"White Dragon Nao! Iron Fist Garp! What do you think you're doing?!"
The furious roar of the head guard echoed before the Holy Land's gate.
There was no response.
Nine figures draped in white Justice cloaks didn't even spare him a glance. They continued ascending step by step toward the gates of the Holy Land.
Thud… thud…
Upon the jade-white staircase, the nine figures advanced in complete silence.
Though it was only the sound of footsteps getting closer, in the eyes of the Holy Land guards, it felt like an army of thousands crushing toward them, filling them with overwhelming dread.
"D-Damn it…"
Cold sweat stread down the head guard's face. He turned his head and barked at the adjutant beside him:
"What are you standing around for?! Notify Saint Jaygarcia Saturn imdiately! Tell him the Marine—"
"I don't think you need to trouble yourselves that much."
A calm voice drifted into their ears—it belonged to Nao, who stood at the center. He gently raised his index finger.
"They should still be asleep, right? Let help you wake them."
Zzz!
Light suddenly surged from his fingertip. Under the horrified gazes of the guards, a brilliant azure beam burst forth like a roaring thunder dragon!
It soared over their heads, over the towering Holy Land gate, and along the endless jade staircase, shooting toward the colossal castle shrouded in distant mist.
BOOM!!!
A deafening explosion shook the entire castle, nearly bringing it down. The heavenly stairway stretching into the clouds instantly cracked apart, splitting in two.
The next mont—
"IMU! GET OUT HERE!!!"
That icy voice, carried by the raging thunderlight, resounded throughout all of Mary Geoise!
A terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted, sweeping in all directions.
From east to west, north to south, every soldier rushing over after sensing the disturbance at the Holy Land gate collapsed unconscious on the spot.
The nearby Holy Land guards— including their quite capable commander—were no exception. They fell like a field of wheat, cut down with no resistance whatsoever.
Nao gave them a brief glance, then looked away.
Though the guards had pointed their weapons at him, their stances were different from his—good and evil were not yet clear. Naturally, he wouldn't take their lives arbitrarily.
Nao stepped forward.
Crossing the gate that symbolized supre authority, he led his comrades up the now-ruined white jade steps toward Pangaea Castle.
For a mont—
Silence enveloped the Holy Land's staircase. Only nine white Justice cloaks fluttered loudly in the wind.
...
Pangaea Castle — At the Gates
The entire garden was in chaos. The awakened Five Elders had already gathered there, staring up at the castle that was on the verge of collapsing, their expressions extrely grim.
"What in the world is the Marine doing?!"
The kimono-clad Elder gripped his cursed blade, Kitetsu, teeth clenched.
"Such outrageous insolence… Who gave them the courage to co cause trouble in the Holy Land?!"
"So they've co to demand an explanation, have they? Quite sudden— we didn't catch even the slightest wind of this."
The bowler-hat Elder narrowed his eyes.
"I've said it before—your recent steps have been far too aggressive. 'Boiling a frog slowly' is NOT supposed to be done with such force…"
"It's related to that policy we pushed earlier, but not entirely."
Another Elder frowned.
"I suspect it still stems from the incident at Impel Down. How did they investigate it? And from where… did they learn Great Imu-sama's na…?"
"None of that matters anymore."
The kimono Elder looked toward the Holy Land gate. He could clearly sense nine overwhelmingly powerful auras approaching.
"The Marine's rebellion is decided—they've already co knocking. This is no ti to discuss trivial matters. Has the CP departnt been notified?"
The last line was directed at a civilian attendant behind him.
"They've already begun taking action,"
the administrative attendant replied quickly.
"So personnel were sent out to observe Marineford's movents. The rest have all gathered—Commander-in-Chief Hephaestus is personally leading them to encircle the invading Marines!"
"Hephaestus alone won't be enough…"
A cold gleam flashed in the eyes of the kimono-clad Elder.
"It's ti to let the Seraphim take the stage. Have Muse co as well—though try not to disturb Imu-sama. Otherwise…"
"Otherwise what?"
A soft, ethereal, gender-ambiguous voice suddenly drifted through the air. A graceful, tall figure appeared, suspended above them.
