When Katakuri spoke those names aloud, the world fell silent.
People watching the live broadcast across every sea, every island, every corner of the New World, sat frozen. Many didn't know the name Rocks D. Xebec, but Gol D. Roger the Pirate King was known by all. And Golden Lion Shiki, the legendary terror of the skies, still haunted naval records and pirate tales alike.
Now, all three of them stood at the gates of Pangaea Castle, side by side. Alive, Emotionless, and Cloned.
For a moment, it was too much to believe.
But for one man, it was unbearable.
Boom!
The sky split open as Shanks' Haki exploded into the heavens. Clouds tore apart in a perfect divide above Mary Geoise. The pressure was suffocating. His face, normally calm, had turned cold and dark.
"World Government…!!"
His voice was low, steady, but the rage in it cracked the air. The ground beneath his feet shivered from the weight of his fury.
They had cloned Roger. His captain. His mentor. His hero.
This had crossed a line.
Even the four Elders flinched at Shanks' surging Conqueror's Haki. For a brief second, their calm composure fractured.
And then, laughter echoed across the battlefield.
"Zehahahaha!" Blackbeard's voice rang loud, mocking. "Surprised, are you? I was, too, when I first saw them."
He grinned, eyes glinting. "So? Shanks, Buggy, how does it feel? Seeing your old captain again, standing on the side of your enemies?"
"Teach…"
Shanks turned to face him. His eyes didn't blink. Then he shifted his gaze to the Five Elders, his jaw clenched, saying nothing.
Buggy, in contrast, seemed unfazed by Teach's taunts. He studied the clones of Rocks, Roger, and Shiki with interest. Then, he turned casually to the Elders.
"Oh, by the way," Buggy said with a smirk, "I killed one of your cloned Golden Lions last time. It still had the Lion-Lion Fruit, too."
He tilted his head. "So, how strong is this one? Did you upgrade him? Can he hold up better than old Saturn-Satan did?"
One of the Elders, Warcury, the bald and with a big white moustache, narrowed his eyes and snarled.
"So it's true… You did kill Saturn. Hmph! But don't you dare compare that prototype to the ones standing before you now."
He gestured to the trio of infamous pirates behind him. "They're fused with Lunarian genetics. The strongest clone bodies we've created in twenty years. If you've fought Seraphs before, you know what that means."
"The strongest, huh?" Buggy raised a brow, still smiling. "I never thought the Celestial Dragons would bow so deeply to Lunarian blood. So all that extermination, all that fear… was it because you knew? That one day, a tribe like that could tear your thrones down?"
"You insolent—!"
Warcury's face flushed red with fury.
Redfield chuckled darkly at the exchange, watching the three clones of Roger, Rocks, and Shiki stand blank-faced like statues.
"I wonder," he mused, "what would Roger think, being used like this by the very people he loathed? What would Rocks do if he knew he was a puppet of the Celestial Dragons he swore to destroy?"
He shook his head. "If only they could drag their souls back from hell for a moment. I'd love to see the look in their eyes."
"Hey, Redfield, you are too wicked," Dragon muttered, half-exasperated.
Redfield just laughed, shaking his head. "It's just a feeling."
Across the battlefield, the Five Elders watched Buggy's group with growing unease. They could tell none of the intruders had lowered their guard. The air between them bristled with tension.
Peter stepped forward with a sneer.
"Don't think you can just stall for time," he spat. "If you're waiting for reinforcements from the front lines at Mary Geoise, stop dreaming. The two God Knights stationed there may not be at full strength, but they're more than capable of holding back your underlings."
His grin widened with smug confidence.
"Right now, the advantage in top-tier combat power belongs to us. Garp, Sengoku, and Momousagi are all on their way. Three Admiral-level fighters will be back in the Holy Land soon. Let's see how long you can keep playing hero once they arrive."
The implications of Peter's words rippled outward like shockwaves. Around the world, viewers watching the live broadcast finally grasped the looming danger.
It was true. Despite Buggy's team having overwhelming strength on paper, the balance was precarious. The World Government's reinforcements were no small threat.
