'Self-destruct... We, the dignified Gorosei, actually have to rely on such a shameful method to destroy a meteorite.'
A momentary hesitation and dissatisfaction flashed through the hearts of Saturn and the other four.
But they quickly suppressed these emotions.
The five monsters said nothing, charging toward the meteorite above their heads.
"BOOM!"
Saturn, in his Ushi-Oni form, was the first to self-destruct.
His massive spider body swelled up like a balloon, reaching dozens of meters in diameter.
The next moment, his entire spider body exploded violently.
In the dazzling white light, Conqueror's Haki, Armament Haki, and Devil Fruit energy vented from the remains of his shattered body.
The force of the explosion was immense, no less than the full-power blow of two Four Emperors.
A small portion of the remaining two-thirds of the meteorite was blasted away.
Fragments ranging from several meters to tens of meters in size rained down on the palace cluster.
The other Gorosei had no time to spare.
Their bodies also swelled like balloons, the various energies within them ignited like gunpowder, about to be unleashed.
In particular, a powerful energy that did not belong to them—one from Lord Imu—had become the spark that lit the fuse.
Their powerful monster bodies could not contain Lord Imu's power and were blown apart.
Four small suns rose in the sky above Mary Geoise, blindingly white.
The terrifying shockwave from the explosion rushed out in all directions.
Even the palaces of Mary Geoise were not spared. The buildings in a several-hundred-meter radius directly beneath the explosions were razed to the ground.
Many of the unconscious Celestial Dragons were injured or killed by the collapsing buildings.
This was with the God's Knights and some powerful Celestial Dragons on the ground trying to protect them.
Otherwise, the shockwaves from the Gorosei's self-destruction alone would have been enough to level the Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
The Gorosei's self-destruction was equivalent to ten Four Emperors attacking at full power.
The first meteorite was completely shattered.
In mid-air, a large amount of mysterious black smoke swirled, gradually coalescing into five massive figures.
It was, of course, the Gorosei.
Their bodies were no different from before they self-destructed. They were still in their monster forms, their beastly bodies intact.
In the short time after self-destructing, they had completed their "resurrection."
The five monsters looked up at the second meteorite falling and shot into the sky.
If they didn't destroy both meteorites, the crisis in Mary Geoise would not be over.
On the ground, the four members of the God's Knights watched silently.
The disheveled, blonde old man, Somasz Sei, sent out rings of thorns to shield the unconscious Celestial Dragons.
Whenever a meteorite fragment or a piece of a broken building fell on them, it would be shattered by the thorn rings.
He shaded his brow with his hand, looking up, and exclaimed, "The Gorosei are still as strong as ever. Only the Commander could match that kind of self-destruction, right?"
Shamrock shot him a cold look.
The kirin-headed Chiringomu Sei, who was extracting nightmare-monsters from the dreams of the unconscious Celestial Dragons, smiled at the old man. "Actually, if you self-destructed, it would be about the same."
"In essence, it was Lord Imu's power that made the Gorosei explode."
"The self-destruction has such power only because Lord Imu is strong enough."
Somasz Sei glared at him.
Who would be willing to self-destruct unless it was absolutely necessary?
Even if they wouldn't die...
The excruciating pain of being torn apart, and the shame of being blown up, were very, very real.
From under Junko's wide sleeves, several arrowhead strips shot out, moving as if alive, rushing thousands of meters into the sky.
She said coolly, "Cut the crap. Get on. We're dealing with Luo Chen's main body."
"If we don't take care of him, more meteorites will fall."
Chiringomu Sei leaped onto an arrowhead-shaped strip.
Somasz Sei shook his head. "I can't go. I still have to protect these wastes."
He looked at the sleeping Celestial Dragons on the ground.
Shamrock said in a cold voice, "Say less of things that are bad for morale."
With that, he leaped onto one of Junko's arrowhead strips and shot toward the sky.
...
