One Piece: Path to Power

Chapter 158: [158] Legacy

I didn't intend to release a chapter today, but I might as well end the week on a high note. MWF schedule resumes Monday.

[3400 words]

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[Domain of the Gods, Mariejois]

The ship of around forty Celestial Dragons returned to their safe haven under the protection of Saint Garling and the God's Knights. 

Figarland Garling was hailed as the 'Champion of God Valley,' which earned him the reverence of other Saints. 

The Command-in-Chief Endou had returned since Kong had resumed his duties of manning Marineford. The ruined G-1, credited to the furious Golden Lion, was now temporarily overseen by Admiral Candidates Yochou and Ginrou. After all, Mariejois needed to be protected on both sides of the Red Line.

…

[Office of the Commander-in-Chief]

Near the front of the room, a simple blue sofa faced the man's desk. Instead of a wall, a ring-shaped aquarium housed exotic fish and sea beasts. 

Endou sat at his desk, the dim light casting shadows across his imposing frame. His thick, weathered fingers rested on the edges of the desk, the surface cluttered with old maps and war reports, their edges curling from age. His chest, scarred and stone-like, rose and fell slowly, each breath a reminder of the countless battles he had endured. The long, braided strands of his dark hair hung heavily around his shoulders, and his beard, wild and grizzled, seemed to blend into the dark coat draped over his shoulders.

His muscles, still rippling beneath his scarred skin, spoke of strength undiminished by time, and the deep lines etched into his face told a story of a man who had faced death countless times and emerged stronger.

His authority was second only to the Five Elders, and his presence demanded such.

[Commander-in-Chief Endou Image (in Discord)]

.

A woman stood behind Endou, leaning on the aquarium walls.

"Endou-chan, without Xerxes, it looks like your work has doubled," she whispered.

The Commander-in-Chief glared at the woman; she could be considered his other half. "Tsume… more work for me is more work for you." 

The woman named Tsume had long white hair that was puffed up and spread in all directions, much like her feathered jacket. Her skin was pale except for the gray patch around her right eye. Tsume also wore dark lipstick, the same colour as her pearl necklace, and very sharp fingernails. 

Her codename was "Shusagi."

[Shusagi Tsume Image (in Discord)]

[A/N: "Shusagi" meaning 'Red Egret.']

…

While Endou looked after the troubles that plagued the Navy and Cipher Pol, Tsume was in charge of the financial area.

Shusagi, being the Commissioner of the Revenue and Taxation Bureau, had the authority to mobilize the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Torture and Interrogation Division, Cipher Pol and even the Navy to exact a swift and ruthless response to any whiff of tax evasion or fraud.

All nations under the World Government would pay a huge sum of tax in the form of Heavenly Tribute. The RTB had the duty to collect these taxes and enforce all laws regarding taxes. 

There was a saying in the Grand Line, "Some are crazy enough to take on the Overlords of the New World, but the RTB? No thank you!"

Another widespread notion was, "Why don't RTB agents play hide-and-seek? Because no matter where you hide, they always find you…and your unreported income."

…

Tsume snorted, closing her eyes and leaning on the wall in an attempt to draw out the noise around them. "Well, this riot isn't in our job description."

Endou huffed a deep sigh; things were indeed a little out of hand. 

The grand office of the Commander-in-Chief was recently overrun by a mob of angry folk, clawing and raging at Endou. Unfortunately for him, the people facing him were the Descendants of the Gods and beyond his authority to chide.

His position demanded respect, and his appearance demanded fear. Still, in the eyes of the Celestial Dragons, he was simply someone barely worthy of breathing the same air as them.

"Endou, I want to see that evil pirate executed now!"

"He's an enemy of the Gods. He deserves to be put to death!"

"His crew killed my wife and daughters; their divine blood was shed, and yet that scum is alive!"

…

These were no ordinary Nobles, either. They were the Heads of their Houses, granting them great power and nobility. 

