"Hoho, quite a spectacle, isn't it?"
Roa wrapped his arm around Stussy's slender waist, a look of satisfaction on his face as he gazed down at the scene below.
Stussy's carefully made-up face was now unusually pale. The situation on the island below could indeed only be described as a complete disaster.
The entire island groaned. A powerful gravitational force had torn apart and lifted the entire eastern section of the island, turning what was originally a round moon-like island into a crescent.
These shattered fragments, accelerated by gravity, crashed heavily into the gigantic sphere floating in the sky, then were continuously crushed and squeezed inwards.
"This—"
Stussy managed a faint smile. "Is this also a natural disaster you can control? That's truly amazing, Big Brother Roa."
If it weren't for Bullet and the others' battle scaring away many of the already skittish residents from the nearby special environment, how many more people would have died from this single strike?
Even so, screams were incessant.
A true, genuine natural disaster that left powerless people only wailing in terror, unable to even feel a hint of resentment before being swallowed up.
Roa's youthful hands were not entirely well-behaved, gently caressing Stussy's slender and soft waist, subconsciously pulling her soft body closer into his embrace.
He said, "But, is this enough to eliminate an immortal body?"
Devil Fruits were unreasonable things, especially when it came to certain special rule-based abilities.
"Even this can't kill him?"
Stussy's face lost its color.
What kind of monsters are these God's Knights?!
"Who knows? But, this is all we can do for now."
Roa snapped his fingers. The gigantic sphere, which had gradually stopped expanding, slowly moved, casting a huge shadow over the sea below.
The rock sphere flew over the sea, away from the island, then suddenly dropped.
Boom!!
The enormous rock sphere crashed into the ocean, its astonishing mass, pulled by the planet's gravity, unleashed earth-shattering power. One colossal wave after another spread out in all directions.
"That's enough."
Roa let out a sigh of relief.
There was indeed no way to kill that God's Knight, so he could only try this seal-like technique.
Thomas definitely couldn't regenerate his body now. The inside of the rock sphere, compressed by extremely strong gravity, had reached an absurd density, leaving no space for him to recover.
If no one rescued him, even with his immortal body, he would likely be condemned to sleep forever at the bottom of the sea.
He couldn't possibly use his abilities and Haki freely while his body was still in an ash-like state, could he? And in that case, the Seastone bullet would still be there.
He just didn't know if other God's Knights' summons would still work on him.
"Let's go."
Roa wrapped his arm around Stussy and soared into the sky, meeting up with Bullet and King, then returning to the higher sky, into Bege's stomach on Dylan's back.
Time to go back.
Time slowly passed.
Mary Geoise, the Holy Land, the gathering place of the Celestial Dragons.
The God's Knights only realized something was wrong a few hours later.
"Has Thomas still not made contact?"
In a certain part of Mary Geoise, a man with hair styled like a crescent moon and a growing beard on his chin that was rapidly tending towards a lower crescent moon shape, spoke calmly, arms crossed.
As he spoke, he calmly watched ahead. There, a red-haired boy was swinging a sword longer than himself, fighting a slave with an explosive collar around his neck.
However, it was less a fight and more a one-sided abuse.
The slave dared not resist at all, not even daring to dodge, only silently wailing as the red-haired boy inflicted wound after wound upon him.
Behind the moon-headed man, a man with a lazy expression slightly changed his face. "If the mission were complete, he would have called to show off by now. If the mission failed, he should have teleported back already."
"Something must have happened. I'll try to pull him back."
Saying this, a large black magic circle began to appear beside him.
God's Knights could even pull teammates back without the other's permission, unilaterally summoning them.
After all, none of the God's Knights could betray them; they were truly the most trustworthy comrades.
Only.
Several seconds later, the magic circle remained empty.
The lazy man looked at the moon-headed man. "Something happened."
The moon-headed man slowly let out a breath. "Report to that esteemed person."
So, shortly after, in Mary Geoise, Pangea Castle, Flower Room.
This was a room, as its name suggested, filled with abundant blooming flowers, with lush green grass and vibrant spring scenery throughout.
"Imu-sama!"
The moon-headed man, Commander of the God's Knights, Figarland Garling, knelt respectfully on the ground. "That is the situation."
