"Nika!?"

Looking at the posture of the figure in the photo, Shamrock recognized the other party's identity almost instantly.

That free and pure white posture, like the sun, was unmistakably the incarnation of 'Nika'.

But...

"How is this possible? Wasn't Nika already obtained by 'Star Lord'?"

Shamrock's voice was full of disbelief — and yet, beneath it, a trace of excitement.

Yes.

As far as he knew, Star Lord had struck the Drums of Liberation more than once — this was enough to show that the 'Nika Fruit' should have long since been obtained by Star Lord.

And now, he was actually seeing this fruit appear on someone else.

"Could this boy... be 'Star Lord'?"

He said, incredulous.

As far as he knew, Star Lord should clearly have been a figure who existed thirty years ago.

How could such a person be a youth?

Compared to Shamrock's surprise and disbelief, Imu appeared very calm.

"'Star Lord'... that man is not an 'individual' that can be understood through conventional thinking."

He said coldly.

No one knew Star Lord's level better than Him — that was a 'New God' who had truly touched the realm of the Gods, and needed only enough accumulation to challenge Him.

For such an existence, appearance, age, gender — everything could be 'molded'.

"Even Mu cannot confirm the relationship between this youth and Star Lord."

Imu did not deny this.

Up to now, He was entirely ignorant of how exactly Star Lord had obtained his current power, or how he had intruded his authority into the realm of Gods.

But Imu could at least be certain of one thing.

"That straw hat makes Mu very displeased."

Imu's gaze settled on the straw hat on Luffy's back in the photo.

It was something that made Him deeply displeased — almost a symbol of Nika and Joy Boy alike.

"..."

And Shamrock, looking at that straw hat, couldn't help but think of someone as well.

His twin younger brother. The one who had betrayed the Holy Land and their class.

"So, Mu wants you to go confirm it, Shamrock."

Imu said seriously.

"Mu has already reviewed this youth's dossier within the Government — the pirate 'Straw Hat' Luffy. His bounty is a mere fifty million Berries."

"Go confirm his identity. Be careful and cautious; there is no need to rush."

"If he is Star Lord, Mu will personally 'exterminate' him."

"If he is not Star Lord, bring him back to Mary Geoise."

Speaking up to here, a faint sneer entered Imu's voice.

How ridiculous.

A youth possessing the power of the Nika Fruit, wearing that straw hat, having completed the first half of the Grand Line — and yet with a bounty of a mere fifty million Berries.

This only confirmed for Imu that His choice to take the reins of secular authority into His own hands had been correct. The Government and the Five Elders had been sitting in their positions without doing any real work for far too long, and were no longer of much value.

Of course, restricted by the contract with the initial twenty kings, He couldn't truly dismantle the Celestial Dragons Himself and replace His spokespeople outright.

But it didn't matter.

Because, just as He had told the Five Elders earlier — they would have the opportunity to serve the world with their utmost loyalty.

"'Straw Hat' Luffy... I understand."

Shamrock was not privy to the thoughts moving through Imu's mind at that moment. He nodded solemnly, obedient to every word his God said.

At the same time, he understood Lord Imu's meaning well — whether or not the other party was 'Star Lord' himself, they held immense value for Imu either way.

A private meeting between God and His most loyal servant in Mary Geoise was naturally known to no one.

But without a doubt, for the people of this sea, the current situation could only be described as bizarre.

Because...

"The 'Aster' has left the Sabaody sea area and is sailing eastward — it might enter the Lunar Horn sea area or the Florian Triangle!"

"Ah? Isn't that sailing backwards on the Grand Line?"

"Are you an idiot? What sailing backwards — The Zodiac aren't pirates. They never had any intention of following the Grand Line!"

"Looking at this, do they really want to sail the entire world? The Lunar Horn sea area is very close to the Calm Belt. Could they perhaps enter the East Blue from near there?"

"Why do I get the feeling they have some other scheme in mind — those are Giants and Fish-Men. If we let them pass through our country's territorial waters... if they have bad intentions, we're finished."

"Hah? When did you develop this illusion... even without the Fish-Man race and the Giant race, just any top executive of The Zodiac alone would be enough to wipe out your little country."

"Where's the Government? Where's the Government? Save us!"

Throughout the Grand Line, the royalty and nobles of countless kingdoms were in a panic.

Especially the kings of those countries that appeared to lie directly along the Aster's sailing route — many had been too anxious to sleep properly for days.

And no wonder — that was The Zodiac.

The Zodiac 'Rat' among them had already earned the reputation of a 'King Killer', and the Zodiac 'Pig' was the creator of the Revolutionary Army's 'Pluto Alloy Weapons'. The organization's behavior, from the very beginning, had been that of one absolutely opposed to the World Government.

Such an organization, sailing the seas with the entire Giant race and Fish-Man race behind them... who could keep food down?

What drove them even crazier was that at a time like this, the World Government and the Marines — who should have been their protectors — made no movement whatsoever.

The Transponder Snail calls made to the Government and the letters sent to Marine Headquarters were like stones dropped into the ocean. The Government made no statement, as if to say: we have no obligation to stop their sailing.

This nearly pushed the kings past the point of restraint.

Paying the Heavenly Tribute all these years for nothing — completely unreliable when it actually mattered.

But cursing aside, the kings didn't dare simply sit and await their fate.

And here was the interesting part — ever since the Zodiac Rat's 'King Bounties', many kings had actually put together a set of 'preparatory measures', most of which amounted to plans for abandoning their countries and fleeing with enough gold and treasure in tow.

Those measures, as it happened, were now coming in very useful.

And so, to the surprise of people across the entire sea, even in some kingdoms the Aster had not yet reached, the local royalty and nobles had already fled outright. Entire countries were changing hands as a result.

And these newly appointed rulers, whatever their true intentions, found themselves compelled — in the face of the 'Aster' soon passing through — to improve on the governing failures of their predecessors and make the lives of ordinary people better.

Of course, these were all just chain reactions, largely ignored by the vast majority of the world.

Whether it was the major news agencies, the people of various countries, the pirates, or the Marines — what they were all truly paying attention to was one thing.

What exactly would happen if someone boarded that starlight giant ship? Could they come out alive? What would they experience? What exactly were the so-called 'Star Garden' and 'Twelve Trials'?

And amid that breathless attention, the first challengers quickly appeared.

The Lunar Horn sea area was adjacent to the Sabaody sea area, and at the same time lay very close to the treacherous Florian Triangle.

Because of this, the sea area was shrouded in year-round fog — though not so dense as to obstruct sailing the way the Florian Triangle did.

Relying on that fog, the Lunar Horn sea area had developed a unique industry: slave transportation.

Before the human auction houses on the Sabaody Archipelago were thrown into upheaval by the Zodiac Rooster, slave transport ships had used that fog to evade tracking, slip into the vicinity of the Sabaody sea area, and deliver their cargo safely.

Along the route, all kingdoms in the Lunar Horn sea area collected a certain 'toll', and many would purchase some of the slaves themselves as citizens and labor.

One could imagine what kind of life awaited those 'citizens' — called such in name, but still performing the lowest work, with only the most limited freedom.

So...

"Big Sis Sharna, are we really going to board that ship...? I heard that many kingdoms in the Lunar Horn sea area have changed rulers, and the new policies are supposed to be good. They say we might actually have a chance to shed our slave status through that..."

At this time, on an isolated island at the westernmost edge of the Lunar Horn sea area, a group of slaves had gathered. A gaunt man was posing this very question.

"Changed rulers?"

The one he called Big Sis Sharna was a woman. Her clothes were just as worn and ragged as anyone else's, but the most striking thing about her was her right leg — which should have been straight and strong, but was twisted into an unnatural arc. A hideous scar ran across her entire face.

