One Piece : Glory To The Fleet Admiral

Chapter 479: Your Lives Hang on My Whim

New World, Unnamed Island.

To be precise, it could no longer be called an island.

In the world-shattering battle between Loki and Shanks, this once lush green island had been completely torn into dozens of fragments of varying sizes, now floating on the turbulent sea.

On the largest remaining landmass, Beckman, Lucky Roux, Yasopp, and other core members of the Red Hair Pirates remained pinned to the ground by that terrifying Conqueror's Haki.

They maintained their kneeling positions, veins bulging on their foreheads, every muscle in their bodies strained to the limit.

Just moments ago, they had witnessed their captain - Shanks, one of the Four Emperors ruling the New World - being sent flying to the horizon with a casual slash from Orion, disappearing from view.

Everyone's minds went momentarily blank.

"B... Boss!"

Lucky Roux managed to squeeze out the words with difficulty.

Yasopp gritted his teeth, his fingernails digging deep into the soil, blood seeping between his fingers.

"Damn it! Damn it!"

He had never hated his own powerlessness so much.

As the sniper of the Red Hair Pirates, he had been confident he could headshot any enemy from a kilometer away.

But now, he didn't even have the strength to pull a trigger.

Beckman was in slightly better condition, but could only barely lift his head to look in Orion's direction, his eyes filled with frustration and shock.

"Is this the true power of Orion?"

Beckman closed his eyes and shook his head with a bitter smile.

They thought they had already understood Orion's strength well enough, believing that with the power of the Red Hair Pirates, they could at least maintain the ability to fight against this man.

But reality dealt them a harsh slap in the face.

This overwhelming disparity in strength made Beckman feel a deep sense of powerlessness for the first time.

Not far away, a member of an affiliated pirate crew struggled to rise from the rubble, covered in blood.

He looked around in a daze, staring at the fragments of islands floating on the sea and the companions lying on the ground, their fates unknown.

He was utterly stunned.

"What on earth happened?" His voice trembled, his eyes filled with fear. "Where's the captain? Where did he get sent flying?!"

Orion sheathed his sword, calmly gazing in the direction where Shanks had disappeared.

He knew exactly where Shanks had gone.

That slash had been controlled with precision.

"Fleet Admiral..."

Loki gasped for breath, his massive body trembling slightly.

The battle just now had nearly exhausted all his strength.

If Orion hadn't supported him at the last moment, he would likely have collapsed already.

"Return to Elbaf."

Orion glanced back at Loki with a faint smile. "Leave this place to me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Orion stepped forward, and his figure vanished in an instant.

The next moment, he appeared before Beckman and the others.

The Conqueror's Haki suppressing them suddenly dissipated.

Beckman and the others gasped for air like drowning men finally surfacing.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Lucky Roux lay on the ground, feeling as though his lungs were about to burst.

Yasopp propped himself up with his hands, struggling to lift his head and look at Orion standing before them.

Orion's expression was calm, yet it made Yasopp feel an unprecedented sense of pressure.

After surveying the group, Orion fixed his gaze on Beckman and spoke calmly.

"Beckman, answer me: What is your purpose in setting sail as pirates? Freedom? Wealth? Fame? Or status?"

Taken aback by the question, Beckman was momentarily stunned before slowly raising his head to look at Orion, puzzled.

"Fleet Admiral Orion, since you can suppress us single-handedly, does it even matter why we set sail as pirates?!"

Orion nodded. "Indeed, your lives are entirely at my mercy. I can spare you or end you, and none of you could escape this island! However, mere slaughter cannot fully end the Great Pirate Era! I will appropriately grant some the opportunity to atone for their crimes through service, while others will be made examples to show the pirate forces lurking in the shadows, waiting for their chance, that their existence is a disgrace to this era!"

"Of course, I do not deny that the Red Hair Pirates have played a certain positive role in guiding the New World. After all, your presence has helped maintain the balance of power there."

"Therefore, I grant you one chance to turn yourselves in at a Marine base. However, your surrender will differ from that of other pirates I have pardoned. It must take place under the lenses of World News Agency reporters!"

"You want more pirates to voluntarily surrender to the Marines by having us turn ourselves in?" Beckman grasped Orion's meaning and continued, "Are you worried that relentless iron-fisted suppression will drive pirates to commit even more insane acts? Such as brutally slaughtering and retaliating against every town they pass through?"

Orion nodded, "You're an intelligent man! Under my suppression, what state the Grand Line is currently in—I believe I don't need to spell it out, as you've all witnessed it firsthand. The Red Hair Pirates once worked to maintain balance among the various forces in the Grand Line. Why not broaden your perspective completely and contribute your modest effort to stabilizing the world order?!"

"Fleet Admiral Orion—"

Before Beckman could respond, Lucky Roux suddenly stood up, his gaze burning intently as he stared at Orion and said gravely.

"Can you tell us where you sent Shanks flying to?"

"He should have landed in the Holy Land by now!"

Orion didn't hold back, stating bluntly, "Shanks was originally a member of the Figarland Family, the Celestial Dragons of the Holy Land. Sending him back to the Holy Land is my way of giving him a final chance to choose. If he still chooses to leave the Holy Land and resolutely continues down the path of a pirate, as he did back then, I will send him to the execution platform and carry out a public execution broadcast worldwide."

A series of question marks popped up above Lucky Roux's head as he stared blankly.

"You sent Shanks to Mary Geoise with a single slash?"

Similarly, Yasopp and the others secretly gulped upon hearing that Shanks had been 'delivered' back to the Holy Land by Orion.

Their territory was located in the latter half of the New World, thousands of miles away from the Red Line!

Sending a living person from one end of the world to the very center—is that even humanly possible?

While everyone was still reeling from the shock, the training ship finally arrived at the island that had been shattered into pieces during the battle.

Before the training ship could even dock, Luffy's voice carried over from afar.

"Shanks!"

"I'm here!"

As Luffy's excited voice faded, Usopp and Chopper's screams immediately pierced the sky.

"Waaaaah, Luffy, whatever you do, don't let go!"

"Usopp, sob sob, are we going to be dragged into the sea by Luffy this time?"

The screams grew louder as they approached.

Holding Usopp and Chopper in his arms, Luffy used his Rubber Devil Fruit ability to catapult himself from the training ship, soaring through the sky like a cannonball before crashing into the ruins not far from Orion.

Amid the rising dust, Luffy sprang to his feet like a carp and laughed heartily at Beckman, Yasopp, and the others beside Orion.

"Guys, do you remember me? I'm Monkey D. Luffy!"

No sooner had he spoken than Luffy flashed in front of Orion.

Immediately after, Usopp and Chopper crawled out of the rubble, yelling at Luffy, "Luffy, next time, can you please not bring me along... Huh?"

Before he could finish, Usopp's pupils suddenly contracted, his gaze locking onto Yasopp.

After staring blankly for several seconds, Usopp snapped back to reality and blurted out excitedly.

"Father?"