Naval Headquarters in Marineford.
Admiral's Office.
The physical chaos outside had subsided, but the tension inside had reached its peak. The air felt heavy and stifling, mingling with the scents of wet paper and cold green tea spilled on the table.
Kong, the newly appointed Supreme Commander of the World Government Forces, sat at the end of the long table. His muscles were tense beneath his white uniform and his jaw was as hard as rock.
Next to him, Sengoku stood facing a large world map. The chalk in his hand had been crushed to white powder by his tight grip.
"Explain, Sengoku," Kong said in a low voice that sounded like the muffled growl of a sea monster. "How is it possible that the sea level around the world rose one meter in a matter of minutes, then stopped without receding?"
Sengoku turned slowly. His frog-like glasses reflected the dim light of the room. His Buddha-like face was pale, and cold sweat ran down his temples.
"The water didn't recede, Brother Kong. The water...settled."
Sengoku pointed to the data on the report posted on the board. "Reports from observation posts in the south, west, east, north, Grand Line, and even the New World confirm the same thing. The world's sea level has not returned to zero. It is stable at 30 centimeters above the normal average."
Tsuru, the Chief of Staff, who had been staring sharply at the map, finally spoke up. His voice was calm, but the logic he presented was irrefutable.
"It's a simple principle, Brother Kong. It's like putting a large rock into a bucket full of water," Tsuru muttered, his eyes narrowing analytically. "If the volume of seawater rises globally but does not recede, it means that a solid object of unreasonable mass has been forcibly inserted into our oceans."
"Exactly," Sengoku quickly interjected. "There is new land emerging. Massive land that displaces a crazy amount of water."
Garp, who was usually relaxed and carefree, stood up straight. The silly smile disappeared from his face. "How big is this thing that it can raise the sea level of the entire world, Sengoku?"
Sengoku swallowed hard. His hand trembled as he pointed to a large, empty area on the map.
"About five times the size of the Kingdom of Alabasta."
Silence.
A terrible silence fell over the room. Alabasta was one of the largest islands in the Grand Line a sandy continent that took weeks to cross. The idea of a landmass five times larger than Alabasta appearing out of nowhere in the blink of an eye was beyond human comprehension.
Kong closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His primal instincts screamed danger. "Something that big couldn't have appeared naturally. Someone put that landmass there."
PURUPURUPURU!
The Golden Den Den Mushi in the middle of the table rang once and lifted automatically.
It was an absolute priority call from the Holy Land of Mariejois.
"Kong here." Kong answered the call.
The voice of Saint Jaygarcia Saturn was heard. It wasn't coming through a normal speaker, but rather, it was echoing directly with Haki pressure, which made the hairs on the back of Kong's neck stand up. It was cold, flat, and absolute.
"Stop your stupid analysis. Focus on evacuating those living on the coast. Don't send a single scout ship to the West Sea."
"The West Sea?" Sengoku caught the keyword. His eyes widened in surprise. "So that's the center point?"
"That area..." Saturn's voice was heavy, as if he were holding back anger. "From this moment on, it is outside the jurisdiction of the Navy. It is a 'Prohibited Zone.' Don't interfere if you still want to wear that uniform of justice."
CLICK.
The connection was cut off unilaterally.
Kong slammed the phone receiver down hard on the teak table.
CRACK!
The thick table split in two.
"They know," Kong growled, holding back his emotions. "Those damn Gorosei know exactly what just appeared there."
The Holy Land of Mariejois.
Pangea Castle. The Authority Room.
The room was pitch black, cold, and empty. It contrasted sharply with the sunlight outside. On the marble floor, a giant figure knelt.
He was Harald, the Giant King of Elbaf, who now bore the title of God Blade. His size made the pillars of the room look dwarfed. A giant battle axe was strapped to his back.
"Harald," Saint Saturnus' voice broke the silence.
"Go to the coordinates of the Ruins of the Valley of the Gods."
Harald looked up, his scarred face tense. "That lost place, Saint?"
"The remaining Abyss Mark there..." Saturnus tapped his staff. His face looked troubled. "The teleportation signal anchoring that zone has become chaotic and unstable."
A black circle glowed on the floor, right below the giant's knees. It was the exclusive path of the Gods.
"Find out what happened to the Mark. And if there are any witnesses... kill them. Remember, you are only a God Blade. You have no regeneration. Do not fail."
Harald bowed deeply. "I understand."
Darkness engulfed the giant's body, instantly transporting it from the Sacred Land to the open sea via the teleportation path.
Western Sea
The Ruins of the Valley of the Gods.
ZWUUUSH!
Reality distorted. Harald was thrown back into the physical world and landed hard on the slippery remains of a coral reef in the middle of the sea.
He immediately ducked down to check his footing.
Carved into the coral rock beneath his feet was a symbol of an abyss. The coral emitted black smoke that billowed into the sky.
"Safe," he muttered. "The sign is still there."
But his calm lasted only a second.
Suddenly, a giant shadow covered his body. Harald looked up, his pupils shrinking.
