Nika Luffy crashed into the ruins of Mary Geoise.
After the violent impact of the initial collision, it was as if nothing had happened.
The ground bizarrely turned into a trampoline, sinking in and then bouncing him out. Nika Luffy, with a contorted face, leaned forward:
"Ugh—"
The magma that had been forced into his stomach didn't explode. Instead, under the immense power of his Devil Fruit, it transformed into rubber, like jelly, and was spat out, flowing onto the ground.
Mixed within it was the severed head of a red-haired man.
Nika Luffy's mouth involuntarily drooped to the ground. Although his lips were still spread in a grin, the disbelief in his eyes clearly showed he couldn't accept this sight.
His hand stiffly reached out towards the red-haired man's head…
*Tap—*
The sound of leather boots stepping into a puddle echoed.
Sakazuki, who had arrived at some unknown time, descended, his black leather boots stepping into the jelly-like magma in front of Nika Luffy.
Before Nika Luffy could touch the red-haired man's head, his right foot stomped on it. A voice, devoid of emotion, resounded:
"What a mess…"
"Magma is such a dangerous substance, why would you carelessly spit it out…"
Nika Luffy's outstretched hand froze. He abruptly looked up.
Though his face was split in a wide grin, his eyes blazed with killing intent as he glared at Sakazuki.
Sakazuki looked down at Nika Luffy, a smile also gracing his lips. He applied pressure with his right foot…
*Crack—*
The red-haired man's head shattered.
The jelly-like magma beneath Sakazuki's foot was forcibly reclaimed, transforming back into surging magma, a scorching heat rising.
*BOOM!!!!*
The compressed magma, like a miniature nuclear bomb, instantly engulfed the entirety of Mary Geoise.
Lava, accompanied by a shockwave that incinerated everything in its path, swept through.
The defending forces of Mary Geoise and the Revolutionary Army brought by Dragon were instantly wiped out, turning the entire Mary Geoise into a lava hell.
In the distance, Pangaea Castle collapsed for the most part. However, the final section, the grand hall housing the Empty Throne, was protected by an unseen force and remained unharmed.
Concurrently, figures broke through the impact of the magma explosion and landed on the ground.
Some attacked him, some attacked Nika Luffy, and others rushed out to intercept… 138 Reading Network.
The sounds of explosions continued to erupt, like a bustling marketplace.
Sakazuki's gaze swept across the scene, but he still sighed. So many killed, yet so many remained. But this would be the last of them…
In the distance.
Nika Luffy, submerged in lava, let out a boisterous cry:
"Waoh waoh waoh—"
He plunged his hands into the molten rock, and a vast expanse of lava instantly turned into red rubber. He then flung it towards Sakazuki.
Sakazuki, watching the approaching lava-rubber projectiles, raised his hand to block them.
*Boom!*
A ferocious shockwave surged behind him, his Justice cape billowing, yet his body remained unmoving.
His right hand pressed against the lava-rubber mass. He infused it with Conqueror's Haki, which pierced its interior. That Haki, which had suppressed the world for decades, directly broke through the Devil Fruit's ability.
The lava-rubber projectiles reverted to lava. On the side opposite Sakazuki's hand, several chaotic "Meigo" (Hell Dogs) erupted, reaching Nika Luffy in an instant.
Nika Luffy seemed to have not yet reacted, but his body instinctively responded, twisting in a bizarre manner to evade.
Only then did he reveal a startled expression, his eyes and tongue popping out, reminiscent of a cartoon.
But Sakazuki remained unmoved.
The several Meigo, having missed Nika Luffy, converged into a long dragon in the sky, tearing through the battlefield.
Sakazuki himself transformed into magma, continuously pouring into the lava before him.
The magma dragon, with Sakazuki's essence infused, suddenly swelled several times its size and plunged towards the hall containing the Empty Throne.
The roar of the magma dragon echoed through Mary Geoise.
The Five Elders and the Knights of God, who were currently battling Garp and Sengoku, glared with fury:
"Insolence!!!!"
