Hancock's steps did not pause in the slightest. Watching as one Celestial Dragon after another was shackled to her chains like livestock, she felt an overwhelming sense of exhilaration and satisfaction.
Even the haunting memories she had long refused to recall no longer seemed as terrifying. The Celestial Dragons, who had plagued her nightmares for over a decade, were gradually fading from her fears.
The only thing that remained unchanged was her unwavering determination to exterminate the Celestial Dragons.
After some time, all one thousand collars on the ten chains were filled with Celestial Dragons. Their current state was as wretched as could be.
Without hesitation, Hancock lifted the chains laden with Celestial Dragons and ascended into the air.
At that very moment, the weather above Mary Geoise suddenly underwent a dramatic shift. The once-clear sky was instantly shrouded in dark clouds, and violent gales swept through the entire city as if threatening to tear it apart.
Yet, this was merely the residual impact of the storm. At its very core, high above Hancock's position, the swirling clouds coalesced into a colossal vortex that blotted out the sky, evoking the ominous sense of an impending apocalypse.
Caught in the influence of the storm overhead, Hancock, who had been mid-flight, found herself losing control of her body and was forcibly pushed back down to the ground.
This sight instantly ignited excitement among the shackled Celestial Dragons.
"Wonderful! We're saved!"
"Haha! Do you see this, you lowly humans? This is the price you pay for daring to defy us Celestial Dragons!"
"We are the descendants of gods! Divine punishment will befall you—your end is near!"
"Release us this instant and beg for our forgiveness! If you are willing to become our slaves, perhaps the gods will absolve you of your sins!"
"..."
The once-terrified Celestial Dragons suddenly grew arrogant, their faces brimming with smugness.
They were convinced that this storm had been summoned for their sake, unwavering in their belief in their divine lineage.
The sudden emergence of this storm also caused the leaders of the world's great powers, who were watching the live broadcast, to adopt solemn expressions.
Kaido, who had already returned to Wano, took a deep swig of sake before gazing at the screen in the sky and murmuring thoughtfully, "So this is the power of the World Government's ancient weapon, 'Uranus'..."
It wasn't just Kaido—Big Mom, Whitebeard, Shanks, and others all shared the same suspicion.
"Damn it! What the hell is going on?" Feeling the increasing pressure of the storm weighing down on her, Hancock's expression turned grim.
She had originally planned to throw all the Celestial Dragons off the peak of the Red Line, but she had not expected such an unforeseen turn of events.
Hancock had a clear understanding of her own strength, and she knew that the storm above—growing stronger with each passing moment—was something far beyond her ability to withstand.
If she allowed this storm to engulf her, there was no doubt that she would be torn to shreds.
Hancock had no other choice but to turn her head toward Eriri with a pitiful look in her eyes, hoping for her help.
"Oh my, it seems Hancock-chan has run into trouble," Sayuri said with a light chuckle, showing no trace of concern on her face.
Although this storm appeared incredibly violent, to them, it was nothing more than a minor disturbance.
Even Sayuri could easily disperse this storm with a casual wave of her hand.
Eriri nodded in agreement and said, "Hmm, the storm's current strength has already reached Level 3, Stage 8. At this rate, its final strength will likely reach at least the peak of Level 3, and it might even escalate to Level 4, Stage 1."
"Hancock is only at Level 3, Stage 7 right now, so this storm is indeed a major problem for her."
"Eriri, Eriri, this should be the power of 'Uranus,' right?" Yuzuru Hanyu excitedly asked Eriri from the side.
"Hmm? Uranus? What is that?" Utaha Kasumigaoka, who was standing beside her, looked curious upon hearing the unfamiliar term.
The others also turned their curious gazes toward Yuzuru Hanyu, waiting for her explanation.
During this period, aside from Eriri explaining details about the One Piece world to everyone, Yuzuru Hanyu, Akino, and Arifureta would occasionally share some strange and fascinating facts about One Piece as well.
"Uranus is one of the Ancient Weapons, and there are only three of them in the One Piece world—Pluton, the 'Underworld King'; Poseidon, the 'Sea King'; and Uranus, the 'Sky King,'" Yuzuru Hanyu said, nodding her head confidently.
