A suffocating wave of energy, twisted with countless strange forces, engulfed Garp in an instant.
It felt as though the weight of an entire mountain had been dropped upon him. Every breath came heavy, his body trembling beneath the pressure.
Sweat streamed down his face. Even a Marine hero like Garp could endure the overwhelming force of Thorne Ashveil's Golden Conqueror's Haki for only a few seconds before his body finally gave in. The crushing pressure drove him into the ice, leaving a man-shaped crater before hurling him deep into the sea below.
Within moments, less than a tenth of the World Allied Forces remained alive—and those who survived did so only because they were far from the explosion's epicenter.
High above the battlefield, Thorne Ashveil's lips curved faintly. With a single thought, he split a fraction of energy from the massive shockwave and sent it streaking toward the Gorosei.
"I can't let you old relics escape," he said coolly.
The golden light surged forward, targeting the slowest—Saint Warcury.
Saint Warcury's expression hardened. His own Conqueror's Haki flared violently, propelling him through the air with desperate speed. Yet no matter how fast he moved, the golden energy pursued him relentlessly, as if alive—tracking every shift in his path.
A chill crept down his spine.
"Damn it… this brat's doing it on purpose!" he roared.
With no room to retreat, Saint Warcury unleashed all of his power. His Armament Haki coated his body in a jet-black sheen, blending with his own Conqueror's Haki as he prepared for a full defense. But it was futile.
Ashveil's gaze never wavered. He watched from above, his expression unreadable. "Pointless."
The next instant, the golden storm swallowed Warcury whole. The crushing pressure squeezed the air from his lungs. Veins bulged across his body as he strained to breathe. He knew the truth: one slip in focus, one lapse in will, and his body would be pulverized to dust.
Then, amid the blinding gold, a streak of white energy appeared—something alien within the storm.
"What…?" Warcury's eyes widened. Through his Observation Haki, he recognized it instantly.
"This is… the power of Tremor! Impossible—!"
The white light surged through his chest before he could finish speaking. His body cracked audibly, the sound like shattering glass. His scream tore through the storm as blood erupted from his mouth.
His Armament Haki fractured like splintered armor. Within moments, his flesh burst open, bones collapsing under the force. In less than three seconds, Saint Warcury—one of the five rulers of the world—was reduced to nothing but crimson mist.
"Warcury!"
Saint Saturn and Saint Mars cried out in shock, but neither dared to stop running.
The golden energy twisted again, lashing out toward Saint Mars.
The radiance of Ashveil's Golden Conqueror's Haki grew even brighter, humming with power. Fear flickered in Saint Mars's eyes as the echo of Warcury's scream haunted him. But his fear quickly turned to rage.
He let out a guttural growl, and a burst of crimson flame flared from beneath his feet—fire imbued with his own Haki, enough to burn through steel and stone alike. The flames shot toward the golden wave, colliding with a thunderous boom that tore the sky apart.
The explosion shook the entire sea, yet when the light cleared, the golden energy still advanced, unscathed.
"I refuse to believe it!" Saint Mars bellowed. "As one of the Elders, must I be crushed so easily?!"
Igniting his body in roaring fire, he hurled himself toward the golden storm.
Watching from a distance, Saint Saturn could only shake his head. "Mars… you fool. That energy can't be resisted. Escape is the only option," he muttered bitterly.
As predicted, the moment Mars collided with the golden energy, all sound ceased. The light swallowed him whole, and his presence vanished completely.
Saturn did not look back. He focused solely on surviving, channeling every last shred of power into flight. He knew that if he faltered even once, he would meet the same fate.
Far behind him, the golden sphere twisted again, engulfing the remnants of Mars's flames. Inside, Mars unleashed every ounce of his will—Conqueror's and Armament Haki intertwined—but Ashveil merely clenched his fist slightly.
In response, the golden energy doubled its pressure. Mars's body was crushed from within, blood spraying from his mouth as his eyes bulged. "To… refine Haki to this level…" he gasped, "Thorne Ashveil… you really are a devil!"
The next moment, his body was erased, dissolved within the blinding gold.
All across the world, those watching the live broadcast were stunned into silence.
They had expected a war of attrition—a long, bitter struggle between titans.
Instead, the battle had ended almost the instant Thorne Ashveil began his attack.
Then came the voices of disbelief.
"Did you see that?! One strike—he wiped them out!"
"This is insane! The World Government is finished! They even tried to broadcast it live, and now they're being humiliated in front of the entire world!"
"Humiliated? No, this is destruction. The Government might actually fall!"
People began to realize the truth: this was not a skirmish. This was the collapse of an era.
"The World Government sent everyone, and they still couldn't stop him!"
"This world's about to change. After defeating them, will Ashveil head straight for the Holy Land—Mary Geoise itself?"
"He might. Who could stop him now?"
Even the Revolutionary Army, watching from their hidden base, was shaken to the core.
"Thorne Ashveil…" Dragon whispered, eyes narrowing. "That man defeated the entire alliance with a single strike."
Ivankov gawked at the screen. "This… this is madness! One man against the world?!"
Sabo, standing beside them, was speechless. The energy of that attack had wiped out everything for a hundred kilometers—obliterating even the Gorosei. His pride as a fighter crumbled in an instant.
Sabo muttered softly. "He's not human."
Dragon's expression hardened. "This is the moment I've been waiting for. The age is changing before our eyes."
He turned sharply. "Sabo!"
Sabo blinked in surprise. "Sir?"
"Transmit my order. The entire Revolutionary Army is to assemble—immediately! We march on the Holy Land, Mary Geoise!"
"What?!" Sabo froze. "Now? You mean we're—"
"Yes," Dragon said firmly. "Now is the time. With their forces gone to face Ashveil, the Holy Land is defenseless. We must act while the world's balance is shattered."
Ivankov's eyes widened. "You're serious, aren't you, Dragon-sama?"
Dragon nodded. "I am. The age of the Celestial Dragons ends today."
Then his gaze darkened. "And there's one more reason. According to our latest intelligence—Bartholomew Kuma is still alive… and he's in Mary Geoise."
A stunned silence fell over the room.
Kuma. Their comrade. The man who sacrificed his body for the revolution.
Sabo clenched his fists. "You're sure?"
Dragon nodded solemnly. "I am. I kept it hidden until now… waiting for the right time. That time has come."
Soon after, in a roaring storm of wind and sea, the Revolutionary Army's flagship cut through the waves—its crimson banner blazing against the night sky.
Dragon stood at the bow, coat whipping behind him as he spoke to his troops.
"Listen well, comrades! Thorne Ashveil has shattered the tyranny of the world's false gods. He has given us a chance to strike!"
His voice thundered across the deck.
"Our enemy is not the Celestial Dragons themselves, but the one who rules even above them… the being known as Imu!"
Gasps rippled through the ranks.
"Imu?" someone whispered. "The God the Celestial Dragons claim to descend from…?"
Dragon's expression was grim. "Yes. Imu is real. The so-called 'God' of this world. The one who has lived for over a thousand years—controlling the world from the shadows."
Sabo shook his head in disbelief. "That's impossible… a person can't live that long!"
Dragon sighed. "And yet, Imu has. An immortal tyrant, worshipped as a deity, hiding behind the throne for centuries."
Silence fell over the fleet. The weight of his words pressed upon every heart.
"Today," Dragon said, his voice low but fierce, "we tear down the throne of the gods. We end the age of lies."
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