Chapter 473: Retreat
"Caw—Cawcawcaw—!!!"
A shrill, agonizing scream echoed from beneath the earth.
That massive avian-serpent body writhed amidst the earth, stone, and flames. Its wings were brutally torn apart, its snake-like tail twitching and twisting, black divine flames scattering and splashing in all directions.
In that moment, the force of Roy's fist was something not even a God could withstand.
The punch, coiled with Conqueror's Haki, pierced straight through Saint Mars's body, completely tearing apart even the black mist symbolizing "immortality"!
Blood and pitch-black flames mixed into a liquid, churning and spewing from underground.
"Guh—Ahhh—!!!"
Saint Mars roared, his voice laced with unbelievable agony and fear.
The feathers all over his body turned to ash, and his immortal body was actually rotting!
—That power had completely destroyed his regenerative mechanisms.
Witnessing this scene, the eyes of the Five Elders and the God's Knights were filled with shock and horror.
A God was bleeding.
For the first time, a God was unable to heal.
The air was terrifyingly silent; even the falling of dust could be heard clearly.
Saint Garling's pupils contracted sharply. His eyes finally revealed terror and fury.
"With... with just one punch?"
That punch had shattered not only flesh but the very dignity they flaunted as "Gods."
High in the sky, Roy's Justice cape snapped fiercely in the wind.
In that moment, looking down upon the world, he resembled true "Divine Punishment upon the Mortal Realm."
Even Shanks couldn't help but hold his breath.
His red hair churning in the turbulent air currents, he looked up at that undeniable figure. His gaze was complex—shock, envy, and battle intent.
"It's been two years, and his Haki has actually deepened to this extent..."
That oppressive pressure was still familiar, yet deeper, heavier, and sharper.
The corners of Shanks's mouth slowly curled up. It was the boiling of a long-lost hot-blooded passion.
"However—"
He murmured softly, his left hand slowly gripping the hilt of his sword.
"I haven't just been marching in place, either..."
Clang—!
"Griffon" chimed in the light, and streams of crimson Haki spread along the blade.
That invisible battle intent transformed into an airwave, blowing away the smoke and dust, cracking the stone walls.
Roy's gaze shifted slightly, sensing that familiar aura.
His line of sight lightly swept over Shanks and the God's Knights. His eyes were calm, yet sharp enough to sever the air itself.
He turned his gaze back to the front, where Saint Garling was slowly standing up.
His body had finished regenerating. Flesh writhed, black mist churned, yet that face had completely lost its former composure and arrogance.
His expression was sinister, reflecting only a pair of scarlet eyes.
"What's wrong?"
Roy's voice was deep and freezing cold. "Trying to bully us because we have fewer people?"
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, his smile cold to the extreme.
"If you want to fight—"
"We'll gladly oblige."
Airwaves swept out, and killing intent condensed into something tangible.
Saint Garling's face was as dark as the night, the longsword in his hand chiming softly with a tremor.
He did not answer.
Out of the corner of his eye, he couldn't help but glance at the ground.
At the writhing, wailing, half-crippled Saint Mars. At the "God" pierced through by a human.
That scene triggered a long-forgotten memory to flash in his mind—God Valley.
On that day, Rocks's blade had also cleaved the firmament.
That kind of aura... was almost identical to Roy right now.
That sense of déjà vu of "humans tearing apart Gods" made him subconsciously clench his fists. For a moment, he couldn't speak.
The scene plunged into a bizarre silence.
Dust and fog permeated the area. The air still carried the residual warmth of magma and frost; even the flames seemed to hesitate over whether they should continue burning.
Shanks narrowed his eyes, frowning slightly.
From the chaotic auras, he sharply caught the brief, suppressed hesitation of the Five Elders.
—They didn't want to fight anymore.
He understood in his heart.
These "Gods" believed they stood at the pinnacle of order, but they had never truly prepared to face a "war of equals."
And right now, what they were facing were completely out-of-control humans—the kind of humans who dared to smash even the heavens.
Shanks let out a soft sigh, suppressing the churning Conqueror's Haki aura within him. He stepped forward, his voice peaceful yet powerful:
"Gentlemen of the Marines—"
"I believe this might be a... misunderstanding."
His tone was neither subservient nor overbearing, sounding like both a dissuasion and a reminder:
—If you keep fighting, the sky really will fall.
But right at this moment—
A lazy and irritatingly cheeky voice drifted down from high above: "Yo~ If it isn't the Four Emperor 'Red Hair'~"
"It looks like your current treatment is even more glorious than when you were an Emperor~"
Light refracted as Borsalino slowly descended from the sky.
The photons beneath his feet formed golden stairs, every step carrying a faint sound of tearing air.
Kizaru lazily stretched his back, his glasses reflecting the light of the dying embers. That half-smile of his looked as if he were watching a comedy.
"To think you even took on a part-time job as a 'bodyguard for the Gods'?"
Shanks shook his head helplessly, letting out a soft sigh: "Borsalino... You really haven't changed a bit."
Kizaru lightly dusted his cuffs, golden glimmer slipping from his fingertips: "Is that so~? But this world... has truly changed~"
That soft sigh caused ripples in the air once again.
Shanks didn't respond. His gaze shifted between the embers and dust, but his heart had long since understood:
—He knew what the Five Elders were planning.
Long before this "Bestowal Ceremony" even began, he had sensed the cold, political stench of it:
The Five Elders wanted to use the "War for Fleet Admiral" to instigate internal division within the Marines—to make Sakazuki and Kuzan slaughter each other, thereby regaining control of the military power that had long slipped from their grasp.
Only, they hadn't expected the Marines to be united to such an extent.
Not only did Sakazuki and Kuzan not fight each other, they fought side-by-side instead, catching divine authority completely off guard right here in the Holy Land.
Shanks looked up, his gaze sweeping over the two figures high in the sky.
Roy still stood atop the clouds, his aura steady. That "Conqueror's" aura was no longer a blazing eruption, but a calm, razor-sharp oppression.
Borsalino stood beside him, a smile on his lips that hid an unsettling mutual understanding.
Shanks sighed inwardly: "...This is very likely Roy's arrangement."
"Seize the momentum, strike ruthlessly, force their hand—"
"So that's how it is..."
Looking up at the sky, a trace of complexity flashed in his eyes. He thought to himself: "But... I'm not ready yet, Roy."
He took a deep breath, looking back at the center of the battlefield.
Fire and ice had long been reduced to scorched earth. The Five Elders' expressions were dark, the God's Knights were on armed alert, and all eyes were focused on Shanks.
Shanks calmly raised his hand, retracting his aura.
"Since it's a misunderstanding," his tone remained steady, "then there should be a dignified conclusion."
"The Holy Land is already in ruins. If we continue to fight, it will only let the 'world' see... things they shouldn't see."
These words—were both a way out for the Five Elders and a warning to Roy.
Saint Garling's gaze shifted slightly. Finally loosening his grip on his longsword, he said in a deep voice: "...Hmph. Let it be so, for now."
The other three silently nodded and returned to their human forms. The God's Knights slowly broke formation.
The wind gradually died down.
The dust and fog dispersed.
Everything seemed to finally grow quiet.
Roy looked down at the scene below, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly: "Shanks."
He spoke flatly, his voice pitched extremely low, yet loud enough for everyone to hear clearly:
"I think I might—"
"—Regret letting you return to the Holy Land."
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