Half an hour later.
Outside the gates of Impel Down.
Watching the Free Will and the warships gradually recede, a strange ambition flickered in the eyes of Shiliew of the Rain.
He no longer wanted to stay here.
Kōta's power had completely ignited his restless heart.
He had been thoroughly disgusted with the boring life in Impel Down a long time ago.
Day after day, year after year, the eternally howling hell had not only made him more bloodthirsty but had also plunged his heart into darkness.
Before, he could still hold onto his original intentions, but now...
Gripping the Raiu tightly, bloodthirsty red light flashed in Shiliew of the Rain's eyes. He slowly turned, and with a "dada" sound, his footsteps firmly carried him into the gates of Impel Down.
Leaving was not for now.
He already knew from Garp that Silver Hair would indeed go to Marie Geoise soon, and the world would fall into chaos then. He would take advantage of that time to bid a final farewell to this prison and Magellan.
A brief silence, utterly insignificant under the radiance of freedom.
When the Free Will truly sailed out of the Gate of Justice, and the vast sea outside was visible again, the silence on the ship was completely broken.
Countless Newkama Land residents shouted on deck, some laughing heartily, some crying loudly, and some weeping silently.
They were happy, excited, and overjoyed to have finally escaped hell and seen paradise.
Only a caged bird knows the value of freedom, and only those who have experienced hell truly appreciate the sea and the sunlight.
Feeling the joy of the Newkama Land residents behind him, Ivankov's slight dissatisfaction, which arose from Kōta's earlier action of killing some of his citizens, quietly vanished at this moment.
He was not a person who dwelled on the past; instead, he was a very optimistic person.
The past had become history; people always had to move forward.
And he had no dissatisfaction with Kōta, nor should he.
"Thank you~"
Looking at the silver-haired youth sitting on the ship's railing beside him, with one hand behind his head and the other holding a wine gourd, casually swinging his legs, Ivankov spoke his first words after leaving Impel Down.
Kōta was startled, then chuckled and turned his head to look at Ivankov, "I thought Little Ivankov would be angry for a long time!"
"Haha!!"
"I'm not a sentimental person!"
Ivankov shook his head, then looked at the sea ahead, a hint of inexplicable light flashing in his eyes: "Besides, they weren't exactly good people. I have no reason to pay for their future. After all, I'm just a guide to their improvement, not a nanny, right?"
"Oh~ Right," as if remembering something, Ivankov withdrew his gaze and looked at Kōta again, "How did you know I was in Impel Down?"
"Sabo told me."
Kōta wouldn't say he knew already, so he had to attribute it to Sabo.
"Oh~ Is it that kid?"
Thinking of Sabo, a gentle expression appeared on Ivankov's face.
Sabo, like many orphans he and Dragon had adopted, was both a disciple and the hope for the future of this world.
It was just that because Sabo was brought back by Dragon and had strong talent, he held a special significance for him, for Dragon, and for the Revolutionary Army.
Next, Kōta talked with Ivankov about meeting Sabo in Dressrosa and also told him about his plan to go to Marie Geoise.
Upon hearing that the Revolutionary Army would also gather and go together then, Ivankov's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Is this long-lost ideal finally about to be realized?"
Looking at the boy's silver hair, which seemed to glow in the sunlight, in the depths of Ivankov's eyes, the scene of the first time he saw Kōta that summer seemed to reappear.
He clearly remembered the kid back then. Although surprising, he was too young to be considered a future hope by him and Dragon.
But now...
The youth before him, the child of yesteryear, had grown into someone who, by himself, could force the Marine Hero Garp, two Admirals, and the absolute king of Impel Down to let them leave.
He had never seen such strength in anyone throughout history.
And it was precisely this strength that gave the youth the courage to overthrow the World Government and the Celestial Dragons!
With excitement and boundless anticipation for the future, Ivankov bid farewell to Kōta and his group, taking all the Newkama Land residents onto a ship requisitioned from the Marines, to rendezvous with Dragon's main force.
The moment he left Impel Down, he had already contacted Dragon.
...
The world would not stop spinning because of someone's absence or presence, or because of some big news.
Time was the fairest thing in this world; everyone was born with it, only the duration differed.
For the Four Seas, the news from the Grand Line was certainly novel, but due to the overwhelming presence of the Marines, the people here lived reasonably well, at least without the fear of their town disappearing one day.
They didn't care whether the world would enter a new ruling class because, no matter who was in charge, their situation wouldn't change much.
Life went on just like countless other days.
But for some people, a piece of news that spread throughout the world was enough to make them uneasy.
Baratie was still lively, but when the delivery bird brought the day's news, the liveliness instantly vanished as if a pause button had been pressed.
Since it was still early morning and there were few customers, the one-legged old man sitting at the bar smoking, looking at the newspaper in his hand, was filled with emotion.
"Old man, that guy is Kōta!"
Sanji, holding the newspaper, pointed at the cover photo with disbelief, "When did this guy become so arrogant? He actually declared war on the World Government."
Despite saying that, a clear look of admiration appeared on Sanji's face.
"Yeah, yeah!"
Behind Sanji, Patty, who was like Popeye, shouted loudly, "No one expected the rich young man from back then to become the world's hero."
Zeff ignored them, took a deep puff of his cigarette, and looked at the newspaper again through the smoke drifting from his mouth.
The big "7" on it was a declaration of war on the World Government, and also a beacon of hope for the world.
This world needed heroes, at least after the Great Pirate Era, especially on the Grand Line.
As Baratie was close to Loguetown, no one knew better than he did how many times the pirates entering and exiting the Grand Line had increased over the years.
Given the baseline, pirates understood pirates better.
After all, pirates who truly sailed out for their dreams were a minority among minorities; most were actually for "freedom."
For wealth, for fame.