Behind her stood a hunched, small, white-haired old man in a kimono—none other than the forr Fleet Admiral Muse Aguru, known as the strongest shield of the Celestial Dragons.
"Imu-sama!"
The Five Elders imdiately half-knelt in salute.
The kimono Elder looked up nervously:
"Your Grace, you… you're awake…"
"With such a commotion… I'm not deaf. How could I not wake up?"
Imu let out a light laugh, her lazy gaze drifting into the distance.
"What an incredible incident. The last ti Mary Geoise was this lively… must've been many years ago, wasn't it, Aguru?"
Muse Aguru nodded silently, his expression calm as still water—no one could tell what he was thinking.
"How boring."
Imu pouted slightly, then turned her attention back to the Five Elders:
"I've been idle for quite a while now. I'd like to stretch my limbs… Since that's the case, the one leading them—
Hmm, that rude man who woke up by shouting—
I'll go play with him myself.
You can deal with the rest. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"
...
...
BOOM!
A massive explosion echoed among the clouds. Within the collapsing ruins, smoke billowed, bodies scread as they were blasted away, and the once-glorious, paradise-like Holy Land had fallen into utter chaos.
The nine figures wearing Justice cloaks continued advancing step by step toward Pangaea Castle.
No one could stop them. Not even for half a second.
Even though many of the enemies rushing in were elite operatives from CP, including legendary agents who'd road the seas for decades—
Before these nine figures, they were no different from ordinary guards.
Completely powerless.
In the blink of an eye, the Holy Land staircase reached its end.
The once-towering Pangaea Castle—now cracked and collapsing—faintly appeared in the distance.
Just then—
Shadows flickered through the nearby streets. More than ten figures dressed in white suits stepped onto the rooftops on both sides of the path, blocking the way.
The battered and terrified CP-0 agents who had been previously knocked flying lit up with joy.
"We're saved!"
"That's Commander Hephaestus! And Deputy Commander Mirka!"
"And the ones behind them… Those are Seraphim?! They actually finished developing them?!"
A wave of frantic chatter erupted.
"Marines."
Hephaestus, standing at the forefront on the rooftop, stared down expressionlessly and spoke coldly:
"This is the Holy Land. Not a place you're allowed to trespass. If you turn back now and voluntarily plead guilty, perhaps there is still room for—"
THUD!
Before he could finish the sentence, Hephaestus's cheek caved inward, struck by a massive fist that appeared out of nowhere. Blood sprayed, and two teeth flew out.
His body was blasted dozens of ters away and slamd into the ruins of a tall tower.
"Room for negotiation?"
Garp had sohow appeared on the rooftop. The old man pulled back his fist the size of a boulder and grinned.
"Typical—can't expect anything decent out of your mouths. When your masters were busy doing unforgivable things, why didn't they think about leaving any room then?"
"Plead guilty…?"
Zephyr stepped forward, his right fist wrapped in heavy black Armant Haki.
"Stop joking. The Marine Headquarters has never had such a habit."
"Damn Marines…"
From within the smoke, Hephaestus stood up wiping blood from the corner of his mouth, eyes gloomy.
The punch hadn't hurt him much—but being punched mid-sentence in front of his subordinates was undeniably humiliating.
Just then, a hunched, small white-haired old man stepped out of the street's shadows and approached him.
"Rare to see you in such a sorry state, Hephaestus," the old man said softly.
"Save the nonsense, Muse,"
Hephaestus replied coldly.
"The Seraphim—did you bring them? Just the two of us won't be enough to stop these people."
"They're all here."
Muse answered calmly.
As he spoke, more figures erged from the alley's shadows—tall, short, fat, thin—each wearing identical hooded cloaks.
When "they" stepped into the sunlight, both the CP mbers and the Marines looked on in shock and confusion.
"Huh? Those are—?"
"The Seven Warlords?!!"
"Not exactly… more like imitation versions?"
...
No wonder everyone was so shocked.
The so-called Seraphim, these ultimate artificial lifeforms, looked astonishingly similar to the previous generation—the final group of Shichibukai before the system was abolished!
