Chapter 329: The Curtain Falls on the War

"Ace, let's make our move," Sabo said, keeping a vigilant eye on Im's shifting movements.

"Right!"

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder, their palms locked together. In an instant, a boundless, majestic aura surged forth.

Roaring flames erupted straight into the heavens. In the span of a single heartbeat, an inferno washed over the Holy Land of Mary Geoise—an ocean of blazing fire stretching endlessly into the horizon.

It was a flaming purgatory unlike anything witnessed before. The onlookers on the ground stared in wide-eyed disbelief; the fiery sea spanned an area identical to the apocalyptic dark fog that had previously choked the sky.

The firmament itself was eclipsed!

"Impossible!" Im's eyes widened in horror.

The sole reason her power stood far above the greatest masters of this world was that colossal mass of dark fog.

No elemental ability should have been capable of contending with her dark mist.

All standard Logia abilities could clash with the mist, yet none could rival its terrifying internal density.

Yet the flames gushing from Ace and Sabo carried an unmistakable momentum, establishing a true stalemate against her dark fog.

Such a phenomenon was pure fantasy!

Yet it unfolded right before her eyes.

How could she accept this?!

"Impossible! A power of this magnitude cannot exist—this is nothing but an illusion! Hahaha... I see now! These flames are merely an empty, hollow facade!"

Desperate to validate her own denial, Im unleashed a massive torrent of dark fog from her frame, surging straight into the wall of fire.

"Watch me extinguish these flames in one breath!"

"Standing high above the world for centuries has blinded you to the reality right before your eyes. These flames are anything but an empty facade," Sabo declared, raising a single hand.

The sweeping sea of fire behaved like crimson clouds answering a summons, spiraling violently toward a single epicenter.

Even the fighters standing far below on the stone plaza could feel the suffocating, blistering heatwave bearing down upon them.

"You should know by now: one plus one can be far greater than two!" Ace spoke coolly.

The flames erupting from him and Sabo harmonized perfectly. The moment their hands had linked, a profound, alien resonance had awakened within their bodies.

An endless, boundless current gushed forth without a ceiling.

At this moment, the twin manifestations of the Flame-Flame Fruit had fused into a single harmonious entity, unleashing a tier of destructive output far beyond what either could achieve alone.

RUMBLE... CRASH!

The sky of fire collided violently with Im's dark fog. The flames coiled and roared like soaring dragons, while the sprawling dark mist twisted in desperate resistance as the two domains locked in brutal friction.

Strange, laughing shrieks echoed from the sky. Luffy plummeted downward, his transformed body settling into a bizarre, euphoric rhythm.

Yet for Luffy, this state was pure perfection. Waves of radiant heat radiated from his pores, filling him with the exhilarating sensation of limitless energy.

The dark fog, already straining against the crushing fire, was shattered by a direct concussive blow from Luffy. Seizing the opening, the converging sea of flames plunged downward, swallowing Im whole.

"You think this is enough to defeat me?!" Im tore through the inferno in a furious blur, dark blade raised to strike.

BOOM!

Before anyone could register his trajectory, Luffy materialized directly before Im, driving a fist deep into her frame.

Ugh... COUGH!

A heavy spray of crimson blood erupted from Im's lips as she was thrown backward. Luffy grinned broadly, white steam drifting from his shoulders as he wound up another strike.

KABOOM!

Im was hammered out of the sky, crashing through the fractured rock below.

Ace and Sabo traded glances and nodded in silent confirmation. This was the first time they had seen Im cough up blood—meaning she had been stripped of her anomalous regenerative defense entirely.

"That idiot Luffy... he's gotten this strong. He's truly surpassed the two of us this time," Sabo said with a warm smile.

"Yeah."

"Then again, that's only natural. He is our little brother, after all!" Ace felt a swell of profound pride warming his chest.

If there was one thing they cared about above all else, it was seeing their youngest brother fulfill his ultimate dream.

And that day was approaching fast.

Bouncing lightly on his heels, Luffy arrived at the edge of the crater. Looking down at the defiant, broken form of Im, he slowly drew back a golden-tinted fist.

"Nika!"

With his fist clenched tight, radiant golden light surged forth, illuminating the entirety of the Holy Land. Under Im's horrified gaze, the strike descended with absolute finality.

"Damn you all...!"

RUMBLE... BOOM!

The earth trembled beneath the impact as golden light scattered into the sky, settling like warm dawn over the stone below...

After a long silence, the onlookers slowly opened their eyes, greeted by a soothing, golden luminescence.

"How... what's the situation?"

"Is it over?"

Beneath the rising dawn in the east, three silhouettes emerged from the haze.

The three men walked with unhurried strides. Though an aura capable of pulverizing worlds still clung to their figures, their faces beamed with warm, gentle smiles.

In them, the crowd saw none of the arrogant haughtiness typical of supreme powerhouses—only the earnest, familiar smiles of neighborhood boys.

Yet after witnessing the preceding battle, no one was foolish enough to mistake them for harmless.

True monsters were always met with awe and reverence.

No one would dare overstep their bounds simply because these heroes carried themselves with easy grace.

"Luffy!"

A graceful silhouette blurred across the plaza, carrying a delicate floral scent as she threw herself straight into Luffy's arms.

Luffy extended his arms on pure instinct, catching her in an embrace.

"Hancock!"

The Empress lifted her head, a deep crimson blush coloring her cheeks. "Luffy... are you unhurt?"

"Yeah!" Luffy grinned, nodding vigorously. "Though I'm starving! We have to feast like crazy after this!"

"Of course! I will prepare everything for you with my own hands," Hancock smiled softly, her blush deepening.

With this, the war reached its definitive conclusion.

The monumental conflict initiated by the Revolutionary Army under Dragon's leadership against the World Government—the entity that had ruled over eight hundred years of world history—ended in a decisive victory for the Revolutionary Army and the Neo-Marines.

The supreme leadership of the World Government, including the Five Elders and former Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, were taken into custody and temporarily confined within the specialized high-security cells originally built for slaves in the Holy Land.

Imprisoned alongside them was the shadowy ruler lurking behind the World Government: Im!

Specific intelligence regarding her origins remained classified.

The news was broadcast aggressively by news agencies across the four seas, sending shockwaves through the entire world. Some celebrated in the streets, while others looked upon the news with deep apprehension.

The future had become entirely unmapped. No one could predict what turbulence and structural changes this massive historical paradigm shift would bring into their daily lives.

Across every ocean, people prayed quietly in their hearts.

Simultaneously, another staggering report broke: Revolutionary Army divisions across the globe had launched synchronized uprisings, systematically crushing the regional Marine garrisons stationed in every sea.

When the Marine officer tasked with reporting the crisis finally scaled the Red Line, the war had already ended.

Only with the arrival of these global reports did he realize the Revolutionary Army's calculated strategy: the divisions that had vanished from the base of the Red Line had deployed directly to reinforce uprisings worldwide, dismantling the Navy's global presence in record time.

The entire world was saturated with news of the Revolutionary Army's total victory.

At this historic milestone, every soul across the seas understood: the Revolutionary Army had triumphed!

The World Government, which had stood at the absolute zenith of the world for eight centuries, had completely collapsed.

The world was plunged into an era of unprecedented, monumental transformation!