While the assembled crowd buzzed with shock and suspicion, a wry, helpless smile flickered across Drake's lips.
He had issued explicit orders long ago that the Dark Clan was not to participate in his wedding.
Evidently, his directives had fallen on deaf ears. The force arriving in lockstep with the Marines was none other than the standing army of the Dark Clan!
Though a noticeable gap in raw combat power still separated them from the Marines, the imposing presence they projected had reached a point where they could stand proudly toe-to-toe with the world's finest.
"We offer our felicitations to the Lead—to the Legendary Four Brothers on their grand matrimonial ceremony!" the man at the head of the formation bellowed with cupped fists.
In the next breath, the legion behind him roared in unison, "We congratulate the Legendary Four Brothers on their grand wedding!"
Their thunderous voices shook the heavens.
The spectacle stunned every soul present. Even the division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates and the executive officers of the Red Hair Pirates stood utterly speechless.
A single, burning question echoed through their minds:
Who on earth are these people?!
Drake felt a sharp pang in his chest. For these troops to assemble here, there was only one possible explanation!
Bernice!
Had she arrived as well...?
Where was she?!
No matter how far Drake pushed his Observation Haki, he failed to detect the faintest trace of her presence.
He had never hidden the truth of his marriage from Bernice; he had even told her that since he wished to keep things modest, she was welcome to attend on her own if she so desired.
Under current circumstances, this had to be her doing!
Otherwise, no soul possessed the authority to mobilize such a colossal host to these waters—an assembly that had likely conscripted every operative belonging to the Dark Clan throughout the East Blue.
Far out upon the sea, a solitary, opulent warship drifted quietly across a desolate expanse of water. Aboard the vessel, a solitary figure wearing a grotesque, otherworldly mask stood gazing in the direction of the celebration.
The mask was an uncanny chimera: one part stylized after a dragon, one part resembling crashing ocean swells, and one part carved like a gleaming blade.
These three motifs converged in intricate relief, painted in an ominous gradient of midnight black and blood-red that radiated an unsettling, surreal aura.
"Leader, are you... truly not going ashore?"
"Ah-Bing!" A familiar voice drifted from behind the porcelain mask—it was Bernice.
"Haven't I told you already? It is better that I stay away. Besides, the Dark Clan stands before its most critical juncture; as its supreme leader, how could I indulge in stepping away at a time like this?"
Ah-Bing lapsed into silence.
She understood that pressing the matter would only draw forth unshed tears. Their leader was a proud woman who had carried an unyielding spirit her entire life.
From the moment she strapped on that grotesque mask, she had resolved to consecrate her existence to the Dark Clan!
Leaving no room in her heart for anything else!
The crisis she spoke of was indeed a tangible reality. The current dynamic between the New World Government and the Dark Clan mirrored the tension that had once existed between the ancient World Government and the Revolutionary Army.
If the Dark Clan continued to operate out in the open, future collisions would become an absolute inevitability.
And the very reason they were named the Dark Clan was their singular ability to dissolve seamlessly into the shadows.
Their strategic trajectory from this day forward was to vanish entirely from public record, transforming into a hidden, omnipotent intelligence network obscured from mortal eyes.
Not long ago, Boss Drake had decreed that the Dark Clan's primary duty was to serve as a sovereign intelligence syndicate, acting as the ultimate guarantor of equilibrium in the eras to come.
Today's New World Government existed to safeguard global peace and nurture prosperity, but what of the distant tomorrow?
Who could vouch for the state of the world a century from now?
Or a millennium down the line?
The Dark Clan endured for the sole purpose of waiting for the rise of the next Roger and the next Luffy, standing ready to offer them clandestine sanctuary and support from the shadows.
Yet such generational preparations were hardly an urgent emergency. As for the true reason their leader chose this path... Ah-Bing knew down to her marrow that it was because of that one man.
The true, supreme sovereign of the Dark Clan—the God of War, Vale D. Drake!
Though Bernice had never breathed a word of her longing, how could someone who had remained by her side day in and day out remain blind to the truth?
Once this day concluded, every lingering thread of hope would be severed forever...
"BWAHAHAHA...!"