Including the Five Elders and the Blackbeard Pirates, specifically Teach and Shiryu, the World Government had seven top-tier fighters on the field. On Buggy's side stood Redfield, Shanks, Dragon, and Mihawk. Four powerhouses. Boa Hancock, powerful as she was, hadn't quite reached that level. She was strong, but still a step below the true monsters.
That meant Buggy's team would need to fight at a disadvantage—some of them facing two, maybe even three, Admiral-level opponents at once.
If Garp, Sengoku, and Momousagi returned before the Five Elders were defeated, the battle would likely tilt in the World Government's favour.
Back aboard the airborne Pluton, the tension was palpable. Uta and the others were glued to the screens.
Tezolo clenched his fists. "If it comes to it, I'll head down with Juan. We can keep one Admiral-level opponent busy. That should buy enough time for Captain Buggy to take down one of the Elders like he did last time."
Katakuri, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
"I've never liked the Celestial Dragons," he said flatly. "We've come this far already. If needed, I'll help hold off an Admiral, too."
"Wait, really?" Uta turned to him, eyes wide with surprise.
"Don't forget us," Stussy added, her voice calm and cool.
Tezolo lit up. "Then it's settled. With the three of us, plus Juan, Sunbell, and Jinbei, we can hold back one or two Admirals. If Captain Buggy can eliminate the Five Elders quickly again, we'll tip the scales before Garp and Sengoku even show up."
But just as Tezolo finished speaking, a deafening roar echoed through the dark clouds above.
Everyone instinctively looked skyward.
A massive orange dragon's head emerged from the mist, wings stretching wide across the sky. Behind it flew ten more dragons, each of them with wingspans like warships, gliding with purpose toward Pangaea Castle.
And then, just before the lead dragon reached the battlefield, a figure leapt from its back and plummeted from the clouds.
He landed hard, right between Buggy's group and the Five Elders.
Bang!
A thunderous impact cracked through the air as the ground cratered inward. Smoke and dust surged upward, blanketing the battlefield in a choking haze.
Then came a deep, familiar laugh—loud and carefree.
"Hahahaha! Looks like I made it just in time! Buggy, Shanks, Dragon... seems your luck's finally run out!"
As the dust cleared, all eyes turned to the source of the voice. An old man leapt out of the pit, short white hair, a crisp white suit, and the cloak of justice draped across his broad shoulders. He landed with ease, standing tall as ever.
Garp.
He looked at Buggy and the others across from him and sighed, shaking his head like an exasperated teacher facing unruly students.
At that exact moment, the massive orange dragon above them descended. From its back, two more figures jumped down with grace and power—Sengoku and Momousagi.
Now, the Marines' three strongest living legends stood united on the battlefield.
And with that, the balance of the war visibly shifted.
Across the world, viewers watching the live broadcast felt their hearts sink all at once.
"So this is how far it goes?"
"No matter how strong Buggy is... the World Government's power runs too deep!"
"Three Admirals, plus the Five Elders, Blackbeard, and those cloned monsters... how can anyone survive this?"
"Even if Buggy could handle two opponents at once, he can't deal with four top-tier fighters at the same time!"
"It's over... It's really over!"
"Why did Garp come back?! He hates the Celestial Dragons more than anyone!"
"Because he's still a Marine! He might despise them, but he won't abandon the symbol of justice. Without him, the soul of the Marines would vanish entirely."
Despair clawed at the edges of hope. The tide that had been turning against the World Government was suddenly, brutally reversed.
And then, the final blow came.
From the air behind the Five Elders, the space shimmered. Slowly, two figures emerged from the void itself. One was a woman draped in a flowing crimson dress, her presence regal and suffocating. The other wore a golden crown nearly a meter tall.
Silence swallowed the battlefield.
And then, the world witnessed the impossible.
The Five Elders turned, along with the cloned legends Rocks, Roger, and Golden Lion. All dropped to one knee without hesitation.
Their voices rang out in perfect unison.
"At your command, Lord Imu."
--
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