Chapter 309 – The Clash of Titans! Fierce Battle at the Holy Land!
The air around the Holy Land of Marijoa trembled with tension.
The Dragon Hunter Pirates had arrived.
Standing at the edge of the Red Line, Saturn's eyes narrowed. His voice boomed with command:
"Kirito, do it!"
Kirito simply nodded.
Without hesitation, he and the Celestial Guards sprang into action.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak…!"
In a flash of blood and steel, dozens of Celestial Guards fell—not by the enemy's hand, but by their own.
The sharp glint of betrayal gleamed in their eyes as they turned on their comrades.
Saturn's jaw slackened, stunned by the crimson spray that filled the sky.
"What… is this!?"
A grin crept onto Kirito's face as he held his dual swords with unwavering confidence.
"Now entering as official members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates... Kirito and Renshin."
The remaining Celestial Guards behind him had already betrayed the World Government. They had long seen through the farce—they were nothing more than pawns, sacrificial lambs in a political game. And the more they understood the Dragon Hunter Pirates' cause, the clearer it became: the World Government had no intention of protecting them.
In that realization, many chose to defect.
Those who didn't… well, they were quietly eliminated long before this moment.
"You... what!?"
Kirito's eyes flared with fury. "Kirito, what the hell are you saying!?"
He had boasted of Kirito's power, used his presence to puff up his chest in front of the likes of Mars. But now, the pride of his forces was standing on the side of the enemy.
"Traitor!!" Saturn roared, his Conqueror's Haki exploding like a storm.
He surged forward, his fist aimed directly at Kirito's chest.
Boom!!
The blow landed. Kirito, caught mid-strike, was sent flying like a ragdoll.
But... he didn't die.
Saturn expression twisted in disbelief.
That punch should've ended him.
Then he noticed it.
A bullet. A single, perfectly placed shot had struck his fist before impact.
From a distance, atop a shattered column, a calm figure reloaded her rifle.
Mine. The cold-eyed sniper who had always operated in the shadows.
She'd been waiting.
The instant Saturn moved, she fired. The force of her bullet disrupted the trajectory of his punch, softening the blow just enough for Kirito to survive.
But the others weren't so lucky.
In a fit of rage, Saturn unleashed his fury upon the remaining Celestial Guards—friend or foe, it didn't matter. They were all targets now.
On the RedLine, Ryuunosuke stood calmly with his arms crossed, watching the chaos unfold.
"Hmph… this guy's stronger than I expected," he muttered.
For years, the Five Elders had been seen as political figures—diplomats, schemers, aristocrats. Few in the world knew of their true strength.
But now, Ryuunosuke understood just what kind of monster Fisher Tiger had faced back then. And perhaps, what kind of opponents Rocks D. Xebec had clashed with in his prime.
"Captain, let me at him!" Meliodas said, cracking his knuckles. His eyes were glowing with excitement. "I didn't come here for sightseeing!"
Ryuunosuke smirked. "Go ahead."
He took a step forward and raised his voice for the crew.
"No need to hold back. We came here to make noise."
"If we take down even one of the Five Elders—hell, that's a win in my book."
Meanwhile, Mars barked orders from within a bunker-like chamber.
"Open fire! Now!"
In response, dozens of laser turrets and missile launchers activated. Bullets and beams rained from above.
It was pure technological warfare—but useless.
The Dragon Hunter Pirates were built for this.
Yahiko's division launched forward like shadows, their bodies torn and rebuilt by biomechanical enhancements. Their weapons hissed with steam and glowed with unstable energy.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Massive explosions rocked Marijoa. Fire lit the sky.
"What the hell!? When did they get this kind of firepower!?" Mars shouted, panic creeping into his voice. "This kind of tech… even Vegapunk took years to develop!"
Sweat trickled down his neck.
Could it be… someone defected?
Could it be… Dragon Hunter Pirates had their own Vegapunk!?
He didn't have time to dwell.
"Enough!!"
Mars turned toward the nineteen seated elders—the World Nobles who hadn't moved an inch since the fighting began.
"You're just going to sit there while Marijoa gets destroyed!?"
But one man finally stood.
A blonde-haired figure with a terrifying presence.
The moment he rose, even the other nineteen stirred uncomfortably.
"You Five Elders are pathetic," the man sneered. "Master Im handed this world to you, and you let it rot in your hands."
He cracked his knuckles.
"I'll clean this mess myself."
He stepped forward, his aura oozing malice and superiority.
"Saint Jenoka. That's my name."
And then, he vanished.
In the blink of an eye, Jenoka appeared directly in front of Ryuunosuke.
"You're the captain, right?"
Ryuunosuke raised a brow.
"If we cut the head off the snake, the body dies. So tell me—would you kindly die now?"
Without waiting for an answer, Jenoka struck.
A flash of black lightning danced across his blade. Time itself seemed to warp and shudder. The slash was too fast, too perfect.
But it didn't hit.
The blade passed through nothing.
Ryuunosuke appeared a second later, behind him.
"Misunderstood something, didn't you?" he said calmly. "You think I came here to die?"
He grinned.
"You reek of royal blood… but your bloodline failed you."
BANG!
A slap—simple, brutal—struck Jenoka across the face.
He flew.
Like a meteor, his body slammed through several marble towers before vanishing into the horizon.
The battlefield froze.
Then—
"Let's GO!!"
Chrollo stepped forward, flipping open his Bandit's Secret Book.
"We're pirates. Stealing castles is our specialty."
He tapped a word—"Fish."
Water swirled under his feet, and his eyes flashed.
"Strengthening System! Feitan—your turn!"
Feitan's aura erupted. Armor formed from sheer will.
"This guy… when did he even change outfits?" someone muttered.
"Thanks for the warm welcome," Feitan smirked. "Now, catch… this."
He pressed his palm to the ground.
"Star."
From the heavens, a blinding, white-hot star plummeted.
Even Sakazuki, who had just crawled from a pit, recoiled in fear.
That heat—it could melt magma.
Chrollo and Feitan had fused their Nen abilities, creating a weapon that could scorch the skies.
From the frontlines, the First Division charged.
"Susanoo, liberate!"
"One-Cut Murasame—unseal!"
"Evil spirits, obey me!"
Each crew member unleashed their own Imperial Arms, weapons glowing with ancient power.
The World Government forces scrambled. The nineteen remaining nobles—those arrogant onlookers—finally stood.
They had no choice.
They felt it.
The threat was real now.
And they had to kill—
—before the Dragon Hunter Pirates stole everything.
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