"Hahahahaha——!!!"
All eyes on the battlefield were on Rhine, who was laughing hysterically.
The expressions on their faces ranged from jealousy to puzzlement to hostility.
Rhine's laughter lasted for about half a minute and gradually calmed down, but there was still a genuine smile on her face.
"It doesn't matter, it's a pleasure to savor delicious food slowly."
After speaking, Rhine turned and walked toward the outskirts of the bay. Her voice carried from a distance.
"Let's go, there's still a lot of work to do."
Seeing this, Perona, Hancock, and the others turned and followed.
"Sons, let's go!" Whitebeard said gravely.
Originally, Whitebeard had thought of retreating, but now Shanks had taken the initiative to give him an out. Even if Whitebeard wasn't entirely willing to accept Shanks' "kindness," for the safety of his sons, he decided to take it.
"The war—it's over!!!" Sengoku, the top Marine official, also stood up and announced loudly.
The Marine hawks, led by Akainu, kept their eyes on Ace, who was following Whitebeard away. Damn it, he was so close to eliminating the most evil bloodline in the world.
However, Akainu and others felt somewhat consoled seeing the body of Monkey D. Dragon being carried behind Sabo's back.
Forget it, although they failed to win this time, at least they didn't lose too badly, did they?
On the Marine side, several Vice Admirals were seriously injured, but no one was killed. Three captains of the Whitebeard Pirates died in battle. The Revolutionary Army suffered the heaviest loss, with two army commanders and their core leader, Monkey D. Dragon, dead.
The Straw Hat Pirates lost one member in the battle...though it's debatable if this was a loss. After all, Usopp's role was mostly metaphysical, and he seemed less useful than Brook. He was somewhat dispensable. But his death completely set the Rhine Pirates and the Red Hair Pirates against each other.
The moment Rhine decided to tie King Luffy to the government, she wasn't prepared to get along with the redheads.
In this war, all major forces suffered more or less. Marine seemed to have lost little, but don't forget that Magellan, the patron saint guarding Impel Down, died in battle, and the death row prisoners escaped. Plus, Marineford was destroyed.
Carefully calculated, Marine's losses were only slightly less than those of the Revolutionary Army.
To find a winner, one might argue it was the Rhine Pirates, who emerged with combat power comparable to the Naval Headquarters and the Emperor Pirates. Their rise means that the first half of the Grand Line, dominated by the Naval Headquarters and Warlords, and the second half, ruled by the Four Emperors for over a decade, will be completely disrupted!
The World Government, represented by the Five Elders, should be very pleased. After all, the forces they fear most aren't the Four Emperors and Warlords with their terrifying combat power—those are just a bunch of fools. The Revolutionary Army is the real threat. Now with Dragon dead, they believe the Revolutionary Army won't recover for twenty or thirty years.
The biggest battle since the beginning of the Great Pirate Era is over. The major forces went their separate ways. Marine immediately started restoring their headquarters. Impel Down was breached, a large number of prisoners escaped, and there were issues with cooperating with pirates. As the supreme commander of Marine, Sengoku must bear these responsibilities. His position as marshal is definitely untenable.
The Whitebeard Pirates, having lost three team captains, took them back to their respective hometowns in the New World for burial.
The Straw Hat Pirates worked with the Revolutionary Army. Called the Winter Island Baltigo, they arrived at, the base camp of the Revolutionary Army, the Land of White Clay. Although King Luffy has no feelings for his father, it is undeniable that he died to save him. At the funeral, the always-optimistic Luffy fell silent.
The funeral was brief, taking only half a day. The Straw Hat Pirates then bid farewell to the Revolutionary Army and officially began their journey.
"Luffy, with your current strength, it's too dangerous to make a difference in the New World ruled by the Four Emperors."
By the harbor, Sabo handed a note to Luffy, explaining, "Take this."
"What is this?" Luffy blinked curiously.
"At Marineford, Shanks gave me his life card before he left," Sabo explained with a chuckle.
