Holy Land - Mary Geoise.
In the Chamber of Authority, the Five Elders were discussing the upcoming World Conference.
A grand event held once every four years at the Holy Land, gathering monarchs from the 50 strongest member nations to discuss world security and order.
Just as the 19th attending monarch was confirmed...
The Five Elders simultaneously underwent drastic changes in expression.
...
"That person is summoning us..."
"What!?"
"How is this possible! A Deep Sea Contract is disappearing! This has never happened in eight hundred years!!"
"Disappearing... how could..."
"The situation is urgent, we must immediately pay respects to Lord Imu!!"
—
—
—
Hachinosu Island.
Hancock was the first to stand up.
During the previous battle, she had consumed the least energy. Even during the final combined attack, she hadn't released all her power as Beckman had suggested.
...
Griffin looked at Hancock approaching him and smiled faintly: "Want to kill me?"
Step by step...
All members of the Red Hair Pirates watched this scene.
Shanks took a deep breath and called out softly: "Stop! Don't bear killing karma that has nothing to do with you!"
"He's already dying!"
...
Hancock's gaze was extremely complex as she looked at the burn marks around Griffin's massive wound. She pulled out a pink wooden box from her bosom.
"This is the best healing medicine from our Nine Snakes... at least it can alleviate some of your pain."
"I don't know—"
Click—
Just as she opened the wooden box and was about to hand the pill to Griffin...
Hancock's body went limp and she directly fell into Griffin's embrace, her beautiful eyes filled with shock and confusion.
On her slender wrist were pitch-black Sea Stone Handcuffs.
"You..."
...
"Hancock, you're under arrest."
Everyone froze.
...
Griffin pushed Hancock away and turned to look at Doll, whose face was covered in blood.
"How's it going over there?"
Doll stared blankly at the collapsed Hancock for a moment before coming to her senses: "We injured Wang Zhi, Lucci left, I couldn't hold him back alone, he escaped."
"What are you..."
She wasn't worried about the wound on Griffin's chest. Since he wasn't dead yet, it meant he must have used Life Return.
The idea of moving internal organs was something Griffin had told her about long ago.
...
"What's so surprising? It's perfectly normal for the Marines to arrest pirates."
Griffin looked at Shanks and the others who looked as if they'd seen a ghost: "Those aren't Devil Fruit Users, Doll, kill them."
He was fully capable of killing Shanks and the others, but had to pretend to be powerless.
Fortunately, Doll was in good condition. With Hancock dealt with, she wouldn't have problems cleaning up the rest.
...
"Wait..."
The Sea Stone Handcuffs Griffin carried were of considerable purity. Hancock couldn't even turn over, her face pressed against the ground as she spoke with difficulty to Doll.
"Arresting me... is fine... but please... go save Gentian..."
...
"I..."
The pleading look from the world's most beautiful woman made Doll pause involuntarily.
Was her heart softening...
Forget it, I'll handle it myself.
Griffin pretended to struggle to his feet, about to speak.
A large, broad hand pressed down on his shoulder, the scorching heat from the palm transmitting through the leather glove.
...
"You moved the position of your heart... good."
"Rest now, I'll handle what comes next."
Griffin turned his head to see a deep red suit and the hem of a pure white Justice Coat stained with intense blood.
The shadow beneath the brim hid his eyes, revealing only a jawline as hard as rock.
...
This man like a volcano...
Navy Headquarters Admiral, Sakazuki!!
...
"Admiral Sakazuki!!" Doll exclaimed, noticing what Akainu held in his other hand...
It was Wang Zhi's severed head!!
The broken neck showed charred magma marks!
How unfortunate... Wang Zhi had chosen the worst possible escape direction!!
...
"Akainu..."
Beckman struggled to push himself up, but in his current state, willpower alone couldn't get him standing.
"Heh... quite the gathering..."
Shanks grinned bitterly: "Could you not use your Magma Fist on me? It'd make for an ugly corpse."
...
"Pirates don't deserve the privilege of pretty deaths!" Seeing through Akainu's gaze, Griffin stopped pretending to be near death.
"Finish them, Admiral Sakazuki! Let me witness Meteor Volcano!"
...
"Calm down, Griffin."
Akainu's expression darkened as he tossed away Wang Zhi's head: "Fleet Admiral Sengoku's orders - we can't execute the Red Hair Pirates here. They must be sent to Enies Lobby for trial first."
...
"Ridiculous! Has old man Sengoku lost his mind!"
"Once these people recover their strength, who could possibly deliver them to Enies Lobby!"
"This is our only chance to kill them!"
Griffin didn't need to think hard to know higher powers were at work.
After all, Shanks was still a member of the Celestial Dragons, direct kin to the God's Knights commander.
Sending them to Enies Lobby...
They'd probably stage another prison ship hijacking drama!
...
"I'll escort them personally."
Sakazuki restrained Griffin, speaking gravely: "Red-Haired Shanks' status is... special."
Heh... this old trick.
"He's the most direct inheritor of Roger's will, the only active former member of the Roger Pirates who's made such waves."
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku intends to publicly execute Shanks, declaring the end of Roger's legacy!"
"Don't worry... the credit for ending Red Hair will be yours."
"The Marines need to deter the growing pirate threat, need a hero after Garp."
"When we publicly execute Shanks, we'll announce to the world - you are the new Marine hero of this era!"
...
...
Huh?
"Truly worthy of Sengoku the Buddha, the Marine leader renowned for his wisdom across the seas."
Griffin turned to look at Shanks.
The man who could face death calmly moments ago now wore a drastically changed expression.
Realizing the terrifying future that awaited...
If he were beheaded before the entire world...
Luffy!
"Don't joke about this... this era doesn't belong to him, this isn't the new era Captain Roger envisioned!!"
"Beckman! Kill me, kill me now!!"
...
"Weren't you hoping for a pretty death?"
"Don't you want a grand funeral?"
Akainu's massive shadow fell over the despairing Shanks.
...
After Akainu had bound the entire Red Hair Pirates crew together—
Boom—
Lucci came crashing down, having been sent flying for who-knows-which time.
...
Thud—
Akainu instantly moved to catch Lucci by the scruff, recognizing the CP's eight-century genius, his brow slightly furrowed.
"Who were you fighting?"
Lucci saw Akainu clearly, scanned the scene, and finally fixed his gaze on Griffin who had stood up, his eyes bursting with joyful light.
"You didn't lie to me, you're really alright!!"
...
"My heart is on the other side, I just found out myself." Griffin lied without changing his expression.
...
"Too good... too good..."
Lucci cried tears of joy, then suddenly remembered their mission and shouted urgently.
"Akainu! Come with me quickly to save that lord!!"
"The Celestial Dragons... it was Kari who injured Griffin and is still pursuing the Celestial Dragon lord!"
"Hurry! We're almost too late!!"
...
No, they were already too late.
Griffin heard the prompt echoing in his mind.
Mission complete, extraction count...
Five times!!
——
——
——
The flames gradually consumed Miya's body, leaving only her head.
From initial cursing, questioning, screaming, even begging for mercy...
To now, Miya's face showed only calm.
...
"Even that lord's power..."
"Kari, so you knew about that lord's existence and prepared means to counter me."
Finally, her remaining lips revealed a faint smile.
"But... are you truly prepared... to oppose a god?"
"To the god, I am merely... a servant... you don't understand what true... true terror is."
...
"To my god, I am a weapon."
Kari's voice made Miya's smile freeze. If she still had eyes, the expression in them would have been incredibly vivid.
...
Not the true body...
He's not the true body!!
Damn it! Why couldn't I discover this earlier!!
Lord Imu, you must...
Must...
...
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