The combined words of the Fourteen Heads were equal to that of an Elder. Therefore, Endou's authority was overruled by their unanimous fury.

Suddenly, one striking voice broke the mayhem: "I object to the execution."

"…" A deafening silence arrived that left even Endou speechless. 

It came from a Celestial Dragon. 

Unlike the overweight and distasteful Nobles, this one was different. He wore a dark shirt topped with a sleek, white suit, the colour of which matched his messy hair. The man also sported dark sunglasses, concealing his hazel eyes.

A bold grin etched to his face as he peered at the infuriated crowd.

"Amas-Rohtua Vadin, what is the meaning of this!?" a senior Noble thundered. 

"Ahahaha! It means I'm not on board with your demands," Vadin hollered. "If not all Fourteen Heads agree, then none of you can deploy commands on Endou-san."

An elderly woman with the usual white attire seemed furious. She slammed her cane onto the floor, "My husband died five days ago, and the ones responsible are still alive; how can you call yourself a Noble!?"

"Don't get blown away by your title as a Head of a Divine House, Vadin! You only have that title because the previous one died at God Valley! Know your title as the 'Sacred Scourge' is just as unsettling!"

The accusatory words deepened Vadin's smile: "I can say the same for just about all of you."

The mood turned sour and chaotic. Nearby Cipher Pol agents were unsure how to act if things went further south. 

.

"Lords and Ladies," Endou's deep voice quieted them. "Since you cannot come to an agreement, then everything will be dealt with as per the wishes of the Five Elders."

A few of them pointed their fingers in spite, "We'll remember this, Vadin!"

The Noble, nicknamed the Sacred Scourge, gave them a smirk and lit himself a cigarette. Soon after, the office was empty.

A relieved Endou reached for his transponder snail and dialled a number few knew: "Puru," "Puru," "Puru." 

…

[Room of Authority]

The Five Elders sat in their usual spots, breathing in the peace, only for a snail to go off.

"Puru," "Puru," "Puru." 

Topman Warcury picked up the call with a "Katcha~!"

"Five Elders. This is Endou," it said, taking on the appearance of the scarred veteran.

Warcury nodded, stroking his heavy 'stache, "Xerxes' unfortunate demise has left you overworked."

"Not at all," the snail shook its head in modesty. "I can manage for a while."

The Elders were satisfied by their top henchman's demeanour. 

"What did the Heads decide?"

The snail replied promptly, "There was one objection, which voided their order to execute the Sin Incarnate."

Marcus Mars spoke up with a hint of curiosity, "Who objected?"

"Saint Vadin," Endou concisely answered.

Nusjuro's brows furrowed. The Sword Elder leaned into the conversation, his aged face expressing contentment: "Amas-Rohtua Vadin's intervention works rather conveniently. Otherwise, it would be difficult to overturn a consensus of the Heads of the Houses."

His eyes turned sharp, much like his beloved blade, "Too many fruit users have been killed in the past few years; allowing such powerful abilities to become prevalent is equal to shooting ourselves in the foot."

"Let alone Rocks' Death fruit that is now in circulation, and it is unsettling to think about allowing the Sin Incarnate's ability to respawn," Saturn thought out loud.

"I can say the same of Xerxes. We bestowed him and his two stooges the rarest kinds of fruits. It's obvious the investment failed! Our bias toward the rising agents must be fixed!"

Warcury heard his colleagues' words and returned to the call: "Alright, Endou. We'll find an appropriate replacement for Xerxes soon, but until then, you'll have additional responsibilities."

"Of course," the snail said, sleeping with a clank.

.

The Chamber of Authority was left with the Five Elders deep in conversation.

"With Rocks dead, we should shift focus to Whitebeard, Shiki and Charlotte Linlin," Ju Peter offered. "Kaido has eaten a mighty fruit as well, a future enemy for sure."

