By the time the sun rose over Mary Geoise, the once-holy city was a graveyard.
Four massive craters scarred the Red Line, each so deep that even the light of dawn could not touch their bottoms. The Marines and the remaining guards dug tirelessly — searching for what little remained of the Celestial Dragons who had perished in the blast.
In the end, they recovered only ten intact corpses. The rest had been reduced to dust.
The explosion's power had not only vaporized stone and steel — it had erased flesh, bone, and even the gilded arrogance of the so-called gods.
Of course, it was no coincidence. Elior had chosen the location with precision — the very heart of where the Celestial Dragons had gathered for their grand feast.
It had been the perfect strike.
Reports from surviving guards trickled in. They spoke in broken voices, trembling as they described what they'd seen:
"A figure in the sky… He released a wave — crimson, like burning light."
"The air itself turned red — and then… everything vanished."
A red hemisphere had expanded across the city like a dome of annihilation. Everything within it — life, stone, metal — had simply ceased to exist.
When the Marines heard the survivors' accounts, even the most seasoned veterans fell silent.
"This kind of power…" muttered Sengoku, his brow furrowed. "It doesn't match anything we know. According to the records, Elior has mastered ice, lightning, physical combat, and swordsmanship — but nothing like this."
Kong crossed his arms. "Unless he has another Devil Fruit… or something worse."
He paused, looking around the table. "But if it isn't him…"
Everyone in the room stiffened.
"If it's not Elior," Kong continued, "then that means someone else out there wields this level of power. And that, gentlemen, is far more terrifying."
Silence fell again.
"If there is another being who can unleash such destruction," Sengoku said grimly, "then the balance of this world… is already crumbling."
Kong nodded. "Send agents to Paradise Island. If Elior is there, then he isn't our culprit. If he's not…" He didn't finish the sentence.
If Elior was missing — it could only mean he was the one who had reduced the Holy Land to ash.
But if he was still in Paradise... then the world had an even greater threat to face.
Far above the clouds, Elior's silhouette cut through the morning light. He had flown through the night, leaving the smoke of Mary Geoise far behind.
Below him, the shimmering waters of Paradise came into view. The island was close.
He smirked. "Just in time."
The month's preparations were complete. The next target awaited — Red-Haired Shanks.
As for Hiyori, Elior had left her behind under Hancock's watch, ordering her to continue training. Hancock had been surprisingly obedient — perhaps still awed by the sheer will Elior carried.
And as for the World Government's investigations… they would soon find out the truth. He was indeed back on Paradise Island.
When that happened, the Gorosei and Kong would face a grim realization — that someone else had dared to defy the gods of this world.
But Elior didn't care. Whether they blamed him or not, whether they sent admirals or assassins, it made no difference.
If they wanted war, then war it would be.
Still, there was something more pressing to handle — Bullet and the others needed to know what he had discovered: the existence of the God Valley' permanent Log Pose, and the truth hidden behind it.
By noon, Mary Geoise was in motion again.
A senior Celestial Dragon had ordered a massive boulder — a meteorite-sized stone, several hundred meters wide — to be moved from the upper Red Line. He intended to use it to fill the four enormous craters.
This man, though ancient — nearly eighty by appearance — lifted the boulder with his bare hands.
Gasps echoed through the ruined city.
"The Mythical Zoan: Mighty-Might Fruit," whispered one Marine. "So it's true… the High Celestials really do exist."
Unlike the usual depraved nobles who hid behind slaves and titles, the High Celestial Dragons were the true elite — powerful users of forgotten abilities, capable of feats that rivaled even the admirals.
There were said to be more than twenty of them living in Mary Geoise, though few outside the inner circle even knew their names. They were the hidden foundation of the Celestial Dragons' rule — proof that their dominion had not survived eight centuries by arrogance alone.
As the old man hurled the boulder into the crater, the earth trembled.
By afternoon, all four pits were filled. Reconstruction crews began leveling the terrain, preparing to rebuild what had been destroyed.
From a nearby ridge, Gion watched silently, her pink hair fluttering in the wind.
"These Celestial Dragons…" she murmured. "I didn't know they had monsters like this among them."
Her gaze darkened. If this was what lay hidden beneath the surface of Mary Geoise, then Elior's reckless assault could have ended far differently.
She had to warn him. The next time he acted so boldly, he might not return alive.
That night, the Marine's top brass gathered once again with the Gorosei.
Every word was heavy with tension.
This time, the Gorosei didn't bother with diplomacy. They named Elior directly — declaring him the primary suspect behind the attack.
Whether or not he was guilty, it didn't matter.He was already the world's most dangerous outlaw — a man who had toppled the Revolutionary Army, defied the World Government, and dared to declare war on the system itself.
Compared to Kaido or Big Mom, Elior was something else entirely. He wasn't a Yonko bound to a sea — he was a storm that could swallow the world.
"He's not like them," murmured one of the Gorosei. "He doesn't want a throne. He wants dominion."
"Then we give him what he wants," another replied coldly. "We erase him — utterly."
And so, beneath the shattered spires of Mary Geoise, plans for the next great purge began to form.