At that voice, Roger—locked in a three-way clash with Kaido and Big Mom—went still. Fervor lit his eyes.
"Hahahaha! It's Garp!"
He burst into delighted laughter, flicked his blade to force his foes back for an instant, then, under their stunned gazes, abandoned the fight entirely and streaked toward the coast like a flaming meteor.
"I'm coming, Garp! Hahaha! Let's finish this today!"
Kaido: …
Big Mom: …
They stared for a beat, then fury snapped through both at once, faces flushing as they roared through their teeth:
"Damn you, Roger!"
"Your opponent is me!"
They moved to give chase—when a blinding gold radiance burst over the island.
"What a lively gathering… All the New World's great pirates came out to play."
High above, countless motes of golden light gathered into a towering human shape. Borsalino hovered there, gaze cool, pinching his fingers in a showy pose as he spread his arms and watched Big Mom and Kaido with idle interest.
The light swelled—then fell as a storm of golden projectiles.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
Boom!
The earth erupted in chained fireballs, deafening blasts rolling one after another.
Through the swaying wall of flame, Big Mom and Kaido charged—only to find a colossal silhouette barring their path. Golden light roared, and Sengoku's frame vaulted upward, swelling into a towering Golden Buddha.
"This is where you meet your end!"
Two figures flashed in behind him.
"It ends here," Sakazuki growled, black smoke boiling off his body as a sinister crimson heat shimmered around him.
"This time, we fight until we're satisfied!" Kuzan said, an ice spear forming in his hand, eyes bright with battle lust. "We won't let Darren look down on us again!"
"Marines!"
Kaido and Big Mom glowered at the trio, their faces darkening in unison.
"This is getting messy, Linlin," Kaido muttered, brow creasing.
"Then we cut them down first," Big Mom purred, tipping her grinning blade to her shoulder with a teasing smile.
Their eyes met; a wordless signal passed. The kanabo swept sideways in a blur of spikes. Napoleon tilted with a keening buzz. The pitch of that steel-on-steel set something cold crawling up Sengoku's spine.
In a breath, their presences braided together and surged, power spiking like a storm breaking its banks.
"What is—"
Sengoku's pupils pinpricked; he threw his guard up.
"Could it be—"
Sakazuki and Kuzan felt it too, a death-deep pressure bearing down. Their faces hardened.
The next instant—
"Die!"
"Insolent Marines!"
Kaido and Big Mom roared together, cords standing in their arms as they let a single, devastating strike fly.
"Combined Technique: Hakai!"
BOOM!
A pressure wave of impossible scale detonated outward, a blinding white storm that devoured everything in its path. It howled like an enraged sea and sheared the sky itself, a wall of ruin crossing Miracle Island.
Boulders, mountains, trees, brush—gone in an instant, erased.
The shock ripped a trench through the island and into the sea, hundreds of meters wide and tens of kilometers long, as if the heavens had cracked and the earth split open.
---
Holy Land Mary Geoise.
Pangaea Castle.
The Chamber of Deliberation hung heavy, killing intent pooling so thick it felt close enough to touch. Kong stood rigid, heart pounding arrhythmically, a cold sweat spreading across his back.
The North Blue…
The Celestial Dragons…
Saint Shaldes' "accidental" death…
A test?
Or did the Gorosei truly know?
Thoughts stampeded. He clenched a fist and set his jaw. "Your Excellencies, this humble serv—"
Saint Warcury, the Warrior God of Justice, cut him off with a lazy flick of the hand and a chilly smile.
"Kong, we don't care for your explanations."
"That brat Darren is clever and capable. He handled the North Blue Celestial Dragon's death flawlessly—so flawlessly the five of us found nothing to seize on."
Amusement—edged with mockery—glinted in his eyes, as if at some private memory.
"After all, even Saint Shaldes' father didn't much care for his son's death and chose not to pursue it. What would you have us do?"
"But!"
The word turned the temperature to ice, a shock of cold that went bone-deep.
"That doesn't mean your little tricks fool us!"
Kong stiffened, a protest catching in his throat.
Saint Peter spoke mildly. "That was then. For now, we have no intent to pursue it."
"In this world, power decides. For young talent with promise, we are willing to grant another chance."
Saint Saturn leaned on his ancient staff, voice a gravely rasp. "But understand: our patience has a limit."
"So spare us the whining—'You'll ruin Darren,' 'He'll never agree.'"
Their old eyes shone with chill arrogance, as if the entire world sat easily in their palms.
"We've shown you ample respect, Kong."
"And we've extended him the greatest mercy."
Saint Saturn paused. The five raised their heads together, impassive gazes fixing on the grim-faced Fleet Admiral.
"Will he submit, or rebel?"
"Will he become a Marine Admiral with a brilliant future, or a hopeless traitor?"
"…We hope he chooses well."
Thin smiles creased their faces.
"This is our final test for Rogers Darren—set by us, and by the Government…"
Shadows seemed to bend behind them, vast and twisted.
A wave of cold, suffocating pressure washed over Kong, drawing his pupils down to points.
"…The ultimate trial."
To be continued...