Chapter 44 - New World
The surface light had long disappeared, swallowed by the ocean's ever-deepening hues — but now, after hours of descent and travel through the Grand Line's final gate, the Voidreign ship rose once more... into a sea of madness and legend.
They had arrived.
The New World.
The ocean here seemed thicker... wilder. The clouds swirled unnaturally above, and lightning forked across the sky in silence. Towering waves danced like titans, and the very air tasted different — charged with chaos, soaked with ambition, and alive with danger.
On deck, Jessie stood tall as wind whipped past his coat, eyes focused forward.
Behind him, Shirahoshi and Uta stared in awe at the distorted horizon, while Kuina silently unsheathed her blade, feeling the shift in pressure.
A new Chapter had begun.
Meanwhile, across the sea — at the Marine Headquarters, New Marineford — a storm of tension brewed.
Inside the colossal command chamber, Fleet Admiral Akainu stood behind a metal desk, fists clenched, steam rising from his lava-hot skin.
His eyes glared at the reports on the table.
"Any word from our surveillance ships? The Voidreign crew... where are they?" he barked, voice like volcanic thunder.
A nervous Vice Admiral stepped forward, sweat forming on his brow. "Sir... we've received no trace of them since they passed Fish-Man Island. It's like they've... vanished into thin air."
Akainu's jaw tightened. Lava crackled from his knuckles. For a moment, it seemed like he might destroy the table before him — but he exhaled sharply and suppressed the urge.
"Find them," he growled, eyes burning. "I don't care how deep they've gone. The moment they resurface — erase them."
"Yes, sir!" the officer saluted, backing away as heat rose in waves from the admiral's body.
Far across the seas, high in the sanctum of Mary Geoise, deep within the Hall of the Empty Throne, a darker meeting was taking place.
The air was silent — heavy with reverence and dread.
Five cloaked figures stepped inside, their footsteps echoing against the hollow stone. The Five Elders, the supreme rulers of the World Government, each bowed low before the throne.
There, surrounded by nothing but shadows and ancient silence, sat a presence.
A tall figure, veiled in darkness, with a massive crown looming over their head. Only one thing gleamed from beneath the shadowed hood: a pair of piercing red eyes that glowed like a demon from legend.
It was Imu-sama — the true sovereign of the world.
Without moving, Imu spoke. The voice was cold, ancient, and layered with power.
"Any word... on the Voidreign? Or the Straw Hat Pirates?"
The room dropped to freezing silence. One of the Five Elders stepped forward, sweat trailing down his temple.
"N-not yet, Imu-sama... We have received no reports. They remain hidden... just like the Straw Hat pirates."
Imu was silent for a long moment.
Then the red eyes narrowed.
"...And the Mother Flame?"
The elder flinched. "We are... preparing to test it. In the Lulusia Kingdom."
The room tensed.
The Five Elders were silent. Then slowly... they nodded, understanding what was required — and what was to come.
Back aboard the Voidreign, tension hung in the wind like a whisper.
They had only been in the New World for less than an hour... and yet Jessie felt it.
His Max Observation Haki surged outward like sonar, expanding past the ship in all directions. What he sensed made his heart beat faster.
Something distant... massive... was being destroyed.
No, not destroyed — erased.
A location... lives... presence... being wiped out as if it never existed.
Jessie's eyes narrowed, his senses locking onto the faintest tremors. Flames... screams... a monstrous force. And above it all, a beam of energy unlike anything he had felt before.
Suddenly, beside him, Kuina's eyes shot open.
"I felt it too," she whispered, her voice grave. "It's not just destruction... it's a test. Like they're preparing to use something terrible."
Jessie turned toward the horizon, his jaw tightening.
"They're going to use it on someone. A kingdom. A warning."
He clenched his fists. The system inside him glowed faintly, reacting to his resolve.
"No," he muttered. "Not on my watch."
In the distance, the sky shimmered faintly — a ripple of light too far for normal eyes to see.
But for Jessie... it was enough.
"Everyone," he called out, turning to face his crew. "Change of plans."
"We're heading to Lulusia Kingdom."
Uta stopped mid-step, eyes wide. "Lulusia? That's... east of here, isn't it?"
"Yes. And if we don't move fast..." Jessie paused. "There won't be a Lulusia left."
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