One Piece: With Sign-in System
Chapter 237: The Hidden Truth—Shanks’ Purpose

Chapter 237 - 237: The Hidden Truth—Shanks’ Purpose

Eight hundred years ago...

The entire world was ruled by a great empire, a vast civilization that controlled the three Ancient Weapons—instruments of destruction capable of shaking the very foundations of the sea.

For years, the empire's supremacy was absolute.

Until, one day—

Something unnatural appeared.

A mysterious fruit that granted extraordinary abilities to those who consumed it... at a cost.

While these individuals gained powers beyond human limits, they became cursed by the sea, forever unable to touch its waters.

This fruit became known as the Devil Fruit.

As more and more Devil Fruit users emerged across the world, the delicate balance that the empire had maintained began to crumble.

Kings from various nations, once obedient to the empire's rule, began harboring ambitions of their own.

And then, twenty of them—twenty kings—joined forces.

They gathered Devil Fruit users, formed secret alliances, and plotted in the shadows.

Their goal?

To seize control of the empire's greatest weapons—the three Ancient Weapons.

And then, when the moment was right—

They betrayed the empire.

A war erupted that shook the entire world.

A war so catastrophic, so devastating, that it drowned islands, shattered continents, and changed history forever.

The great empire, stripped of its Ancient Weapons, was completely annihilated.

Some of its descendants managed to escape.

But most were hunted down and slaughtered—their final stand taking place on Laugh Tale itself.

When the war ended, the twenty traitor kings emerged as victors.

They took everything.

And then—

They formed the World Government.

They declared themselves 'Creators.'

And for the next hundred years, they worked relentlessly to erase every trace of the empire they had destroyed.

They burned records, silenced historians, and buried the truth.

They sought to eliminate even the memory of the empire's existence.

But they failed to destroy everything.

Some remnants survived—

The Poneglyphs, indestructible stone tablets that held the empire's history...

And the descendants of the empire, those who carried the D. name in their bloodline.

This was the Void Century—a hundred years of history that the World Government desperately tried to erase from the world's memory.

...

"When Captain Roger learned the truth, he knew he had little time left."

Shanks' voice was calm, but his grip on the sake cup tightened slightly.

"His illness had already advanced. He knew he wouldn't live to see the dawn of the new era."

Ron listened silently.

"So one day, he handed me two things—a straw hat, and a sword."

"He entrusted me with a mission."

'Find the one who carries the blood of the D. Clan.'

'Give him this hat.'

'Guide him to Laugh Tale. Let him uncover the truth for himself.'"

Ron's expression remained unreadable.

"So that's why you chose Garp's grandson, Monkey D. Luffy?"

"That's why you sacrificed an arm... just to push him onto the path of piracy?"

Shanks fell silent for a moment.

Then, he nodded.

Ron narrowed his eyes.

"And your connection to the World Government?"

Shanks raised his cup and took a slow sip before answering.

"It was... a trade."

Ron's brows furrowed.

"A trade?"

Shanks set down his cup and nodded lightly.

"I gave the World Government something they feared more than anything—the Road Poneglyph that Roger found on Fishman Island."

Ron's eyes flashed with surprise.

"You gave them a Road Poneglyph?"

"Why?"

Shanks sighed, looking at the ocean.

"The World Government doesn't want pirates reaching Laugh Tale."

He turned his gaze back to Ron.

"To find Laugh Tale, one must gather all four Road Poneglyphs... and know how to read them."

"Now tell me—"

Shanks took another sip.

"Would it be easier for the World Government to eliminate the other three Emperors of the Sea...

...Or to control just one Poneglyph, ensuring that no one can ever gather all four?"

"...And then eliminate anyone who could read the Poneglyphs?"

Ron's fingers tightened slightly around his cup.

Shanks gave a small nod.

"By giving them that Road Poneglyph, I prevented a full-scale war between the Government and the pirate factions. At the time, it was the only way to maintain some kind of balance."

Ron remained silent for a few moments.

Then—

"That was your reason?"

"To prevent war?"

Shanks met his gaze.

"Yes."

His voice was steady.

"At that time, the pirate world was too divided.

If we had gone to war with the Government, we would have been wiped out."

"...So you let them have the Poneglyph to stall for time."

Shanks smirked slightly.

"And in return, the Five Elders started seeing me as an asset.

