"I'll stop pretending."
Gern's hand never loosened its grip on Dragon's head. With his other hand, he slowly raised a finger—
Pointing past the tense Straw Hat crew… straight at the pale-faced Kozuki Hiyori behind them.
"By the way," Gern said, his voice once again carrying the iron authority of a Fleet Admiral,"I didn't come to Wano just to 'congratulate' you all on defeating Kaido."
He paused.
His gaze sharpened like a blade, locking onto Hiyori's terrified eyes as he declared:
"On behalf of the Marines… I am here to formally take over Wano Country."
"—!"
Hiyori's entire body trembled violently.
Her legs gave out, and she staggered backward, barely catching herself as she covered her mouth—her eyes filled with despair.
The shogunate she had only just reclaimed…The dawn she had only just glimpsed…
Was it all about to be swallowed by an even greater, more unstoppable force?
"DON'T SCREW WITH ME!!!"
Luffy's roar shattered the suffocating silence.
He wrenched himself free from Jinbe and Sanji's support, stepping forward, standing tall—
Facing Gern head-on without the slightest trace of fear.
"Wano is already free!!" Luffy shouted, his voice unwavering, filled with absolute conviction.
"It was the people here! The samurai! Us—we beat Kaido and Orochi together!"
"It belongs to the Kozuki clan! It belongs to the people who want to live here in freedom!!"
He took a deep breath. His chest rose and fell.
Then, with unprecedented seriousness, he declared—each word ringing through the courtyard:
"If… if the Marines want to take it—"
"Then!!"
He raised his arm and pointed to his own chest.
"My flag can fly here!!"
"The flag of the Straw Hat Pirates—my flag—Monkey D. Luffy's flag!!!"
This was the first time Luffy, as the newly recognized "Fifth Emperor"…As captain of the Straw Hat crew…As a victor who had brought down two Emperors—
Formally claimed a land as his territory.
A declaration.A promise.And a naked challenge to Gern.
The tension in the courtyard snapped tight.
"...Heh."
Gern merely let out a short, cold chuckle.
Tilting his head slightly, he looked at Luffy as though humoring a naïve child.
"Putting up your flag, huh? Easy words, Straw Hat boy—Monkey D. Luffy."
"Do you even know what it means to be an 'Emperor'?"
"If not, let me ask you something simpler."
"Your so-called 'protection'—does it mean you'll abandon your journey to become Pirate King… and stay here in Wano forever?"
"For the rest of your life… guarding this land—every blade of grass, every citizen?"
"When your crew calls you to the next island…When clues to Laugh Tale appear on the other side of the world…When new enemies threaten your companions…"
"Will you stay here and fulfill your duty as a 'protector'—Or will you, like always… set sail without hesitation to chase your dreams?"
Gern's gaze sharpened.
"Do you truly have the resolve to be an Emperor?"
"Kaido had Wano. Big Mom had Totto Land. Whitebeard had his territories. Red-Haired Shanks patrols his domain."
"And me?"
"When I stormed the New World alone… I bled and fought to establish G-10—holding back four Emperors by myself."
His voice turned heavier.
"Luffy… you're nothing more than a free adventurer with Emperor-level strength."
"Can you give up that vast ocean… and spend years building an unshakable dominion like we did?"
The question struck like a blade.
The fire in Luffy's eyes… flickered.
Then dimmed.
He fell silent.
His mouth opened—
But no words came out.
For the first time, that ever-decisive face showed something raw.
Struggle.
Confusion.
Stay here? Forever?
What about Zoro? Nami?
Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Brook, Jinbe…
What about the Going Merry… the Thousand Sunny…
What about the end of the sea?
What about… the Pirate King?
His dream. His crew. His adventure…
Could all of that truly be traded for the burden of guarding one land forever?
Gern's question had struck the very core of Luffy's belief system—
Absolute freedom… and absolute responsibility.
The two could not coexist.
He could risk his life for friends.
He could gamble everything for justice in the moment.
But to give up the entire ocean… for the long-term peace of a single country?
That went against the very foundation of who he was.
Seeing Luffy fall into silence, caught in visible turmoil—
Gern knew.
He had hit the mark.
He didn't press further.
He simply lowered his hand, no longer pointing at Hiyori.
"…Can you really do it?"
"Plant your flag here?"
...
At the same time—
On the other side of Wano, in the Ringo region near the harbor.
The Polar Tang and the imposing Victoria Punk sat docked side by side.
"I'm going back!"Trafalgar D. Water Law's expression was deadly serious.
He had clearly sensed it—
That brief clash of Haki from the direction of the Flower Capital.
One of them… he recognized.
Straw Hat's.
But the other…
Filled him with a deeply ominous feeling.
"Are you insane, Trafalgar?!"Eustass Kid snapped, raking a hand through his red hair, his mechanical arm twitching impatiently.
"Something's clearly gone wrong over there! Haki at that level just exploded out—going back is suicide!"
"We just took down two Emperors! Our ships are wrecked, we're barely standing! The only thing we should be doing right now is getting the hell out of here!"
"Straw Hat might be in trouble!" Law insisted, already gripping Kikoku.
"Trouble? What's it got to do with us?!" Kid roared."We were just temporary allies! The fight's over—we go our separate ways! Whether he lives or dies is his problem!"
"Kid!" Law's voice rose sharply. "Some things aren't about calculations! I need to confirm—"
"Confirm my ass!" Kid cut him off brutally.
But beneath his anger… there was something else.
Fear.
Kid was arrogant. Ruthless.
But not stupid.
Back at Sabaody, even he had known when to run after provoking the Celestial Dragons.
And now?
This wasn't an Admiral.
This was someone far worse.
And more importantly—
Kid suddenly yanked a crumpled photograph from his coat and shoved it at Law.
"Look at this! Got it from my crew while I was picking up supplies in Kuri!"
Law caught it and looked down.
One glance—
And his pupils shrank to pinpoints.
His face went pale.
The image was blurry, but unmistakable:
In a shadowed street of the Flower Capital—
A tall figure.
Dragging two people.
One in each hand.
One—unconscious, red-haired.
The other—barely clinging to life.
Even without a clear view of the face…
That white-wrapped blade at his waist—
"'Heavenquake'… Gern…" Law forced the name out through clenched teeth, his voice trembling.
"Yeah! The current Fleet Admiral!" Kid said, his voice dropping, urgency sharpening every word.
"And that's Red-Haired Shanks—the Emperor who took my arm! And the Revolutionary Army's leader!"
"Those two… are being dragged like dead dogs!"
Kid jabbed at the photo, then pointed toward the Flower Capital.
"Do you understand what that means?!"
"It means that Fleet Admiral came to Wano—carrying trophies like this!"
"And if he's here, there's no way he came alone!"
"Behind him is the entire New Marine force—independent, ruthless, and fresh off showing their strength!"
"Who knows if he's here to make an example out of someone?!"
Kid grabbed Law by the collar, practically snarling:
"So wake the hell up, Law! We just fought two Emperors—we're at our limit!"
"What we might be facing now… is a fully prepared elite Marine force led by the Fleet Admiral himself!"
"Their target might not just be Straw Hat—"
His voice dropped, deadly serious.
"It might be all of Wano."
"And us—the so-called 'Worst Generation'… fresh out of battle, battered and broken."
He released Law roughly.
Turned.
And started walking back toward the Victoria Punk without looking back.
His final words cut through the air—
"If we don't leave now…"
"We might not be able to leave at all."