In the Kingdom of Stini, inside the royal palace, the grand banquet hall bustled with life.
The lively tea party had already entered its later half.
With their stomachs nearly full, the Charlotte family officers and the mighty figures from the North Blue had gathered in small groups across the hall. Some were engaged in casual conversation, while others were discussing business.
Overall, the atmosphere was harmonious and relaxed.
It was at this moment, however, that a sudden disturbance erupted. From one of the large mirrors hanging inside the hall, a tall yet gaunt woman emerged. Her face was so thin and sunken that she looked like a withered branch.
"Mama! Brother Katakuri!"
The woman was Charlotte Brûlée. She rushed toward her mother, who had been chatting with someone, shouting loudly, "Intruders! There are intruders inside the palace!"
"What?"
Charlotte Linlin froze for a moment.
The smile on her face—already thinner than before due to the intense training she had undergone recently—vanished instantly.
What replaced it was a gloom colder than the northernmost chill of the North Blue.
"An intruder?"
Katakuri, who had been calmly keeping watch while leaning against the wall, immediately sharpened his gaze. His eyes flashed with a crimson glow.
His Observation Haki spread across the entire palace in an instant.
At the same time, Charlotte Linlin also released her own Observation Haki.
"Damn it!!"
Elsewhere within the palace.
A squad of Homies, chess soldiers created by Charlotte Linlin, patrolled through the corridors.
Just as they turned a corner, a dark figure leapt out suddenly.
"Hah!"
With a sharp shout, the intruder threw a casual punch. The force of his Armament Haki emission exploded outward, crushing and scattering every chess soldier instantly.
Before the shattered remains could even hit the wall behind them, a violet glow lit the hall. A sudden surge of gravity pulled all the broken pieces back together.
"Wahahaha! Well done, Issho!"
Monkey D. Garp, Garp of the Marines, whispered loudly, still struggling to suppress his booming laughter. "We're working together perfectly!"
Fujitora only gave a faint smile in reply.
The Marines had successfully begun their infiltration, moving with utmost caution.
Just as Fujitora had warned earlier, sneaking into the palace unnoticed was already proving to be a daunting task.
Surveillance Den Den Mushi were hidden throughout the halls, and Homies patrolled every corner.
The Marines could only move forward step by step, guided by Fujitora's Observation Haki.
Carefully, they avoided all the surveillance Den Den Mushi and patrolling guards.
If they truly couldn't avoid confrontation, then they had to do as they were doing now—eliminate the threat in an instant, swift as lightning.
Thanks to the extraordinary strength of this group, their infiltration had been surprisingly smooth.
At last, they were gradually approaching the deepest part of the royal palace.
But at that very moment—
Fujitora suddenly turned his head toward one side of the wall.
Without hesitation, he drew his cane-sword in a reverse grip. Purple gravitational energy surged violently across the blade.
"Gravity Blade… Fierce Tiger!"
Gravity and Armament Haki fused into the slash. A wave of violet force burst forward, piercing straight through the wall ahead, roaring forward with unstoppable might.
Almost simultaneously, from beyond the walls came a thunderous roar. Even through countless barriers, the words rang out clear:
"Hakoku Sovereignty!!"
BOOM!!
Before the voice had even finished echoing, Fujitora's gravitational slash collided with an equally powerful sword wave.
A terrifying explosion shook the palace, blasting the nearby structures into rubble.
Fierce winds tore across the battlefield, whipping the Marines' hair wildly.
"We've been discovered! There's no point in hiding any longer!"
Green Bull's body swelled instantly. A vast canopy sprouted atop his head, and his skin turned a vibrant green until his entire form resembled a walking tree.
"Let's tear this place apart!!"
He bent low, slamming both hands into the floor.
"Forbidden Forest!!"
In the next instant, massive roots and vines erupted outward from his palms. They ripped through the floor, the walls, and even the ceiling.
Within just a few breaths, half the palace was covered in a writhing mass of plant life.
"Hahahaha! First, let me create a battlefield that suits me!"
Green Bull's booming laughter echoed through the chaos.
As the wielder of the Wood-Logia Devil Fruit, he could summon an entire forest with a mere gesture.
Under his control, towering trees and massive vines broke through the palace grounds.
Within seconds, the grand royal hall had transformed into a dense forest, the palace itself reduced to ruins as the rampant growth crushed everything in its path.
"Aramaki, you really don't hold back," Fujitora muttered with a sigh. "In that case, I suppose I'll have to get serious too."
He raised his cane-sword high, the violet glow of gravity expanding outward.
Before the startled Charlotte family members and the invited tea party guests could even recover from the sudden forest eruption, they realized something was wrong.
The pull of gravity had reversed.
They were being lifted into the air!
Not just people—everything atop the ruins of the palace felt the reversal of gravity at this moment!
Bricks, rubble, Homies, humans—everything was swept up by the gravitational force, soaring directly into the sky.
"Hahaha! Impressive skills, Issho!"
Aramaki laughed heartily.
"You helped a lot too. Raising an entire palace isn't an easy task," Fujitora said with a modest smile.
Then he added, "I think I've already found that stone."
"Really? Issho!"
Garp was overjoyed.
"This should be it, right?"
Fujitora's staff blade swayed slightly, and the gravity controlling the flying palace ruins was refined to precision.
Amid the cloud of shattered stones in the sky, a conspicuous red object fell.
A stone.
It was the massive red Poneglyph!
"Found it this easily?"
Green Bull looked surprised. "I thought we'd have to fight for it."
"Indeed, a battle is inevitable!"
Garp leaped forward, his fists already blackened.
"Stay away from my Poneglyph!!"
A raging wind came from afar, ignoring Fujitora's manipulated gravity entirely.
It pierced the purple anti-gravity zone like a spear that cut through everything.
A great sword streaked forward, covered in brilliant flames and trailing dark, crackling lightning.
"Emperor Sword: Poro Poro Blade!!"
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