"Step back, all of you, step back!"
Just as the tension on the square was reaching its peak, the crowd on the right side of the square suddenly parted, and an old man with a half-moon hairstyle, wearing a cloak and carrying a rapier at his waist, strode majestically into the square and approached one of the craters.
"Greetings, Saint Figarland!" As soon as the old man reached the crater, Gunko, who had just climbed out, didn't even bother to rewrap the bandage that had fallen from her mouth. She quickly knelt on one knee to greet him.
Upon hearing Gunko address, the surrounding crowd erupted in chatter.
"Saint Figarland? He... he's the leader of the God Knights? My God, after being stationed in the Holy Land for so long, this is the first time I've seen this lord!"
"Even the God Knights have been alerted? What on earth is going on?"
"How did that woman in her underwear fall from the sky?"
"Saint Figarland has personally appeared. Could it be that the Holy Land has been invaded?"
The old man was none other than the leader of the God Knights, Figarland Garling.
"What a sorry state you're in, Gunko!" Garling looked down at Gunko, then turned his head to glance at the crowd surrounding the square. In a deep voice, he commanded.
"Everyone, return to your posts. The God Knights will take over here. No one is to approach without my permission."
As soon as Garling words fell, the previously noisy crowd immediately quieted down and began to retreat in an orderly manner.
"Saint Garling, I have important information!"
While everyone was retreating, Spandam, who had rushed over from the World Government headquarters, went against the flow and quickly approached Garling.
"Halt!" Before Spandam could get close to Garling, a member of the God's Knights standing not far behind him immediately drew his sword, pointing the blade directly at Spandam throat.
Seeing this, Spandam was so frightened that his legs gave way, and he fell to his knees with a thud, trembling as he shouted.
"Lord Garling, I have important information..."
Garling didn't even glance at the kneeling Spandam, simply waving his hand and saying.
"Drag him away!"
At that moment, Spandine caught up. Before the God Knights member could act, he hurriedly ran in front of Spandam and pleaded.
"Saint Garling, please calmdown. I'll take him away immediately!"
With that, Spandine didn't dare to delay for a moment, dragging his foolish son away as fast as he could.
Although he was the highest-ranking officer of CP9, in front of Garling, the leader of the God Knights, he was nothing more than an ant.
This was because Garling was not only the leader of the God Knights, tasked with protecting the Celestial Dragons and maintaining their rule, but he also held the authority to judge and execute Celestial Dragons.
Facing such a formidable figure, even with his boundless ambition, all he could do before achieving his goals was to bow and scrape before him.
As soon as Spandam and his son left the square, Garling got straight to the point.
"What happened? How did you…" At this, Garling immediately looked up at the sky, a flicker of doubt in his eyes.
Gunko dared not hide the truth and, still kneeling on one knee, replied.
"My lord, we… we were blown back by the Conqueror's Haki."
"Hmm?" Garling pupils contracted as he looked at the five God Knights members behind Gunko.
"Was it that Vice Admiral Orion who launched the coup? Could the six of you not even stand against him?"
Gunko lowered her head in shame.
"We didn't even get a chance to act!" Before she could finish, Gunkoi suddenly remembered something and looked up at Garling, lowering her voice as she said.
"Lord Garling, Orion… he knows about the existence of Im-sama!"
This sudden revelation caused Garling to widen his eyes in shock.
"What did you say!?"
...
At the same time.
Marineford, atop the Navy Headquarters building.
Standing with his hands behind his back on the rooftop, Orion gazed at the warships slowly sinking into the sea, his eyes narrowing.
Although these warships flew the 'Enies Lobby' flag, he knew that not all aboard were from Enies Lobby. Most of them were members of CP9. Long before these warships headed straight for Marineford, he had already sensed them through his Observation Haki.
Moreover, by listening to the thoughts of some aboard the ships, he learned that they had been dispatched by Spandine, the highest-ranking officer of CP9.
"Spandine~" As his eyes narrowed, a cruel smile flashed across Orion lips.
The fact that Spandine dared to send his men to appear alongside the God Knights at this moment clearly indicated that he had learned of the God Knights' movements through his intelligence network.
