What did it mean for blood to flow like a river?
The scene before their eyes was the answer.
The Celestial Dragons never imagined that they would be slaughtered like livestock.
No matter how they ran, the executioners, elite guards who were themselves Celestial Dragons, raised their blades without hesitation, cutting down heads and severing bodies.
Blood stained their once-bright white armor. Beneath the helmets, the faces of the executioners bore twisted joy, the thrill of butchery, of sadistic slaughter.
There were simply too many Celestial Dragons, especially these good-for-nothing gluttons.
If not for blood ties, they would have been culled long ago.
Even within their race, divisions had always existed. The elite despised these swine, who were worth nothing beyond breeding.
The massacre in Mary Geoise left the ordinary guards and Marine soldiers dumbstruck.
Never had they imagined such a sight: when the blades fell, the so-called "gods of the world" were nothing but lambs to the slaughter.
Tens of thousands of Celestial Dragons. A river of blood. The blood converged, forming a literal stream.
Imu raised her hand and flicked it. A cluster of black fireballs fell from her hand. The fireballs landed on the ground, and upon touching the corpses, began to burn fiercely.
Soon, only piles of white bones remained on the ground. The personal guard watched all this indifferently.
"Mu will establish the world's rules anew, returning the world to its original order. You shall become the new gods!" Imu declared.
The nineteen members of the personal guard knelt uniformly at Imu's feet. All nineteen bowed their heads, their suppressed excitement and inner agitation evident.
"Imu-sama, what about the Five Elders and the God's Knights..." one of them looked up and asked.
"Their fate is already sealed."
Im's strange eyes seemed to pierce beyond distance itself. The nineteen exchanged uneasy glances, could it be had something happened to the Five Elders and God's Knights?
If that were true, it would be truly terrifying.
"Imu-sama, should we go support them?"
The other Celestial Dragons could die for all they cared, but the Five Elders and the God's Knights were the elites of the Celestial Dragons. Losing even one of them would be a tremendous loss for Mary Geoise.
"Unnecessary. Mu must go to another place," Imu said faintly.
"Please command us! We will follow you unto death!"
Imu glanced at them. A massive black magic circle appeared beneath the throne at their feet, enveloping them all.
At the same time, on Lodestar, black lightning erupted. Right at the location of the Poneglyph, a black magic circle appeared. Imu's throne manifested above the Poneglyph, with the nineteen guards kneeling before it. When they looked up and saw the Poneglyph before them, they were momentarily stunned.
"This is..."
"The Historical Black Stone."
The Celestial Dragons did not call this thing a Poneglyph. In their view, what history was there to speak of? They were the group that needed history the least.
Thus, they called it the Historical Black Stone, merely a black stone left over from history.
"There's battle nearby," said a guard member in a half-werewolf state.
This person was clearly maintaining his Zoan form, and it was awakened at that. His fur was bluish, and beneath each hair, one could see the arcing electricity jumping.
"This is Lodestar. Where are the Five Elders? Why aren't they here? Those fighting are the Red Hair Pirates and the Straw Hat Pirates."
"Did we arrive before the Five Elders?"
"Perhaps we should wait until their battle is over before we make a move."
"Let's wait. Wait for the Five Elders to arrive before acting."
"Are you afraid? It's just the Red Hair Pirates and the Straw Hat Pirates. We can handle them ourselves."
"It's not fear, it's caution. We should join forces with the Five Elders first."
"Enough, all of you! The decision is not yours to make. Imu-sama, please issue your instructions," the leader of the guards knelt before Imu, one hand placed over his heart.
"The Five Elders are in trouble. They cannot come. Go and kill them. Leave Joy Boy for me!" Imu stood up.
"Yes!"
The nineteen guards responded in unison.
Both the Red Hair Pirates and the Straw Hat Pirates, currently engaged in battle, sensed an abnormal presence.
Both sides stopped at this moment and looked in a certain direction.
The sudden appearance of this presence filled both the Red Hair Pirates and the Straw Hat Pirates with vigilance.
"Something has appeared," Zoro said.
"This haki… reminds me of those people," Sanji said, lighting a cigarette.
"Yeah. That disgusting, arrogant aura," Zoro agreed.
"What's wrong?"
Nami noticed everyone had stopped fighting and couldn't help but ask.
"Someone's coming!" Sanji explained.
"Who's coming?" Brook looked back and asked.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!!
Nineteen figures appeared before them, clad in armor stained with blood. When they saw these people, both the Red Hair Pirates and the Straw Hat Pirates were greatly shocked.
Shanks stared fixedly at one of them, a man with red hair like his own. The other was looking back at him, his eyes filled with disdain and indifference.
"Who are these people?" Nami said.
"That emblem on their chests!" Robin stared at their armor; the Celestial Dragon emblem on it was very distinct.
"They're Celestial Dragons!!!" Sanji said.
"Hey, who are you guys? Are you trying to interfere with my fight with Shanks?" Luffy landed and looked at them.
Seeing the white-colored Luffy, the nineteen guards stared at him with malice.
Nika, their greatest enemy.
Luffy, under their collective gaze, was not afraid of them. Instead, he looked past them at the person behind.
"Who are you..." Luffy stared at the other.
Shanks also looked over, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"Still the same as ever. Ordinary Zoans never awaken white. Only you. Only you are different, white. Joy Boy…" Imu looked up at Luffy. Their eyes met.
"Who are you? Why do I feel like I really hate you when I look at you?" Luffy said.
"Because I also hate you very much," Imu replied coldly.
"Then who are you?" Luffy asked.
"You are not Joy Boy. Who are you?" Im ignored the question, repeating her own.
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy, the man who will become the Pirate King," Luffy declared.
"D..."
Imu looked at Luffy, then suddenly laughed: "Yes, Joy Boy is already dead. You are merely someone who obtained the same ability. My name is Imu. I am the Creator God!"
...
The Fanfic has ended on my Patreon. If you want to see how it concluded, you can check it out.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu