The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

"You..." Luffy looked at the wounds on Gorn's body that were "of the same origin" as, or even more gruesome than, those on his father and Shanks.

The anger in his eyes momentarily faltered, and hesitation returned to his face.

"Look carefully." Gern's voice suddenly turned sharp, each word like a knife piercing Luffy's ears, "When they stopped me, they didn't hold back at all!"

Shanks's "God's Evasion" was aimed at cutting him in half at the waist! Dragon's wind blade was aimed at slicing his neck!

They...ambushed me halfway there with the intention of killing me completely!

His gaze swept over the two unconscious men on the ground, then fell on Lu Fei's face, carrying a cold mockery.

"Now, they have lost."

So...it's two dogs!!!

Gern suddenly exerted force with his left hand, which was gripping Luffy's fist, and flung it outward!

Luffy felt an irresistible force surge through him, and he was involuntarily flung away.

He tumbled several times in the air before being caught by Jinbe and Sanji, and landed unsteadily.

Immediately afterward, without even glancing at Luffy who had been thrown away, Gern casually kicked out with his right foot, his toe hooking onto Shanks' collar on the ground.

It was kicked like a ball and rolled a long way until it hit the stone lantern in the courtyard and stopped.

Finally, Gern stepped forward and stood before Dragon, who was still leaning against the threshold, barely managing to stay upright thanks to Quinn's support.

He reached out his right hand and grabbed Dorrag's head from under his disheveled hair without mercy, his five fingers digging deep into his hair.

Then, with a burst of strength, he slammed Dorag's head against the solid rock wall of the general's mansion next to him!

Boom!

A dull thud.

Dorag's head slammed against the wall with a sickening thud, his forehead instantly splitting open, and blood streamed down the wall.

Gern pressed Dragon's head down with one hand, pinning him to the wall, his left foot planted on Shanks, and slowly turned his head, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the courtyard.

A stunned Yamato, the shocked Straw Hat crew, a trembling Queen, a silent King with his head down, and Luffy, supported by his companions, glaring at him with gritted teeth.

"Look carefully."

"Look at them now..."

"There are just two..."

Gern paused, a cold smile curving his lips, before uttering the last four words.

"The prodigal dog."

Chapter 621 Luffy, are you willing to plant your flag here?

I'm laying my cards on the table; I'm not pretending anymore.

Gern didn't loosen his grip on Dragon's head; instead, he slowly raised another finger.

She pointed past the Straw Hat crew, who were tense and ready to fight in the courtyard, and towards the pale-faced Hiyori Kozuki behind them.

"By the way," Gern's voice regained the authority befitting a Fleet Admiral.

"Besides 'congratulating' everyone on defeating Kaido, I have another important matter to discuss with you in Wano Country..."

He paused, his gaze sharp, looking directly into Hiyori's terrified eyes, and announced...

"Representing the Navy, I officially take over Wano Country."

"!"

Hiyori Kozuki trembled violently, her legs went weak, and she staggered backward, covering her mouth with a look of despair in her eyes.

The general's position that has just been reclaimed, the dawn that has just been seen

Is it about to be swallowed up by another, more powerful, and more irresistible force in the blink of an eye?

"Are you kidding me?!"

Luffy's roar shattered the silence.

He abruptly broke free from Jinbe and Sanji's support, took a step forward, straightened his body, and fearlessly met Guern's gaze.

"Wano Country has been liberated!!" Luffy's voice was resolute, carrying an undeniable determination.

"It was the people here, the Red Scabbards, and us who defeated Kaido and Orochi together!"

It belongs only to the Kozuki clan, to those who wish to live freely here!

After saying this, Luffy took a deep breath, his chest heaving, his eyes more serious than ever before, and declared each word clearly, his voice echoing throughout the courtyard.

"If...if the navy wants to seize this place!"

"So!!"

Luffy raised his arm and pointed to his chest.

"Here, you can hang my flag!!"

"The Straw Hat Pirates, the flag of Monkey D. Luffy!!!"

This is Luffy, the newly crowned "Fifth Emperor," the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, and the victor who defeated two of the Four Emperors.

For the first time, they so clearly and formally recognized a piece of land as their own protected territory!

This is a declaration, a promise, and a blatant challenge to Gern!

The atmosphere in the courtyard instantly became extremely tense!

"Oh."

Gern only let out a short, cold laugh.

He tilted his head slightly, as if looking at a naive and mischievous child, and slowly asked in return.

"Hang up your flag? That's easy for you, Straw Hat Luffy."

Do you know what it means to become an 'emperor'?

"If you don't know, then let me ask you an even simpler question."

