred the people of the Kingdom of Elegia. It is not merely because you are Red-Hair's daughter. Of course, even if you were only Red-Hair's daughter, I would still order your execution."
"Now, I announce the final judgment against Uta, the true culprit behind the Kingdom of Elegia massacre and the daughter of Red-Hair."
"Hanging."
When Raleigh formally gave the order to the execution soldiers, everyone present erupted.
"Kill her!"
"Kill her!"
"Kill her!"
Countless voices slowly gathered into a single sentence.
Kill the woman on the platform.
The soldiers placed the prepared rope around Uta's neck.
As two strong soldiers exerted force, Uta's body was lifted into the air.
Raleigh suddenly released a wave of Conqueror's Haki that swept across the world, suppressing some of the people in the square who were beginning to stir restlessly.
Then he spoke.
"Shanks, I know you are watching this. I also know that the other pirates of the New World are watching."
"I am here to tell all of you that the old ways of the Marines are officially over. From today onward, we will strike at the things you treat as your lives."
"I will make you feel, while you are still alive, the same feelings felt by the civilians whose precious things were taken away by you. I will make you spend every remaining day regretting that you ever became pirates."
"This is only the beginning."
"There is still a long road ahead. We will take it step by step."
As the rope rose higher, Uta's face began changing from pale to purple-red.
Her limbs, which had originally been struggling, gradually stilled.
Raleigh looked at Uta's body without expression.
There was no change in his emotions.
...
"UTAAAAAA!"
Far away, deep in the New World, Shanks erupted completely when he saw Uta die.
His eyes seemed to drip blood, and his Conqueror's Haki rolled wildly in every direction without restraint.
Even the elite officers aboard his ship could barely withstand Shanks's outburst.