Pirates: Your emperor has returned!

Rowan walked towards the setting sun, heading in the direction of its descent.

The desert wind blew the ribbons on his clothes.

Gravel began to rise.

Layer upon layer of sand floated around Rowan, but it was far less violent and turbulent than during the battle; instead, it carried a strange gentleness.

A figure made of sand and gravel slowly took shape beside Rowan.

It wasn't a gravel soldier, but a young man in a robe, wearing glasses, and holding several books.

Rowan smiled but didn't turn around.

"You're here?"

Then, more sand began to surge, gathering into figures that appeared beside Rowan.

They all looked different.

men and women.

Fat, thin, tall, short...

Whether handsome or old...

Among them were fish-men, long-armed people, long-legged people, and some strange people whose races were hard to define.

There was even a giant!

More and more people are appearing around Rowan.

Aside from their bodies being formed from sand and gravel, every detail of these people's bodies was exquisitely detailed to an appalling degree.

There was nothing wrong with her clothing, hairstyle, or posture.

If you look closely, you can even see the patterns on the tiny ornaments!

Rowan strode forward, and the group of people followed him.

There weren't many people, but there were still a dozen or so.

Even though their steps and movements were completely different, they still managed to keep up with Rowan's pace perfectly.

Luo Wen smiled and looked at the bespectacled young man next to him who was holding a book.

"Nefertari..."

Then, he turned his head and looked at one person after another, saying one name after another.

Those names that Rowan knew all too well—

“Keane, Ellis, Cheng, Ian, Muro, Arkwright…”

Rowan kept moving forward, but turned around and walked backward for a while to make sure he could see each of the people following him.

Until he finished speaking the last name.

"...Camilla."

Rowan remembers each and every one of them.

He turned away from them and continued on his way.

He murmured:

"Honestly, I've been dead for eight hundred years, why do you have to wake me up..."

"Hehehe... Hahahaha!"

As Luo Wen spoke, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"You guys!"

"What a bunch of troublemakers!"

"Especially you, Nefertari!"

As Rowan moved forward, starting from the outer circle, one by one, the figures in the sand began to disappear.

With each step taken, one person disappears.

As they dissipated, they were still looking at Rowan, making the gestures they knew best.

The girl named Camilla waved to Rowan, gesturing for him to look at the little flowers she had picked;

The giant thumped his chest;

Young Ian smiled brightly in the sunshine;

Muro struck his signature shooting pose;

The tall Keane raised his chin and looked up at the sky;

……

A moment later, only "Nefertari" and Rowan remained.

Rowan continued forward with a smile.

From bursting into laughter to covering his face with a helpless, bitter smile.

Nefertari's figure began to blur.

He could no longer keep up with Rowan's pace, and stopped in place, the sand that made up his body gradually dissipating.

Rowan unconsciously clenched his fist around the scepter, but he didn't turn around.

Nefertari seemed quite satisfied with Rowan's choice. She stood still, raised her right hand, and then waved it gently.

wow...

It vanished without a trace in the wind.

Now, facing the setting sun, only Rowan continues walking.

He climbed a high sand dune and looked up at the dazzling red sunset in the desert.

"I'm awake."

But none of you are here!

Rowan stood alone, planted his scepter on the ground, and slowly said:

"So, the things we didn't finish back then..."

After a long silence, he spoke.

"I come."

Calm and resolute.

Undeniable.

[Chapter 30: The So-Called War]

early morning.

Whoosh...splash!

In newspaper branches around the world, newsbirds flap their wings, carrying today's newspapers to every corner of the globe.

An oil painting was printed on the front page of the newspaper.

This is actually a very rare thing.

After all, in this era where photographs are everywhere, it is indeed somewhat unbelievable that a painting could carry enough weight to make headlines.

So, what exactly is that painting?

artwork?

Indeed, given that it is a work left by a famous painter from hundreds of years ago, it is not an exaggeration to call it a cultural relic.

But that's not the reason this painting was featured on the front page.

The real reason lies in the content of that painting.

It was a portrait.

In the image, a man wearing light gold armor holds a scepter resembling a spear, which he raises high.

Around him, endless golden sand surged, and countless soldiers, facing the direction he pointed, charged forward with weapons in hand and roaring.

Behind that man was a dazzling sun.

Sunlight pierced the darkness, illuminating the direction the army was heading.

The full name of this painting is "The Emperor," and it was created in 1015 of the Haiyuan calendar by the famous painter Lecdanard.

It received high praise as soon as it was released.

The sun and the emperor are two elements with a very strong presence, yet Lekdan's ability to perfectly blend them together without either overshadowing the other is truly ingenious.

According to Lechdale's own memoir, the painting was inspired by a mural he had once seen.

The mural was eventually destroyed in the war, but it was deeply imprinted in Lakedandal's mind.

He said this in his memoir:

"As a painter, I feel it is my duty to bring that scene back to life for the world."

As for who the man in the painting is?

"Yes, you can call him that—"

"【Golden Dawn】."

……

The Alabasta Emperor from 800 years ago, [Golden Dawn] Ryan Rowan, has been resurrected!

This explosive news, spread like wildfire across the ocean through newspapers.

……

"Hey, hey, hey, I clearly subscribed to a newspaper, when did it become a science fiction magazine?"

"An old guy from eight hundred years ago, resurrected?!"