In the front row of the banquet grounds, old man Garp's boisterous laughter boomed without end as he tossed barbed remarks back and forth with Sengoku beside him.
Petty bickering flared between them every few minutes.
Ever since the New World Government had been inaugurated, the two old veterans had been living a peaceful, retired existence in an idyllic retreat arranged personally by Dragon.
As for why Sengoku had joined him, the former Fleet Admiral had petitioned for it himself, citing that after spending so many decades serving alongside Garp, parting ways in their golden years felt unbearable.
With Garp giving his gruff approval, Dragon naturally raised no objection.
And for an occasion as historic as this wedding, there was no way under heaven they would miss it.
"So, what do you think? Is today's world the vision you spent your life yearning for, Sengoku...?" Once the laughter subsided, Garp's tone shifted abruptly, asking with quiet earnestness, "In truth, the real reason you insisted on rooming with me was to bear witness to this new world with your own eyes, wasn't it?"
"Color me surprised that your thick skull managed to piece that together, Garp..." Sengoku shot him an astonished glance.
"Hmph! After all these decades, do you think I don't know you down to your bones?" Garp scoffed disdainfully, aiming his nostrils at the sky.
"That disciple of yours is about to assume the mantle of Fleet Admiral, isn't he? He truly lives up to your tutelage."
"Koby, huh..." Garp grinned broadly. "That boy's natural talent is genuinely terrifying, and his grit is second to none."
"Still, I never anticipated he would ascend to these heights so rapidly... the youngest Marine Admiral in recorded history..."
"Wait a second, how did your intelligence reach you so quickly? Who leaked this to you?!" Garp's eyes snapped wide. He had only learned of the appointment a short while ago.
Even the incumbent Fleet Admiral, Weitian herself, had yet to be formally briefed on the succession.
"You really want to know?" Sengoku offered a sly, fox-like smirk. "Figure it out yourself!"
Garp's jaw dropped in indignant fury.
"Escort the grooms and their brides to the manor!"
Shanks, presiding as the master of ceremonies, beamed with a broad grin and roared at the top of his lungs.
As the matrimonial rites drew toward their close, a colossal wedding cake—jointly crafted by the culinary genius of Sanji and Bell—was wheeled into the center of the clearing.
Deafening cheers shook the air.
The grandeur of the celebration reached heights never before witnessed in history; the unassuming, weathered grounds of Foosha Village had assembled practically every apex powerhouse walking the earth.
Earlier, Dragon had stepped onto the grounds via the spatial gate. His schedule was suffocatingly tight, yet he refused to let this milestone pass without his presence.
And so, Drake had fashioned a dedicated gateway connecting his headquarters directly to the ceremonial altar.
Scattered amidst the periphery were outlaws who had crossed the seas solely out of reverence—rising icons hailed as the Supernovas of the era, and even overt adversaries who had crept in under the radar, such as Charlotte Katakuri.
At this moment, not a shred of hostility lingered in their chests; they offered only their purest, unadulterated blessings to Luffy, Drake, and their brethren.
"Gurararara..." A deep, rumbling laugh suddenly echoed across the grass.
"Garp! Come, drink a round with me!"
"Whitebeard!"
The expressions of Garp and Sengoku hardened in unison, and the boisterous grounds fell into dead silence.
Drake and his brothers, who had just begun descending the platform, halted their steps, their gazes locking onto that towering, weathered titan whose frame remained as formidable as an iron mountain.
Suddenly, Garp's face split into a wide grin. "I've been waiting for you, Whitebeard! If you don't drink until you drop today, don't even think about setting foot back on your ship!"
"He speaks the truth, Whitebeard. We have awaited your arrival for quite some time!" Sengoku declared, his voice ringing with dignified warmth.
The surrounding onlookers watched the exchange in utter, speechless bewilderment. Since when had the bond between Whitebeard and the Marine legends grown so harmonious?
"Pops... Old man..." Ace murmured, taken entirely aback by the scene.
"Ace, were these venerable elders always on such magnificent terms?" Yamato's eyes sparkled with starry delight.
"To be honest... I haven't the faintest idea..." Ace shook his head helplessly. Under the bewildered gazes of Drake and the others, the aged legends plunged straight into an unrestrained drinking marathon.
