Danka, captain of the royal guards, had already begun preparing an excuse to slip away and flee when King Seki's voice suddenly rang out in surprise from the Den Den Mushi.
"Huh? It wasn't a Yonko attacking the Kingdom of Lulusia? But... almost half the world was affected by that Conqueror's Haki?"
"Yes, this matter has already been addressed. As a member nation of the World Government, there is no need for concern..."
The voice from the other side of the Den Den Mushi sounded vague, yet the meaning was unmistakable.
...
Danka froze.
Half the world...
Half the world had been struck by that terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki?
How was that even possible?
No... this had to be a joke.
What kind of monster could unleash Conqueror's Haki on a scale vast enough to engulf half the world?
Could someone like that still be considered human?
That was practically divine power!
"I see..."
King Seki let out a long sigh of relief before laughing heartily toward the Marine branch receptionist on the other end.
"Phew! Hahaha, that's good! Then I can finally rest easy..."
Thump!
The crisp sound of knees hitting the floor abruptly interrupted the conversation.
"Thank you for your assistance."
Click.
The Den Den Mushi call ended.
King Seki turned around in confusion, only to see his trusted bodyguard, Danka, kneeling on the ground.
The usually composed, dependable, and powerful captain of the guards stared blankly at the floor, muttering to himself like a man whose world had been shattered.
"That monster's Conqueror's Haki covers half the world..."
"My Armament Haki can barely cover a single sword..."
"Danka, what's wrong with you?"
King Seki hurried over, helping his captain to his feet in bewilderment.
"In this world... there is only one person capable of spreading Conqueror's Haki across half the sea."
Danka ignored the king completely.
His eyes burned with fervor, reverence, and disbelief, as though gazing upon the sun itself.
"Could it be...?"
"Has that great man finally made his move?"
"The world's strongest, God King Shirogai!"
That man was acknowledged as the strongest fighter in history.
He possessed countless Devil Fruit abilities, and whether in swordsmanship or hand-to-hand combat, he stood at the pinnacle.
Even with the king beside him, Danka's thoughts raced uncontrollably.
Who could possibly force the world's strongest being to personally step onto the battlefield?
And there had been two opposing waves of Haki just now.
Two hostile monsters fighting each other.
Who in this world could stand against God King Shirogai?
Even the Marines would never dare release information so casually...
Danka's thoughts spiraled rapidly.
As captain of the royal guards, his mind worked far faster than ordinary men.
Then suddenly...
A horrifying possibility flashed through his mind.
Clang!
Danka trembled violently.
"No... no way..."
"Could it be...?!"
He abruptly raised his head, terror filling his widened eyes as he looked toward the distant Red Line.
"Mary Geoise!!!"
King Seki stared blankly at his bodyguard, who looked as though he were on the verge of tears.
"Huh?"
"Your Majesty, the world is about to descend into chaos! Something catastrophic has happened!"
Danka suddenly grabbed King Seki's hands, staring directly into his eyes with overwhelming urgency.
"I remember you secretly contacted the Sky Island Alliance before, sob..."
Before he could continue, a pair of frantic hands instantly clamped over his mouth.
"Shhh! Shhhhhhh!!!"
King Seki's face turned deathly pale.
Panicked, he covered Danka's mouth tightly and waved frantically at the surrounding guards.
"Leave! Everyone, leave immediately!"
Only after the guards exited the chamber did King Seki release him.
"Danka!"
The king glared at him in irritation.
"Are you trying to get me arrested by the World Government?! How could you mention secretly contacting the Sky Island Alliance in front of so many people?!"
But Danka paid no attention to the reprimand.
"Your Majesty, none of that matters anymore!"
His voice trembled with urgency.
"The World Government won't have time to investigate you now!"
"They're probably facing disaster themselves!"
"The World Government in trouble?" King Seki frowned in disbelief. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Danka took a deep breath.
Then, word by word, he spoke.
"The Conqueror's Haki from earlier..."
"It belonged to God King Shirogai."
"You understand what that means, right?"
"God King Shirogai?" King Seki blinked. "Of course I know him. The great pirate with a bounty of ten billion Berries. The founder of the Sky Island Alliance and its Air Force."
He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"So the Haki earlier belonged to him? As expected of the world's strongest, truly terrifying..."
...
Danka nearly lost the will to speak.
This foolish king still failed to grasp the point.
"Don't you understand?!"
Danka's tone turned grave as he stared directly at King Seki.
"The world's strongest being, God King Shirogai..."
"Has attacked the World Government!"
"..."
King Seki repeated the words under his breath.
Then suddenly, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Wait!"
"Does this mean the Sky Island Alliance is declaring war on the World Government?!"
"But the Levely is only a few days away!"
"Exactly!"
Danka spoke urgently.
"That means the war has already begun!"
"The so-called Levely was likely nothing more than bait to deceive the World Government!"
"God King Shirogai has begun striking at the World Government's greatest weakness!"
Danka paused.
Then slowly raised his trembling finger toward the Red Line.
"The source of that Haki..."
"It likely originated from the center of the world."
"Holy Land Mary Geoise."
His voice turned hoarse.
"Mary Geoise is about to fall."
...
King Seki stood frozen.
"Holy Land Mary Geoise..."
"It's going to be conquered?"
...
"Mary Geoise is finished!"
Wano Country.
Onigashima.
A massive drunken figure sat sprawled across the ground, clutching a small Den Den Mushi in one hand while tilting a sake gourd in the other.
Bloodshot eyes stared toward the distant Red Line.
"Hiccup..."
"That bastard finally made his move against the World Government."
"The world is about to descend into complete chaos..."
"Hiccup..."
"Damn!"
Beside him, Queen's enormous face trembled in disbelief.
"No way!"
"God King Shirogai actually attacked Mary Geoise directly?!"
"Mary Geoise..."
"What a filthy place."
King crossed his arms, his expression solemn as he gazed toward the horizon.
A trace of admiration flickered in his eyes.
"As expected of a man honored by the world as God King."
"One move."
"And he directly targeted the World Government's Achilles' heel."
"Hiccup!!"
One of the Four Emperors, Kaido of the Beasts, suddenly staggered to his feet.
He casually tossed the Den Den Mushi toward Queen before stepping forward drunkenly.
"This world..."
"There'll definitely be a place for us in it."
"When the time comes..."
"I'll personally take our share!"
BOOM!!!
Kaido stepped into the air.
The heavens exploded.
A deafening dragon roar shook all of Wano Country.
ROOOAAARRR!!!
Lightning crackled violently across the skies.
Amid roaring thunder, a colossal azure dragon surged into the heavens, coiling through storm clouds with overwhelming majesty.
Its roar echoed across the land.
"Shirogai!"
Kaido laughed wildly as thunder rolled around him.
"I can't wait for the day you told me about!"
"I've waited long enough!!!"
===
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