"Your so-called 'protection' means you're planning to abandon your adventure to become the 'Pirate King'."

From this day forward, for all eternity, I will remain stationed in Wano Country.

Will we truly take full responsibility for the safety of every blade of grass, every tree, and every resident here?

"When your companions call you to the next island, when clues to Laugh Tale appear on the other side of the world..."

When a new and powerful enemy threatens your crew... will you choose to stay and fulfill your duty as 'protector'?

Or will you, as always, set sail without hesitation to pursue your dreams and adventures?

"Do you truly have the resolve to become emperor?"

Kaido's Wano Country, Big Mom's Whole Cake Island, Whitebeard's territory, and Shanks's inspection tour.

Even back then, when I ventured into the New World alone, risking everything to seize and establish G-10, I single-handedly suppressed the Four Emperors!!

"Luffy, you are ultimately just a free adventurer with 'Emperor' level strength."

Are you willing to give up that vast ocean and, like us, spend years building an inviolable reputation?

This fatal question instantly extinguished the flames burning in Luffy's eyes.

Luffy fell silent.

His mouth was open, but no sound came out.

For the first time, such a clear and painful struggle and bewilderment appeared on his usually decisive face.

Stay? Forever? What about Zoro? What about Nami?

Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Brook, Jinbe... and the Going Merry and the Sunny?

And what about that unreached end of the ocean?

And...One Piece?

His dreams, his companions, his adventures... can all of this be equated with the responsibility of "staying in one place forever"?

Gurn's question precisely hits the core contradiction in Luffy's belief system.

Ultimate freedom and heavy responsibility are often mutually exclusive.

He might go to great lengths for his friends, or risk his life for a moment of justice.

But to ask him to give up the entire ocean for the long-term peace of a nation...

That almost contradicts the very foundation of his existence.

Seeing Luffy speechless and struggling internally, Gern knew that his words had hit the nail on the head.

He stopped pressing, and simply slowly withdrew his hand from pointing at Hiyori.

"Are you willing to plant your flag in this country?"

.......

Meanwhile, on the other side of Wano Country, the Suzugo region returned to port.

The Polar Diving vessel was docked side by side with the imposing Victoria Punk.

“I must go back!” Trafalgar Law’s face was unusually serious.

He had just clearly felt the two brief, domineering aftershocks coming from the direction of the Flower Capital!

One of them was familiar to him; it was the Straw Hat Family.

But another feeling gave him an extremely ominous premonition.

“Are you crazy, Trafalgar?!” Eustace Kidd grabbed his red hair furiously, his metal arm waving impatiently.

"Something's clearly happened in the Flower Capital! They even unleashed that level of domineering aura. Going back would be suicide!"

We just took down two Yonko, our ship is practically falling apart, and everyone's half-dead. The best thing to do now is to get out of there as quickly as possible!

“Straw Hat Master may be in trouble!” Luo insisted, already holding Ghost Cry in his hand.

"Trouble? What's it to us!" Kidd roared. "We were only allies with him temporarily! Now that the war is over, we're going our separate ways!"

Whether he survives or not depends on his own abilities!

"Kidd!" Law's voice suddenly rose as well, "Some things can't be explained by calculation! I need to confirm..."

"Confirm my ass!" Kidd interrupted him rudely, but this time, beneath his irritation lay a deeper fear.

He, Kidd, is arrogant and cocky!

But it depends on the time; for example, when Sabaody angered the Celestial Dragons...

He already knew to run away, let alone the person who came now, who is even more troublesome than a naval admiral!

Especially, this guy also...

Kidd suddenly pulled a crumpled photograph from his pocket (obviously taken quickly by some kind of special Den Den Mushi) and slammed it in front of Law!

"Look at this! I bought supplies for my comrades in Jiuli and sent this back!"

Luo took the photo and looked down at it.

He only glanced at it, but his pupils suddenly contracted, and his face instantly turned as white as paper!

The photo is a bit blurry, but it is still clearly recognizable.

In the shadows of a street in the Flower Capital, a tall figure

With one hand dragging the unconscious Shanks and the other dragging the Revolutionary Army leader Dragon, whose fate was unknown, he was walking towards the general's mansion!

The face of that tall figure... though not fully visible, but the iconic white cloth sword at his waist...

“‘Skyquake’…Gern…” Luo squeezed out the name through clenched teeth, his voice trembling slightly.

"Yes! It's that current Fleet Admiral!" Kidd's voice was low, but even more urgent.

"And there's the famous Red-Haired Shanks, one of the Four Emperors who cut off my arm! And the leader of the Revolutionary Army!"

Damn it... he's dragging these two guys around like dead dogs!