"What the hell...?"
The sky around him was covered. A hundred-meter-high wall of water stood upright around him. The sea was not raging without reason, but because of the insane shift in water mass caused by the emergence of a new continent nearby.
The tsunami hit mercilessly.
"Don't underestimate the King of Elbaf!"
Harald roared. The air pressure around him exploded.
ZRRRTTT!
Black and red lightning flashed wildly from his body. His Haoshoku Haki (King's Haki) erupted, causing the waves in front of him to tremble for a moment in fear. He was not a pebble, he was a king.
He raised his giant axe high. The muscles in his arms doubled in size and were enveloped in a thick aura of conquering Haki.
"IKOKU SOVEREIGNTY (Hegemony of Elbaf)!"
Harald swung his axe with full force.
A giant, cylindrical wave of black lightning shot out, splitting the tsunami wall in front of him in two and reaching up to the sky.
BLAAARRRR!!!
The path was clear! His attack had successfully split the water!
However, Harald had forgotten one thing. He was standing on fragile ruins.
The recoil from such a powerful Hegemony attack, combined with the pressure of millions of tons of water hitting the side of the reef he had not attacked, caused him to lose his footing.
KRAK!
The rock under his feet shattered into dust.
"Damn it...!!!"
As the rock shattered, the Abyss Mark engraved on it also broke into pieces. The coordinates for his return were instantly destroyed.
Without a foothold, Harald fell freely into the turbulent sea.
The waves that had been split apart now reunited, hitting his body from above with full force. His armor was dented, his ribs were cracked.
The King of Elbaf sank, swallowed by the darkness of the deep sea, dragged away by the wild currents.
In the chaotic sky above, a messenger bird flew by and saw that moment.
CKREK!
One photo was successfully taken. The figure of the mighty King of Elbaf, surrounded by the remnants of black lightning, was falling helplessly into the gaping mouth of the sea.
Meanwhile.....
The White Palace.
The Supreme Council Chamber.
In the heart of the continent, Ron sat on his throne in the council chamber.
He didn't need to look out the window to know what was happening. The old system's voice in his head was gone. Now, a small red light glowed on his jet-black desk, projecting a hologram of a little girl in a red dress with a cold stare.
Red Queen.
"Status report," Ron said calmly.
"Hydrostatic wave threat neutralized. Atlantis infrastructure damage: 0%. Citizen mental stability is optimal," the Red Queen reported in a flat tone.
"What about the alien signal at Point Zero earlier?"
"Gone, Your Majesty," Red Queen replied. "The subject has been identified as a giant with high energy. He was swept away by the backwash when the coordinates collapsed. His body is now being carried by the strong current toward the coastal border of Atlantis."
Ron nodded slowly. He raised his left hand. On his wrist was a jet-black nanotechnology watch that flashed slowly. He pressed a button on the side of the watch.
"Supreme Council, Gather."
The encrypted signal spread in nanoseconds, penetrating forests, deserts, ice, and skies and awakening the giants residing in their respective territories.
Southern Territory
Eldoria
This territory is a temporal anomaly a crazy mix of savage prehistory and hidden future technology.
Ancient rainforests stretch as far as the eye can see. The sound of metal being chewed in the darkness of the mining caves is terrifying.
*CRACK... CRACK...
A 25-meter-tall dinosaur robot tears apart chunks of raw metal with its sharp mechanical jaws.
Near the giant robot's feet stands the silhouette of a white-haired man wearing a blue iron face shield and a thick fur collar. He feels a vibration in his watch.
"A call from Headquarters," he mutters flatly.
Without saying much, the figure places his hand on the wet ground. His body slowly melts, merging with the groundwater, and he vanishes instantly, flowing quickly toward the palace.
Western Region
Solara
In the middle of the scorching desert.
A red energy aura that had previously taken the form of a giant warrior's skeleton slowly faded, leaving behind the silhouette of a young man with black hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a high-necked robe.
He glanced at his watch, which was flashing red. A slight, confident smirk appeared on his face.
"Don't be late," he whispered to the wind.
The desert wind blew fiercely, carrying dust. When the dust settled, the figure had vanished without a trace.
Northern Region
Frostenheim
An eternal snowstorm raged on.
Two figures stood calmly in the middle of the white expanse.
One wore a long white robe and had bright blond hair that fluttered in the wind. The other figure wore neat white clothes and glasses and had a calm, intellectual aura that concealed danger.
The man with yellow hair looked at his watch. "An emergency call. But the distance to the palace is too far for a lightning jump without a kunai marker."
The figure beside him with glasses smiled slightly. He adjusted his glasses with his index finger.
"Distance is only a perception for us, my friend."
The man raised his hand into the empty air. His fingers seemed to grasp the fabric of reality itself.
*KRRRKKK*
A loud, painful sound like breaking glass rang out. The space in front of them cracked and opened wide, revealing the darkness of a pitch-black dimension.
"Please," he said politely.