Surprisingly enough, they were not that worried.

"Roger has disappeared, Rocks is dead, and Damien is locked away. All the most dangerous pirates with the name 'D.' are no longer roaming the sea," Nusjuro recounted.

"It is best for the world," Warcury finished.

"There are other things to deal with; first is Xerxes' position, and the second is Basara and Masao."

A short silence followed before Saturn continued the conversation. "The Admiral position of the late Basara needs filling, and perhaps it is time for Masao to retire; his mind is no longer in the right place."

"I suggest we allow Masao to remain for a while," Mars chimed in, running his hand through his long beard. "Two empty Admiral positions in such small time frames will destroy the fear that the Admiral position demands."

His thoughts were met with universal nods of agreement.

"Very well, then our Admiral Candidates are Zephyr, Ginrou Gomon, Yochou Reina and…"

Even though the candidates were listed, the Five Elders each took a short breath to bring up the real contender for the spot.

"...Monkey D. Garp."

"After taking down Rocks, the people have begun to revere him as the Marine Hero." Nusjuro unsheathed his blades, revealing a sharp whistle. "A D. holding such a title can prove harmful to us, but Garp has yet to show any such ambitions."

Saturn laid his head back to his seat, looking to the pristine ceiling in thought. "His allegiance must be tested. I hear his son has made quite a name for himself. Why not have him understand how the world works?"

Warcury easily picked on what his fellow Elder was insinuating while a calculating smile bloomed across his aged face. "Agreed. Let Dragon work with Cipher Pol to protect the Celestial Dragons. With Rocks gone, I'm sure they will soon return to their devices beyond Mariejois."

A lot of thought was put into the matter. Ultimately, no one could refute that Garp is a dog worthy of keeping on a leash.

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While the Overseers of the World had decided to impose order once more, another massive ceremony was taking place at Marineford.

Every civilized nation around the world was watching through the broadcasts!

…

The stronghold of the Navy Headquarters. A beacon of hope and order. Home to the greatest of the marine officers in living history!

Alongside the crescent-shaped plaza of the island was a sea of white, tens of thousands of white-clothed marines.

They stood ready, their posture as straight as an arrow and their face filled with seriousness. Beyond the masses of marines was a central field with a vast sea of blankets. Each covering the corpse of a fallen marine.

.

Fleet Admiral Kong appeared, standing at the forefront of the plaza, his marine coat flapping brightly but not hiding his missing arm.

Behind him was a giant protrusion from the stone floor that was not usually there, covered with a white blanket.

The man stood under the glorious flag of the Marines, his sight scanning the crowd. 

"Today, we stand in remembrance of our fallen brothers," he began.

Kong's booming voice reverberated on the island, and he didn't even need a microphone.

*Click* *Kinch*

At his sides were lines of reporters, snapping photos to document the imminent speech. His speech was being shown to not just every island under the World Government but even every single Marine Base!

.

"The recent war ended the tyrannous reign of the Rocks Pirates, but it came at the cost of a hundred thousand brave marines and even one of our best and brightest: Admiral Basara."

Kong gestured at the 100,000 blankets equally spaced in the field in front of him and the one at the very front, that of Basara. Garp and Sengoku were nearby, glancing at the sheet covering their colleague's remains.

"We gather to mourn that grieving loss, but make no mistake—these men are not just numbers on a piece of paper to be stored away—no, they are heroes! They paid their lives to usher in a time of peace, a time of tranquillity, and most importantly, a time without pirates!"

Kong's words reached the ends of the island, bringing a bright look at every marine nearby. His one-armed appearance was to further enforce the point he was making.

"There is no remaining threat strong enough to stand against our justice; no criminal bold enough to challenge our justice!"

He then placed his remaining hand on the blanket that covered the instrument behind him. "This relic will stand in remembrance of our fallen heroes and martyrs…"

With a light tug, the blanket was removed, and the glorious construct was revealed. The marines' eyes widened, and some even wiped away tears.

