When Jerry first set foot in Mariejois, Kotatsu perched on his shoulder had initiated a carefully planned live broadcast, once again forcing video Den Den Mushi around the world to be hijacked and their signals manipulated for global transmission.
Thanks to the Black Star Pirates' previous live broadcasts, people had grown accustomed to this kind of close-up, real-time coverage of major events. Each broadcast had consistently coincided with world-shaking developments, which naturally increased public attention and anticipation whenever the familiar signal interference appeared.
Therefore, regardless of their level of education or political awareness, when people discovered the characteristic distortion in their video Den Den Mushi feeds, they immediately understood that the Black Star Pirates were likely involved in another significant event that would affect countless lives across the world.
With the help of knowledgeable commentators and news analysts, most viewers quickly realized they were witnessing the execution site of the legendary Dr. Vegapunk himself.
People had been discussing this unprecedented execution for days since it was first announced in the newspapers. After all, Dr. Vegapunk was the world's most famous scientist, whose inventions had shaped modern civilization in countless ways.
However, since the execution was taking place in the holy land of Mariejois, ordinary citizens could never hope to reach the scene. Most people didn't even know what the World Government's capital looked like, and the government's own broadcast technology was insufficient to provide global coverage of the event.
Therefore, through Kotatsu's intervention, countless people were able to see Mariejois for the first time in their lives—and what they witnessed left them utterly stunned.
The Celestial Dragons, who occupied such an elevated and untouchable position in the minds of common people, were being forced to flee in terror by a single man. Many of the World Nobles were injured or had fallen to the ground in their panic, completely destroying the image of divine authority that the World Government had carefully cultivated for centuries.
The series of events that followed defied everything the global audience thought they understood about the world's power structure.
As everyone knew, Devil Fruits were regarded as the "incarnation of sea devils." Each person could consume only one fruit in their lifetime. Eating more than one would cause the body to explode due to its inability to withstand the conflicting supernatural curses.
This was a universally accepted principle, though Jerry had never personally witnessed anyone attempt to consume a second Devil Fruit. Apart from Blackbeard in the original timeline, he had never heard of anyone else successfully possessing multiple fruit abilities.
But rumors were merely rumors. Adhering to the principle that seeing was better than hearing, Jerry had decided to conduct an experiment after being swallowed by the sandworm. He wanted to verify this fundamental law of Devil Fruit consumption once and for all.
In his possession were several ordinary Devil Fruits with mundane abilities—fruits that granted animal transformations into common creatures like cats, dogs, or unremarkable animals. Some had been accidentally collected during the Black Star Pirates' travels around the world, while others had been sent along with gold and treasures by Tesoro as part of their alliance.
Jerry reasoned that even if the experiment proved useless, it wouldn't matter much. He could simply treat it as an exercise in myth-busting.
If the rumors proved true and he could eliminate an enemy without any effort on his part, he certainly wouldn't consider himself at a disadvantage.
The result had been exactly as advertised. Even with the Five Elders' terrifying regenerative abilities and supernatural recovery powers, Saint Saturn could not withstand the catastrophic effects of consuming a second Devil Fruit and had ultimately been torn apart from within.
Now, Jerry surveyed the various people scattered across and around the execution platform. Some were running frantically in all directions, others were attempting emergency rescues, and still others were simply trying to escape the chaos entirely.
He glanced calmly at Tesoro, who was efficiently dragging away both Bartholomew Kuma and Dr. Vegapunk at high speed while maintaining his cover. Jerry's mouth curved slightly upward in approval of the Golden Emperor's flawless execution of their coordinated plan.
In the midst of all this chaos, the sound of clear, measured footsteps suddenly rang out across the plaza.
"Well, well! Are you finally ready to make your grand entrance?" Jerry called out cheerfully.
He turned his head toward a side passage leading from the platform while keeping his left palm extended steadily, maintaining control over Saint Saturn's water prison. The crystal-clear water sphere formed a perfect containment system that not only prevented the Elder from moving but made even speaking a single word an impossible luxury.
Three elderly men emerged from the passage and approached with expressions of cold fury. Jerry could immediately identify them by their distinctive appearances—one completely bald, another bald with a different head shape, and the third with stark white hair.
These were the remaining three members of the Five Elders, the supreme authorities who ruled the World Government alongside the now-imprisoned Saint Saturn and the recently exploded Saint Peter, who had taken the form of the giant sandworm.
