— — — — — —
The atmosphere suddenly became weird.
Everyone was waiting—waiting for Joey to make a mistake.
After all, anyone with a brain could see the close relationship between the Ryugu Kingdom and the Charlotte Family. It was clear as day that the Ryugu Kingdom had completely aligned itself with them.
Now, if the Charlotte Family chose to remain silent, things would certainly get even more interesting.
A man dressed in a black suit sneered, "Who the hell do you think you are?"
Sigh...
Joey let out a helpless sigh. "Man, what a hassle. Why does everything have to be so troublesome?"
Slash!
"Aaaagh!!!"
Before his words had even fully settled, a flash of a blade streaked through the air.
At that moment, all that could be heard was a bloodcurdling scream.
In an instant, the man in the black suit collapsed to the ground.
His four limbs—severed.
Joey pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed again. "Seriously, wouldn't it be easier to just listen to people properly?"
Then, with a soft smile, he added, "Besides… you're way too noisy."
Slash!
Once again, no one saw anything. It was as if nothing had happened at all.
Yet—the man's tongue had already been cut out.
What just happened?
No one knew. No one understood.
Everyone just stared, wide-eyed in utter disbelief.
"Bastard! Bastard!"
At that moment, the Celestial Dragon suddenly erupted in fury.
He roared, "You lowly filth! How dare you do such a thing?! What the hell are you CP0 dogs waiting for?! Cut off his limbs!"
His furious screams echoed through the hall as his rage boiled over.
Standing by the Celestial Dragon were four CP0 agents.
One of them was Stussy.
However, she remained hidden in the shadows, silent.
She wasn't stupid.
She knew all too well about Charlotte Joey.
She understood perfectly— This man never showed mercy.
When he acted, it was swift, brutal, and absolute.
There was no room for hesitation.
Shing!
Katakuri had already drawn his trident.
Joey, however, said warmly, "Katakuri, what are you doing? Are you planning to attack the World Nobles?"
Hearing his brother's reprimand, Katakuri silently withdrew his weapon.
Joey smiled. "World Nobles, huh? My apologies! But, as the saying goes—The heavens see all—when arrogance reaches its peak, retribution is never far behind."
As he spoke, his gentle smile remained unchanged.
Suddenly—
Crack!
Clang!
The expressions of the three CP0 agents instantly darkened.
A crushing force had appeared out of nowhere.
Before anyone realized it, an overwhelming pressure bore down on them from all directions.
Within mere seconds, their bodies were covered in wounds.
By now, only a fool wouldn't understand what was happening.
"Damn it!"
"There were rumors that Charlotte Joey had a hidden force of elites at his side. Looks like it was true!"
"Who are they?!"
"...Where are they???!"
"..."
"No idea!"
Whispers and discussions filled the air.
After all, no one attended the World Conference without bringing guards.
Many among them were at least Bronze-Level 5 or 6 warriors, some proficient in Haki.
Using Observation and Armament Haki, they could all sense it— An unseen force was engaging in combat.
And their numbers were growing.
Ten… twenty… thirty…
The three CP0 agents—
Each of them felt like they were now facing a hundred enemies.
At that point, the outcome was already decided.
Slash!
Drip…Drip…
With the flash of a blade, blood splattered onto the ground.
The three CP0 agents had their limbs severed. Their tongues—removed.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
No one spoke.
Because no one knew what to say.
"Ahhh…"
Joey let out a sigh, rubbing his temples. "What a headache… See? I told you. Heaven is watching."
"Sometimes, you shouldn't push things too far, or else… well, bad things happen. Do you believe me now?"
His words carried no fluctuation of emotion.
Yet, in that moment—
Everyone present felt a bone-chilling fear.
Even the World Nobles…had limits here.
Because this place was filled with powerful figures from around the world. Even the Celestial Dragons had to behave.
So if there was no evidence, no one could touch Joey.
Joey turned to Otohime and Tiger. "You two okay?"
"We're fine."
"Yeah, we're good."
The two stood up, finally realizing the true weight of Joey's words.
This—this level of terror.
This was true fear.
This man didn't bother with words.
He simply acted.
"What's going on?!"
"What happened?!"
"What's the situation?!"
Finally, Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr arrived at the scene.
They took one look at the blood-soaked floor—
At Joey.
At Otohime and Tiger.
Finally, at the dumbstruck Celestial Dragon.
And in that instant, they understood.
Their faces turned gloomy.
Because they had fought Joey before.
They knew just how terrifying this man was.
And what it meant to provoke him. But it was already too late to stop him.
Bang!!!
Suddenly—a gunshot rang out.
The Celestial Dragon had pulled the trigger.
