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~ 25 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon
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BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A bizarre magic circle appeared before them.
The circle formed a pentagram, wreathed in black lightning and crackling with roiling flames that roared through the atmosphere.
A terrifying presence instantly began to spread.
RUMBLE!
The sky was swiftly blotted out by thick, ominous dark clouds. The entire island of Egghead was plunged into a doomsday-like atmosphere.
"What is that??" Luffy asked in his exaggerated Gear Fifth tone.
"What a strange aura..." Ace, Zoro, and Sanji said, their eyes flashing crimson-black.
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"THE FIVE ELDERS, ST. JAYGARCIA SATURN, IS ABOUT TO LAND ON EGGHEAD!"
"ALL PERSONNEL BELOW THE RANK OF COMMODORE—ARE FORBIDDEN TO LOOK!"
A Marine HQ Vice Admiral, one of the few remaining on a warship, announced grimly through a Transponder Snail. The broadcast instantly spread across Egghead.
"It's really one of the Five Elders!!!"
The Marines on the island were drenched in cold sweat, their faces filled with disbelief. They had no idea that the World's Highest Authority had arrived with the fleet. The Five Elders were beings from a completely different dimension, impossibly distant from them.
Just as the broadcast had said, those below the rank of Commodore didn't even have the right to witness the Five Elders. To do so was an act of disrespect against the World's Highest Authority, punishable by immediate death.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A horrifying explosion erupted from the center of the pentagram, tearing the earth apart.
The Marines screamed as they were flung into the air along with the shattered fragments of the ground, drifting helplessly.
"What was that explosion??" a few Marines cried out in horror, looking at their comrades who had fallen from the sky and now lay motionless.
"Here he comes—" Zoro's eyes narrowed.
GURGLE!
From within the magic circle, a bizarre figure began to writhe and grow.
In an instant, it transformed into a terrifyingly massive silhouette.
It had the horns of an ox—the body of a spider—and its fingernails were as black and sharp as a demon's claws.
Its massive form was even larger than an Adult Giant.
Behind it, the characteristic Flame Cloud of an Awakened Zoan user swirled.
"Is that thing... really not a monster?" a common Marine stammered, his eyes wide with terror as he stared at Saturn.
"SHUT UP! OF COURSE IT IS—!" Another Marine frantically tried to stop him, not even daring to say the words "Five Elders."
They weren't Commodores—according to the order, they weren't even allowed to look, let alone call one of them a monster.
Alas... it was too late.
SHING!
POP!
A strange light flashed in Saturn's demonic eyes. The head of the Marine who had dared to look, who was below the rank of Commodore, instantly exploded.
For any offense, even a Marine Vice Admiral, would be executed on the spot. In Saturn's eyes, a common soldier was the lowest of insects—can be killed at will.
"I REPEAT! ST. JAYGARCIA SATURN OF THE FIVE ELDERS HAS LANDED ON EGGHEAD! ALL PERSONNEL BELOW THE RANK OF COMMODORE ARE FORBIDDEN TO LOOK!"
The broadcast sounded again.
All Marines below the rank of Commodore frantically averted their gaze.
"The ground... it's been a while," Saturn said coldly, surveying his surroundings.
The Highest Authority of the World Government—the Warrior God of Science and Defense—St. Jaygarcia Saturn—Gyuki, Hybrid Form!
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"So this is one of the Five Elders of the World Government? What a monster," Sanji said with a wicked grin.
"Looks like an Awakened Mythical Zoan user, but his aura is very strange," Ace said grimly.
The Flame Cloud indicated that this Elder's Devil Fruit was a Zoan type. And his form—the head of an ox on the body of a spider, larger than an adult giant—was something no average Zoan could achieve.
Only the rarest of Zoans, the Mythical type, could possess such a form.
But to their Observation Haki, Saturn's aura felt incredibly bizarre.
"Let me test him... The Legendary Five Elders,"
SWISH!
Zoro drew his sword in a flash, Wado Ichimonji instantly slashing out.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A horrifying, dark purple flying slash instantly became a violent torrent of energy, wrapped in tyrannical, crimson-black lightning.