"I see, so all three of these weapons must be incredibly powerful. The strongest person we've encountered so far was only at the peak of Level 2, but I didn't expect the Ancient Weapons to reach Level 4. That's a massive gap in strength."
"Heh, heh, these three Ancient Weapons are said to be powerful enough to destroy the world in this universe."
"Alright, let's continue this discussion later. First, we need to deal with Uranus. Otherwise, Hancock will get hurt." Clapping her hands, Eriri cut off Yuzuru Hanyu before she could continue.
Hearing Eriri's words, Yuzuru Hanyu obediently stopped herself from explaining further. However, judging by the glint in her eyes, it was clear she hadn't given up on the idea of sharing more information with everyone later.
At that moment, Jibril immediately wrapped herself around Eriri's leg and, in a spoiled tone, said, "Master, Master, do you need me to take action?"
"No need. It's just Uranus—there's no need to make such a big deal out of it." Patting Jibril's small head, Eriri turned her gaze toward a particular direction.
That direction was precisely where the Flower Garden of Pangaea Castle was located.
Then, Eriri casually extended her finger and pointed toward Pangaea Castle. In an instant, a dazzling streak of pink energy shot across the sky and descended upon the castle.
Under the gaze of the entire world, the entirety of Pangaea Castle began to disintegrate under the power of that pink energy.
In the blink of an eye, the most mysterious and authoritative place in Mary Geoise vanished completely. Along with it, Imu and the Ancient Weapon Uranus, which had never before revealed its true form to the world, also disappeared.
Even after Pangaea Castle vanished, the pink energy that had shot from Eriri's fingertips did not dissipate. Instead, it continued to rapidly erode the Red Line beneath the castle.
Under the horrified gazes of the world and the terrified expressions of the Five Elders, the pink energy descended from the peak of the Red Line all the way to its very base, annihilating everything in its path without leaving a trace.
In less than ten seconds, an enormous crater, over ten thousand meters deep, appeared in the heart of Mary Geoise.
"How… how is this possible? Can a human even do something like this?" The people who had witnessed Eriri's casual attack were left utterly dumbfounded, unable to believe their own eyes. This feat had far surpassed the limits of their understanding.
Kaido stopped drinking. Big Mom stopped eating her cake. The Whitebeard Pirates' grand banquet seemed to have been frozen in time.
Sengoku abruptly stood up from his seat, his face filled with disbelief—and a trace of lingering fear.
If Eriri had unleashed that attack on Marine Headquarters earlier, the Navy might have already been erased from history.
Realizing this, he immediately issued an order to revoke the bounties on Eriri and her companions.
Although Eriri had not caused them trouble over the bounty during this time, he had a strong premonition that if her bounty remained, the Navy's fate would be nothing short of catastrophic.
The Supernovas who had previously crossed paths with Eriri all fell silent.
This level of power was something that could never be reached through sheer effort alone.
Knowing that beings of such overwhelming strength existed in the world left even those who pursued supremacy feeling lost and uncertain.
…
The moment Pangaea Castle disappeared, the fierce winds that had been ravaging Mary Geoise suddenly came to an abrupt halt. The massive storm vortex that had been pressing down on Hancock also vanished instantly, and the clear skies returned to the Holy Land once more.
"Haah…" Feeling the oppressive force lift, Hancock couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. She then turned to Eriri with a grateful glance.
She had never expected the World Government to possess such a hidden trump card. If she had come to Mary Geoise alone, she might not have survived today.
The Celestial Dragons, however, reacted in the exact opposite way. Just moments ago, they had been arrogant and full of themselves, but now they were once again consumed by sheer panic.
This time, their fear was even greater than before. Unlike earlier, when at least half of them still believed they would be safe, now every single one of them was gripped by terror.
The divine retribution they had placed their hopes in had vanished, and even the most sacred Pangaea Castle had been completely obliterated.
Even with their arrogance and ignorance, they now understood that the situation had spiraled into catastrophe.
