From Fish-Man Island to Wano, Totto Land, the Red-Haired Pirates, the Revolutionary Army headquarters, and even the Holy Land of Mary Geoise—every major force across the world had their eyes fixed on the screen.
At that moment, the image on the screen abruptly shifted. Eriri and her group disappeared from view, replaced by a scene featuring a Celestial Dragon who had just stepped out of Bubble Pod No. 1, along with his guards and slaves.
The audience could clearly see the Celestial Dragon's arrogant expression and the sudden gleam of greed in his eyes as he fixated on the spot where Eriri's group stood.
Then, under countless watching eyes, Hancock appeared on the screen. With the slightest movement of her body, she vanished in a blur.
In the blink of an eye, her figure reappeared—her target's guards had already been reduced to shattered rubble.
What followed was a gruesome spectacle. The Celestial Dragon was mercilessly cut into pieces by Hancock's longsword, his body reduced to unrecognizable fragments.
The sheer brutality of the act laid bare the depth of Hancock's hatred for the Celestial Dragons.
Watching this scene, countless civilians who had suffered under the Celestial Dragons felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Sengoku's expression darkened.
The thing he feared most had come to pass.
Eriri and her group had officially made their move against the World Government.
He could already foresee the impending collapse of the world's established order.
At the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, inside the Five Elders' private conference room, the highest authorities of the World Government sat in their luxurious chairs, gazing up at the massive screen before them.
Their faces were grim.
"Those damned fools! They've brought disaster on the World Government!"
The blond elder slammed his hand down on his chair's armrest, shattering it instantly.
A single strike from his palm rendered the expensive chair useless.
The Five Elders had been aware of the battle at Marineford for some time now.
And they also knew just how terrifying Eriri truly was.
If she were to unleash that power in Mary Geoise, the Celestial Dragons would be reduced to nothing more than helpless prey.
"What do we do now? The Pirate Empress and her allies are clearly coming for us," the balding elder with the handlebar mustache muttered, his voice heavy with dread.
"If we want to deal with them, the first step is figuring out how to break free from their control," the elder in the peaked cap and thick white tiger-like beard said, frowning deeply.
"That's easier said than done," the long-haired, white-bearded elder sighed, shaking his head. "Even the likes of Whitebeard, Rayleigh, Garp, and Sengoku—all of the world's top warriors—were completely immobilized by her power."
Though the Five Elders were warriors themselves, their strength was at best on par with an admiral.
"Damn it all!"
The bald elder in the white robe, wearing round glasses, gripped his katana tightly.
His arm muscles tensed, veins bulging in frustration.
He had never imagined that they, the supreme rulers of the world, would one day be forced into such a desperate position.
"What kind of Devil Fruit power does she have? She can manipulate people and objects on a massive scale, and she also has the eerie ability to project screens worldwide."
"I have no idea. Not only are their abilities a complete mystery, but their origins are also shrouded in secrecy."
"Apart from the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock, the rest of them seem to have appeared out of nowhere. Our intelligence agents only managed to trace their first known appearance to the East Blue—beyond that, we have nothing. Not even their names."
It wasn't that CP agents hadn't tried to infiltrate the Voyage to gather intelligence on Eriri and her group.
But every single one of them had failed before even setting foot aboard.
The ship's defensive mechanisms struck back mercilessly, and the agents attempting to sneak in all met their end before they could even begin their mission.
However, from the perspective of the World Government, these agents had been discovered and assassinated by Eriri and her group.
Now, as they faced the imminent arrival of Eriri's forces, they found themselves completely at a loss—unable to devise any countermeasure.
At this moment, the Five Elders felt only one thing—regret. Overwhelming, crushing regret.
If they could turn back time nine days, they would have locked Saint Charlos inside Mary Geoise, preventing him from wandering around the Sabaody Archipelago and causing trouble.
Had they done so, they wouldn't have provoked Eriri's group, and the World Government wouldn't be in its current predicament.
A heavy silence filled the room.
But when they saw Boa Hancock stepping into the No. 1 Bubble Gondola on the screen, their composure cracked once again.
