At the same time, on Saturn Saint's side, he slowly opened his eyes. His gaze swept the surroundings, realizing he had already arrived beneath Egghead Island's dome.
He lifted his head toward the video transponder snail hanging not far away, fully aware that Vegapunk was surely watching from the shadows. Without the slightest hesitation, he addressed the snail: "Vegapunk, you should be able to see me! Since you've chosen to betray the World Government, I will personally end your life!"
In the monitoring room, Vegapunk saw Saturn's figure appear on the screen. His eyes went wide with shock as he stammered, "Sa–Saturn Saint, what kind of ability was that just now? To appear so abruptly!"
Clutching her bubble gun, Lilith glared at the screen and snapped, "Hmph, that Saturn Saint dares to show himself openly! Since he's here, let's fight him fair and square!"
"Lilith, please calm down," Shaka interjected quickly. "With your strength, you can't possibly contend with the Gorosei."
"Hmph, I'm a scientist. Of course I'll use technology," Lilith replied, still unwilling to back down.
At that moment, Jozu stepped forward, voice firm. "Doctor, please rest assured. We will do our best to protect everyone's safety."
"Oh? Then I'll leave it to you," Vegapunk said with a slight nod. As the world's foremost scientist, his intellect was peerless; he could create terrifying technological weapons, but his own combat ability was nearly nonexistent.
"The Gorosei's abilities really are mysterious and unpredictable… Unlike last time, Saturn Saint can teleport here by himself now, without anyone's help?" Vista's expression darkened as he watched the feed.
The Gorosei's strength was terrifying—though a bit weaker than an Admiral, their immortality made them far more troublesome.
Jinbe spoke calmly, analyzing the situation. "Their teleportation should rely on a magic circle. Saturn Saint must have already placed a magic circle marker on Egghead Island. That's why he's able to teleport here."
Vista and Jozu both nodded slightly, agreeing with Jinbe's deduction.
Not long ago, Marco had already explained some of the Gorosei's abilities to the commanders.
As for how to actually kill the Gorosei, Marco himself still wasn't certain. Ever since obtaining the Legendary conqueror's haki, he hadn't clashed with them again, so he had no definitive proof in his heart that Legendary conqueror's haki could restrain these so‑called immortal beings.
However, Marco had told everyone how to break that immortality: dismember the Gorosei, seal the pieces in separate boxes, and throw them into the sea. That way, even with immortality, revival would be nearly impossible. And even if they did resurrect one day, it would be in some far‑off future.
"With things as they are," Jinbe said solemnly, "it seems Captain Marco had already anticipated this might happen. That's why he had us stay here. Vista, Jozu—we need to make the appropriate preparations as well."
The two commanders nodded in unison.
Suddenly, Jozu pointed at another monitor and shouted, "Wait—look! Marco is flying this way!"
On the surveillance feed, Marco's body was swallowed by pitch‑black flames. A pair of enormous dark wings, nearly twenty meters across, spread from his back as he transformed into a giant black bird and soared through the sky.
At the same time, Saturn noticed Marco streaking toward him.
He understood that in a one‑on‑one fight, defeating Marco would be difficult—especially when he still had to personally execute the traitor Vegapunk.
Without a moment's hesitation, Saturn Saint raised his palm and began gathering energy. A heartbeat later, a massive magic circle took shape in the air above.
Seeing this, Marco unleashed a surge of overwhelming conqueror's haki. He locked directly onto Saturn and roared, "Don't even think about summoning anyone else!"
In an instant, Saturn Saint's body stiffened under Marco's precise conqueror's haki lock. The giant magic circle wavered, then slowly faded away.
A flicker of fear shot through Saturn's eyes. Under that focused conqueror's haki, the power Imu had granted him was being stripped away, and in that moment, he found himself completely unable to use it.
"Damn it… how can he have such powerful Haki…" Saturn muttered in horror.
Inside the monitoring room, Lilith and the others stared, stunned.
"He looked like he was trying to summon someone with that magic circle, but it failed. What happened?" one of them asked.
Jozu and the others exchanged confident smiles and stepped in to explain. "That's the precision lock of conqueror's haki."
Vegapunk's brows rose in surprise. As a scientist, he understood Haki in theory, but he had never wielded it himself.
Jozu continued, "Ever since the Whole Cake Island War, Marco's conqueror's haki has grown even stronger. It's reached the point where it can suppress Devil Fruit powers. He tested it on me once—his Haki felt like it drilled straight into my soul. I couldn't use my Devil Fruit at all. So I'm guessing that magic circle of Saturn Saint's vanished because Marco's conqueror's haki suppressed it."
"Marco said that once conqueror's haki reaches a certain intensity, it can temporarily nullify a Devil Fruit user's abilities, just like Sea Stone."
Hearing this, Vegapunk's face shifted to one of outright shock. "So that's it! Haki truly is an extraordinary force. I've researched it as well. conqueror's haki, as a manifestation of spiritual energy, can directly strike an opponent's spirit, causing confusion or even knocking them unconscious…"
Vista abruptly cut him off, urgency in his voice. "Doctor, this isn't the time for a lecture. Marco's almost here—we have to open the dome and let him in, fast!"
Vegapunk snapped back to the present, then turned toward Edison, his Stella, and ordered decisively, "Edison, hurry! Open the dome and let Marco in."
"Understood, Stella," Edison replied. His fingers flew across the console, entering the password, and a portal in the dome's defense system opened at once.
Outside, Saturn fixed his gaze on Marco's approaching form. His own conqueror's haki erupted in a violent surge, clashing head‑on with Marco's.
In an instant, Saturn's body erupted with violent conqueror's haki. As a member of the Gorosei, he possessed a form of immortality—and the weakness of that immortality was conqueror's haki. Because of that, their Haki cultivation far surpassed their physical training.
On top of that, their long-standing status at the very top of the world made their presence even more overwhelming.
The two terrifying auras clashed in midair, the impact shaking the surroundings. In that collision, Saturn finally felt his strength returning.
He didn't dare hesitate any longer. He quickly pulled a syringe from his pocket and drove it into his arm without a second thought. As the drug entered his bloodstream, veins bulged across his body, and his conqueror's haki—barely able to match Marco's a moment ago—suddenly surged, its intensity multiplying in an instant.
Sensing the drastic change in Saturn's aura, Marco felt a jolt of shock. At the same time, he clearly noticed that Saturn had used some kind of drug.
Just as Marco was about to step into the dome, Saturn once again activated a magic circle. This time, the formation completed in a flash. White light and smoke burst out from the circle, and four figures stepped forth from it—the remaining four Gorosei.
Seeing all five Gorosei gathered, Marco's expression turned extremely grim. In the end, he had still failed to stop Saturn from summoning the others.
And now, Saturn's face, arms, and every bit of exposed skin were covered with veins that writhed like tiny worms. His entire body was flushed crimson, as if completely overstimulated by some powerful stimulant.
Marco could clearly recall Saturn injecting that drug into himself just moments before.
He made a quick decision and immediately activated his level detection:
"Jaygarcia Saturn Saint, Ability — Ushi-Oni, Estimated Strength: King Level (Demonized State)."
------------------
AN: Check out my P@treon For +70 extra chapters.
Thank You For your Support!!
[email protected]/noviceauthor777
-----------------------
To keep the chapters coming - Support with POWER STONES.
For Every 100 power stones - 1 BONUS chapter.