As ti passed, the dust from the explosion slowly settled.
Mihawk and Kuina were still standing, their fighting spirits rising even higher, as if they could break free at any mont.
But they both knew—this was not the right place for a battle.
"Not bad. It's been a long ti since I've felt this excited. I hope that mont cos soon," Mihawk said calmly, then sheathed his sword and turned to leave.
Kuina, full of confidence, responded, "That day isn't far away."
She slid Wado Ichimonji back into its sheath, but just then, she felt a faint vibration from the blade.
The unexpected sensation made her pause for a mont.
"Even you can't hold back your excitent, huh? Don't worry, we'll et again soon..." Kuina gently ran her fingers over the hilt, her gaze firm and bright.
She knew that this battle was inevitable, and she couldn't wait for the challenge.
When that mont finally arrived, she was certain she would show her full strength and have an earth-shaking duel with Mihawk.
The clash between Mihawk and Kuina had captured the attention of the world.
Zoro, too, had now witnessed Kuina's true strength. As he had expected, Kuina was far stronger than him.
But he was genuinely happy for her.
Still, he wouldn't give up—there could only be one number one in the world. He was determined to defeat both Mihawk and Kuina to beco the best!
~~~~~~
The Summit War ended with Mihawk and Kuina's final clash.
At that mont, all the powerful forces across the sea realized they had seriously underestimated the Dream Exploration Team.
No one had expected Kuina to be strong enough to match Mihawk.
And judging from the battle, Kuina's strength seed to be still growing, shocking everyone even more.
Not to ntion the team's leader, Ryuen—his true strength remained a mystery, but people had already seen his unbelievable Devil Fruit ability... even magma couldn't harm him!
Now, the world finally understood that the Dream Exploration Team, which seed like just another ordinary crew, actually had power comparable to the Four Emperors.
This fact forced everyone to reconsider their status and influence.
~~~~~~
Kuina returned to the Dream Exploration Crew.
Nojiko imdiately asked, "Kuina, how do you feel?"
Kuina took a deep breath, steadied herself, and replied, "He's incredibly strong, but when it cos to swordsmanship, I'm confident I'm not weaker than him. It's just that I still can't match him in Haki. It seems like he's been waiting for my Wado Ichimonji to transform into a black blade."
Hearing this, Ryuen smiled slightly, glanced at the sword in Kuina's hand, and said softly, "Heh... looks like that day isn't too far off."
Kuina lifted her chin slightly, a hint of pride flashing in her eyes. "Of course! I'll make sure it happens soon."
At that mont, Anya asked, "Ryuen, now that the war is over, should we leave?"
Ryuen nodded. "Yeah, it's ti to go."
He glanced around, his eyes sweeping over the major Marine forces.
Suddenly, Shanks called out loudly, "Captain Ryuen, see you in the New World!"
Ryuen looked at Shanks for a mont before replying, "See you in the New World."
Then, Nami opened a portal, and one by one, the Dream Exploration Crew stepped inside.
With the war over, Boa Hancock also decided to leave with them.
With the Dream Exploration Crew gone, the rescue forces had no reason to stay either. This was still enemy territory, after all. Even though the war was over, there was no guarantee the Marines wouldn't try sothing sneaky.
So, the group took their fallen comrades and Whitebeard's body and left in a hurry.
anwhile, Sengoku was puzzled as he watched Boa Hancock leave with the Dream Exploration Crew.
"When did the Dream Exploration Crew and Boa Hancock... even get to know each other?" Sengoku asked, turning to Garp.
"I have no idea. That woman is no weakling, though. Amazon Lily... Forget it, I should go help with the aftermath," Garp shook his head and walked off to handle post-war matters.
The three Admirals and the Vice Admirals also stepped in—after all, there weren't many conscious Marines left to handle things.
~~~~~~
"Sengoku, sir! Chief Magellan sent a report from Impel Down. It concerns Warlord Blackbeard and... Chief Guard Shiryu of the Rain," Brannew said as he walked up, handing Sengoku a docunt.
Sengoku's face darkened as he glanced at the prison escapees in the distance.
He took the paper from Brannew and quickly scanned through it. "So, Shiryu actually betrayed us... But the Blackbeard Pirates... three of them, including Blackbeard himself, turned into won? What's going on here?"
"Sengoku, let take a look," Vice Admiral Tsuru said.
Sengoku handed her the paper. After reading it, Tsuru thought for a mont and said, "This probably has sothing to do with the Dream Exploration Crew. But turning Blackbeard into a woman... that's likely Ivankov's work."
Sengoku nodded, agreeing with Tsuru's reasoning.
After all, if anyone could slip a note directly into Magellan's office without being noticed, it would be Nami and her Door-Door Fruit.
And only soone like Ryuen would find sothing like this amusing.
"So, Blackbeard went after the Warlord title just to free those criminals from Impel Down's Level Six... But for Ryuen to get this information too, their intelligence network must be impressive..." Tsuru shook her head, a little exasperated.
The Dream Exploration Crew had completely broken free from the control of both the World Governnt and the Marines.
The only good thing was that, unlike pirates, the Dream Exploration Crew had no conflicts with the World Governnt—
At least, no political conflicts.
"Uh..."
"Sengoku, sir... Vice Admiral Tsuru... those rookie pirates escaped too. Is that going to be a problem?" Brannew asked hesitantly.
"It's fine. They won't cause much trouble. Once they enter the New World, things will only get more chaotic. Sooner or later, they'll clash with the Four Emperors—let the Emperors deal with them," Sengoku said calmly.
Tsuru nodded in agreent.
With Whitebeard gone, there was now an open seat among the Four Emperors. The battle for that position would surely make the New World even more chaotic!
All of this had been calculated.
~~~~~~
Sabaody Archipelago.
The Dream Exploration Crew had returned there in no ti.
But Ryuen felt like sothing was off.
He thought about it for a while, then it hit him—
Sothing was missing from the Summit War...
Right—Blackbeard, the woman, wasn't there...
---
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