Sky
High above, where the sky was covered with clouds as far as the eye could see, a silver alien fighter jet led a reconnaissance formation.
The roar of the engine turned into a painful scraping of heavy metal.
GI-GU-GA-GI-GU...
In midair, the jet changed shape. Now, a giant robot silhouette with thrusters on its back floated in the air.
Its red eyes glowed fiercely. It dove down through the clouds at hypersonic speed.
The White Palace.
The Supreme Council Chamber.
The heart of the Federation's security was guarded by ancient robots. The white marble hallway leading to the Council Chamber felt cramped with the presence of twelve ancient Knight Robots, each eight meters tall and standing motionless.
The giant double doors at the end of the hallway slowly opened.
The circular room was spacious and dominated by an elegant shade of black that contrasted with the palace's white walls. In the center of the room was a round, dimly glowing holographic table displaying a map of the world.
Twelve Great Chairs surrounded the table.
The atmosphere in the room was so heavy that it felt as if gravity were working twice as hard. The pressure leaking from its occupants made the air feel dense and suffocating.
There is a glowing icon on the backrest of each chair. Almost all of those chairs are occupied by silhouettes. Their faces are not visible, as they are covered by thick shadows created by the room's lighting. This adds to the sense of intimidation. Their identities are state secrets.
Ron sat in the main chair, "The Creator." His face was calm, and his hands were clasped on the table.
To his right sat the female silhouette. The icon on her chair was a three-eyed rabbit. This figure wore a long white robe that swept the floor and had two faint horns on her head. She remained silent, sitting with the grace of a goddess.
In the chair with the Burning Sword icon sat the silhouette of a burly old man. He sat motionless, propping his chin on his wooden cane. However, the air around his chair was distorted, it swelled due to extreme heat.
In the chair with the coin icon sat the silhouette of a man with glowing green eyes visible through the darkness. He appeared to be flipping through a large financial book. his aura felt stingy and full of deadly calculations.
In the chair with the car icon sat the silhouette of a 5.5-meter-tall robot. His legs were casually crossed on the table as if he were a bored hunter.
A thin male silhouette with a sly, snake-like aura sat in the chair with the test tube icon. Two other shadows appeared to be whispering behind him.
Suddenly, a black dimensional rift opened in the middle of the room. The silhouettes of a man wearing glasses and a man with yellow hair stepped out of the darkness and took their seats calmly without saying a word.
Ron glanced at the two remaining empty chairs. They belonged to the representatives of Atlantis.
"They're late," muttered the green robot silhouette as he played with a dagger between his metal fingers. "Should I go pick them up by force?"
The silhouette of a man wearing glasses smiled slightly from his seat. He turned slightly to face the empty space in the middle of the round table.
"No need to be rude. Let me fetch them. It would be impolite to let today's heroes walk," he said softly.
He moved his hand through the empty air as if shifting an invisible curtain.
*CRACK!*
The empty space in the middle of the meeting room cracked open. A dimensional gate opened wide. The view behind it was in stark contrast to the room.
On the other side was a blue sky, the open sea, and the tops of windy, wooden walls of Atlantis.
Two figures standing on the wall were startled for a moment when they saw the gate open. They saw Ron sitting at the end of the round table through the dimensional hole that had suddenly appeared in front of them.
"Oh, how convenient!" one of the two figures exclaimed.
Without hesitating, he stepped through the portal and was instantly transported from the damp shores of Atlantis to the air-conditioned meeting room.
The other figure snorted, put his hands in his pockets, and followed him inside casually. The dimensional portal closed behind him.
Shortly thereafter, the balcony door opened. A strong wind blew in and flapped the curtains. The silhouette of a giant, winged robot landed with a heavy, metallic thud that shook the marble floor. It walked in with intimidating steps and sat down in its chair.
Ron tapped the table once. Instantly, the room fell completely silent.
"Report," Ron ordered briefly.
The Winged Robot replied in a metallic, heavy, echoing voice. "The skies are clear. Dozens of my 'iron birds' are already deployed in stealth mode. No flies can enter without permission."
The old man silhouette (Fire Sword) opened his eyes slightly. "It's very noisy out there. The Navy is starting to panic in G-1 and G-5. Are we going to burn them now?"
"Hold your fire, Commander," Ron replied calmly. "We've just opened the curtain. Let them watch the show first."
Ron smiled faintly and looked at everyone in front of him.
"The Arcane Federation will not be closed forever. Starting today, we hold absolute power over these seas. Let them guess. Let them fear. We don't need to hide, nor do we need to explain who we are to ants."
Ron looked at the green robot silhouette in the chair playing with a dagger.
"Head of Security. Ensure the perimeter is sterile. Do not let any little rats they CP0, Revolutionary spies, or pirates enter the central area."
The green robot silhouette nodded slowly. Its face changed shape. the metal shifted until its muzzle became a long-barreled cannon, then returned to normal. Its voice sounded cold, like the cocking of a weapon.
"The target will be secured. If they resist, they will be eliminated. No negotiations."