Chapter 438: New Era

"Crackle… Pop…"

"Splash… Crash…"

Meanwhile, in the nearby stretch of sea—

Where the waves had once surged so violently, at some point they had been transformed into a rock-solid sheet of ice. Lightning and flames lit up the sky. One fearsome figure after another, radiating murderous intent, encircled the area.

Three blood-drenched survivors stood there, fighting with their backs to the wall. In the faint distance lay the wreckage of a ship, engulfed in raging fire. Scattered everywhere were corpses, torn and mangled—all members of the Roger Pirates. Some had been torn apart, leaving nothing whole behind; it was a ghastly sight.

"Roger, you and your crew should just surrender quietly!"

Sparks of electricity crackled around Thor's body. Wielding the Hammer of Thunder like a divine being descended to earth, he stared down at the bedraggled Gol D. Roger—who was panting for breath—and sneered, "Maybe you'll manage to eke out a few more decades in prison!"

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Roger, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, gripped his cutlass "Ace." His gaze locked onto the members of the Kukulkan family before him, eyes seething with rage but brimming with unwavering resolve: "If we give in to sheer might, we'd no longer be men!"

They had been ambushed by the Kukulkan clan's forces. The Roger Pirates had been at a disadvantage, true—but their overall strength was balanced, their teamwork always well-coordinated.

Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't have been defeated so swiftly. Yet unexpectedly, the Red Count Redfield and Don Chinjao "The Drill," both members of the Shichibukai, showed up out of nowhere as allies of the Fallen Angel, El. That tip of the scale caused catastrophic losses. Once they helped slaughter most of the Roger Pirates, leaving alive only Roger, Rayleigh, and Gaban—those two traitors left for the battlefield on Serix Island, certain the outcome here was sealed.

"In that case, I respect your choice."

Thor regarded Roger with genuine admiration, but his eyes sharpened with killing intent. Lightning danced across his colossal hammer as he declared coldly, "I won't hold back any longer!"

"Sorry, everyone…"

Roger, bleeding and badly wounded, with torn clothes and labored breath, glanced apologetically at Rayleigh, Gaban, and the others.

"Looks like I won't be able to keep our promise—to lead you all toward our ultimate dream."

"Heh, don't go acting timid on us, Roger. That's not like you…"

Scopper Gaban, drenched in blood, stood grinning with both axes in hand. "Seems this is where we'll meet our end! But hey, getting to sail with you and Rayleigh—living through so many grand adventures—I've got no regrets!"

"Couldn't have said it better…"

Holding a double-edged sword, The Dark King Rayleigh, spoke softly. He cast a somber look at their fallen crewmates and the near-obliterated remains of the ship, muttering in regret, "It's just a shame we never got to fulfill our final goal—to sail all the way around the world."

He never imagined that this operation would bring total disaster upon the Roger Pirates. They hadn't even needed the Fallen Angel El himself, nor his elite "Five Calamities" or "Eight Vajra," to crush them. Just these five children of that monstrous El had been enough—each one a genuine monster, overwhelmingly strong. Even fighting with everything they had, the Roger Pirates couldn't win.

"Done with your final words?"

A towering figure, Sif, lunged forward. Despite her massive size, she moved with astonishing speed. Her ornate blade roiled with vivid blue flames, so hot the very air rippled. "Then hurry up and die!"

"Everyone—attack!"

Roger's roar rang out. His fighting spirit soared, and black-red lightning crackled across his cutlass. He hurled himself at Thor, the God of Thunder, shouting, "Divine Evasion!!!"

"Dark King!!!"

Rayleigh charged as well. Streaks of black-red lightning wreathed his sword, cleaving the air with a fierce swing.

"Thunder Axe: Mountain-Cleaving Strike!!"

Scopper Gaban, veins bulging, also roared and swung his twin axes—both wreathed in Armament Haki—using every ounce of strength he had.

Boom… Boom…

"Wrath of the Thunder God!!!"

"Divine Gale—!"

Thor, the eldest son, and Sif, the eldest daughter—the Phoenix Girl—both attacked simultaneously, refusing to be outdone. Thor's hammer and Sif's dazzling sword were each infused with Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki, unleashing a devastating strike.

"Elbaf Spear—!"

At the same time, the fourth son Willie, the sixth son Eden, and the eighth son Frey joined forces, firing off a terrifying combined attack.

"Hakai!!!"

Boom! Boom!

A massive impact resounded. The collision was deafening, shaking the atmosphere. Even the distant island of Serix seemed to quiver, making onlookers break into cold sweats. Both battlefields raged without mercy—but the outcome was never in doubt.

By the time Charlotte Linlin and Gerd arrived with their forces, the battle was all but over. There was no fair one-on-one dueling, only an overwhelming mob assault. No matter how formidable the three "Brothers" were, they were doomed under the combined might of five top-tier opponents. The once-proud warriors of the Roger Pirates, confronted by these monstrous members of the Kukulkan family, could only meet their end.

Locked in combat with the eleventh son, Arcas, "Black Arm" Zephyr was abruptly decapitated by the sudden appearance of the third son, Dal, who showed no mercy. Meanwhile, "Buddha" Sengoku, struggling against Don Chinjao, nearly perished under a slash from the eighth son Ares's razor-sharp war blade. Seizing the opportunity, Don Chinjao and the others ripped apart Sengoku's giant golden Buddha form. His limbs were held fast by Hyde in his eight-headed Yamata no Orochi form, and the colossal Buddha head was coldly severed by Athena.

"Mamamama… Nicely done!"

Watching the fight end without having to lift a finger herself, Linlin bared her teeth in a satisfied grin. "Now begins our era!"

"That's right," Gerd said with a smile, gazing out at the frozen ocean and the azure sky. "The Totto Land Empire's flag will soon fly across every sea."

With the World Government toppled, and the navy—led by the venerated Vice Admiral "Hero" Garp—formally surrendering, all the powerful pirates had been cut down one after another. The greatest obstacles were gone. One era had fallen, and a new one was about to begin. Soon, unifying these waters under the Totto Land Empire would be only a matter of time.