Standing nearby, the corners of Shanks's lips curled into a faint, knowing smile. In this treacherous world, adversaries of bygone eras often made for far better drinking companions than hollow friends.
Before long, Drake and the couples made their way toward the mountain slopes behind the village, arriving before the sanctuary of their childhood memories: the secret base!
Every corner of the clearing was steeped in their youth, with the weathered pirate flag bearing the initials "ASL" fluttering proudly in the breeze.
Only now, a brand-new manor rose from the cleared glade below. Franky had led a host of master shipwrights to construct this shared sanctuary for Luffy and his brothers.
It spanned four spacious stories; ascending from the ground level to the summit were the private quarters of Ace, Sabo, Drake, and Luffy.
This arrangement had been settled after extensive deliberation; in the end, they had resolved to make their home together.
And so, the commission had fallen to Franky.
The architectural masterpiece had been drafted by Franky's own hand and refined with artistic ingenuity by Usopp, culminating in the home standing before them today.
Right after Drake and the couples stepped inside, another titan arrived at the banquet grounds below, plunging the clearing into reverent stillness once more.
The Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh!
The former first mate of the Pirate King.
"I knew your old bones would show up eventually! What's the matter? So determined to avoid crossing paths with Luffy?" Garp bellowed with hearty laughter the moment he laid eyes on Rayleigh.
Rayleigh offered no reply. Striding straight to the banquet table, he hoisted an enormous bowl of vintage sake, casting a provocative, mocking glance toward Whitebeard, Garp, and Sengoku before draining the vessel in a single unbroken draught.
Whitebeard: "!!!"
Garp: "!!!"
Sengoku: "!!!"
Could any self-respecting warrior stomach such a slight?
Drink!
Before the eyes of the thunderstruck onlookers, the four old legends launched into a full-scale, no-holds-barred drinking duel.
Moments later, Shanks threw himself into the fray as well.
The gathered guests turned pale with awe. These weathered relics of the bygone era were actually going toe-to-toe in a war of the liver!
A spring night of passion was worth ten thousand pieces of gold.
This sacred hour was destined to remain branded into the marrow of Drake's memory until the seas dried and the stones turned to dust.
Unable to restrain the fire in his chest, Drake reached out, gently lifting the crimson veil draped over Weitian's head. Beholding the breathtaking, delicate beauty before him, Drake felt his breath catch in his throat.
She was simply too magnificent!
With only a whisper of cosmetics gracing her features, her innate radiance seemed to bloom in full, devastating splendor.
His eyes gazed intently into hers.
Pinned beneath that fiercely possessive, burning gaze, Weitian's cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of scarlet as she murmured in a voice as soft as a breeze, "It is... still broad daylight..."
"What does daylight matter? I've waited long enough!" Drake offered her no opportunity to retreat, closing the distance and sealing her lips with his own.
"Mmph..." Weitian's eyes went wide—this man was truly too reckless...
Yet within moments, all conscious thought dissolved into mist, and her eyelashes fluttered gently shut.
The bridal chamber blossomed with warmth and passion, filled only with the soft, tangled cadence of their breathing...
As twilight settled over the horizon, not a single guest had departed from the banquet grounds below. The crowd remained utterly transfixed, staring at Whitebeard and his companions in paralyzed awe.
They had been drinking without pause from the morning sun to dusk, yet not a single one of the old titans had toppled!
Did reaching the status of a living legend grant a man an equally monstrous tolerance for alcohol?
Within the chamber above, Drake and Weitian lay quietly tangled in each other's embrace. Drake murmured softly against her ear, "You can only rest for a little while..."
"You still want more?!" Weitian's eyes snapped open in startled disbelief. "No... absolutely not! I have to report back to Marine Headquarters tomorrow, I—"
"There's no need for you to go," Drake said, shaking his head gently.
"What do you mean? Even with the wedding, missing a single day is the absolute limit of my absence. Any longer, and—"
"No, what I mean is: you don't ever need to go back," Drake smiled, his voice laced with warmth. "Do you know who took over your duties today?"
"Wasn't it... Mr. Dragon?"
