Chapter 334: The Shifting Tides of the Pirate World

"Luffy!!"

Both Ace and Hancock scrambled across the rubble to check on him.

Im had held nothing back in that counterattack; even with Luffy's monstrous durability, emerging unscathed seemed impossible.

"GRAHH!"

Beneath the mound of debris, Luffy shoved the shattered boulders aside with both hands, marching out with an expression of pure, pouting fury.

"Where is she?! Let me at her—I'm gonna beat her down all over again!" Streams of fluid energy billowed around Luffy once more, his Nika form radiating waves of intense, atmospheric heat.

"She..." Ace pointed toward the horizon where the dark mist had vanished. "She got away."

"WHAT?!" Luffy bared his teeth, scowling in sheer annoyance. "She actually managed to run away?!"

"Well, whatever. If she's gone, she's gone."

"Luffy, are you hurt anywhere?" Hancock rushed to his side, meticulously checking him over from head to toe. Only after confirming he was entirely unharmed did she finally let out a breath of relief.

"Hancock, you're standing way too close! I'm totally fine, really!"

Ace: "..."

"Regardless of that, let's head back to the Demon Warder first. Drake should be there right now, and his condition was looking pretty rough."

Since Im had managed to slip away, there was nothing they could do for the moment. The instant she broke line of sight, she had likely altered her flight path.

Pursuing her blindly now was an exercise in futility; they would have to devise a plan later.

"Right! Let's go see Drake!" Luffy agreed immediately.

Before long, a massive assembly gathered once more within the inner cabins of the Demon Warder. This time, Ace, Sabo, and Luffy were all present.

The Legendary Four Brothers were fully assembled. Flanked by legendary powerhouses like Whitebeard and Kuzan, the cabin of the Demon Warder held a concentration of combat strength rivaling the apex of the entire world.

"Drake, that's the long and short of it. We let her get away," Ace concluded.

A heavy silence descended over the room.

Letting Im escape was far more perilous than releasing a tiger back to its mountain. With her terrifying tier of strength, there was no telling what devastation she might unleash while roaming free as a lone entity.

Meanwhile, inside the mindscape, the System was briefing Drake in detail, causing his expression to grow increasingly grim.

Through the System's breakdown, he finally grasped why Im had been so desperate to flee.

The true nature of Im's "immortal body" stemmed from her current ethereal state. At present, she could hardly be classified as human—she had lost her original physical body centuries ago.

According to the latest data retrieved by the System, Im's immortality was maintained through an anomalous, ancient method.

As for the exact mechanics behind that method, the System lacked clearance to access them for now.

As the System explained it, the completeness of retrieved intelligence was strictly tied to the completion rate of his quests.

Its current information pool remained limited, yet it had uncovered one crucial piece of the puzzle:

Im's immortal constitution was entirely dependent on her host vessel. The reason her body could regenerate indefinitely while possessing Drake's mother was that she could forcibly accelerate the host's cellular regeneration and division.

Drake's mother, Yunshang, was merely the vessel.

Because a human being possessed a finite number of cellular divisions in a lifetime, accelerating that process meant burning through the host's lifespan at an alarming rate.

In other words, her so-called immortality was purchased directly with the remaining lifespan of her host.

Once the host's vitality was completely exhausted, the body would perish immediately.

When that happened, she would be forced to seek out a new vessel.

Because of Drake's intervention, Im had dared not risk further combat, choosing instead to flee the Holy Land entirely.

Her sole objective now was undeniably securing a brand-new host.

"It's fine. You don't need to worry about this matter—I already have a plan in mind," Drake said, waving his hand reassuringly.

"Leave Im to our Dragon Flag Pirates. I will personally lead the crew to track her down and settle this once and for all!"

Just moments ago, a new prompt had appeared in the System interface. This one was designated as an Ultimate Quest—the final quest.

He had no idea why it was labeled as the very last objective. The final one... did that mean everything was drawing to an ultimate close?

Would the System... disappear as well?

When he pressed the System for answers, it remained stubbornly silent, deliberately playing coy and keeping him completely in the dark.

Still, what would come would come; there was no use overthinking it now.

"Drake, there's another piece of good news we haven't told you yet," Sabo chimed in with a warm smile. "Luffy has already secured a rubbing of the final Road Poneglyph."

"WHAT?!" Drake's eyes widened in sheer disbelief, his tongue tripping over his words. "You mean... Luffy, your very next destination is the legendary final island, Laugh Tale?!"

So soon?!

Is Luffy really about to become the King of the Pirates?!

"That's right. Luffy is now just a single step away from the Pirate King's throne," Ace confirmed, nodding with a proud grin.

He held zero interest in claiming the title of Pirate King himself, nor did the Whitebeard Pirates care for such empty accolades.

On that front, every member of the Whitebeard crew supported him unconditionally.

Now that Pops was back, the Whitebeard Pirates were finally whole once more.

"Has that day truly arrived...?" Drake murmured softly. Luffy... was finally embarking on the final stretch of the journey toward the Pirate King's throne...

This was a milestone Drake had anticipated for years.

Ace then proceeded to catch Drake up on the broader pirate landscape following his collapse.

Kaido and Big Mom had both managed to execute clean tactical withdrawals. Regarding Kaido, out of consideration for Yamato, Ace and the others had chosen not to pursue him with lethal force.

Having lost all his standing forces, a solitary Kaido had retreated without interference, leaving the battlefield alongside King, who had converged with the remnants of the Big Mom Pirates.

As for the Big Mom Pirates, they had prepared contingencies from the very beginning, utilizing Brulee's Mirror-Mirror abilities to execute a seamless, full-crew extraction.

Naturally, their smooth getaway was also made possible because the Straw Hat crew chose not to pursue them.

Following their duel, Zoro's respect for Katakuri had grown considerably. To shield his younger sister from harm, the commander had willingly absorbed a full-power three-sword style slash without flinching, taking critical injuries in the process.

Seeing that resolve, Zoro had held back from delivering a follow-up blow.

Thus, the two Emperors who had once reigned supreme over the New World had both returned safely to their respective home territories.

"Judging by the situation at the time, they likely secured rubbings of the final Road Poneglyph as well. Pirates of their caliber wouldn't have walked away empty-handed," Ace noted.

Drake nodded in agreement.

Ace was entirely correct. Given the personalities of Kaido and Charlotte Linlin, they were not the type to back down and retreat without securing their prize.

"In that case, the race across the seas has officially entered its absolute golden climax. For that solitary, supreme throne, every major power will stake everything they have."

"Average crews won't even have the luxury of staying out of the crossfire."

"Still, if it's Luffy, there's no doubt he'll pull it off."

Drake, Ace, and Sabo exchanged confident, knowing smiles.

Because Luffy was their little brother.

"Alright! In that case, let's throw a banquet!" Drake declared with a hearty laugh. "Today, we feast to send off Luffy and the Straw Hat crew!"

"Across this vast ocean teeming with rivals as numerous as the stars, Luffy will stand atop that solitary throne!"

"He will become the King of the Pirates!"