"Hey… hey, you've got to be kidding, right?"
Gern Reginald Sigmar looked at the frozen Yamato, Zoro spitting out his drink, and King standing in silence, and a trace of disappointment crossed his face.
He even casually shook the man dangling from his hand—Shanks—once or twice.
"Come on, give me something, will you?"
"I went through all that trouble—fighting my way here from the open sea, dragging him all the way to Wano…"
He lifted Shanks slightly, as if showing off a rare prize.
"This is one of the Four Emperors—Red-Haired Shanks! Alive! …Well, technically still alive."
Just as Gern was lamenting their lack of reaction—
The response he'd been expecting finally came.
And it came loud.
"SHANKS!!!!!"
A roar of shock exploded from deep within the shogun's residence.
In the next instant, a figure shot out like a cannonball—an arm stretching like rubber, launching himself straight to the courtyard entrance in a blur.
It was Luffy.
He must have been resting or celebrating deeper inside the residence with the others, only to be drawn here by the commotion.
Now, his eyes were wide—locked onto the bloodied, barely conscious red-haired man being casually held in Gern's grasp.
The smile that was usually on his face… was gone.
In its place—
Raw urgency.
"Hey! You creepy old guy!" Luffy shouted at Gern. "Let Shanks go!!"
With Luffy's arrival, the others from the residence rushed out as well.
Hiyori followed behind, worry etched across her face—only to freeze in shock as she took in the scene.
What… what had happened in such a short time?
Gern.The battered Shanks.Yamato, lost in shock.Zoro, standing ready with swords in hand.King, silent and unmoving.
At the same time, the rest of the Straw Hat crew emerged one after another—Nami, Robin, Usopp, Chopper, Franky, Brook, Sanji.
Each of them wore grim expressions, quickly forming a defensive formation around Luffy.
Gern's gaze swept across them.
He gave Nami—who had instinctively ducked behind Zoro—a friendly little smile.
Then he nodded lightly toward Jinbe, who stood calmly at Luffy's side, as if greeting an old acquaintance.
Only then did his eyes settle back on Luffy.
"Yo, Luffy," Gern said evenly, his tone carrying the faint air of an elder correcting a reckless child. "That's not quite right."
With a casual flick of his arm, he tossed Shanks to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
Thud.
A dull, heavy impact echoed across the stone.
Shanks let out a muffled groan.
Gern crouched down, grabbed a fistful of that iconic red hair without ceremony, and yanked his head up—forcing everyone present to see the blood smeared across his face and the pain twisting his expression.
"He's not someone I 'captured,'" Gern said, giving Shanks' head a slight shake, his tone almost innocent.
"Me? I just heard there was some excitement in Wano and came to see if I could pick up a little profit."
He paused, then put on an exaggeratedly aggrieved expression.
"But this 'loyal and righteous' Emperor here… brought along another troublesome fellow…"
He glanced toward the doorway.
"—and the two of them jumped me on the way. Just me alone! I was practically helpless!"
Gern let out a dramatic sigh.
"Sure… they didn't win in the end, and I may have 'accidentally' beaten them into this state…"
"But emotionally? I've suffered greatly!"
"This was an ambush! A gang-up! A complete collapse of moral standards!"
The absurdity of his complaint, paired with the image of him gripping Shanks by the hair, made the entire scene reek of mockery and provocation.
"You…" Luffy stepped forward, fury blazing in his eyes as he watched Shanks being treated like that.
"Luffy!"
Jinbe moved instantly, planting a firm hand on Luffy's shoulder and stopping him.
The former Warlord's expression was grave—more serious than ever.
"Luffy. Calm down," Jinbe said in a low voice, his eyes locked on Gern.
"The man in front of you is the current Fleet Admiral—'Heavenquake' Gern Reginald Sigmar."
"Red-Haired Shanks is a pirate. One of the Four Emperors."
"He intercepted the Fleet Admiral alone, was defeated, and captured. That is the law of the sea—survival of the fittest."
"The Marines capturing pirates is only natural!"
His voice grew heavier, each word striking Luffy's heart.
"And more importantly—if you attack him now… attack the Fleet Admiral…"
"That changes everything."
At that moment, Robin stepped forward beside Jinbe, her voice calm, finishing what he had left unsaid.
"Luffy, attacking an Admiral can still be considered a clash between pirates and high-ranking Marines."
"But if we attack the Fleet Admiral…"
Her tone dropped slightly.
"That would mean declaring war on the entire Marine organization… and the 'order' it represents in this world."
She paused—then spoke the final words, one by one.
"Total war."
"Total… war…" Luffy repeated, his voice quieter now.
The blazing anger in his eyes flickered—replaced by something heavier. Hesitation. Understanding.
He had lived through Enies Lobby.He had just declared war against Kaido on Onigashima.
He knew exactly what those words meant.
This wouldn't be a fight between individuals… or even crews.
It would be a war between massive forces.
One that would drag countless lives into its wake.
Seeing the hesitation in Luffy's eyes, the calculation—
The smile on Gern's lips deepened.
He released Shanks' hair and slowly rose to his feet, brushing imaginary dust from his hands.
"Well, well. Looks like our 'Fifth Emperor' is finally learning to think about consequences?"
But he had no intention of stopping there.
"Don't worry, Luffy," Gern suddenly said, putting on a tone as if he were offering a gift. "Aside from this rather disobedient red-haired uncle…"
He deliberately dragged out his words—then stepped aside slightly, revealing part of the doorway behind him.
At the same time, he called toward the shadow near the threshold.
"Hey. Fat guy. Stop hiding. Push him out."
Everyone turned.
Behind the doorway, a bulky figure flinched—Queen.
He had been lurking there all along, responsible for dragging Shanks and Dragon here. Now that Gern had called him out, his face went pale.
But he didn't dare disobey.
Using his still-functional mechanical arm, he struggled—
And pushed another figure out from the shadows.
A man, equally battered.
Unconscious.
His dark green coat was torn to shreds, his face smeared with blood.
"—!"
Luffy's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
The entire Straw Hat crew—Jinbe, Robin included—froze in shock.
Gern looked at Luffy's completely stiffened expression and nodded in satisfaction, smiling faintly.
"See? I brought you another little 'surprise.'"
He tilted his head slightly.
"This one was working with Shanks, too."
Then, with a casual tone—
"Your old man."
"The leader of the Revolutionary Army—Monkey D. Dragon."