"No… This isn't real. It's fake. It has to be fake. I must be dreaming… Yes, I'm definitely dreaming. Everything will be fine once I wake up."
Some Celestial Dragons, unable to accept reality, convinced themselves that everything happening was just a dream. They shut their eyes and collapsed to the ground, attempting to change the course of their "dream."
More of them, however, desperately pleaded with Hancock, though she ignored them entirely.
"Haha! You fools! Even if there really was a god behind you, then just now, your so-called god must have already perished," Hancock sneered as she tightened her grip on the chains and ascended into the sky once more.
"But don't worry. Even though you are nothing but disgusting trash and filth, I don't mind letting you reunite with your so-called god."
With that, Hancock dragged the thousand Celestial Dragons behind her as she soared toward the former site of Pangaea Castle.
She flew at incredible speed, causing the Celestial Dragons bound to the chains to be yanked violently through the air.
However, this did not bring them any sense of exhilaration from flying—on the contrary, it was nothing short of excruciating torment.
Due to the force of Hancock's flight, the resistance exerted on the chains caused the collars around their necks to snap taut, choking them and plunging them into a state of suffocation.
Some Celestial Dragons even had their necks crushed outright by the force, and after a brief struggle in agony, they perished.
But in a way, this was perhaps a mercy. Though they suffered for a short time, at least their deaths were swift, sparing them from the horrors and despair that lay ahead.
The site of Pangaea Castle was not far from Hancock's position—only a few kilometers away.
At Hancock's extreme speed, it didn't take long for her to arrive near the ruins of Pangaea Castle.
As she gradually came to a halt, the Celestial Dragons, who had been yanked through the air by their necks, suddenly plummeted due to the pull of gravity.
Due to inertia, they were dragged across the stone pavement for an extended distance upon impact.
The aftermath of this was utterly gruesome—those who landed on their backs had their flesh torn to shreds. Their skin was completely stripped away, and even chunks of their flesh were ground off by the brutal friction.
Some, who had landed sideways, had entire arms or legs ripped off in the process.
As for those who had fallen face-first...
Their fate was even more horrifying than the others. As for how bad it was—let's just say that those who understand, understand.
This single instance alone resulted in the immediate deaths of one-tenth of the Celestial Dragons, while the majority of the survivors were left gravely wounded or permanently maimed.
Only a handful of Celestial Dragons, by sheer luck, had been cushioned by the bodies of others and thus escaped the horrors of being dragged along the ground.
Of course, the choking sensation from their collars cutting off their air supply remained just as agonizing.
Once the dragging ordeal was over, Hancock moved again.
She ascended above the ruins of Pangaea Castle, holding onto the ten chains. The Celestial Dragons bound to them dangled directly below her, swaying in midair.
Originally, Hancock had planned to throw them into the sea. However, now that Eriri had provided her with a better location to dispose of the Celestial Dragons, her focus naturally shifted.
Looking down at the bottomless abyss below, the Celestial Dragons—already in agony from the collars tightening around their necks—instantly fell into despair.
Just moments ago, they had seen the depth of this chasm with their own eyes on the screen. If Hancock were to drop them from here, there would be no chance of survival.
Unless they possessed the same physical resilience as Kaido—but that was clearly impossible. In fact, due to years of indulgence and lack of physical training, the majority of Celestial Dragons were even weaker than ordinary civilians.
Falling from a height of ten thousand meters would shatter their bodies completely, leaving not even an intact corpse behind.
The only other possibility for survival would be having the ability to fly, allowing them to avoid a fatal impact.
In the One Piece world, there were two ways to gain the ability to fly. One was by consuming a Devil Fruit that granted aerial mobility, and the other was by mastering Moonwalk (Geppo) from the Navy's Six Styles techniques.
Devil Fruits were easily accessible to the Celestial Dragons, but since they had the protection of CP organizations and the Navy, they rarely felt the need to consume them.
As a result, 99.9% of Celestial Dragons were utterly powerless weaklings.
As for the remaining 0.1%—they had already been slaughtered by Hancock in advance.
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