Even Souta Kiryuu and the Red Count—both masters of Conqueror's Haki infusion—were shaken to their core by that roar of overwhelming Haki.
"That's… terrifying as hell!!"
The sheer power radiating from Im's voice went far beyond anything Souta had ever imagined. This wasn't just Conqueror's Haki—it was the pinnacle of mastery, far beyond what he or the Red Count could achieve.
Even the proud and arrogant Red Count, who had spent a lifetime at the top, was stunned speechless.
To think that someone this powerful still existed in the world...
Meanwhile, on Amazon Lily, the four Gorosei stood before the shattered remnants of their cubic teleportation device. Their faces were dark with fury as they desperately attempted to reestablish contact with Im to reopen the portal.
The atmosphere was so heavy with killing intent that even Admiral Kizaru couldn't help but swallow nervously, sweat trickling down his temple.
That damned Souta Kiryuu… he kept breaking every expectation Kizaru had of reality.
The Enies Lobby incident, the Impel Down breakout—both were catastrophic enough. The God-Demon Island affair had been worse still.
And now, Souta Kiryuu had actually invaded the Holy Land of Mariejois itself.
What next?
Would he destroy Marineford?
Topple the World Government itself?
Akainu stood expressionless as the Gorosei seethed in rage, silently lost in thought.
At Marineford, chaos erupted.
Several massive bubble elevators—those connecting the Red Port to the sky-high Red Line—had come crashing down, demolishing buildings and sending the Red Port into panic.
World Government officials and envoys from allied nations stood frozen in terror at the sight.
The destruction of the elevators could mean only one thing:
Mariejois was under attack.
"What in the world is going on?!"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's face was grim. The God-Demon Island and Impel Down crises hadn't even been resolved—and now this.
"Report!" a communications officer shouted breathlessly.
"According to our aerial scouts, the entire Holy Land of Mariejois is now surrounded by a thunder cage!"
That report made the entire Marine Headquarters go pale.
A thunder cage?
That was the signature technique of Enel—the Thunder God of the Kiryuu Pirates!
Could it be that the Kiryuu Pirates, fresh off the God-Demon Island incident, had already launched an assault on Mariejois?!
"But weren't Akainu and Kizaru summoned to the Holy Land? With two Admirals and the Gorosei there, how could the Kiryuu Pirates possibly dare this?!"
Sengoku slammed his fist on his desk in anger. Ever since the God-Demon Island disaster, the Marines had been keeping round-the-clock surveillance on all four Yonko—hourly updates, even half-hour reports in some cases.
And yet somehow, the Kiryuu Pirates had managed to invade the most fortified stronghold in the world?
"You're forgetting something…" Vice Admiral Tsuru said coldly. "The monsters from Impel Down."
Even she didn't truly believe that Souta Kiryuu could tame those violent criminals so quickly—but the fact remained: an assault on Mariejois was happening right now.
Even if he had indeed recruited the Impel Down prisoners, the combined might of the Gorosei and two Admirals should have been enough to repel them.
So how had it come to this—Mariejois trapped inside a cage of thunder?
Sengoku immediately called for reinforcements. Garp and Aokiji were to launch immediately—even if they had to use Geppo to fly thousands of meters up the Red Line, they were to reach the Holy Land at any cost.
But then the Den Den Mushi rang.
Kizaru was on the line, reporting that both Admirals and the Gorosei were outside of Mariejois. They ordered Marine Headquarters to mobilize every available force to support the Holy Land.
Sengoku nearly collapsed.
If the Gorosei and both Admirals were gone… who was left to defend Mariejois?
Could it be that the legendary "King of the World"—Im herself—was now fighting?
The situation had reached a terrifying extreme. Sengoku couldn't understand why no word had reached him that the Gorosei and Admirals had left the Holy Land.
"Move! No matter what it takes—get to Mariejois!"
Face pale, Sengoku personally led every Marine high officer toward the Red Line. Even if they had to crawl their way up, they would reach the Holy Land.
The Holy Land, Mariejois
The half-destroyed ranks of the Holy Knights, joined by a few newly assigned replacements, were desperately resisting the ferocious assault from the Kiryuu Pirates and the freed Impel Down convicts.
"Ahahaha! So this is the mighty Holy Land of Mariejois? With defenses like this? What a joke, nya!"
The Evil King, Avalo Pizarro, clashed violently with one of the Holy Knights, his eyes gleaming with madness.
"The Holy Knights are Celestial Dragons too!"
Shiryu of the Rain, wielding his cursed blade Thunderstorm, carved through his opponents with bloodthirsty delight.
Crescent Moon Hunter Catarina Devon, the Heavy Drinker Vasco Shot, Skull-Splitter Sanjuan Wolf, and dozens of other Level Six monsters from Impel Down were rampaging through the Holy Knights and CP agents.
Enel and Crocodile joined the slaughter, raining destruction upon the Holy Knights' formation.
Meanwhile, Souta Kiryuu's crew—Law, Lafitte, Bege, and Moria—were busy capturing Celestial Dragons and looting their treasures.
"Grab them all—hundreds, thousands if you can! The Gorosei dared to cross the Kiryuu Pirates—we'll make them pay for it!"
Bonney shouted gleefully, releasing waves of slaves from their cages and plunging Mariejois into absolute chaos.
"Move it, everyone! The Captain's side isn't looking good!"
Law barked orders urgently. Once they had captured enough Celestial Dragons, they would retreat—they could trade this haul for the freedom of the Kuja Tribe.
Souta's rage had driven him straight into the heart of the Holy Land. Thrilling—but also dangerously reckless.
If the Gorosei managed to return in time, they'd be doomed.
Pangaea Castle – Main Battlefield
Souta Kiryuu was in bad shape.
Barrett and the Red Count, both bloodied and battered, fought beside him. Bullet wounds, burn marks, and gashes marred their bodies. Douglas Bullet was raging, the Red Count was sneering through his pain, and even Wald had been nearly knocked out of the fight—lying far off, firing stray shots whenever he could.
But together, they had succeeded in their one crucial goal: keeping Im from summoning the Gorosei back.
Even when the magical teleportation circles tried to reform, Souta's "Six Paths" forms shattered them one by one in suicidal defiance.
"Im! You old monster—you might be stronger than Rocks ever was, but you're no god! Don't think you can kill us that easily!"
Souta's mouth was filled with blood, his teeth crimson, his once-bright dragon scales torn and battered.
And yet he stood tall—defiant, unyielding—blocking Im's path with everything he had.
He crushed another blood crystal dandelion between his teeth, forcing his wounds to close. Beside him, the Seraphim Kuma worked tirelessly, deploying regeneration waves and damage dispersal fields to heal and rearm them.
"Few insects have ever come this far…"
Im's voice was a dark whisper as she shifted into her half-beast form. A long, spiked crown gleamed atop her head, her entire body wreathed in shadows so thick no one could make out her true shape. She looked like a demon born of the abyss itself, black lightning snaking around her like living spirits.
Souta stared, wide-eyed.
Those black lightning bolts weren't ordinary—they swirled like sentient thunder sprites through the waves of awakening fire that blazed around her.
It was both horrifying and mesmerizing.