This also meant that Spandine had not only extended his reach into the Navy Headquarters but had also infiltrated many departments within the World Goverment.
Setting aside his character, given that Spandine had managed to achieve this despite his pitiful combat strength, Orion had to give him some credit.
Of course, credit aside, since Spandine had dared to reach out to him and even conspired with Enies Lobby and a high-ranking figure in the World Goverment to eliminate him, he must have already prepared himself for death.
"Lord Orion, what should we do about this teleportation array?" Gion, who had been silently standing beside Orion, didn't ask why he had ordered those warship to be destroyed.
Instead, she stared intently at the now-vanished teleportation array on the opposite rooftop, her expression grave.
"Leaving the teleportation array here is always a risk. Is there any way to remove it?"
Before Orion could respond, Borsalino stepped forward. "I'll stay here and guard it."
"No need." Orion waved his hand. "Let me try!"
With that, Orion turned around and walked to the spot where Gunko and her group had been standing.
After glancing around, a solution suddenly popped into his mind. Without hesitation, he declared.
"Gion, go fetch two sealing strips!"
"Huh?" Gion eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at Orion, her mind in turmoil.
"But Fleet Admiral, this is the teleportation array of the God Knights!"
Similarly, the three Admirals on the other side were caught off guard and turned their gazes toward him. Sakazuki facial muscles twitched uncontrollably.
Although he was an Admiral of the Navy, he had no idea how this teleportation array worked. However, he was certain that sealing strips wouldn't be able to seal it.
Borsalino, after turning his head, seemed to want to say something but ultimately remained silent, his eyes fixed on the ground.
Kuzan reaction was relatively calmer, though he instinctively furrowed his brows.
The sudden tension in the air made Orion think he hadn't made himself clear. He asked in confusion.
"What? Do I need to repeat myself?"
"No, no need—" Gion snapped out of her daze and forced an awkward smile.
After confirming that Orion wasn't joking, she immediately turned and ran off.
Soon, Gion returned with two sealing strips and handed them to Orion. Orion took the strips and pressed them into his palm, quietly releasing his Conqueror's Haki.
As the surrounding air began to vibrate at a low frequency, the released Conqueror's Haki didn't explode outward as it had earlier when it sent the God Knights flying.
Instead, it was eerily absorbed into the sealing strips in Orion palm.
"!!!!!—"
Witnessing this unbelievable scene, the three Admirals and Gion widened their eyes in shock. Borsalino expression turned into a full-blown meme, his mouth agape and his eyes bulging like copper bells as he stared at what could only be described as a divine miracle.
Though Sakazuki and Kuzan weren't as exaggerated, they were equally dumbfounded by Orion's move. A thought involuntarily crossed their minds.
Can Conqueror's Haki even be used like this?
Noticing the reactions of the three Admirals and Gion, Orion couldn't help but feel amused. However, as someone who had undergone professional training, he managed to hold back his laughter.
After all, he was now the Fleet Admiral of the Marines and couldn't afford to act like a joker as he had in the past.
Under the watchful eyes of the three Admirals and Gion, Orion continued to chant solemnly as he infused the sealing strips with Conqueror's Haki.
As his chanting sped up, the Conqueror's Haki being poured into the strips caused the surrounding air to vibrate even more intensely, accompanied by a continuous hum.
???
Question marks kept popping up above the heads of the three Admirals and Gion.
Who on earth uses Conqueror's Haki like this?
Though baffled, none of them dared to ask or make a sound at this moment!
Just as the four of them, feeling both confused and awed, instinctively stepped back due to the increasingly intense Conqueror's Haki, Orion suddenly raised his voice:
"Great Heavenly Dragon, Prajna Buddhas"
As soon as the word "Buddha" left his lips, Orion raised the Conqueror's Haki-infused sealing strips and slammed them onto the ground.
With a ripple of energy spreading outward, the strips embedded themselves into the ground as if they had become one with it.
"Done!"
Glancing at the seal embedded in the ground, infused with Conqueror's Haki, Orion nodded in satisfaction.
"With this seal in place, if they dare to use this teleportation point again, they'll be sent right back where they came from!"
-------------------------------
Read 60 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator