Chapter 843: Leaving with Nothing
Watching Ian leave, Whitebeard and Shanks couldn't help but turn their gazes toward the corpse of Uranus.
Ian's slash, which seemed to split heaven and earth, had cleaved Uranus in two, but because the strike came from the shoulder blade position, it had precisely avoided the cooling device inside Uranus's abdomen.
After Uranus died, the two halves of his corpse suddenly erupted with intense heat, but then rapidly decreased, growing lower and lower until they finally cooled down completely.
This cooling was visible to the naked eye, as the distortion of the air near the corpse disappeared. Only after witnessing this did Whitebeard and the others finally breathe a sigh of relief, confirming that the cooling device Vegapunk had mentioned was indeed working.
This was, of course, a sign that the chain reaction within Uranus's body was slowing and stopping. It had to be said that the power of this Devil Fruit was truly unique. With other Devil Fruits, when the user died, their energy would quickly dissipate, but the ability of the Radiation Fruit continued to persist in the user's body for a period of time...
"Alright!" After confirming that Uranus's corpse was no longer dangerous, Whitebeard Old Man finally spoke: "Next, it's time to leverage the influence of us Four Emperors' crews. This Radiation Fruit will soon be reborn somewhere. We must dispatch a large number of people to find it. Otherwise, if someone else eats it, that would be disastrous!"
Shanks nodded and said: "Indeed, but this Radiation Fruit has existed for a thousand years. Yet, because Uranus was alive all this time, there has never been any record in any guidebook depicting the fruit's shape. I wonder if we'll even recognize it."
"We must find it. Ian has already solved the biggest problem, so we need to clean up this loose end for him," Whitebeard said. "When we find the fruit, let Ian keep it."
Fujitora then spoke up: "So, does that mean I can now release the dragon's corpse?"
After receiving approval, Fujitora let go of his gravity control over Uranus. The next second, the two halves of Uranus's corpse plunged into the sea, stirring up massive waves. The Sea Kings waiting underwater immediately swarmed forward, devouring Uranus...
The mighty Uranus met its final end, returning to the sea...
After handling these matters, the fleet set sail again, heading toward Loguetown in the East Blue.
When they arrived, the entire town of Loguetown was deserted, with not a single person in sight. However, the group was unfazed and headed straight for the town square.
As expected, when they arrived, they found the residents of Loguetown gathered in the square. Tens of thousands of people formed a circle at a distance, their eyes filled with awe as they stared at the figure in the center.
Ian stood in the square, stepping on Uranus's dragon head, with his black longsword planted in his hand. The blade was thrust into Uranus's skull. The head alone nearly filled the entire square.
But at this moment, the dragon head was pointed toward the execution platform where Pirate King Roger had once been executed...
It was as if it had been offered as a sacrifice...
When Whitebeard and Shanks appeared, the people of Loguetown respectfully stepped aside, allowing these big shots to enter the square. There were naturally Marines in Loguetown, but none of them dared to step forward. They were all hiding behind various buildings.
"Old Man, Shanks, you're here?" Hearing footsteps, Ian asked without turning around.
"What are you thinking about?" Shanks asked him with a smile.
"I'm thinking about what kind of person Roger was," Ian said. "I've never met him, but I've been hearing his name for so many years..."
"Haha!" Shanks suddenly laughed, leaning on the hilt of his sword at his waist. He laughed heartily and said, "Actually, many people who knew him called Captain Roger a fool!"
"That's right!" Whitebeard Old Man snorted. "He was a fool! The Pirate King, turning himself in to the Marines—what else but a fool?"
"But Old Man, that fool started an era, didn't he?" Ian turned back with a smile.
Whitebeard didn't respond. He shook his head and said, "Now, this era should come to an end. Go, finish your last task. Leave this to us."
Then, Whitebeard suddenly pointed in a direction and asked, "By the way, who are those two?"
Ian followed his gaze and saw, on one side of Uranus's dragon head, two men standing left and right, striking cool and arrogant poses, guarding the head.
Johnny and Yosaku! He hadn't expected to see those two again.
Ian smiled and called out to them, then said to Whitebeard, "Old friends from the East Blue..."
Hearing Ian's words, Johnny and Yosaku excitedly waved at him and shouted, "Ian Boss, you still remember us!"
Ian chuckled and said, "Johnny, Yosaku, from now on, this dragon head will stay in the square for people to see. If you two are still staying in Loguetown, guard it well. Don't let anyone move it!"
"Yes, Ian Boss!" Johnny and Yosaku immediately patted their chests in assurance.
Hmph, those stupid bounty hunters in Loguetown never believed they were Ian Boss's men. Now that Ian Boss was back and entrusting them with such an important task, what did that mean!?
It meant that from now on, Loguetown would be the era of Johnny and Yosaku...
Ian took to the sky again and flew off toward the Grand Line. Whitebeard and the others left in Loguetown quietly gazed at the execution platform, reminiscing about their old friend and leader.
