The people below had no idea what exactly had happened above, but aside from the Marines, everyone shared the same thought: get as far away from here as possible.
For a moment, reporters, kings, and some civilians at Red Port all rushed toward the ships that had yet to depart, eager to leave this place of trouble.
Even among the Marine soldiers, quite a few wanted to do the same. But as soldiers, they could not flee from the battlefield.
And atop the Red Line, there were just as many confused people.
"W-What's going on? Is this an earthquake?"
Mariejois, as the core political center of the World Government, housed office buildings that resembled palaces.
Within them were high-ranking officials of the World Government as well as Marine messengers. Here, even a messenger might bear the rank of Rear Admiral.
This was due to World Government regulations. Marines below the rank of Rear Admiral were not qualified to look directly upon the Five Elders. Thus, certain matters had to be handled by officers of that rank.
However, where there were policies from above, there were countermeasures below. The Marines held the authority to appoint most of their own officers, and as a result, quite a few genuine "clerical" Rear Admirals had been created, whose primary duty was delivering messages.
Among them were also some individuals of considerable strength. With their assistance, most people had already fled the buildings when the strange noise first rang out.
At this moment, no one understood what had happened. From their perspective, it was as if an earthquake had struck. One moment they were working peacefully, the next the buildings simply collapsed.
The collapse triggered small-scale explosions. Flames licked at the fallen pillars, and the palace that symbolized centuries of rule now resembled nothing more than ruins.
The air was thick with the smell of stone dust, charred wood, and blood.
Amid the rubble, a flag bearing the World Government's cross emblem lay half-buried beneath shattered stone. Well-trained guards and Cipher Pol agents were retreating with remarkable efficiency toward the Domain of the Gods in the rear.
That was the true residence of the Celestial Dragons. Their orders were to protect the Celestial Dragons there.
At this time, no one attempted to put out the fires, nor did anyone pay attention to the officials stumbling out from their still-standing lavish mansions.
Some were wrapped in expensive silk nightgowns, others still clutching disheveled documents. Their faces were etched with disbelief, panic, and confusion, utterly different from their usual lofty demeanor.
To be precise, only half of Mariejois had collapsed.
Five enormous figures now stood in a row, using their bodies and Haki to block all the shockwaves, preventing any attack from reaching the section behind them.
Aside from Mars, who had already transformed into Itsumade, there stood beside him a gigantic worm, massive like a mound of flesh.
That was Peter's ability—the Sandworm.
Next to him was a green boar with four tusks, Warcury's transformed form, the Fengxi. Along with Saturn's Gyuki and Nusjuro's Bakotsu, the Five Elders had all entered their transformed states.
[That was close. He almost disturbed Boss…] [TN: In official translation Imu is referred as "Boss" or "Great One" by the Five Elders.]
[Fortunately, we stopped him. If he had truly disturbed Boss, it would have been our fault…]
[Speaking of which, wasn't it Peter using his ability that caused the castle to collapse? It doesn't seem like Nereus did it.]
[Shut up!]
They were all old relics. Even when they fought in the past, they would never do so in Mariejois. For a moment, they had forgotten to control the aftermath. Though they had quickly contained the damage, such a mistake could never be admitted.
Even if the destruction had indeed been caused by their own side, at a time like this, the blame had to be shifted onto the enemy.
Saturn, who had inadvertently spoken the truth, was immediately refuted by the others.
Of course, they were communicating mentally. Outsiders could hear none of it.
[Boss doesn't seem to have issued any special orders…]
[Isn't that obvious? He's just a Fish-Man. He doesn't even know of Boss's existence. Why would Boss act because of him?]
The "Boss" they referred to was Imu, a special title they used for Imu.
In the eyes of the Five Elders, Nereus was unaware of Imu's existence.
Under normal circumstances, hardly anyone in the world should know about Imu. Even among the Celestial Dragons, only a select few elites knew who the true master was.
[Last time his target was the slaves. What is it this time? Did his hands just get itchy and he wanted a fight?]
[He's not the type of pirate who does something so pointless. He may be naïve, but this gains him nothing.]
[Does that matter? He dared to attack this place alone. Shouldn't what we do be to keep him here? The last one who dared do something like this was that tin can over a hundred years ago.]
[Don't Rocks and Harald count?]
[Don't worry about trivial matters like that. Two things: take him down, and… don't let him disturb Boss.]
Through their mental exchange, the Five Elders settled on what they needed to do next.
Warcury stepped back slightly, clearly intending to prevent the shockwaves of the battle from affecting the rear. His Fengxi form possessed the greatest defensive power among the Five Elders. It could withstand the enemy's attacks head-on while also delivering considerable recoil damage.
Nusjuro, meanwhile, took the role of primary attacker. He no longer remained in a purely beast form. His lower half stayed as a skeletal horse, while his upper body reverted to human form, presenting the figure of a centaur.
"When you rescued those slaves, you at least had the sense to choose nighttime, and even a rainy night at that. Yet facing the five of us, you attacked in broad daylight. I'll admit, if you hid in the deep sea, there would indeed be little we could do to you.
"But this is land, our domain. You will pay the price for your arrogance."
The Black Blade in his hand slid from its sheath, waves of chilling aura coiling around the edge. According to unconfirmed reports, this blade was the legendary Kitetsu I, a cursed sword said to devour its own master.
"Our domain? And how do you know… this isn't mine?"
As his words fell, the bat-like wings behind Nereus spread wide. A single drop of blood fell from his fingertip onto the ground.
It seemed insignificant, yet it was only the beginning. A drop became a stream, and countless streams converged, forming a roaring river of blood.
The sheer volume was unimaginable, surging as if to drown the entire Red Line, staining the already crimson land with an even more ghastly shade of red.
"If there's no seawater, blood will do just fine."
"Blood Howl!"
With a sweep of Nereus' arm, the river of blood boiled violently. As it churned, a towering crimson wave like a tsunami crashed forward.
[Stop him!!!]
At the same instant, all Five Elders heard each other's shout. If this wave were not halted, it would undoubtedly flood all of Mariejois, including their reclusive Lord Imu.
No matter what, no matter the cost, they had to block it.
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