Hearing that voice, Roger—locked in fierce battle with Kaidou and Big Mom—suddenly froze. Then his eyes lit up with blazing excitement.
"Wahahahaha! It's Garp!"
He burst into wild laughter. With a single powerful strike, he forced the two back. Then, under their stunned gazes, he didn't spare them another look—his figure turned into a flash of light as he shot toward the coastline at full speed.
"I'm coming, Garp!! Wahahaha! Let's finish this once and for all!!"
Kaidou: …
Big Mom: …
It took them a full second to react. Their faces flushed with fury as they bellowed through clenched teeth,
"Damn you, Roger!!"
"I'm your opponent!!"
But just as they were about to give chase—
A blinding golden light suddenly burst forth above the island.
"What a lively scene... All the great pirates of the New World have gathered, I see."
Countless golden photons gathered in the sky, forming a tall, glowing figure.
From above, Borsalino looked down on the battlefield. With his fingers pinched into a delicate pose, he spread his arms and smiled playfully at Big Mom and Kaidou.
Bathed in golden light, a storm of dazzling energy bullets poured down like a downpour.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
Boom boom boom...
Explosions erupted across the land, each one a thunderous detonation of blinding fire and force.
When the smoke cleared, Big Mom and Kaidou emerged from the sea of fire, faces ferocious. But a towering figure now blocked their path.
A brilliant Buddha-like radiance erupted.
Sengoku's body rapidly expanded, transforming into a massive golden Daibutsu.
"This is where your reign ends!"
As his voice fell, two figures flashed behind him in succession.
"This ends here." Sakazuki's body began to emit thick black smoke, and a dark crimson light radiated from him.
"This time, we'd better give it our all. Can't let Daren think we've lost our edge." Kuzan condensed an icy spear in his hand, his eyes burning with anticipation.
"Marines..."
Kaidou and Big Mom stared grimly at the three formidable figures before them, their expressions growing heavy.
"Things are getting messy, Linlin."
Kaidou's eyes flickered as he frowned.
"Looks like we'll have to take them out first."
Big Mom hoisted her massive blade onto her shoulder and gave a sweet, chilling smile.
Their eyes met—like a signal exchanged.
At once, they stepped forward together.
The giant kanabō swept sideways.
The massive blade with its grinning face tilted at an angle.
Hassaikai and Napoleon clashed between them, unleashing a piercing hum—like a deadly signal that sent a chill down the spines of Sengoku and the others, a wave of dread rising within them.
In that moment, Big Mom and Kaidou's combined presence surged violently, as if fusing together—rising without limit.
"This is..."
Sengoku's pupils narrowed to pinpricks. He quickly braced himself in a defensive stance.
"No way..."
Sakazuki and Kuzan's faces tightened as well, sensing a suffocating aura of death closing in fast—following the motion of the two titans before them.
And then—
"Die!!"
"You Marines are in the way!!"
Kaidou and Big Mom roared in unison, their arms bulging with muscle as they launched their combined strike!
"Combined Technique: Hakai!!"
BOOM!!
A boundless shockwave erupted, turning into a blazing storm that swallowed everything in its path.
It was as if the ocean howled and the sky itself was crashing down. A massive shockwave swept across the entire Miracle Island.
Mountains, boulders, trees, and vegetation—all were vaporized in an instant!
The overwhelming shockwave sliced through the island like a blade, tearing into the sea and carving a trench hundreds of meters wide and dozens of kilometers long.
As if the heavens themselves had split apart.
...
Mary Geoise.
Pangaea Castle.
The massive assembly hall was steeped in crushing silence. The atmosphere was so oppressive, the killing intent so thick, it felt almost solid.
Kong stood frozen. His heart skipped out of rhythm, and before he realized it, cold sweat had begun to bead across his back.
The North Blue…
The Celestial Dragons…
Saint Xildes' "accidental" death...
Was this a probe?
Or did... the Five Elders actually know something?
Countless thoughts surged through his mind in an instant. He clenched his fists tightly and gritted his teeth.
"Your Excellencies, I—"
The Warrior God of Justice, Topman Warcury, waved his hand and cut him off coldly with a sneer.
"Kong, we're not interested in hearing excuses."
"That brat Daren is indeed clever—talented too. He handled the 'murder of the Celestial Dragon in the North Blue' rather well. So well, in fact, that even the five of us couldn't pick out a single flaw."
His gaze flickered with derision, as if recalling something.
"After all, even Saint Xildes' own father showed no concern for his son's death and didn't pursue the matter. So what could we possibly do?"
"But—"
His tone suddenly turned frigid, sharp as winter winds sweeping a frozen tundra. It sent an involuntary chill down the spine.
"That doesn't mean you can fool us!"
Kong's body jolted. He opened his mouth, wanting to speak.
But the blond-haired Warrior God of Agriculture, Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, interjected flatly,
"Still, that was the past. We're not going to pursue it for now."
"In this world, strength reigns. For young people with power and ability... we're willing to give him another chance."
Saint Saturn leaned on his ancient cane, his hoarse voice slowly spilling forth.
"But you must understand this—our patience has limits."
"So stop with the nonsense about 'this will destroy Daren' or 'he would never agree.'"
His aged eyes gleamed with pride and indifference, as if everything in the world was already firmly within his grasp.
"We've already shown you enough respect, Kong."
"And we've given him the greatest mercy."
He paused.
Then all five elders simultaneously lifted their gazes, coldly meeting the grim and ashen face of the Fleet Admiral before them.
"Will he submit, or will he rebel?"
"Will he become a brilliant Admiral of the Navy, or a hopeless traitor?"
"...We hope he makes the right choice."
The Five Elders smiled.
"This is what we—and the World Government—offer Rogers Daren..."
From their bodies emanated a twisted, malevolent aura, as if an enormous shadow loomed and warped behind them.
A suffocating, chilling pressure surged forward, so fierce that Kong's pupils shrank to pinpricks.
"The final test."