Bartholow Kuma, Dracule Mihawk, Crocodile, Gecko Moria, Jinbei…
"How did they even make these…"
Akainu frowned.
"Our Marine Science Division has nothing remotely on this level. Borsalino, you've been overseeing the science unit—ever seen anything like these?"
"Of course not. That old fellow Vegapunk's most advanced line is still those big guys we saw at Marineford."
Kizaru scratched his head.
"Doesn't make sense… These must also be his creations. Why didn't he give us Marines any hint at all…?"
Nao was also observing the so-called Seraphim, feeling just as puzzled.
Was this caused by butterfly effects after he transmigrated?
In his mory, nothing on this level of war machine existed. Even ten years past this point in the original tiline, the Pacifista PX series—modeled after Kuma—were considered the most advanced cyborgs.
Yet the Seraphim before him clearly surpassed the Pacifistas by a large margin.
"Whatever."
Garp snorted, clenching his fists.
"Seraphim, fallen angels, whatever you call them—no matter how many reinforcents they bring, the old man will blast them away one by one!"
"Agreed. If the World Governnt's trump card is only at this level, they truly underestimate us."
Zephyr spat out the toothpick from his mouth.
"Muse and Hephaestus were already reserved by Sakazuki and Kuzan on the ship—leave them to the youngsters. As for these ones, shall we split them?"
"How do you split seven?" Garp glanced at Zephyr.
Zephyr grinned.
"I take four, you take three?"
"I take four, you take three. I'm worried you won't handle more."
"Bah! Don't look down on . I may have retired from the front lines, but handling second-rate copies of the Shichibukai is nothing for !"
"You two geezers—this is not the ti to argue."
Chaton spoke with a smile, his right hand resting on his sword.
"How about three each for you two? And the one that looks like Mihawk—leave him to . As a swordsman, I always regretted never crossing blades with the real Mihawk. This is a good chance to test this imitation and see what his swordsmanship is like."
"That works."
The two childish old n exchanged a glance and nodded.
...
Across the street—
"Hey, Kuma, looks like no one's underestimating us,"
said the youth who looked like a young Mihawk, carrying a massive black blade.
"Then let's show these old geezers sothing impressive."
The white-haired bear-eared boy with wings growing from his ribs spoke coldly.
"I'll handle the swordsman who wants to duel ."
S-Mihawk drew his broad black blade slowly.
"The rest of you follow those two old n's division—three-on-one. Quick battle, finish them, give them what they want."
"Move!"
With that command, the seven figures dispersed instantly—swish, swish, swish—each lunging toward Garp, Zephyr, and Chaton.
In an instant, fierce clashes of blades echoed throughout the street.
"It's our turn."
Akainu said coldly, kicking off with Geppo and shooting into the air straight toward Hephaestus.
Aokiji simply shrugged, hands in his pockets, and casually walked up to the small, hunched white-haired old man.
"A legendary Fleet Admiral from a hundred years ago, huh…"
Aokiji murmured softly, almost to himself.
"I don't know what really happened in that century of erased history… but right now we have a chance to change things. We… shouldn't be enemies like this."
"Co, boy."
Muse seed not to have heard him at all. He spoke with calm, icy resolve:
"As the guardian of the Flower Room, as long as I am here, you will not take a single step into Pangaea Castle."
"Ara…"
Aokiji scratched his head.
"Knew it'd turn out like this."
Even as he spoke, frost spread across his brows and temples—dozens of razor-sharp ice blades had already ford behind him.
...
"They've all found opponents,"
Kizaru said as he watched Akainu and Aokiji engaging fiercely in the distance. A faint itch stirred in his fingers.
"These small fry won't stall us long. Once we deal with them, we head straight for the Flower Room and drag out Imu—"
"No need."
The long-silent Fujitora suddenly spoke.
"Nao-san… you sensed it too, didn't you?"
"Yes."
Nao nodded slightly.
Kizaru blinked, confused.
What's that supposed to an?
But Nao had already raised his gaze toward a certain point in the sky above them.
"She's already here," he said quietly.
"Huh?"
Kizaru quickly looked up at the sky—seeing nothing at all—until he pushed his Observation Haki to its limit, finally detecting a faint anomaly.