In the center of the room was a large, leafy tree.
Beneath the tree, a figure shrouded in a dark robe and wearing a tall, long crown rested silently.
"He's still alive."
A voice sounded. "He seems to be bound by something."
Saying this, Imu raised their right hand.
A gigantic black magic circle instantly formed, and thick black energy spread out like a tide.
Garling was momentarily stunned. This magic circle is a bit too big, isn't it?
Before he could think further, a colossal object suddenly appeared within the black magic circle.
Boom!!
Pangea Castle, which had not suffered any attack for eight hundred years, now trembled violently.
The colossal object crushed walls, broke through ceilings, and shattered floors, instantly turning the interior of the enormous building into a chaotic mess.
A moment later.
On a heavily damaged floor of Pangea Castle, Imu sat quietly on the high throne.
The Five Elders and Garling knelt below the throne, cold sweat on their faces. Behind them, the floor had been smashed to pieces.
In fact, if one looked closely, even the Empty Throne was slightly askew at this moment.
How could this happen!
Roa, you bastard, you really deserve to die!
"It's my fault! But that guy was too despicable, Imu-sama!"
Thomas also knelt below the throne, repeatedly kowtowing, his face filled with terror. "He actually carried Seastone with him—"
"Die, Imu wants him to die!"
Imu's voice slowly echoed, tinged with intense anger. "He must die!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Five Elders and the Commander of the God's Knights simultaneously prostrated themselves.
No one hesitated.
Fortunately, Imu-sama did not vent their anger on them.
"Leave it to me! Imu-sama!"
Thomas also quickly spoke. "I will definitely bring that guy's head before you!"
"You also deserve to die! You revealed crucial information, and you actually made Imu so disheveled."
Under the dark hood, Imu's eyes seemed to glow.
"No! No! Imu-sama!!"
Thomas's body instantly shook like a sieve. "I can atone for my sins with merit! I can atone for my sins with merit!"
Large amounts of black energy emanated from his body, seemingly eager to escape from within him.
"Waaahhh!"
Thomas shrieked tragically.
His body withered visibly, turning into a skeleton in the blink of an eye, falling to the ground with a thud and no longer stirring.
The Five Elders and Garling showed no reaction to this.
Imu-sama was the king of this world, and furthermore, the god they all served.
Divine grace and divine punishment were only natural.
Even if Thomas was a top-tier expert even among the God's Knights.
"There might be someone we can use."
At this point, Jaygarcia Saturn spoke. "Imu-sama, Stussy, that former Rocks Pirates cadre who joined CP0 seems to have been taken by Roa."
"Roa seems to want to revive the Rocks Pirates. Perhaps we can have that woman infiltrate his side."
"Then, make use of her."
"Yes, sir!"
Roa was still unaware that his sudden whim had directly dismantled Imu's home, where they had resided for eight hundred years, causing the King of the World to break their composure.
At this moment, Roa had already returned to the Snail Grand Fleet with his cadres.
"Conqueror's Haki?"
Dylan frowned. "Only by mastering Conqueror's Haki Infusion can one break through the God's Knights' immortal bodies?"
"Not just Conqueror's Haki Infusion,"
Roa corrected. "It needs to be very strong Conqueror's Haki Infusion."
Ordinary Conqueror's Haki Infusion wouldn't be enough.
For details, refer to Aunt Linlin at God Valley seven years ago and Luffy at Egghead Island in the original story.
"Such a weakness,"
Dylan couldn't help but smile wryly. "The threshold is a bit too high."
For those without Conqueror's Haki, they would never have the opportunity to provoke a God's Knight in this lifetime.
People with Conqueror's Haki were already one in a million, and among them, those who could master Conqueror's Haki Infusion were even rarer, let alone a very strong Conqueror's Haki Infusion.
"Conqueror's Haki, huh?"
King clenched his fists somewhat unwillingly.
He didn't have Conqueror's Haki.
Did that mean he had no chance of fighting a God's Knight?
"Hmph."
Bullet glanced at King, letting out a soft snort.
He would definitely master Conqueror's Haki Infusion!
Now you know who Boss's right-hand man is, don't you?
On the other side, Doflamingo also proudly puffed out his chest.
