Marine Headquarters
Fleet Admiral Sengoku was in his office, buried in stacks of paperwork.
The New World had been bustling with chaos recently
The Beast Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates were locked in fierce battles for territory, while the Thunder God Pirates had emerged, hunting pirates and even attacking Marines.
The endless stream of intelligence reports from the New World had left Sengoku utterly exhausted.
At that moment, a Marine messenger burst into his office without even knocking.
Sengoku frowned, ready to reprimand the intruder. But the words that followed froze him in place.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku! The Holy Land, Mary Geoise, is under attack—a massive island has descended upon it!"
Island... Holy Land...The words triggered Sengoku's memory of what Sanders had said earlier: "A gift!"
"This lunatic!"
"Does he want to start a world war?!"
Sengoku cursed under his breath and immediately grabbed his Den Den Mushi to mobilize reinforcements.
"Buru-buru-buru-buru~"
The characteristic ringing of a Den Den Mushi echoed as it connected.
"Fleet Admiral, what's the matter?"
The sly expression of Kizaru appeared on the Den Den Mushi.
"Kizaru, head to Mary Geoise immediately! That lunatic Sanders has launched an attack there!"
Sengoku barked the order without hesitation.
"Attacking Mary Geoise?"
"What a terrifying fellow!"
Kizaru replied in his usual casual tone.
"I'll head there immediately!"
A drop of cold sweat slid down Kizaru's face as he responded via the Den Den Mushi.
Mary Geoise
The Five Elders and Figarland Garling Saint stared grimly at the ruins of Mary Geoise.
For Garling Saint, the devastation was personal—the Figarland family had suffered the most from Sanders' attack.
The massive island, though shattered into pieces by relentless attacks, had still struck the Figarland family's territory directly. Now, the entire area was nothing but rubble, and the death toll was staggering.
"I'll personally lead the hunt to capture this criminal!"
Garling Saint's face was dark, his tone seething with anger.
Nasujoro Saint, with his ever-cynical demeanor, retorted sharply:
"Mobilizing the God's Knights to leave the Sacred Land requires authorization from that person. You don't have the authority to do as you please."
Nasujoro's family, positioned far from the Figarland estate, had sustained some damage but fared far better by comparison.
Hearing this, Garling Saint's expression grew even darker.
It was true that in Mary Geoise, his position allowed him certain privileges—he could even execute Celestial Dragons who broke the rules. But the God's Knights were bound to the Sacred Land unless commanded otherwise, even for someone like him.
"Impel Down is utterly useless! They couldn't even contain a single prisoner!"
"And why wasn't a force dispatched to apprehend him the moment that lowly commoner escaped?"
Garling Saint redirected his anger at the Five Elders, his tone accusatory.
The Five Elders, though immensely powerful and influential, remained silent, pretending not to hear his words.
Suddenly, everyone froze, their expressions changing as they looked skyward.
A massive Thunderfire Dragon was roaring down toward them, its body crackling with electricity and flames.
This time, the expressions on the faces of the Five Elders and Garling Saint were far graver than when they faced the falling island.
The island had caused widespread destruction, but it hadn't exuded the same palpable sense of impending death.
This Thunderfire Dragon was different—it carried a tangible aura of annihilation.
The Five Elders had an advantage: their near-immortal bodies. With extraordinary regenerative abilities, they could rapidly recover from injuries, regrowing limbs and even surviving fatal attacks. While the dragon's power could harm them, it wasn't necessarily lethal.
Garling Saint, however, was not so fortunate. Despite his immense strength, he was still human. Facing this Thunderfire Dragon head-on would leave him gravely injured—possibly beyond saving.
The dragon was descending swiftly. The Five Elders and Garling Saint, already exhausted from their efforts to shatter the island, were caught off guard. Worse still, the dragon wasn't even targeting them directly, leaving their Observation Haki warnings delayed.
The Thunderfire Dragon roared as it closed in, its devastating intent crystal clear.
Before anyone could react, the Thunderfire Dragon struck one of the palaces in the Figarland family's territory.
At that moment, Figarland Meg was receiving medical treatment. A massive explosion resounded across the Sacred Land of Mary Geoise.
In the blink of an eye, both Meg and the entire palace vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed. Where the grand palace once stood, there was now a colossal, bottomless pit.
"That must have been Figarland's palace," remarked Vauchouli Saint as he calmly ran his hand over his bald head.
Mars Saint gazed at the enormous crater, his expression serious. "No wonder he managed to defeat Whitebeard. Sanders has truly come into his own."
"We must capture and eliminate him—he's far too dangerous for us to ignore!" declared Nasujoro Saint, his face dark as he stared at the sky.
"I'll take a look!" Mars Saint announced decisively. "Mary Geoise isn't a place where pirates can come and go as they please!"
Among those present, only Mars Saint had the capability for aerial combat. If they allowed Sanders to retreat unscathed, it would be an irreparable humiliation for the World Government.
The other Five Elders didn't object. The Sacred Land had been severely attacked, and they needed to respond decisively. Over hundreds of years of ruling the seas, the number of Celestial Dragons killed was fewer than the casualties suffered today alone.
Under their watchful gazes, Mars Saint transformed into a massive monstrous bird. With wings, claws, and the body of a serpent, his enormous form was wreathed in the black flames unique to an awakened Zoan Devil Fruit user. He resembled the legendary beast Ame-no-Habakiri.
Spreading his wings wide, the great bird soared into the sky.
The moment Mars Saint moved, Sanders had already sensed it. To guard against the World Government deploying any superpowered weapons, Sanders had kept his Observation Haki stretched to its limit, ready to transform into lightning and retreat at the first sign of danger.
"One of the Five Elders, huh?" Sanders muttered as his body shifted into a half-beast form. His gaze burned as he watched Mars Saint draw closer.
"Perfect. Let's see if you're truly an awakened Zoan user or a genuine demon."
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T/N:
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