"Nani!? Shanks?" Luffy's eyes widened like saucers.
Sabo nodded and explained, "He said that if you want, you can go to him, and he will help you train."
Luffy was stunned for a while, then turned to the crew, asking, "What do you think?"
Although the Straw Hat Pirates didn't have a deputy captain, Zoro was undoubtedly the second-in-command. Hearing Luffy's words, Zoro responded first, "After the battle at Marineford, I deeply understand the gap between us and the world's top pirates. If we can get help from the Four Emperors, I welcome it."
If it were before, Zoro's pride might have prevented him from seeking help. However, after seeing the monsters at Marineford, he realized that pride wouldn't make him stronger.
Sanji, Nami, Chopper, and the others also nodded in agreement. Everyone decided to find Shanks.
"Sister Robin, if there's a chance in the future, I hope you can fight with us," Koala said, seizing the opportunity to grab Robin's attention as the Straw Hat Crew was about to leave. As the only person who can interpret historical texts and having experienced the Ohara tragedy, Koala really wanted to fight alongside Robin. She wanted to recruit her.
But Robin, understanding the implication, smiled slightly and declined, "Thank you, Koala, but now I want to help Luffy become the Pirate King."
Koala looked at Luffy, who was standing with Sabo nearby. Unlike Sabo, she didn't know Luffy well and didn't have special feelings for him. She doubted he could become the Pirate King.
Finally, the Straw Hat Crew boarded a medium-sized two-masted sailing ship similar to the Winter Granma, given to them by the Revolutionary Army, and set sail.
"The next leader of the Revolutionary Army, it's okay to be Sabo, everyone?" After the funeral and seeing off the Straw Hat Crew, the Revolutionary Army's cadres convened in a meeting room. Ivankov, the commander of the Grand Line Army, spoke first.
Belo Betty: "No objection."
Ashilu: "Agreed."
Callas: "Yes."
All members at the cadre level agreed. Sabo had served as the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army for years, so no one objected to him taking over Dragon's position. Koala would take over as Chief of Staff.
"I have no problem with Sabo taking Mr. Dragon's place, but there's one thing I hope to clarify," Koala, who had been silent, suddenly spoke. "I hope we minimize involvement in pirate disputes in the future and focus on defeating the Celestial Dragons."
Although Koala greatly respected Dragon, this war to save Luffy seemed somewhat selfish. With Sabo and Luffy being sworn brothers, Koala feared Sabo might repeat Dragon's mistake. Or put it bluntly, she didn't care much about Luffy's life and didn't want the Revolutionary Army to become Luffy's nanny.
Hearing this, Sabo frowned but held his tongue. The seeds of political differences were sown.
The Straw Hat Pirates headed in the direction indicated by the vivre card given by Shanks.
In the early hours of the night, after the battle later known as the "Summit War," an astonishing number of newsbirds flew from major newspapers all over the world, distributing freshly printed papers for free. For major events affecting the world, Morgans didn't need money. This increased the influence of his newspaper, making him the only giant in the press. The world was boiling with news.
This Summit War, compared to the original Whitebeard Pirates vs. Marine Headquarters, was an exaggeration. Just one newspaper, with four pages, wasn't enough to cover everything. Morgans had to rank the impact of various events.
The first page reported the death of Monkey D. Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army and "The Most Dangerous Man in the World!" Although the World Government has over 170 member countries, there are still many small countries too poor to pay the heavenly gold, unable to join. For these countries, the Revolutionary Army was another "World Government." Now, with Dragon dead, his influence was immense.
And when mentioning Dragon's death, one had to mention the person who killed him. Until this war, the mysterious person with a bounty of 0—Rhine!
Morgans placed Rhine's report on the second page after Dragon's death. "The man who played with Marine and the Four Emperors in the palm of his hand and completely broke the balance of the world!!!" The title showed Morgans' high regard for Rhine. Through Buggy's video phone relay, the world saw Rhine and her pirates' terrifying power.