They believed that the 'Emperor' who had handed them the Road Poneglyph...

...Was the perfect tool to help them maintain control over the seas."

Ron's eyes darkened.

"So that's why they 'tolerate' you."

Shanks leaned back, raising his cup once more.

"That's why they 'use' me."

"...For now."

Shanks looked at Ron and smiled. "Whether you believe it or not, this is the truth."

Ron took a sip of his drink, remained silent for a moment, and then met Shanks' gaze.

"So, why did you call me here today? What do you want to say?"

Shanks' expression grew slightly serious. "Two things."

"The first—when I was in Mary Geoise, I sensed an extremely well-hidden yet terrifying presence. It was far stronger than the Five Elders."

Ron's eyes slightly narrowed.

Imu...

"The second thing," Shanks continued, fixing his gaze on Ron, "I want to warn you... The Celestial Dragons may have control over one of the three Ancient Weapons—Uranus. If you truly intend to start this war, you'd better have the power to counter it."

"You're saying... I should retrieve Pluton?"

"Pluton alone may not be enough to match Uranus. It would be best if you could also harness the power of Poseidon. You've been to Fish-Man Island already, haven't you?"

Ron's eyes flickered. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Shanks' gaze remained sharp. "I hope you can delay this war for a few more years—until the Mermaid Princess awakens her power, and the one carrying the will of D grows strong enough. Only then will the time be truly ripe."

"...Maybe you have a point."

Ron downed the last drop of liquor in his cup, stood up, and looked at Shanks.

"But I'm not as patient as you. If you think this war doesn't have enough of a chance of success, then you don't have to join."

With that, he turned and walked away.

But before he could take a few steps—

Boom!

An overwhelming burst of Conqueror's Haki erupted behind him, shaking the sky and the earth!

Ron turned his head slightly.

Shanks, the man who had lost one arm, finished his drink in one gulp, then stood up. With his remaining hand, he drew the sword once wielded by Gol D. Roger—Griffon. His gaze was filled with an unshakable will as he pointed the blade directly at Ron.

"Fight me, Traveler Ron."

"Let me see your strength with my own eyes."

"If you can't even defeat me, then abandon the idea of starting this war while you still have the chance."

Ron gave him a sidelong glance.

He reached into the rippling void before him and grasped the handle of a sword—a crystalline, blood-colored blade. Slowly, he pulled it out.

"...And if I win?"

Shanks' red hair danced in the wind, his black coat billowing. His lone arm gripped his sword tightly, his sharp gaze locked onto Ron.

"The Red-Haired Pirates will join the war. How about that?"

Dressed in beach shorts, a floral shirt, and a pair of flip-flops, Ron grinned at those words.

The Blood Moon Blade was drawn completely from the void.

At that moment—

Boom!

Both men stepped forward simultaneously.

The massive rock beneath them shattered into countless pieces!

The Blood Moon Blade and Griffon slashed toward each other, their strikes infused with sword pressure and Haki.

Even before the blades met, their powerful Conqueror's Haki clashed first!

The coastline of the small island collapsed instantly!

The once-tranquil sea exploded violently!

Massive tidal waves surged outward, engulfing everything in their path. The Red-Haired Pirates' ship rocked wildly amidst the waves.

The collision of their supreme Conqueror's Haki caused the very air to distort and twist, golden and blood-red lightning crackling through the battlefield.

Shockwaves rippled outward like tidal waves of power.

The sky—one moment dark, the next blood-red.

The ground—fracturing in all directions beneath them.

Ron and Shanks locked eyes, their pupils burning with a crimson glow.

As their swords pressed forward, the force between them condensed to the extreme.

A sphere of unstable energy began forming at the meeting point of their blades—expanding, shrinking, its colors fluctuating wildly. The very space around it twisted, and blood-red lightning and black cracks seeped out from within.

And then—

Boom!

The sphere of energy expanded to a hundred meters in diameter—before violently exploding!

The resulting shockwave engulfed the entire island!

Blades of compressed wind tore through the heavens, as hurricane-force winds lifted thousands of massive rocks and trees into the air.

Ron and Shanks struck again.

Clang!

A single clear, piercing ring echoed across the battlefield—

A flash of black and red sword light illuminated the sky.

The sheer force of the clash...

Ripped the island apart.

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