One Piece: Rinnegan Is My Golden Finger.

Whitebeard's face was frozen in disbelief. He hadn't expected Uchiha Chiga to demand that of him.

He knew that if those words came from his mouth, they would send shockwaves across the seas. The Age of Pirates, sparked by Gol D. Roger, would suffer an irreparable blow.

But when he thought of his sons, pain carved deep into his expression.

Chiga didn't press him. He simply waited, watching quietly.

To him, the pirate world was already his to reshape, and fewer pirates meant fewer problems. As a Navy Admiral, this was something he considered both a necessity and a duty.

In the end, Whitebeard's love for his sons outweighed all else. He closed his eyes and said with a trembling voice,

"I agree."

Chiga smiled faintly and asked,

"Whitebeard, what exactly is One Piece?"

The moment the words One Piece left Chiga's lips, every ear in Marineford—and across the world—tuned in. All eyes were fixed on Whitebeard.

Whitebeard took a deep breath. Then he opened his eyes wide and roared with everything he had:

"ONE PIECE IS A LIE! IT DOESN'T EXIST!!!"

The world fell silent.

---

Windmill Village

Luffy stared in shock at the screen. Tears welled up and spilled down his cheeks.

Makino quickly knelt beside him, wiping his tears.

"Luffy, what's wrong?"

He turned his head stiffly, voice trembling.

"Makino-san... is what that old man said true?"

Makino had never seen Luffy like this before. She knew how deeply those words must have cut into him—someone whose dream had always been to find the One Piece and become the Pirate King.

But in her heart, she wished he would abandon that path. If he ever encountered someone like Chiga...

So she hardened her voice and replied,

"Whitebeard is from the same era as Roger. If he says it's true... then it probably is."

Luffy couldn't accept that. He shouted at the screen,

"No! That's not true! ONE PIECE IS REAL!!!"

A powerful burst of Conqueror's Haki erupted from his small body, knocking out everyone nearby.

Luffy's body swayed, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.

As he fell, no one noticed a faint white ribbon materialize briefly around his back before vanishing again.

---

Back at Marineford

The battlefield had fallen eerily quiet. Both the Navy and Pirates were still reeling from Whitebeard's declaration.

Shanks' face twisted with fury. Rage surged through him as he struck Big Mom square in the face, sending her crashing into the remains of Marineford. Then, he charged at Whitebeard.

"Whitebeard! What the hell are you saying?!"

But Whitebeard didn't respond. He lowered his gaze, silent.

Chiga, satisfied, raised his hand. A single wave of Shinra Tensei sent Shanks flying.

A ripple of dark energy emerged from Chiga's left eye.

"It's over."

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The grim sound of flesh being pierced echoed from the dark coffin. Whitebeard's facial muscles twitched. With the last of his strength, he turned his gaze to his sons behind Chiga. His eyes filled with longing.

"My beloved sons... this was the last thing your old man could do for you. Live well!"

Chiga offered a rare moment of respect.

"I will keep my promise. You have my word."

Whitebeard smiled faintly.

"Then thank you. Gurararara... to think there's a monster like you in this world. To have fought you—I have no regrets."

And with that, he closed his eyes. The World's Strongest Man had fallen.

The black coffin disintegrated into strands of darkness. Under Chiga's control, Whitebeard's body slowly lowered to the ice, still standing tall.

It was a small gesture of dignity—one Chiga hadn't extended to Big Mom.

Placing a hand on Whitebeard's chest, Chiga used the Preta Path to absorb the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit into his Rinnegan. A final tomoe swirled into existence in his left eye.

The Whitebeard Pirates collapsed to their knees, tears streaming as they cried out for their fallen father.

Several division commanders charged Akainu, suffering severe burns as magma ravaged their bodies—but they fought without hesitation.

Amid the chaos, Chiga stood alone, his presence towering and surreal.

That's when Shanks arrived again, eyes blazing. He spotted Whitebeard's lifeless form and let out a roar of grief and fury. His arm turned pale, and his aura surged to new heights.

"DIE!!!"

He struck Chiga from behind. This time, there was no Susanoo, no Haki shield.

A flicker of hope crossed Shanks' face. He thought his blow had landed.

But then Chiga turned his head.

Shanks froze at the sight of a Rinnegan marked with twelve tomoe. Six black orbs materialized behind Chiga.

One of the Truth-Seeking Balls transformed into a black spear, piercing through Shanks' chest and pinning him to the ground.

The white markings that coated Shanks' body began to fade. He desperately tried to preserve the one on his abdomen. His Observation Haki screamed—if that last mark vanished, his body would be undone.

He was right.

Truth-Seeking Orbs could erase anything they touched—body, soul, even Edo Tensei regenerations—unless one wielded power at the level of the Six Paths.

Chiga looked down at him with a calm, unreadable gaze, then turned and walked away.

But just a few steps later, he stopped.

A strange white substance began to emerge, swirling around him before enveloping his entire form in a glowing cocoon.

Everyone on the battlefield froze. Their eyes locked on the cocoon at the center of the war-torn ice.

The entire world watched with bated breath.

---

Mary Geoise – The Flower Room

Imu stared at the monitor, eyes fixated on the white cocoon.

He began to laugh, slow and deranged.

"Hahahaha! He did it! I can feel it! That aura—it's a kindred spirit!"

A voice echoed inside his mind, taunting.

"That's not your kindred spirit… it's mine."

But Imu didn't care.

He was too enthralled, eyes locked onto the screen as he whispered with manic reverence,

"Come. I've waited far, far too long for you."

---