He snarled, "Filthy trash! You disgusting insects! How dare you treat me like this?! You should all die! I am a god! You lowly bugs—"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullet after bullet flew towards Joey.
Katakuri simply raised his hand, catching all the bullets in his palm.
A terrifying killing intent erupted from him.
Katakuri's voice was icy cold. "You should d—"
Boom!
A powerful aura suddenly stopped.
It was Zephyr.
His sharp gaze locked onto Katakuri. "Charlotte Katakuri! Are you seriously planning to attack a World Noble?!"
Katakuri fell silent.
The initial surge of rage faded, and he quickly regained his composure.
Joey chuckled. "Katakuri, you idiot! What are you doing? You're embarrassing the Charlotte Family. The World Nobles are supreme beings. Isn't it perfectly normal for them to act as they please?"
Katakuri remained silent, listening to his brother's rebuke.
Joey continued with a smile. "Admiral Black Arm, my brother is hot-headed. But let's be honest… World Nobles have been pushing their luck for too long. And sometimes? Divine punishment can be terrifying…"
Zephyr and Sengoku's faces darkened instantly.
The air grew tense.
Joey, Katakuri, Zephyr, Sengoku, Garp, and the World Noble—all within a mere 15 meters of each other.
And within this range—
Joey's voice remained warm but carried a dangerous undertone. "A World Noble behaving without the dignity of nobility… that's how you end up with all five limbs broken."
"AAAAH!"
A bloodcurdling scream shattered the silence.
Zephyr, Sengoku, and Garp tried to intervene, but it was too late.
Right before the eyes of the Marine Admirals—
The World Noble's limbs were shattered, and his so-called "fifth limb" was brutally severed.
And it wasn't over yet.
"No!"
"Help me!"
"What's happening?!"
"AHHHHHHHH!"
Eyes, ears, nose, tongue…
One by one, they were cut away.
It happened before everyone's eyes, yet no one could see how it was done.
Too fast.
So fast it was unimaginable..
In mere moments—the World Noble, one of the so-called supreme beings—was reduced to a mere husk.
Still alive.
Because the execution was controlled with precision.
"STOP!!"
Zephyr's counterattack was swift, his deadly technique striking down.
BOOM!
The ground exploded from the impact, but his target had already vanished.
"This is just as terrifying as an invincible Devil Fruit!"
"Yeah!"
"We can't detect the ability user, or even understand how they're doing this. We have no leads at all!"
The surrounding kings whispered among themselves, their minds racing.
At this moment, they felt their worldview shatter.
This man—
He was beyond terrifying.
He had the audacity to do this right in front of the Marines.
And yet— As long as no one saw him do it, what could they do?
"Bastard!" Sengoku roared in fury. "Charlotte Clan Leader! You dare attack a World Noble?! I will—"
Joey spread his hands, still smiling. "Admiral Sengoku, if you're going to accuse someone, please provide evidence."
"Are you saying I attacked the World Noble? Then show me proof! To me, it just looks like divine punishment!"
"If you can produce proof, I'll leave with you willingly—hell, I'll even commit seppuku right here."
His gaze turned razor-sharp.
His smile remained, but his voice carried an icy edge. "But if you have no proof, then an Admiral falsely accusing the Charlotte Family Leader… I don't think you can afford the consequences. Not just you—none of you can afford it."
Zephyr, ever the hothead, clenched his fists, wanting nothing more than to strike. But—
He knew he was powerless.
This man was in complete control.
From start to finish, everything was within his grasp.
Joey chuckled. "Alright, alright, let's not get too worked up. It seems the World Noble and CP0 agents aren't looking too good. What a pity!"
"Perhaps… they were just too arrogant, and divine punishment caught up to them. Sometimes, the heavens work in mysterious ways."
SHING!
The moment Joey's words fell—
In an instant, the three CP0 agents and the World Noble—Were killed.
Just like that.
So fast that no one could react.
The power of Joey's "stand"—
It was beyond them.
No one knew what had just happened.
No one understood.
Joey actually killed a World Noble?
Everyone knew—
No matter how badly a World Noble was humiliated, their death was an entirely different matter.
But—
As Joey had said, Who could prove he did it?
And the Five Elders couldn't attack him because they knew Joey could escape safely using his mysterious methods. Besides, they had to follow the rules—at least on the surface—so without any evidence, Joey was safe for now.
"Heh… heh…"
Joey chuckled lightly. "What a headache… It seems, just as I said, divine punishment does exist. And it's terrifying. So, maybe… we should all be a bit more careful, huh? Who knows what fate has in store?"
"Let this be a lesson to everyone: kindness always wins, while evil is always punished."
Silence.
Everyone fell into deep thought.
.
.
.