"We should seek an audience with Lord Imu immediately. Perhaps Lord Imu has a way to deal with them."
The bald elder rose from his seat, sweeping his gaze over the other four Elders.
It was true that the Five Elders were the highest authorities in the World Government—at least, on the surface.
But in reality, the true ruler of the World Government was someone else entirely.
That person was the "Lord Imu" the bald elder had mentioned—the direct superior of the Five Elders and the supreme leader of all Celestial Dragons.
However, few in the world even knew of Imu's existence.
Imu resided deep within Pangaea Castle in Mary Geoise, in the chamber of flowers that concealed the Empty Throne.
Rarely did Imu ever appear before the outside world. Even the Five Elders themselves would only seek an audience with Imu when reporting matters of utmost importance.
Imu was the World Government's ultimate trump card—not only because of their overwhelming power, surpassing even the Four Emperors, but also because they possessed Uranus, one of the three Ancient Weapons.
The other four Elders hesitated only for a brief moment before nodding in agreement.
"This is our only option now. Let's head to the Empty Throne immediately."
Casting one final glance at the images displayed on the screen, the Five Elders resolutely left the meeting room and made their way toward the heart of Pangaea Castle.
...
Red Port – No. 1 Bubble Gondola
Each Bubble Gondola was massive in size, making it more than spacious enough to accommodate Eriri's group of over forty people.
Suspended at its center by four thick cables, the gondola functioned much like an elevator in the modern world.
The speed of the Bubble Gondola was quite decent—at the very least, it was no slower than an elevator.
In just a short time, Eriri and her group had ascended to the very peak of the Red Line, transported smoothly by the Bubble Gondola.
The last time they had reached the top of the Red Line, it had been via Reverse Mountain. This time, however, they had traveled straight up in a vertical ascent, offering a completely different experience.
Stepping out of the Bubble Gondola, the first sight before them was a massive staircase with thousands of steps. At the end of the stairs stood an imposing, towering gate.
It was clear that this was the entrance to Mary Geoise. As long as they climbed these steps and passed through the gate, they would officially enter the Holy Land.
Ordinarily, the entrance to Mary Geoise would be heavily guarded by the Sanctuary Guards, but at this moment, not a single figure was in sight. It seemed that, after witnessing the live broadcast and learning that Eriri was making her way to Mary Geoise, all the guards had fled back inside.
After all, they had personally witnessed Hancock annihilating the guards protecting the Celestial Dragons. There was no way the guards stationed here would foolishly wait around to be slaughtered by Eriri and her group.
Having just finished brutally executing a Celestial Dragon, Hancock seemed to have flipped an unstoppable switch. She had no patience for leisurely walking up the thousands of steps—in fact, she was eager to continue her massacre of the Celestial Dragons. Perhaps she even intended to annihilate Mary Geoise itself.
Without hesitation, she summoned her energy, lifted herself into the air, and shot toward the towering gates at an incredible speed.
Now that she had reached Level 3 High Stage in power, Hancock's flight speed was astonishing. In just a second or two, she had soared over a thousand meters, landing before the great white doors of Mary Geoise's entrance.
At the exact moment she touched the ground, Eriri and the others appeared directly behind her.
Since Hancock was the main focus of this act, the primary perspective of the live broadcast had remained fixed on her.
The fact that she could fly left the marines and pirates watching the broadcast utterly stunned—after all, the Flower-Flower Fruit didn't grant flight abilities.
However, they could do nothing but suppress their curiosity. Hancock had no intention of explaining herself to the world.
Standing before the massive double doors that blocked her path, Hancock didn't even bother trying to push them open—she wasn't here to make a polite visit.
Raising her hand, she fired a concentrated blast of energy at the gates.
With a resounding explosion, the colossal gates—over tens of meters high and several meters thick—were reduced to dust in an instant.
As the obstructing doors vanished, Eriri, her group, and countless viewers worldwide were finally able to see beyond the entrance of Mary Geoise.
However, what lay before them was not the luxurious scenery of the Holy Land.
