"Success!!"
Even as the fierce battle on Serix Island heated up toward its climax, far away in the mid–New World region, deep beneath the waters of Totto Land Kingdom—amid the massive facilities of an undersea base—there was a laboratory bristling with advanced instrumentation.
Inside, Dr. Vegapunk, Dr. Tsukimi, and Ryan were all yelling in excitement.
"New energy at last…"
"Such a beautiful flame—truly enchanting…"
"This is fantastic!!!"
In front of them stood a towering fusion reactor. Within its core, a curious flame danced and flickered.
"Oh?"
"A new energy source, you say?"
At that moment, El, Linlin, and Gerd—led by some of the research staff—came in.
They fixed their gazes on the peculiar flame within the reactor, each showing mild surprise.
"El-sama, Linlin-sama…"
Seeing El bring Sally, Linlin, Gerd, and others with him, Ryan, Dr. Tsukimi, Vegapunk, and the rest hurriedly bowed to El, monarch of Totto Land Kingdom, and Linlin, who for years now had been officially crowned as the kingdom's "chief consort."
"Ma-ma-ma, so this is the new energy?"
Linlin arched a brow. "Sure just looks like a flame to me!"
Yet no sooner had she finished speaking than she extended her Observation Haki, and her eyes lit up in realization: "Eh? Something's off—it's unusual!"
"Indeed, it's saturated with tremendous energy."
El gave a faint smile. Even he could sense that this seemingly ordinary flame harbored extremely potent power.
"El-sama, this kind of energy is practically epoch-making, very close to what our records describe as the ancient 'infinite' source of power…"
Vegapunk, flush with excitement, spoke in earnest: "I'd like to name it 'Holy Mother Flame'!"
"'Holy Mother Flame?'"
Everyone was taken aback. No one had expected that as a name from Vegapunk.
"It's actually a nice name,"
El said, smiling without objection. "We'll call it the Holy Mother Flame, then!"
He was well aware of the staggering value of this strange fire. Its significance was beyond measure.
"This might even reawaken that ancient robot…"
Ryan was equally thrilled, impatiently asking, "Shall we give it a try, El-sama?"
"No, since we're going to test it, we might as well do something more interesting,"
El said, shaking his head while a playful smile crossed his face.
"You mean…?"
Ryan, Vegapunk, Dr. Tsukimi, and the others all went wide-eyed. He didn't even need to say it plainly. He intended to activate Pluto directly.
"I was planning to hold off on the final war a bit longer…"
El smiled calmly. "But things in the first half of the Grand Line have gotten pretty chaotic…"
"Heh-heh, the World Government bigwigs even now dream of threatening us by capturing Arcas and the others—how foolish…"
His eyes shone with a chilling gleam. "We might as well finish this sooner and send them on their way!"
He paused. "All the better a chance to test the Holy Mother Flame. After all, one shot is all it'll take!"
"But launching Pluto—wouldn't that risk…"
Dr. Vegapunk, Dr. Tsukimi, and the rest hesitated. Awakening an Ancient Weapon could produce disastrous consequences. A few years ago, the World Government's "Uranos" had triggered notable rises in sea levels globally, submerging many islands and towns.
"You needn't worry—I only plan on blasting the Red Line,"
El said dismissively. "It won't drill to the planet's core, so the global climate shouldn't be impacted."
"In that case, I'm relieved,"
Vegapunk nodded. Though driven by a scientist's desire for knowledge, he personally disliked seeing the Holy Mother Flame become a tool of total destruction. But if it was only to shatter the Red Line, that was manageable.
Besides, he knew that a single full-force strike from El—this being called the "World's Strongest Creature"—could hardly be less destructive than an Ancient Weapon anyway. At least under El's banner, Totto Land practiced what one might call a "benevolent rule." Compared to the corruption of the World Government and the cruelty of unscrupulous royalty, Totto Land's leadership genuinely seemed better. Once the world was unified under El, it would end countless conflicts.
"Ma-ma-ma-ma, that oaf Kaido already sent us some 'gifts…'"
Linlin's eyes gleamed dangerously. She gave a baleful grin. "And we have Thunder Calamity, Wind Calamity, Flame Calamity, plus Shimotsuki Kouzaburou, Shimotsuki Umimaru, all busy entertaining our 'guests from abroad!'"
"El-sama, shall we hurry that way, or…?" Sally asked.
"No need. This flame's power alone is enough."
El waved a hand. If he and Linlin had to personally show up for every single incident, there was no point in cultivating such formidable subordinates.
And even if by some chance the Five Elders brought in more elites in a hurry, he had left other safeguards in place.
Just then—
"Bzzz—bzzz—"
Sally's wrist communicator rang out. She took up a Den Den Mushi: "This is Sally…"
"Sally-sama, it's Baka… Thor-sama contacted me, said they spotted Roger's crew. Should we take them out?"
"Roger's Pirates?"
Sally turned to El. He answered at once:
"Take them out. I don't want them meddling once the grand war starts."
"Yes, I'll pass that message to them right away."
On the other side of the call, Baka looked resolute, inwardly thrilled. He was witnessing the final moves of Totto Land's rise. After more than twenty years of nation-building, they would soon topple the World Government once and for all.
"Pass the order—seal off all the harbors of Mary Geoise. Doesn't matter if it's from the Four Seas, the first half of the Grand Line, or the New World…shoot down any unauthorized craft—be it cargo or otherwise."
"Meanwhile, the Air Force must blockade the nearby airspace too,"
El said coldly. "I don't want any Celestial Dragons escaping from the top of the Red Line alive."
In these past days, Totto Land's NEO Navy and Air Force had prepared. The Fish-Man units, Sea King units, submarine squadrons, and air units would easily lock down the area with negligible effort. Even if it cost them something, it was nothing major.
"Understood—"