With his current swordsmanship, Zoro could now unleash a horrifying flying slash with a casual swing, just like Mihawk at the Summit War. And he could coat it in Haōshoku.
Zoro's swordsmanship had now ascended to the level of a Great Swordsman, entering a completely new stage.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
But Saturn, faced with this Admiral-level slash coated in Haōshoku, didn't even try to dodge. He took the hit head-on.
Instantly, Saturn's massive body was torn apart.
With Zoro's current combat power, a single slash coated in Conqueror's Haki tore a terrifyingly massive gash in Saturn's Giant Gyuki form.
"HOW RUDE," Saturn said, his expression not changing in the slightest.
GURGLE!
The next moment, the wounded part of Saturn's body began to twist and writhe, and in an instant, it was completely restored.
"Just as I thought."
Zoro and the others showed no surprise at this.
Rowen had already told them about the power of the Five Elders.
The Five Elders all possessed Immortality. Even if they were grievously wounded by a Haōshoku attack—they could still recover.
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"Sakazuki... Do you wish to become a fallen Fleet Admiral? How presumptuous," Saturn said coldly, showing Akainu no respect.
The fact that this generation of Marine Admirals had been completely wiped out by Sky Sovereign Rowen had already damaged the World Government's reputation.
If the Fleet Admiral, the supreme commander of the Marines, were to die in battle as well, it wouldn't just be the loss of a powerful fighter.
More importantly, it would be a blow to the World Government's prestige.
Clearly, Saturn cared more about the World Government's reputation than about Akainu.
"Hmph. I am only carrying out my own justice," Akainu retorted, showing no deference to Saturn, one of the Five Elders.
HE HAD HIS PRIDE TOO.
To be belittled by Saturn after fighting so desperately... his personality was not one to take things lying down.
"If you fail to complete the mission that follows, you will not be returning to Marine Headquarters," Saturn said coldly.
He didn't belittle Akainu too much—they were short on manpower—and Akainu's strength was still necessary. But at the same time, if Akainu failed this mission, Saturn would not be merciful.
"I never planned on going back alive in the first place," Akainu's eyes were grim.
"Straw Hat, Fire Fist, Pirate Hunter, Black Leg... a group of troublesome brats," Saturn said, looking at Luffy and the others, his demonic eyes glinting ominously.
All four of them were Admiral-level or higher.
Even in Saturn's eyes, where everyone but the Celestial Dragons were lowly insects, fighters of this caliber were troublesome.
He and Sakazuki alone couldn't take them down.
And then there was that most troublesome brat of all, Sky Sovereign Rowen.
Saturn looked at the ability that had completely turned this sea into a world of ice, and his anger flared.
The Ice-Ice Fruit... its utility on the open sea was just too great. As the strongest crowd-control Devil Fruit, its effect in a war was far more than just its combat power.
And unfortunately, such a precious and powerful Devil Fruit had also fallen into the hands of that brat, Sky Sovereign Rowen.
Now, all the warships were frozen, completely unable to leave this area.
But that was fine.
It also meant that Nika and Vivi couldn't leave either.
And—Vegapunk.
Saturn's gaze shifted to the laboratory on the artificial Sky Island.
Vegapunk, Desert Princess, Sky Sovereign... they were all there.
This was accurate information from their spy, York.
He didn't know why that brat, Sky Sovereign, hadn't directly intervened in the battle yet, but as long as they eliminated Nika and Vegapunk and captured Vivi, they could complete Imu's orders.
"A group of troublesome brats... Today, this will be your grave,"
Saturn's demonic eyes began to flash.
"BEGIN, SATURN—" the voices of the other Five Elders echoed in his mind.
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BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The pentagram magic circle erupted with even more terrifying black lightning and flames. Then, a horrifying explosion once again swept the area, releasing a massive cloud of black smoke.
"Are they coming?"
Zoro and the others' eyes flashed with an astonishing crimson-black light.
WHOOSH!!
A horrifying aura erupted from within the black smoke.