Instead, what appeared was an immense formation of guards, standing in perfectly ordered ranks.
Among them were numerous CP0 agents, clad in immaculate white suits, positioned to form a protective perimeter.
Within this defensive line, a large group of Celestial Dragons stood. Unlike when they ventured outside, none of them were wearing their signature bubble helmets.
The reason Celestial Dragons wore bubble helmets outside Mary Geoise was their belief in absolute superiority—they considered it beneath them to breathe the same air as commoners.
But here, in their own sacred domain, they had no need for such barriers.
Among the gathered Celestial Dragons were men and women, young and old—nearly every noble of Mary Geoise was present, except for those who feared Eriri and her group.
All Celestial Dragons shared a distinct characteristic—their hair was styled in grotesquely curled, upward-swept designs, making them look exceptionally ugly.
As Hancock gazed at the bizarre-looking nobles, she strode toward them with her long legs, her every step radiating an air of dominance.
Her movement immediately put the guards and CP0 members on high alert, and they swiftly assumed defensive stances.
However, Hancock did not immediately launch an attack against the guards or the Celestial Dragons. Instead, she halted just five meters away from the defensive perimeter.
But before she could even speak, the Celestial Dragons within the guarded circle began shouting.
"You lowly creatures dare attack us?! We are the descendants of the creators, the heirs of the gods! We shall grant you a chance—submit as our slaves, and we may forgive your disrespect!"
"That's right! The inferior should know their place!"
These Celestial Dragons were utterly brainless. Despite knowing that Hancock had just slaughtered one of their own, they remained oblivious, still convinced of their supreme status, believing all others should kneel before them.
At that moment, two discordant voices rang out from within the group of Celestial Dragons.
"That golden-haired wench in the back killed my son! Hand her over to me—I shall make her suffer and show her the consequences of angering Saint Rosward!"
"Father, let me handle that filthy wench instead. I'll teach her a proper lesson!"
The two speakers were a man and a woman—Saint Rosward and Saint Shalria.
They were, respectively, the father and sister of Saint Charlos, the Celestial Dragon whom Eriri had killed back at the Sabaody Archipelago.
For quite some time, Rozward had been pressuring the navy, demanding that they send an admiral to capture Eriri alive.
However, Sengoku had continuously evaded and delayed the request with various excuses.
Though the voices of the two Celestial Dragons did not carry far, Eriri and her companions heard every word loud and clear.
That was enough to enrage them all.
Even Ophis, normally emotionless, now radiated a chilling killing intent as she fixed her gaze upon Rozward and Shalria.
But the one who reacted most explosively was Aoi Kujo.
Dressed in her maid outfit, Aoi Kujo vanished in a flash, darting past the Holy Land's guards and appearing directly before Rozward and Shalria.
As for the guards who had tried to block her path? They were instantly vaporized by the lightning coiling around her body.
Aoi Kujo's expression was ice-cold, and the way she looked at the father and daughter was as if she were staring at corpses that just happened to still be speaking.
"How dare you insult the Young Lady… You deserve to die."
With those words, she unleashed two streaks of violet lightning from her hands—one striking Rozward and the other Shalria.
Two bloodcurdling screams erupted as Saint Rosward and Saint Shalria writhed in agony. The twin lightning serpents continued to ravage their bodies, destroying tissue upon contact and subjecting them to unbearable pain.
Under the relentless surge of electricity, their sensory perception became extraordinarily heightened, allowing them to feel—down to the finest detail—the sensation of their own flesh being cooked inch by inch.
As Saint Rosward and Saint Shalria curled up on the ground, wailing in torment, the other Celestial Dragons around them panicked, scrambling backward in sheer terror.
At the same time, they turned frantically to the remaining guards and CP0 agents, screaming in desperation.
"Useless trash! What are you waiting for?! Get over here and shield me with your bodies—now! Or else I'll have you all turned into slaves!"
The piercing cries of Saint Rosward and Saint Shalria sent shivers down the spines of the surrounding Celestial Dragons and guards alike. A deep fear gripped them, dreading the thought that such unbearable suffering might soon befall them as well.
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