It was a bell!

Not just any bell, but the Ox Bell that once stood to light the way of the legendary Ox Lloyds Warship! 

[Image (in Discord)]

"Fellow marines present and watching, and the people of the world, join me in a moment of silence for these heroes before you."

Kong breathed in a heavy breath, glancing at the sky.

His eyes recalled the years from the Order of the Three Overlords of the Sea to the evil Rocks Pirates. His reign began in 1480. Six years had passed, six years of nothing but war and death. But finally, they were no more. Such a feat was what every Fleet Admiral dreamed of.

…

Billions of people stood in silence along the chains of islands in the Grand Line to the small villages and towns of the Outer Seas.

Whether it was a child, adult or the elderly, they each quietly watched the broadcast on their feet, breathing in the massive toll on the Navy.

The silence was lifted as Kong spoke again, "I will now ring the Ox Bell sixteen times in light of the fifteen fallen Vice Admirals and the late Admiral Basara."

Kong walked to the side and grabbed the string that was connected to the clapper of the bell. With pride and resolve burning in his eyes, he began the ritual.

*Thung!*

*Thung!*

*Thung!*

*Thung!*

*Thung!*

…

It took five minutes until the Fleet Admiral stopped, bringing an end to the ceremony. He then glanced at the sea of corpses and then at the sea of living marines.

"Henceforth, the Ox Bell will be rung every passing year," he declared. "Eight times to give thanks for the old year and another eight times to welcome the new year!"

The Marines paused at the newly commanded tradition and felt it was indeed fitting. A boisterous cry exploded from the tens of thousands of marines, reaching the ends of the planet!

Sure enough, the Navy had won; justice had prevailed!

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The explosive cheers at the Navy Headquarters were loud enough to grace almost every inhabited land on the planet! However, Impel Down was not lucky enough to witness such a historic event.

…

[Eternal Hell]

*Drip* *Drop* The Sixth Level was as despairing as always: cold, decrepit and infernal.

Dull wails of broken men echoed through the hellish level. People clawing out to regain their sanity, failing all the same. 

There was no sense of time down there, no window to alert them of a new day. They could only count on the food trays that came, marking another month in the Eternal Hell.

.

Yet in one such cell was no such melancholy.

A young man went through a few newspapers of news, his eyes unbecoming of a pirate damned forever.

"Hundred-Beast Kaido ate the stolen Azure Dragon Fruit…"

"Dark King Rayleigh alone attempted to kill the Nobles…"

"Linlin, Shiki, Whitebeard, all of them disappeared…"

"Garp, the Hero of the Navy, was granted a life-long supply of the highest-quality rice cracker…"

"Hachinosu leveled to the ground…"

"Roger Pirates completely disbanded…"

Damien hummed in interest at the next section of the news: bounties.

-----< WANTED >-----

< SHAKUYAKU >

< 'Black Death' >

< 𝔅 1,033,330,000 - >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

-----< WANTED >-----

< KAIDO >

< 'Hundred-Beast' >

< 𝔅 1,561,110,000 - >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

-----< WANTED >-----

< SCOPPER⋅GABAN >

< 'Twin-Axe' >

< 𝔅 1,570,550,000 - >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

-----------------------

"When a billion-plus bounties are on the lower end, Rahahaha! To think they actually deemed the pirate era over."

There were two more bounties that Damien was satisfied to look over. After all, they belonged to his own people. The papers even called the two "the Remnants of the Sin Incarnate."

-----< WANTED >-----

< SOLOMON >

< 'Ancient Predator' >

< 𝔅 599,000,000 - >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

-----< WANTED >-----

< ZENORA⋅INDRA >

< 'Hellspawn' >

< 𝔅 2,066,000,000 - >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

-----------------------

"Though I'm sure Solomon will be pissed at the contrast between his and Indra's reward, it is still incredible to get a first bounty just shy of six hundred million berries!" Damien remarked.

