46-When Legends Clash

Elio had, of course, noticed Rayleigh's presence long ago.

When he stepped out of the cabin and walked onto the deck, his original intention was simply to use Observation Haki to cover the entire island and get a feel for the situation. But unexpectedly, within the sea of thoughts, he detected the presence of Rayleigh, the once famed right hand of the Pirate King.

Naturally, Elio could have chosen to ignore Rayleigh entirely. After all, the man no longer posed any real threat to him.

Still, Elio decided to reach out with his Observation Haki and send a voice message directly to Rayleigh. He felt it necessary to engage, even briefly, with this legendary Dark King. A small test, perhaps, to see how Rayleigh would react.

And just as he expected, Rayleigh's expression when he realized he'd been discovered, no, that his true identity had been exposed by Elio, was quite a sight. Shock, disbelief, all playing out in real time on the old pirate's face.

As Rayleigh tried to gather himself, Elio's voice once again echoed in his mind, calm and deliberate,

"Once I finish my business here, I'll make time to visit that old bar run by the former Empress of Amazon Lily, Shakuyaku. A woman like her, with her connections, might prove useful to me."

Yet again, Rayleigh's heart surged. That Elio even knew Shakuyaku's true identity... it was too much. The storm inside him was overwhelming.

Then, after a brief silence, Rayleigh shook his head and let out a helpless laugh,

"What a terrifying young man. Is this your way of ringing the alarm bells for an old man like me?"

Still, Rayleigh did not flee.

Since he had already been exposed, there was no reason to hide anymore. He stepped from the shadows into the sunlight, standing at a distance, gazing toward the figure on the warship's deck. And using his own Observation Haki, he replied,

"I hope your mission goes smoothly, new Fleet Admiral of the Marines, Elio!"

On deck, Elio smiled faintly. He no longer responded to Rayleigh, instead stepping forward with purpose.

As Elio descended the warship, the Marine soldiers waiting on the shore, along with Vice Admirals Strawberry and Bastille, snapped to attention and saluted in unison.

"Loyalty!" they shouted with unwavering voices.

At that moment, Gion stepped forward. She removed the famed blade Konpira from her waist and, holding it with both hands, knelt slightly,

"Fleet Admiral."

"Hm?" Elio blinked, confused,

"Gion, what are you doing?"

Maintaining her posture, Gion replied solemnly,

"Fleet Admiral, without a blade at your side, you lack a certain commanding presence."

With that, she raised Konpira above her head, offering it to Elio.

Across from her, the Vice Admirals bowed their heads silently. Clearly, they too hoped Elio would accept the blade.

Elio didn't stand on ceremony. He took Konpira and fastened it at his waist, his hand resting on the hilt as he walked between Gion and the assembled Vice Admirals.

As he moved forward, Gion followed at his side, and the Vice Admirals marched closely behind.

At the rear of the group, Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr watched this moment unfold, unable to suppress their smiles. Especially Zephyr, his eyes misted slightly as he saw Elio walking toward the lift that would take them to the Holy Land, surrounded by high-ranking officers.

The things Zephyr had wanted to do for years but never dared to act upon... were now being carried out by this student of his, swiftly and decisively.

He truly believed that under Elio's command, the Marines would be reborn, transformed into a force of true justice.

Far off in the distance, Rayleigh watched Elio take Konpira from Gion and stride away with confidence.

Rear Admirals offering their blades, Vice Admirals bowing low.

Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr walking in his shadow.

A Marine-born supernova was rising.

And at that moment, Rayleigh felt as though a new era had quietly begun before his very eyes.

Holy Land, Mary Geoise.

As the lift carrying Elio's group arrived at the port, the Marine staff who received word of his arrival didn't dare show the slightest disrespect. Accompanied by several members of the Holy Knight Order, they rushed to the reception gate.

But to their surprise, someone had already arrived ahead of them.

"Shamrock?"

One of the officers was stunned,

"What are you doing here?"

The man waiting there was none other than Shamrock, the eldest son of Figarland Garling and commander of the Holy Knight Order.

Like the other members, he wore a black cloak, but his had a hood, unlike the rest.

Under that hood was a face that would cause a stir if seen by any powerhouse of the Grand Line.

Because Shamrock bore a face identical to that of Shanks, one of the newly crowned Four Emperors of the New World.

Staring at the lift in the distance, Shamrock replied coldly,

"I am a member of the Holy Knights as well."

"You shouldn't appear now!"

The officer's brows furrowed, and her voice turned low,

"Elio isn't alone. Gion is with him, along with Rear Admirals, Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr. If they see your face…"

"How many secrets do we even have left?"

Shamrock cut her off mid-sentence,

"Even the existence of Lord Imu is no longer a secret. Do you think my identity still matters to them?"

The woman said no more, turning back to stand beside Shamrock, both of them staring at the approaching lift.

As the hum of machinery grew louder, a sense of unease rose within her. She could feel her breath quickening.

Noticing this, Shamrock raised a brow and glanced sideways,

"Are you nervous?"

She nodded slightly, her tone serious,

"You know what I fear the most."

"They're almost here!"

A long-haired woman beside them looked up sharply, eyes narrowing like a hawk's.

Moments later, the lift rose steadily and came to a firm stop at the entry platform.

Gion and the Rear Admirals stepped out first, forming a line on both sides.

Just as Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr prepared to follow, their eyes drifted to Shamrock.

"Sha... Shanks?"

Garp froze mid-step.

A brief pause, and then Garp exploded, his fists clenched in fury as he stormed off the lift,

"You bastard! A hood won't fool me! It was bad enough corrupting my grandson, now you dare set foot in the Holy Land?!"

"Garp!"

Sengoku's voice rang out, halting him,

"Don't be reckless, that's not Shanks!"

"...?" Garp turned to him, confused.

Sengoku didn't explain. He had never met Shamrock before, but reason told him, this man wasn't the captain of the Red-Haired Pirates.

But that hardly mattered.

To Sengoku, more than any personal grudge between Garp and Shanks, what he truly wanted was to finally lay eyes on Imu, the shadowy figure said to rule the world from behind the curtain.

The Rear Admirals and Gion had also noticed Shamrock's face. Shocked, yes, but only briefly. After all, with the World Government's cloning technology, it wasn't unthinkable to replicate a person's appearance.

Then Elio stepped off the lift, a warm smile on his face as he calmly explained to Garp,

"Sengoku is right. This man isn't Shanks, he's Shanks' twin brother, Shamrock."

"Sh-Shamrock?"

At that moment, everyone, from the Holy Knight officer to Shamrock himself, even the long-haired woman, stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

Clearly, as Shamrock had guessed, Elio knew about Imu's existence. And naturally, he knew about Shamrock's identity.

But this, Shamrock? What in the world was that name?