In the sky, Luo Chen was using his Observation Haki to its fullest, trying to find the trick to the Gorosei's immortality.
He had read a theory before he crossed over.
The root of the Gorosei's immortality was likely their souls.
Deep within Mary Geoise, there was a "Phantom Room."
This room likely housed the souls of the Gorosei and the God's Knights.
With their souls in this "safe room," no matter how their bodies were damaged, as long as their souls were unharmed, they could always regenerate.
The exact principle was unclear to Luo Chen.
It might involve Imu's ability, or perhaps some Devil Fruit power.
Or it could be a special power of the "Phantom Room" itself.
The "National Treasure" of the Celestial Dragons might just be that "Phantom Room."
Imu's eternal youth was possibly a condition for using it.
'Jabba, the "Left Arm of the Pirate King,"... his Conqueror's Haki could break the immortality. It must have severed the "path" between the soul and the body.'
'Or was it able to follow the "path" and directly wound the soul in the Phantom Room?'
Luo Chen was more inclined to the former.
The Phantom Room could be considered one of Imu's most important abilities.
It was unlikely Jabba could directly wound the souls within it.
He probably just temporarily severed the mysterious "path" connecting the souls in the room to their bodies.
"My Observation Haki hasn't been able to find this 'path' connecting soul and body."
"How did Jabba find it?"
"Or... did he break the immortality by some other means than severing the path?"
Luo Chen was puzzled.
At this moment, several arrowhead strips attacked from below.
His right eye rippled, and his figure vanished in a twisting spatial vortex.
He was out.
If he stayed any longer, he would probably draw Imu out personally.
Now was not the time for a final showdown with the World Government.
He still had ten million training points in his account.
Inside the Kamui dimension, Luo Chen glanced behind him. The arrowhead strips hadn't followed.
He relaxed.
In summary, he had dropped two meteorites and seen that the Gorosei could self-destruct.
He hadn't forced out many of Imu's trump cards.
Even the mysterious weapon from the original story, the one that annihilated Lulusia Kingdom, hadn't appeared.
"After this battle, all pretenses are gone."
"They really won't give me any time to lie flat."
Luo Chen sighed.
He had thought that after becoming a Four Emperor, he could have a period of peace to develop safely.
But the World Government just had to target him.
'Whitebeard, Charlotte Linlin, Kaido... they don't go after those soft persimmons. They have to come after me. Are they insane?'
Luo Chen complained internally.
Although the first meteorite was shattered, quite a few Celestial Dragons were still smashed.
The World Government would absolutely not let him go.
Luo Chen didn't stay to watch the destruction from the second meteorite.
If Imu used his Haki to help the Gorosei destroy it, the threat was probably less than the first one.
After all, when the first one fell, the Gorosei's return had been delayed for a moment.
...
Outside, Mary Geoise.
Shamrock and Chiringomu looked at the spot where Luo Chen had vanished, but didn't give chase.
The arrowhead strips could certainly take them into Luo Chen's mysterious dimension.
But if the arrowheads were broken, the two of them might be trapped in that dimension, unable to return.
Luo Chen's abilities were still full of mystery.
To deal with this person, they couldn't act rashly.
They needed to be fully prepared.
The kirin-headed Chiringomu complained:
"We were played by Luo Chen on Sabaody. A single clone tied down so many of our forces."
"We lost a CP0 general who could lock down space, and his ability was taken by Luo Chen."
"Mary Geoise was attacked, and many Celestial Dragons died."
"A huge loss."
Shamrock turned his head to look in one direction and said coldly:
"The most crucial part is, Lord Imu has likely been exposed."
The Marine Admirals, Kizaru and Aokiji, were standing in the air far from Mary Geoise, looking over.
He knew that to deal with the second meteorite, Lord Imu would have to act again.
Even if he acted from the shadows, Aokiji and Kizaru would sense something was wrong.
The Conqueror's Haki Lord Imu had unleashed at the beginning had probably already been detected by them.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]