Chapter 287: The Vanguard of a New Era

"Where... where is this place? How did I get here?" Aiya looked around in utter bewilderment. The strange environment was completely devoid of the oppressive, filthy atmosphere of the Holy Land.

Here, the air was crisp, fresh, and natural. A couple of beautiful butterflies fluttered and played playfully nearby, while clusters of flowers swayed gently in the soft breeze...

"It's so beautiful... Is this heaven...?"

At this moment, Aiya found herself standing in the middle of a vast, boundless field of flowers. Behind her stood a massive, lush green tree, its emerald leaves radiating vibrant vitality.

The quiet chirping of birds drifted through the air from time to time, and the refreshing fragrance of grass and flowers filled the space, causing one to relax instinctively.

Even Aiya's restless, traumatized heart was soothed by the surroundings, gradually settling into a peaceful calm. Walking under the shade of the giant tree, Aiya slowly pulled a short flute with a radiant emerald sheen from her robes.

Closing her eyes, a sweet, melodious tune slowly began to rise, carrying emotions too deep for words.

It was as if she were giving voice to the unfairness of her life, pouring out all the sorrow she had endured.

She didn't know if this truly was heaven, nor did she know whether the person named Drake whom she had met earlier was merely a fleeting illusion seen at the moment of her death.

Looking back on it carefully, things indeed felt entirely unreal. How could anyone possibly slay a Celestial Dragon inside the Holy Land? How could he have even gotten inside?

A story like that sounded like an impossible fantasy.

Most importantly, she clearly remembered being covered in horrific wounds, yet now she felt completely fine without a scratch. No matter how she thought about it, something was wrong.

If... if this really is just a dream, then I hope I never, ever wake up...

Aiya blew into the flute, weaving a heartbreaking melody while secretly praying in her heart.

If this really is heaven, I would gladly stay here forever... Even if I'm just a butterfly fluttering through the air, at least I would have known true freedom.

A gentle breeze brushed against her cheeks, causing her hair to dance in the wind. The butterflies and birds in the flower field seemed infected by the music, fluttering and soaring in midair to form a poignantly beautiful picture.

Meanwhile, across the primary battlefield on the plaza of the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, the Revolutionary Army's morale surged to an all-time high with the arrival of Sabo and the members of the Dragon Flag Pirates.

The battle officially reached a violent, boiling pitch. Sabo charged single-handedly straight into the vast sea of enemy troops, locking his sight directly on the enemy high command. A blazing figure of fire cut straight through all defenses deployed by the Marines and CP0, charging directly toward the high platform at the absolute rear!

"NOT GOOD!" The guards who were bypassed by Sabo all turned pale, frantically spinning around to reach for Sabo's receding back.

"STOP HIM NOW!"

The Marines devolved into total chaos. Sabo was practically cutting across the entire battlefield in a single stride; countless soldiers surged forward to block his path, yet none could check his momentum even for a microsecond.

Big Mom—obsessed with securing the final Road Poneglyph rubbing—had already set off in pursuit of Dragon after enduring his parting blow.

Kizaru was locked down by Kenshin and Bell, while Kaido and Ryokugyu were kept in check by Red-Haired Shanks. At this exact threshold, Fujitora was the solitary powerhouse with both the time and capacity to intercept Sabo!

"Gravity Blade..." Fujitora swept his long sword horizontally through the open air, launching sweeping layers of compressed gravity that slammed down toward Sabo's coordinate.

BOOM!

The horizontal gravity crashed into Sabo, only for his body to instantly burst into clusters of fire and vanish into thin air.

When he rematerialized in the very next microsecond, he was already standing directly beneath the high platform! The entire assembly erupted into a frantic uproar—not even an Admiral could halt his advance!

Fujitora's face darkened significantly. Sheathing his blade, he drew it out an inch once more, as the floating stone slab beneath his boots carried him forward at high velocity, stirring up a violent gale.