The flow of time seemed to slow. In their eyes, Mary Geoise, which was daytime moments ago, was suddenly illuminated by an intense white light, as if the world had glitched.
Endless white light rained down from the sky, striking the approaching magma dragon and Nika Luffy, who stood laughing on the ground…
*Boom!!!!!*
There was no violent tremor, only a colossal roar.
After the endless white light, the blank several seconds felt agonizingly long.
When everyone's vision recovered, everything in the original location of Mary Geoise had vanished, leaving behind a thousand-meter-deep chasm that pierced through both sides of the Red Line Continent…
It had literally erased the land itself…
Dragon stared incredulously at the deep chasm, looking into it:
"Luffy!!!!"
Garp beside him was also shocked. He rushed to the edge of the chasm:
"Luffy!!!!"
His legs bent slightly as he was about to leap down, but Sengoku, beside him, grabbed his arm:
"Stop it, Garp!!!"
Sengoku suppressed the fear in his heart, forcing himself to calm down, holding Garp back. He looked towards the Five Elders.
Their expressions were respectful; clearly, such power was wielded by someone, and it was enough to make the Five Elders willingly show deference…
Veins bulged on Garp's head as he gritted his teeth, staring at the smoke-shrouded chasm.
Suddenly.
A faint aura rose, then rapidly intensified, accompanied by a growing laughter:
"Heehee…."
"Heehee…."
"Heeheeheehee…."
As the laughter grew louder, the thousand-meter-deep chasm that pierced both sides of the Red Line Continent was pulled by an inexplicable force.
With a distortion that defied common sense, the chasm began to be pulled up from its bottom, directly springing out of the ground where they stood.
The ground then seemed like rubber jelly, bouncing slightly before returning to flatness.
That thousand-meter-deep chasm…
Had disappeared…
Nika-form Luffy fell from the sky, his mouth wide open. Before he could even let out a laugh,
Garp's furious voice suddenly boomed from above Nika Luffy, roaring:
"Luffy!!!!"
*Bang—*
The fist, known as the "Iron Fist of Love," sent stars dancing before Nika Luffy's eyes, reminding him of the terror of being dominated by Garp.
"Grandpa!"
Only then did he react:
"Why are you here!!!"
The slow-witted Luffy didn't notice who had shielded him from countless attacks just moments ago.
Garp's veins throbbed on his head, his fist radiating with dense Armament Haki once more.
*Tap—*
*Tap—*
*Tap—*
The crisp sound of footsteps echoed in everyone's ears.
The sword-wielding Elder and the robust Elder, along with the Knights of God, immediately turned, their expressions respectful as they looked towards the grand hall.
The other three Elders actually emerged from within, but they were opening a door for someone…
A figure wearing a towering crown, a trailing robe, and holding a scepter emerged. However, his gaze didn't first fall upon his eight-hundred-year nemesis, 'Nika.'
Instead, he looked up towards the sky above Mary Geoise.
*Drip—*
The sound of a water droplet falling.
*Sss—*
The ground was corroded.
A single drop of magma fell from the sky, landing in the center of the Mary Geoise ruins.
It then began to irregularly expand and writhe, directly coalescing into Sakazuki's form.
A trickle of blood flowed from Sakazuki's lips. He raised a hand to wipe it away, his gaze fixed on the finally revealed figure. His low voice drifted out:
"So, you've finally come out…"
The vast Mary Geoise was now divided into three powers. Sakazuki and the most mysterious figure of the World Government faced each other.
Meanwhile, the protagonist, the current Sun God 'Nika,' looked between the two like a monkey, seemingly pondering something, feeling uncomfortable with both sides…
----
The Moon.
The center of the floating fleet.
Innumerable warships equipped with massive devices generated endless thunderclouds, filling the sky. The entire moon was enveloped in these thunderclouds.
The warships surrounded a colossal island at their center: Egghead Island, where Vegapunk resided.
In the laboratory.
A broken iron ship was placed on the ground. Several animal-like figures lay on the floor, not belonging to any known species from the vast blue planet.
