With a single flap of a wing vast enough to blot out the sky, the rolling smoke was torn wide open.
Rocks D. Xebec and Roldi stood side by side atop the platform. When Roldi saw the five enormous and grotesque monsters before him, his eyes widened with curiosity. Rocks merely raised an eyebrow.
They were the Five Elders of the World Government.
Moments ago, they had been annihilated by Rocks' attack—yet now they had resurrected.
And with all five gathered together, their regeneration appeared even faster. In less than half a minute, their sinister auras had already reemerged from within the smoke.
A skeletal warhorse, its legs alone nearly ten meters long, snorted heavily. Its bone-white hooves stepped upon the air itself. Green flames burned along its body. The pallid bones radiated the chill of death.
A gargantuan sandworm over a hundred meters long twisted through the sky, opening a gaping maw. Its teeth were unnervingly flat like a human's, yet inside its mouth spiraled countless jagged spikes. Viscous slime dripped from its body.
A four-tusked boar demon stood like a living mountain. Its small eyes gleamed with brutality. Its massive tusks shone with metallic luster, razor-sharp.
The owner of the massive wings was a monstrous bird with twin wings and a spear-like beak. Yet its body resembled a serpent, and its talons alone were enough to establish it as a ruler of the skies.
And finally—
The enormous spider-like creature that had appeared before.
Though wildly different in form—so different they might as well have come from separate realms—they shared one thing in common:
Black smoke coiled around each of them.
The skeletal horse.
The sandworm.
The boar demon.
Itsumade.
And the Gyūki.
Five mythical monstrosities.
Their malevolent aura battered Roldi's mind.
Yet Rocks remained unmoved, as though he did not regard them as worthy opponents.
"Are those… Devil Fruit powers?" Roldi muttered.
"Exactly," Rocks replied. "Who would've thought that the so-called gods—the highest authority of the World Government—are in truth the most grotesque and sinister monsters in the world?"
He smirked faintly.
"When demons sit upon the throne of the world, tell me, Roldi—does that make this world right? Or wrong?"
Rocks attempted to pat Roldi on the shoulder—only to realize the height difference was awkward.
With mild irritation, he settled for patting Roldi's thigh instead.
Roldi looked down.
And in that instant of eye contact—
He saw it.
Unfiltered hatred.
Why would Rocks harbor such hatred?
Black lightning split the heavens.
Five genuine top-tier, Admiral-class combatants unleashed their power simultaneously. The overwhelming aura swept across the entirety of God Valley.
The remaining Celestial Dragons, still engaged in their "hunt," stared in shock. Some recognized that presence.
What could possibly have forced all five to appear together?
For ordinary pirates and Marines, the sensation was simpler—
It felt as though a mountain had been placed upon their chests.
Breathing became difficult.
A few thousand meters offshore, a massive fleet of over a hundred vessels advanced toward God Valley.
Standing at the bow, Fleet Admiral Kong sharply sensed something unusual in the air.
His expression changed immediately.
After giving a few brief instructions to his adjutant, he leapt skyward using Geppo and rushed toward God Valley.
"What's gotten into Kong? Making such a fuss—he doesn't look like a Fleet Admiral at all."
A man clad in a dark green military uniform scoffed.
He wore a justice coat similar to that of the Marines, though edged with deep green trim. The ship beneath him was massive, but clearly not a Marine warship.
He was the Commander-in-Chief of the Army—Marshal Richard—one of the World Government's Three Armed Forces.
Yet as he laughed, he suddenly frowned.
His Observation Haki was nowhere near Kong's level. His strength leaned more toward brute physical might.
But when he saw another figure streaking through the clouds toward God Valley—
He grew uneasy.
"Shinval? What's wrong with those two? A Fleet Admiral and an Air Force Marshal both losing their composure like this?"
He wasn't foolish.
At first, he had thought having rivals like them increased his chances of one day becoming Commander-in-Chief of all three branches.
Perhaps the Army's long-held ambition would be realized under his leadership.
But upon closer thought—
Something was clearly wrong.
"You stay here. I'll go ahead."
Richard barked to his men.
He quickly commandeered a small boat—barely more than a canoe—and climbed aboard alone.
Taking a deep breath, he shouted with vigor—
Then grabbed the oars.
He couldn't fly.
With bulging arms, he rowed furiously toward God Valley.
Embarrassing or not—
He wasn't slow.
Behind him, the Army fleet surged forward at maximum speed.
Elsewhere on the battlefield—
Sengoku and the Golden Lion were locked in a brutal clash.
Two grotesque blade wounds marred Sengoku's golden chest. Faint glimpses of glowing bone could be seen beneath torn flesh. Blood poured freely, and even the justice coat on his back had been shredded.
But the Golden Lion had fared no better.
His left leg hung limp. His right leg bent at a grotesque angle.
Both legs were broken.
Yet the madman seemed oblivious to pain. The frenzy in his eyes unsettled even Sengoku, his long-time rival.
They too had noticed the black pillar of light—
But neither could spare attention.
Sengoku lacked the aerial speed to outmatch the Golden Lion.
And the Golden Lion, lost in battle fever, simply didn't care.
Until—
A figure appeared over the distant sea.
"That's… Kong?!"
The Golden Lion's face changed instantly.
In his current state, if Kong joined the fray, he would be beaten to death without question.
The arrogance in his eyes cleared at once.
Without hesitation, he chose retreat.
But before departing, he shouted:
"Newgate! That old man Kong is here!"
It was the only warning their relationship allowed.
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