The entire town of Loguetown was silent, with no one speaking, as if the whole town was mourning for one person...
..........................
The ancient weapon Uranus was killed. This scene was not only witnessed by the people watching the live broadcast around the world but also by some in Mary Geoise.
These "some" referred to the Celestial Dragons!
These parasitic creatures had always relied on the World Government and the Marines to throw their weight around. They had virtually no combat ability themselves. When the great battle erupted in Mary Geoise, they had to hide in the conference hall for self-preservation. The Marine Admirals, led by Kizaru, were locked in battle with Dragon and Aokiji, leaving both sides temporarily unable to attend to these World Nobles.
So, when the Celestial Dragons saw Uranus being slain by Ian's blade in the live broadcast, they panicked. A chilling dread washed over them, and they frantically began searching for an escape route.
The tide had turned! That was the only thought in their minds now. Because Ian had not only killed an ancient weapon but also a symbol of the Celestial Dragons. The moment Uranus fell, the authority of the World Nobles, which had stood high above for eight hundred years, shattered in the eyes of the world.
"Quick... we need to flee!" the head of one Celestial Dragon family said in panic. "Uranus has been killed. That demon Ian will soon come to Mary Geoise. With his hatred for us, we'll definitely die by his hands!"
"But... where can we flee?" another family head paced anxiously. "The New World is the territory of the Four Emperors, and the Grand Line is full of pirates. Where can we go?"
"Take all our guards and all our assets. Let's escape first and figure it out later!"
Hearing this, another family head gritted his teeth and said, "Right, we still have a lot of money. Once we escape, we can use it to put a bounty on that bastard Ian. Hire assassins, bounty hunters—if a hundred billion isn't enough, make it two hundred, three hundred! With a high enough bounty, there will always be people willing to act. We'll make sure Ian dies in endless assassination attempts!"
"Exactly! Let's do that!"
This suggestion was met with approval from the Celestial Dragons. But they didn't dare delay. They quickly gathered their subordinates and guards, intending to take their wealth and flee, abandoning the Five Elders and the World Government.
However, when their escape began, they discovered that slave revolts had broken out in all the Celestial Dragon estates across Mary Geoise!
As the Revolutionary Army clashed with the World Government and Marines in Mary Geoise, the slaves realized that their moment of freedom had finally arrived. With help from some Revolutionary Army members, the slaves broke their chains, grabbed whatever weapons they could find, and began to resist!
The entire Mary Geoise was now in chaos. The guards left behind in the Celestial Dragon estates became the targets of the slaves' fury. Though the guards tried to suppress the revolt, the slaves, fighting for their freedom, were throwing their lives into the battle. The guards couldn't withstand such momentum and were being pushed back step by step.
Under these circumstances, how could the Celestial Dragons take all their assets? Seeing the revolt spiraling out of control, they could only shoot at the slaves charging at them while grabbing whatever valuables they could carry.
In Mary Geoise, Dragon and the others noticed the Celestial Dragons' escape attempt, but strangely, the Revolutionary Army didn't try to stop them.
Because the Revolutionary Army knew they wouldn't get far...
When the Celestial Dragons fled down the mountain waterway to the New World, they realized they hadn't even managed to take one percent of their wealth. In their haste, they had no choice but to escape to the New World.
Still, it had to be said that the Celestial Dragons had amassed immense wealth over eight hundred years. The three ships they escaped on carried gold, silver, and jewels worth over twenty billion Berries.
"How... how is this all that's left!?" the Celestial Dragons roared in fury after tallying their assets. "This isn't even enough for us to live on, let alone hire assassins!"
With far less wealth than expected, some Celestial Dragons began to have second thoughts.
Unless the World Government and Marines could repel the Revolutionary Army's attack and hold Mary Geoise, they might have a chance to return. But given the current situation, that hope seemed slim. Now, money was their guarantee for a luxurious life. They were used to extravagance, and with so many families and descendants, twenty billion Berries wouldn't be enough to sustain them. If they set aside part of that for a bounty on Ian, what would they live on?
Thus, internal strife broke out among the Celestial Dragons themselves...
As they argued, they failed to notice a massive shadow on the distant sea. A gigantic ship was heading toward them!
On that ship, Buggy the Clown was holding a telescope, observing the three ships that had just entered the New World.
"Hahaha! That kid Ian was right!" Buggy laughed loudly after clearly seeing the Celestial Dragons in their helmets on the ships. "These fat sheep really did escape! But now that they've run into Buggy-sama, they're in for trouble!"
After completing his own mission, Buggy hadn't followed the group back to the East Sea through the Calm Belt. Instead, as Ian had instructed, he came to the Red Line. Now, aboard the Pluton warship, the Buggy Pirates were bearing down on the Celestial Dragons' ships...
"This is a robbery! Men to the left, women to the right, and those in between to the middle!"
The Celestial Dragon nobles stared dumbfounded at the giant ship before them, listening to the pirates' arrogant robbery slogans. They finally realized that it was all over for them...