He then moved ahead to the next string of numbers, the true terrors of the next era. Each belongs to the First Level of the World Threat Index.

-----< WANTED >-----

< SILVERS⋅RAYLEIGH >

< 'Dark King' >

< 𝔅 2,508,600,000 - >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

-----< WANTED >-----

< CHARLOTTE⋅LINLIN >

< 'Evil Spirit' >

< 𝔅 2,888,000,000 - >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

-----< WANTED >-----

< SHIKI >

< 'Golden Lion' >

< 𝔅 3,504,990,000 - >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

-----< WANTED >-----

< EDWARD⋅NEWGATE >

< 'Whitebeard' >

< 𝔅 3,546,000,000 - >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

-----< WANTED >-----

< GOL·D·ROGER >

< 'King of the Seas' >

< 𝔅 4,564,800,000 - >

< DEAD or ALIVE >

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[A/N: Roger won't return for another 10 years for piracy by canon. I think it's more fitting for him to be forgotten over that period slowly; his return would spark the "Gold" instead of "Gol. D."]

Damien grinned at the absurd numbers, but deep down, he knew these were still far from their prime.

"From what I recall, there was a five-year gap before the future top dogs returned to sea," Damien muttered. "It is wise to lay low considering how boldly the Navy is moving. I wonder how they'll react when their precious prison is escaped from…"

*Vvooo!* Suddenly, an ominous breeze assaulted Damien's cell.

"!!!"

His crimson eyes pierced through the darkness, seeing a bright light from the opened doors. 

'It's not the time for food,' Damien concluded with an air of curiosity.

The door creaked while held open by a firm grip.

BOOOM!

Damien narrowed his eyes as he felt the daggers of Haki digging into every pore on his body.

Loud thuds and thumps broke out through Level Six, dozens of damned men falling to the ground with foaming mouths. The surrounding air was trembling with microbursts, releasing relentless Supreme King's Haki.

'This Conqueror's is above mine.' 

The Sin Incarnate watched intently as this dark figure slammed the door shut and walked closer and closer to his cell.

*Thump* *Thump* *Thump* each step echoed through the Eternal Hell, tightening the already oppressive silence around them. Despite the deadly aura, a weak, coughing fit interrupted the menace, followed by the distinct sound of blood being spat on the cold stone floor.

Wiping his bloodied lips, the intruder casually sat down and reassured, "I mean you no harm, kiddo."

The voice was lax, echoing in the dark cell from all directions. It belonged to an older man.

Damien squinted his eyes—a familiar set of facial features.

"Ruhahaha! I've been waiting so many years to see you finally. Looks like they did a number on you."

The man on the other side of the prison bars sat with an air of quiet menace, his crimson hair wild and matted with grime and blood. A deep scar marred his cheek, cutting through his unkempt stubble, while his single eye glowed with a dangerous, almost amused glint. His clothes, torn and tattered, barely clung to his battered frame, the black coat draped around him like a shadow of past battles.

Despite his dishevelled appearance, there was an unsettling confidence in the way he leaned against the bars, his lips curling into a faint, knowing grin. He looked like a man who had faced death countless times and found it amusing.

Damien exhaled slowly, a smoldering anger simmering beneath his crimson gaze. "I was hoping I'd find you rotting down here…"

The tension in the air grew thicker as Damien's eyes locked onto that of the escapee, both sharing a dangerous, predatory glint that spoke volumes about their shared history.

"...Einar D. Ares."

[Ares Image (in Discord)]

To Be Continued…

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Author's Corner.

Life Advice: Don't mess with the tax collectors. The RTB was introduced long ago when Damien went to cash in the bounties at Greta Island. Shusagi Tsume is the Commissioner, reporting directly to Endou, with whom you now have a face to compare. 

What do you think Damien will do when he is face-to-face with his father?

Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q