"In this world, I am immortal." Caelan looked down at the entire Navy and said with a smile, "If you don't believe me, you can try. If you can kill me before I kill you…"
"No, I believe you're immortal."
Cold sweat ran down Borsalino's forehead, and he had no intention of testing it at all.
Even without that final attack, he still wasn't a match for Caelan.
But immortality... that was immortality.
He had only been guessing, yet Caelan openly admitted it.
Having been resurrected several times and treating death indifferently, it was a fact that Caelan was immortal.
Wasn't this kind of secret supposed to be kept hidden?
Was it really okay to just admit it so casually?
But thinking about the fact that Caelan couldn't die, and that he was absolutely unbeatable in terms of strength, no one could do anything to him. There really was no need for him to hide it.
"I see. No wonder he's always so calm."
Aokiji spoke as if suddenly understanding everything.
He completely believed what Caelan said, and all his previous doubts were instantly cleared.
Caelan dared to be surrounded countless times and often placed himself in life-and-death situations.
It wasn't just because of his overwhelming strength, but also because he was immortal. He had nothing to fear.
"What a monster."
Aokiji sighed with a complicated expression.
The immortal and invincible Caelan had no equal in this world.
The fleeing Five Elders, the remaining Yonko, and even the World Government's hidden power couldn't pose any threat to him.
Caelan was destined to rule this world.
…
At that moment, pirates all over the world watching the live broadcast were in total panic.
"How do we fight against an immortal God Slayer?"
"The World Government is done for, and so are the pirates!"
"He's already so strong, and now he can't even be killed. Doesn't God want to give pirates a chance to live?"
Even though they couldn't clearly see the battle scenes through the video Den Den Mushi at Marine Headquarters…
There was no mistaking the general situation of Caelan defeating the Five Elders.
And that final beam of light that shot from the sky to the earth was a magnificent sight they couldn't ignore.
The three Five Elders who were struck died instantly, while Caelan, who had sacrificed himself and died, came back to life and declared in front of the world that he was immortal.
"That overwhelming power defeated the combined strength of the Five Elders. No one can take him on head-on."
"Even if you poison him or ambush him, it won't work. He's immortal and invincible!"
The pirates racked their brains but couldn't come up with any method to deal with Caelan.
Poisoning, ambushing, assassination, exploiting Devil Fruits, plotting with tricks and traps, nothing worked.
Even if by chance they succeeded, Caelan was immortal.
Once resurrected, he would still be the same unbeatable God Slayer.
Ordinary people had already dropped to their knees, praying for divine protection.
They didn't know how many times Caelan had resurrected, nor did they know what his abilities fully entailed.
But they firmly believed that Caelan was immortal.
Because Caelan had shown power on par with a god.
That pillar of light that pierced the heavens and earth could be seen by anyone in the same hemisphere as Caelan.
When the beam of light on TV rose in sync with the one in reality, that world-shaking power was deeply etched into everyone's hearts.
…
In the Holy Land of Mariejois, within the palace of Pangaea Castle.
A red carpet stretched across the entire hall.
It extended up several tall steps and ended in front of a horizontal sand pit.
Inside the sand were nineteen weapons of various shapes. Though eight hundred years old, they still radiated a murderous aura.
These were the weapons used by the twenty kings when they founded the World Government, symbols of their highest glory.
Behind the weapon pool stood a majestic Empty Throne.
Located at the highest point of the hall, the throne's backrest bore a cross. At each end of the cross was a circle, with a larger circle in the center.
The cross represented the Red Line. The four circles symbolized the four seas, and the central circle stood for the World Government.
This Empty Throne represented the highest authority in the world.
When it was first created, the kings agreed that no one would sit on it, and no single person would rule the world.
But at this moment, there was a television in front of the throne, and a figure sat upon it.
Wearing a sharp crown and cloaked in shadows, Imu slumped on the throne, gasping for air.
The TV in front of him replayed the moment when the beam of light obliterated three of the Five Elders.
The deaths of Saint Warcury, Saint Mars, and Saint Peter had also caused a massive backlash on him.
Another reason for his disheveled state was the overwhelming power he had seen and sensed.
The demonic formation summoned by the Five Elders was his own power.
Through the magic circle and shared dark vision of the Five Elders, he could observe everything happening on the battlefield.
"What was that... It felt like the end of the world."
Imu muttered to himself.
The beam of light that annihilated Saint Warcury, Saint Mars, and Saint Peter kept replaying in his mind.
The divine spear that obliterated all, it was as if even the world trembled in its presence.
At that moment, he felt immense fear while watching the God-Slaying Spear from multiple perspectives.
The death perspective of the three saints, and the shared vision from Saint Saturn and the demonic circle, only intensified his terror.
He once thought that the destruction caused by Caelan in East Blue when eliminating Tot Musica was the full extent of the spear's power, comparable to the Celestial Dragons' National Treasure.
But he was dead wrong.
The destructive aura wrapped around the God-Slaying Spear far exceeded anything the National Treasure could achieve.
"I don't remember the Ancient Kingdom possessing such terrifying weapons." Imu recalled the glorious kingdom of eight hundred years ago.
It had been a golden age of incredibly advanced technology and power.
Today's world couldn't compare.
The Celestial Dragons' National Treasure, the three Ancient Weapons, and even the self-aware giant robot were all relics of that time.
But no matter how hard he searched his memory, he couldn't find anything that matched the God-Slaying Spear.
Whether it was him or Joy Boy, facing that attack would've ended the same way as the Five Elders.
That power transcended this world.
So what exactly was it?
As doubt filled his mind, Imu also came to a clear realization: Caelan, who held such power, was an enemy the World Government could not confront directly.
The only path left was to resort to secret schemes, just like what had been done to Joy Boy eight hundred years ago.
But then, a voice came from the TV: [I am immortal.]
"He's immortal…"
Imu's last sliver of hope shattered.
That monster was immortal. No scheme would work.
Eight hundred years ago, he had won through conspiracy. Eight hundred years later, the strong no longer feared such tricks.
Imu slumped on the Empty Throne, stroking its cold steel surface.
Though the World Government hadn't completely fallen,
He knew that this Empty Throne could no longer represent the highest authority in the world.
Strength is power.
The true supreme authority now rested in the hands of the strongest man.
(To be continued.)