It made her features, which could only have been called plain to begin with, look even more severe.

Leaning on a makeshift crutch, she let out a short, cold laugh. "Ross, I told you — from the moment you became a slave, stop betting your future on other people."

"Can't you look at me? I am the lesson."

Her eyes held the sharp, steady light of a lioness.

"..."

Hearing her words, the gaunt man named Ross fell silent.

He knew Sharna well.

As a woman, the reason she had become the big sister recognized by all among their group of slaves was simple — Sharna possessed a decisiveness and courage that far exceeded any ordinary slave, along with an intelligence that surpassed most people around her.

But Sharna had not always been this way.

It was said that when she first became a slave, still young and trusting, she had made the mistake of confiding in an official who managed the slave village.

At that time, the slaves in Sharna's village had been planning a rebellion and escape.

That newly appointed official had shown sympathy toward the slaves, treated them well, and had even developed a mutual feeling with Sharna.

So Sharna chose to trust him, and told him the rough outline of the rebellion's plan.

But after the official's promotion, his face changed.

Whatever sympathy he had once felt for the slaves seemed to dissolve under the nourishment of power. He used his knowledge of the slaves and his familiarity with the plan to crush the rebellion brutally, and many slaves died as a result.

Sharna herself appeared to have been spared for her 'contribution', and was even offered the chance to shed her slave status.

But in the end, it was Sharna herself who chose to refuse.

She slashed her own face and broke her own leg — a repayment for the sacrifice and debt she owed to those who had died because of her.

From that day on, she became the leader of the slaves.

"Power warps the will. Once someone sits in that position, they are no longer trustworthy."

"The gentleness you're seeing now is just an act."

Sharna said quietly.

"They are only making a temporary compromise."

"The fact that they've been letting us eat our fill and dress warmly lately, giving us a little freedom — that's only because The Zodiac is coming."

"And for us, that is our only chance."

At her words, another voice rose among the slaves: "But Big Sis Sharna, how can you be sure The Zodiac is trustworthy?"

Clearly, others shared Ross's doubts and were thinking of backing out.

"I have no way to confirm it."

Sharna didn't look up to find who had spoken.

She only let out a slow breath. "I don't truly understand The Zodiac. What little I know comes from a handful of readable newspaper scraps and secondhand rumors. I cannot confirm whether they are trustworthy."

"But..."

She took a long, quiet breath.

"Based on those rumors — they helped Alabasta bring rain and relief to the people, liberated Dressrosa, killed many kings from the World Government's affiliated countries, and saved countless people through Neverland, including every slave on one of the exile islands."

"The Giant race and the Fish-Man race allied with them and came under their protection. I don't need to explain the value those two races carry as slaves — you all already know."

Her eyes held sharpness, resolve, and something rarer — hope.

"Because of all of this, I am willing to bet."

That was the conclusion she had reached after long thought. And it was the reason she was standing here now.

And at exactly that moment, a stir ran through the gathered slaves.

VMMM!

Sharna instinctively turned her head — and saw that massive behemoth rising from the distant sea, and the scattered points of starlight that came with it.

"It's here!"

"It's the flagship of The Zodiac — it's... the 'Aster'!"

The cries of the slaves said everything.

At that moment, Sharna stopped speaking.

She simply took another long breath — longer and slower than any she had drawn before.

In her mind, memories rose unbidden.

The moment she was torn from her homeland and forced onto a slave transport ship.

The moment the man she had once trusted — had even thought of giving her life to — betrayed her.

The moment her companions fell under the soldiers' swords and guns because of her, and yet never blamed her for it.

"Sharna..."

They had only mouthed the words.

"If you feel sorry for us, then keep going — go and see the free world in our stead."

She raised her eyes and looked at the iridescent starlight spreading across the water.

And so —

"Those willing to bet everything with me — come with me."

(End of Chapter)

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