"CHARGE!" The final defensive perimeter—comprising the Giant Squad Vice Admirals and five CP0 agents—hurled themselves toward Sabo's back.

"Shave!"

The CP0 agents deployed high-speed movements continuously to close the distance, while the Giant Vice Admirals swung their massive weapons down in sweeping, fatal arcs.

Yet Sabo paid them absolute zero mind, leaping straight into the air toward the apex of the platform.

"WE GOT HIM!" A CP0 agent grinned maliciously, harboring deep contempt in his mind.

So this is the Legendary Four Brothers? The Second-in-Command of the Revolutionary Army? He's nothing special after all!

"Tempest Kick!"

A razor-sharp air blade cut through the atmosphere, whistling directly toward Sabo's neck.

"Sabo!" Koala cried out in deep concern.

Just as the sun-blotting array of strikes was about to connect with Sabo's back, a series of massive, fiery claws suddenly erupted behind him. The flaming limbs not only parried every single incoming attack, but also blasted every pursuing officer backward through the air in one violent sweep.

"WHAT?!"

Sabo didn't bother to glance back; these fodder troops were not his objective, and he couldn't afford to waste cognitive energy on them.

This was a strict boundary Sabo set for himself.

After all, every single officer standing on this field was a famous, formidable figure capable of terrorizing an entire sea region.

To completely ignore them was something even Sabo at his current level couldn't casually manage.

Yet the surrounding troops couldn't read Sabo's inner calculations; all they witnessed was a breathtaking display of raw dominance—a single man sweeping aside every obstacle with absolute, unyielding force!

Seeing is believing!

That was the absolute reality of the field.

"Hey, Garp! How in the world did you raise those kids back then?! Have these youngsters' combat capabilities actually scaled to a level like this...?" Standing on a nearby balcony overlooking the plaza, Sengoku spoke to Garp in sheer, wide-eyed astonishment.

There was no helping it—the scene was simply far too absurd.

At such a young age, their strength had already reached the tier of a Yonko! Most critically of all, these exact youngsters were currently standing squarely on the opposite side of the World Government!

Gradually, Sengoku's gaze toward Garp grew increasingly sharp and unfriendly, making Garp feel a subtle chill down his spine. Ultimately, however, all of Sengoku's complex emotions dissolved into a long, heavy sigh.

That sigh immediately rubbed old man Garp the wrong way. Snapping his eyes wide, he pointed a finger directly at Sengoku and demanded, "Hey, you old goat! What is the meaning of that sigh?! Hm?"

Sengoku reached out and slowly pushed Garp's pointing finger down. "Is there even a need to ask? Just look at the mess you've created!"

"I remember you telling me once that your grandson, Straw Hat Luffy, grew up alongside three other kids. Am I right or wrong?"

"So what if you are?" Garp retorted sharply.

"So what? You still have the nerve to ask 'so what'?! The Legendary Four Brothers who are currently steering the entire new era happen to be the exact four kids who grew up under your roof back then. Am I right or wrong?!"

"You already know the answer, don't you? Why are you still asking?" Garp picked his nose with an utterly unbothered expression.

"Which means the absolute vanguard of this new era rests entirely upon those four young men! If your grandson happened to be just one of them, so be it—that would be an unavoidable stroke of fate."

"But all four of those monsters were raised right under your eyes! What do you have to say for yourself?!"

"Hold on! Let me correct you right there! Setting aside Ace and Luffy, I didn't even spend much time watching over those two."

"As for those two brats, Drake and Sabo, they vanished into thin air when they were still tiny kids! For the longest time, I genuinely assumed both of them were dead!" Garp shook his head frantically to deny the charge.

"Fine! Have it your way! But what about the other two? Both of them turned into notorious pirates, as if you could forget!" Sengoku gritted his teeth, his tone dripping with sheer frustration. "If those kids had joined the Navy instead, we would have probably wiped out the Four Seas and unified the Grand Line by now!"

"And look at us now..."

At that point, Sengoku's subtext was far too clear to require another word.