Do you understand the value of being one of the only three Conqueror's Haki users in the Disaster Company?
"Don't worry about it."
Roa said casually, "After all, even with an immortal body, a weakling is still a weakling."
Ultimately, what good is an immortal body when there's a huge disparity in strength? Is it just for being an endlessly resurrecting punching bag?
Besides, isn't there a technique to store Conqueror's Haki?
Once his Conqueror's Haki becomes strong enough, couldn't he just equip his subordinates who don't have Conqueror's Haki with a new type of Conqueror's Haki weapon?
"I understand!"
The fire in King's eyes instantly reignited.
He didn't have Conqueror's Haki and couldn't break through the God's Knights' weakness, so he could only become stronger, using even greater strength to compensate for his deficiencies.
Treating the God's Knights directly as future imaginary enemies?
Stussy, leaning on Roa, sighed inwardly.
Roa was truly a madman.
"Oh, right,"
Roa looked down at Stussy, who was leaning in his arms.
"Stussy, my dear, isn't it time you fulfilled your promise?"
"Promise?"
Stussy looked at Roa somewhat blankly.
What promise?
Roa hinted, "The reward for my actions this time."
He rubbed his index finger and thumb together. "Where's my Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit?"
"Huh?"
Stussy was even more confused.
Wasn't this just to make the act more convincing?
"Big Brother Roa, how could I possibly get a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit?"
Roa smiled. "If you can't get it, isn't there still the World Government?"
"Now, quickly contact your superiors and tell them what happened."
"Then emphasize that I invited you to join my alliance, but before that, the outstanding debt needs to be settled first."
Stussy was genuinely stunned this time. She looked at Roa in disbelief.
I see.
Now everything makes sense.
"The enraged Government will, of course, want a spy who can get close to you."
Stussy's face was filled with admiration. "In that case, the cost of one Mythical Zoan might not be unacceptable!"
"Big Brother Roa, you're truly worthy of your name!"
Not only did he cause enormous losses to the World Government and uncover the secret of the God's Knights, but now he actually wants to fleece the Government!
He could even make himself a reverse spy for the World Government.
One should say that he was not only incredibly audacious but also truly ingenious!
So, soon, in Mary Geoise, the already anxious high-ranking CP0 leader received contact from Stussy.
This high-ranking CP0 officer rushed to see the Five Elders.
"The good news is,"
He reported, "Stussy indeed had foresight. Roa didn't suspect her identity! He even personally invited her to join his alliance!"
He paused, then continued, "But the bad news is, Roa demanded that Stussy give him the promised Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, otherwise..."
The wide conference room had also been somewhat deformed during the previous incident, with cracks in the walls.
In such a situation, the Five Elders, still maintaining their poses, seemed slightly comical.
But of course, who would dare to laugh at them?
After a brief thought, the bald Five Elder, Topman Warcury, a relative of Thomas, slowly spoke.
"If just one Mythical Zoan can plant a spy near Roa, then this business is very worthwhile."
"Indeed."
The long-bearded Five Elder also nodded in agreement. "Roa is indeed a very troublesome enemy. It will be very difficult to deal with him without precise planning! Having a spy near him will certainly make things much easier to handle!"
"Then it's settled. Send the fruit to Stussy..."
Warcury suddenly paused as he spoke. "Also, prepare a powerful Devil Fruit for Stussy. She's not an ability user yet, is she? Tell her to do a good job, the Government won't treat her badly."
The Five Elders all nodded in agreement.
Stussy now bore a crucial responsibility; giving her a taste of sweetness was not out of the question.
So.
"Huh? There's an unexpected bonus?"
Roa was somewhat surprised when he heard Stussy's report.
"I heard,"
Stussy said with a smile, "It's a Logia-type Devil Fruit."
Roa clicked his tongue. "They're really rich and powerful."
Rich bastards.
"Since they're being so good to you, don't disappoint them."
Roa patted Stussy's shoulder encouragingly. "Now, send them their first piece of intelligence."
"Hm?"
Stussy looked at Roa blankly.
"I already warned them in West Blue not to cause trouble again, and now they actually dare to come knocking!"
Roa looked indignant. "It's time to retaliate fiercely!"