"leviathan," the first Elder spoke with icy authority, "no matter how powerful you may be or whatever your ultimate objective might be, breaking into Mariejois today will have only one possible outcome for you."
"Surrender immediately!" demanded the second Elder.
"Otherwise, your friends and subordinates will be executed without delay!" threatened the third.
These ultimatums caused Jerry's eyes to flash with genuine surprise and amusement.
He gestured toward the imprisoned Saint Saturn in his palm and asked with mock confusion, "Did you make some kind of mistake? The hostage is currently in my hands. Shouldn't you be more concerned about saving this old man?"
Unexpectedly, just as Jerry finished speaking, he observed black lightning and flames suddenly manifesting around Saint Saturn's body within the water prison.
Jerry narrowed his eyes as he noticed that Saint Saturn's face was aging rapidly during his violent struggles. Deep wrinkles spread across his skin like those of a freshly unearthed mummy, suggesting some kind of supernatural drain on his life force.
Then, in a voice filled with desperate loyalty, Saint Saturn managed to shout: "Lord Imu!"
In that instant, Jerry's enhanced perception allowed him to foresee what was about to happen. Without hesitation, he swung his arm and hurled the entire water sphere directly at the three approaching Elders.
The massive water ball exploded mid-air with tremendous force, accompanied by a deafening blast that sent powerful shockwaves rippling outward, dragging everything in the surrounding area into even greater chaos. Saint Saturn's body detonated within the sphere, confirming Jerry's suspicion about some kind of failsafe mechanism.
"Seven Warlords! Why aren't you taking action?!" a voice suddenly boomed across the plaza before the flames and smoke from the explosion had fully dissipated.
However, Dracule "Hawkeye" Mihawk crossed his arms over his chest and glanced at Jerry with complete indifference. He then turned to observe Tesoro, who was now surrounded by a dozen government agents attempting to recapture the prisoners, and spoke with characteristic calm:
"According to our agreement with the World Government, we are only required to intervene if the condemned prisoners resist execution or attempt escape, and rescue efforts succeed to the point where the situation becomes completely uncontrolled. Those conditions have not yet been met."
Boa Hancock raised her head proudly and placed one hand on her hip. "I completely agree with that assessment."
Jinbe nodded solemnly. "As do I."
"Hmph! The Seven Warlords system has always been completely unreliable!" Saint Nusjuro, the bald-headed Elder, snorted with cold disdain before rushing toward Jerry like lightning. He gripped his famous blade Kitetsu tightly in both hands, the sword whistling through the air as it became coated with advanced Armament Haki, cutting through the atmosphere itself with devastating intent.
But in the next instant, Saint Nusjuro's pupils contracted in absolute shock.
Jerry remained in his relaxed posture, casually holding his fishing rod over his right shoulder. With leisurely precision, he extended his left index and middle fingers, accurately catching the incoming legendary blade between them as if it were nothing more than a chopstick.
"Do you want to explode like your spider friend over there?" Jerry asked conversationally, nodding toward the smoking crater where Saint Peter's sandworm form had been destroyed.
Hearing this casual threat, Saint Nusjuro pulled his sword back with all his considerable strength, quickly retreating dozens of meters while shouting with undisguised bewilderment: "How is such a thing possible?!"
"If it's possible that you've all lived for hundreds of years, what else should be considered impossible?" Jerry replied with philosophical calm.
This display of overwhelming power left not only the three remaining Elders speechless but also caused Mihawk and the other observing Warlords to regard Jerry with newly serious expressions.
While they couldn't determine the exact power level of the Five Elders, they could sense through their own combat experience that the previous sword attack had been executed with genuine lethal intent and masterful technique.
Saint Warcury and Saint Mars, who had originally planned to follow Saint Nusjuro's lead and coordinate a combined assault on Jerry, couldn't help but pause their advance. The three Elders quickly began communicating through some form of shared consciousness, their expressions growing increasingly troubled.
"How can he possibly be this powerful? Compared to Joy Boy..."
"I don't know. You didn't hold back just then, did you?"
"We need to continue testing his capabilities."
Observing their obvious hesitation, Jerry chose not to rush into an immediate attack. Instead, he glanced briefly at his system interface, and the corner of his mouth couldn't help but curve into a satisfied smile at what he discovered there.
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