"That is…"
Kizaru's pupils contracted.
"Oh? You noticed this quickly?"
A soft laugh drifted from high above.
In the clouds, a faint wisp of mist slowly condensed into a tall, graceful figure.
Imu.
She could transform herself into water vapor so subtle even she was difficult to detect?
Had she developed her Devil Fruit to this extent?
How terrifying… Kizaru narrowed his eyes, then glanced sideways at Fujitora.
It was one thing for Nao to perceive her—his Observation Haki was far stronger than Kizaru's.
But for this blind man to sense her even earlier… that he had not expected at all.
"When did you notice , little one?"
Imu asked with interest, studying Nao's face.
"I've been here for quite a while. Judging from your reaction… did you sense from the very beginning?"
"Of course."
Nao t her gaze and let out a cold laugh.
"You stayed hidden because you wanted to enjoy the show, didn't you? Watching from above like so self-styled deity… don't you find that ridiculous?"
"Ridiculous?"
Imu paused, then suddenly covered her mouth and laughed—
laughed as if she'd just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"You think I pretend to be a god?
Hahaha… child, how amusing.
Tell , from the mont you gathered a few people together and decided you could storm this place—
where did you get that courage?
Has it not occurred to you—just possibly—that for you inferior Devil Fruit users…"
Her smile vanished.
Her voice turned cold as frost.
"I truly am a god."
HUM—
Her fingertip twitched. Sothing unseen rippled through the air.
In the next instant, Nao—and the nearby Kizaru—were engulfed in cube-shaped prisons of water several ters wide.
"Seawater?!"
Kizaru didn't even have ti to react.
The mont he felt the weakness and heaviness of Devil Fruit nullification spreading through his body, his expression changed drastically.
He threw a full-powered Armant-coated punch at the shimring wall of the water prison.
A blow strong enough to pulverize a battleship—
And the water wall only trembled… barely.
Then returned instantly to its original shape.
Not even a crack.
Water that looked weak and transparent—
yet in this mont resembled an impenetrable wall of despair.
Not ordinary seawater, of course…
Ocean-type Devil Fruit… terrifying indeed.
But… damn it, did this old hag have to pick him as the example?
Kizaru grimaced.
His wrist throbbed painfully from the recoil.
He gave up on destroying the prison and instead looked toward Nao.
Even with imminent defeat looming, he didn't appear worried—
because he knew the young man would have a way out.
"See? Logia users… ocean fruits…"
Imu said pleasantly.
"Do you still believe you can win?
I told you—I am a god.
If I desire it, the entire sea and the lives of every Devil Fruit user rest in my hands.
And that includes—"
"You're still as damn chatty as ever, old hag!"
A sharp voice cut her off—
accompanied by a blinding flash of thunder.
In an instant, the ocean prisons exploded apart!
The next mont—
Before Imu could recover from her surprise, Nao beca lightning itself, teleporting upward with impossible speed.
From below—
his kick smashed squarely into Imu's face!
BAM!
Imu's cheek imdiately swelled up high.
Her elegant body shot through the air like a fired cannonball, crashing through several structures before slamming into the ground, carving a crater several ters deep.
"Imu-sama
The Five Elders watching from Pangaea Castle turned pale, horror filling their eyes.
Even Hephaestus and the others engaged with the Marines froze mid-attack, staring wide-eyed in disbelief.
Inside the smoking crater—
Imu had clearly not recovered yet.
She lay on her back, staring blankly at the sky.
She slowly raised her hand to touch her bruised, swollen cheek…
I…
was hit?
I was kicked in the face?
How many years had it been since she was last wounded?
How many centuries since anyone dared do such a thing?
The mory was so distant—perhaps it had never happened at all.
THUD.
The figure in the white Justice cloak landed on the ground.
Nao stepped forward, standing at the edge of the crater, looking down at her.
"Laugh, old hag. Why aren't you laughing now?"
Ignoring Imu's rapidly freezing, murderous gaze, Nao grinned.
"I said, I much prefer the high-and-mighty look you had just now. Can you please bring that back?"
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