At this moment, Saturn's form changed again, becoming even larger, comparable to an Ancient Giant. His hands disappeared completely.
Gyuki—Beast Form!
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"IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME... GROUND!" A massive boar with four tusks, spots on its body, and a Flame Cloud swirling behind it appeared, its eyes demonic, just like Saturn's.
The Five Elders, Warrior God of Justice, Saint Topman Warcury.
Fengxi—Beast Form!
"NIKA..." A monstrous bird with a human face, snake body, and crow wings, a black cloud of smoke coiling behind it, its demonic eyes looking at Luffy.
The Five Elders, Warrior God of Environment, Saint Marcus Mars.
Itsumade—Beast Form!
"BUNCH OF BRATS." A giant sand worm with a black flame cloud ribbon coiled behind it, its giant mouth filled with human teeth.
The Five Elders, Warrior God of Agriculture, Saint Shepherd Ju Peter.
Sandworm—Beast Form!
"THE SWORDSMAN IS MINE." A Giant skeletal horse with a Flame Cloud swirling behind it let out a neigh.
The Five Elders, Warrior God of Finance, Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro.
Bakotsu—Beast Form!
THE FIVE ELDERS HAD ALL ARRIVED!
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"They're all monsters... truly a hell at the pinnacle of the world,"
Zoro said with a feral grin.
Then his gaze fixed on Nusjuro in his Bakotsu form. Zoro could feel the aura of a famed sword there. And a Famed Sword that was connected to him.
"Go, Mars. This is for us to handle. Break through the research institute's protective layer. Desert Princess, Sky Sovereign, and Vegapunk are all there," Warcury looked at Mars, the only one among them with the ability to fly.
"Leave it to me," Mars, as Itsumade, quickly flapped his wings, flying towards the sky.
But the next moment...
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A terrifying sandstorm suddenly erupted, violently blocking Mars's path.
"The Sand-Sand Fruit... it's the Desert Princess, Vivi! MARS, CAPTURE HER!" Warcury roared.
"KUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'M NO DESERT PRINCESS,"
A laugh that was very familiar to the Five Elders suddenly sounded.
FWOOSH!
The frightening sandstorm began to coalesce.
It formed into a figure that made the pupils of all the Five Elders shrink.
"CROCODILE???" Akainu exclaimed in shock.
The former Warlord, who had been confirmed dead, whose Sand-Sand Fruit had been eaten by the Desert Princess, Sir Crocodile!
"You're alive?? Something's not right!" Saturn's face was incredibly grim.
SHING!
Saturn activated his ability, a flash of light exploding on Crocodile's body.
"Kuahahahaha! The Five Elders? My life form... is not essentially different from yours, is it?" Crocodile laughed loudly.
His wounded area, did not elementize, but like Saturn's earlier, showed a huge gash. But the next moment, it began to heal.
"HOW??"
"...." All the Five Elders' faces were incredibly grim.
IMMORTALITY!
THE SAME IMMORTALITY AS THEM!
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BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
An endless, frightening lightning instantly fell to the ground, forming a figure made entirely of lightning.
"YAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA! SO THIS IS THE WORLD'S HIGHEST AUTHORITY, THE FIVE ELDERS?" an extremely arrogant laugh sounded.
"I AM GOD ENEL. REMEMBER THAT, FIVE ELDERS," Enel laughed loudly.
"Rumble-Rumble Fruit??"
The Five Elders' faces grew even grimmer.
HOW??
How did the Sand-Sand Fruit and the Rumble-Rumble Fruit appear on other people??
And... they were incredibly strong!
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"What The Hell Is Going On???" Akainu's pupils constricted.
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit—that signature Devil Fruit of Sky Sovereign Rowen, one of the most invincible abilities among Logias.
Had appeared on another person. And Crocodile who was killed by Sky Sovereign Rowen had been resurrected!
THEN... THE ICE-ICE FRUIT FROM BEFORE...
"Arara... Long time no see, Sakazuki."
A voice incredibly familiar to Akainu, that made all the Marines' pupils constrict, a figure slowly walked out.
"KUZAN??"
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~ 25 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon
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