These were the beings Enel and Barret had discovered upon arriving on the moon. Though they lacked the time to study them, the crude ship and its armament indicated that space was perhaps not as peaceful as it seemed.
However, there was no time to concern themselves with that now. Several of Vegapunk's clones operated the consoles, performing synchronized actions.
They were calculating the massive dark silhouette that had appeared over Mary Geoise and the inconceivable energy attack.
A moment later.
Vegapunk looked at the data on the screen, dejectedly dropped his hands, and shook his head:
"There's nothing we can do."
"We can only proceed with Sakazuki's plan."
"That is not something that should exist in this era. We have no other recourse…"
His fists unconsciously clenched. If only they had several more decades, if only they had produced infinite energy sooner, if only…
But there were no more 'ifs'.
Enel beside him remained silent, his expression unreadable. He turned and left:
"I'll go prepare."
Barret's expression was also unreadable. He closed his eyes and turned:
"Let's go, Sote."
Regardless of any personal feelings, a soldier's primary duty was to follow orders…
Sote, in the corner, looked at the half-burnt Vivre Card in his hand, gritted his teeth, swallowed his pain, and tried to regain a calm tone:
"Coming."
He placed his father's Vivre Card over his chest.
The burning ember seemed like his father's warmth, beating…
He turned and walked out, to carry out… the order…
Vegapunk looked at the massive screen, at the streams of data.
*Rumble—*
He clenched his fists and slammed them onto the console.
His body trembled continuously, tears falling to the ground. He slumped to the floor, as if all his strength had been drained, utterly powerless…
----
New World, New Marineford.
On the execution platform.
Carole sat alone before the severed heads of the three 'Yonko,' silently hanging up the Den Den Mushi connected to the Moon…
She stood up, brushed off nonexistent dust, tidied her attire, closed her eyes to compose herself, and slowly opened them. Her gaze was sharp as she took out a Den Den Mushi and pressed a button…
The Den Den Mushi, connected to Egghead Island in the sky, emitted an invisible wave of energy that instantly infiltrated the entire world's communication network.
Whether it was pirates in the New World, the pursuing Marines, or those in the Four Seas, all Den Den Mushi were forcibly activated, interrupted, and switched.
Whether on pursuing warships, in homes where people were eating, or in the grand plazas where people were playing,
Countless people looked at the figure that suddenly appeared from their Den Den Mushi.
The entire world now only displayed Carol's image or voice from the Den Den Mushi, broadcasting to the world.
In the image.
Carole's expression was solemn, with a hint of fatigue.
The heads of the Yonko behind her displayed the Marines' victory. Her Justice cape billowed as she looked at the deserted island, her slightly hoarse voice echoing across the world:
"This is Marine Headquarters."
"Broadcasting an urgent evacuation notice."
"This is Marine Headquarters."
"Broadcasting an urgent evacuation notice."
"The world is about to face a major disaster. Marine Headquarters is unable to maintain order on the seas."
"We are issuing an emergency broadcast to all nations, islands, World Government agencies, Navy branches worldwide, and revolutionary organizations."
"Focus your defenses towards the direction of the New World entrance."
"We call upon all nations, island populations, to prepare for typhoons, tsunamis, earthquakes, and other disasters, and to actively engage in self-rescue."
"If an island has a Navy branch, the local populace may seek help from the Navy branch. All Navy branches should actively provide assistance and conduct post-disaster reconstruction."
"We implore people worldwide to unite all available forces to overcome this hardship together."
"Navy branches worldwide must proactively take the lead, ensuring the safety of every nearby citizen. They must not fear sacrifice when necessary, as this is the Navy's responsibility, obligation, and glorious mission."
"Furthermore, we urge people worldwide to supervise each other, prevent criminal activities, and cease all wars and conflicts between nations. The law will always be in effect."
"The primary objective is post-disaster reconstruction."
"Marine Headquarters and the World Government still exist and will not easily abandon the life of any citizen."
"Please relay the above information to each other."
"Justice will surely return to the seas. Citizens everywhere, do not lose hope."
"Marineford Era 1520, March 17th."
"Declared by Marine Headquarters."