"Uncle Dragon came to the wedding as well. You'll understand everything when the morning papers arrive..." Drake offered an enigmatic, roguish smirk before shifting his weight back over her.
"Ah! Not again...!"
The following morning, two epoch-defining headlines detonated across the four seas.
The Legendary Four Brothers Wed in a Grand Joint Ceremony!
A New Fleet Admiral Takes the Helm: Former Admiral Koby Ascends as Fleet Admiral of the New Marines!
In Foosha Village, Weitian stared down at the morning broadsheet, her face etched with profound disbelief.
Just like that... she had been passively relieved of her post?
Even now, a lingering sense of surreal detachment clung to her thoughts. Drake had decreed that from this day forth, their home would remain right here for the rest of their days.
Meanwhile, Drake hovered high in the stratosphere above the Goa Kingdom. It was time to deploy the colossal fortress gifted by the System, embedding it deep within the subterranean space beneath the kingdom's soil.
From this day forward, the elite vanguard of the Dark Clan would emerge from this crucible, enduring solely to maintain the sacred equilibrium of the world.
In the years that followed, the saga of the Legendary Four Brothers crystallized into enduring myth, and the Great Age of Pirates ground to a definitive close.
Even so, countless dreamers continued to cast off into the unknown, chasing the legendary footsteps carved by the four brothers across the high seas.
Though the Great Age of Pirates had concluded, Drake knew full well that this was merely the closing of a single chapter; one day in the far-flung future, an era of identical wonder would inevitably awaken once more.
Such was the immutable pulse of destiny.
In that distant tomorrow, another Pirate King was destined to emerge, defying the twilight of his era to forge an entirely new dawn.
The gears of the world turned forever in such cyclical revolutions.
A single chronicle quietly circulated among the people, bearing the title: Voyages of the Four Brothers.
Author: Unknown.
It recorded every step, trial, and triumph of the legendary siblings' journey, passing down their legacy through the annals of time.
On a bright afternoon.
"Yo! Drake, what are you reading?!"
While Drake was thoroughly engrossed in the thick tome resting in his lap, Luffy suddenly vaulted over from behind, snatching the volume to examine it with narrowed eyes.
"What's this, Luffy? You've developed a sudden appetite for books?" Drake raised an amused brow.
"Nah, you can have it back," Luffy said, tossing the tome into Drake's hands. Grinning ear to ear, he added, "Oh, right! Hancock cooked up a massive mountain of meat today. Come over to our floor and eat with us!"
"Gladly!" Drake agreed with a hearty chuckle. "Go round up Ace and Sabo as well. It's been far too long since the four of us sat down for a proper meal together."
"Shishishi... I'm on it!"
Watching Luffy's departing figure sprint down the hall, the smile on Drake's lips curved as brilliantly as the sun.
"Too long since you ate together? Didn't the four of you drink each other under the table just three days ago? And you literally live under the same roof every single day," muttered the nameless pet lying curled beside Drake's chair.
It even wore a thoroughly human, exhausted grimace, sighing with theatrical despair:
"I will never understand you mortals..."
Drake cast a cool, sideways glance at the creature. "Hmph. A clueless mascot has no business psychoanalyzing human sentiment."
With an air of supreme smugness, Drake strode toward the gathering hall that belonged solely to the four brothers.
"Another feast with Ace and the boys, and Hancock's cooking no less... Hehehe... and little Luffy..." Humming a carefree sea shanty, Drake vanished down the corridor.
The creature stared after Drake's retreating back with wide, indignant eyes.
Damn you all!
I used to be a human being too, you know!
Why does having this physical body feel worse than being bodiless?! Back when I operated as the System, I was magnificent and all-powerful—whatever I told Drake to do, he had to jump!
Now... dammit, I'm treated worse than a stray dog!
If I lag behind by a second, there won't be a scrap of meat left!
"Wait for me! Don't you dare eat everything before I get there!" Wailing at the top of its lungs, its four tiny paws blurred into an aerodynamic whirlwind, vanishing down the hallway in the blink of an eye.
A gentle breeze drifted through the open window, fluttering the pages of the open chronicle resting on the desk until it settled quietly upon the final leaf.
The Bond... of Brotherhood.
(The End)