"I want this Holy Land... drenched in blood!"

The moment those words fell, the Five Elders' eyes twitched violently. As they stared at the military Den Den Mushi clutched tightly in the Vice Admiral's hand, that same bone-deep unease and fear surged up once again.

They still didn't know what kind of trump cards this cunning little Navy rat, Daren, might be hiding—but they couldn't afford to take the gamble this time.

Because the stakes weren't their so-called immortal bodies...

It was their fellow Celestial Dragons living in Mary Geoise!

"Are you looking to die?!"

"Stop!"

"Impudent!"

"How insolent!!"

"..."

Almost simultaneously, without needing to exchange glances, the Five Elders moved in unison!

Five murderous auras erupted at once—dense and suffocating, so intense they felt tangible.

Gyūki, Houki, Itsumade, and the Sandworm let out deafening roars.

Dragon grit his teeth, cast a quick glance back at Daren, then braced himself and charged in first.

The hurricane howled.

The dark green wind dragon roared to life once more, and in that explosive burst of power, it managed to lock down Houki, Itsumade, and the Sandworm all at once!

The spider-like Gyūki seized the moment, darting forward. Its sharp legs raised high, it stabbed toward the Vice Admiral—already exhausted and barely standing.

"Hell Wink!"

Ivankov activated his ability. His eyes, rimmed in purple-black shadow, blinked hard, unleashing a violent shockwave.

The blast tore through Gyūki's massive form—but it only staggered him slightly. It wasn't enough to slow the assault.

Then, the spider's swollen abdomen suddenly bulged even more—purple-black venom burst forth like a jet.

"Kuma!"

Ivankov's face went pale as he let out a sharp scream.

Whoosh!

Just as the words left his mouth, a towering, bear-like figure appeared silently in front of him. With a quiet motion, the figure raised a hand and swatted at the incoming poison.

A bizarre scene followed.

Bang!

The venom, though liquid, bounced off the meaty palm as if it were solid, completely deflected.

It landed far away, where it hissed and bubbled into the ground, eating out a massive, gaping pit.

"Hm?"

In his half-human, half-beast form, Saint Saturn raised an eyebrow. He squinted at the dull-faced young man before him, studied him briefly, then spoke coldly,

"So it's you. I remember now... the little brat from the Buccaneer tribe."

"I didn't expect you to still be alive after all these years. I thought you died back in God Valley."

"Looks like I underestimated you."

Kuma stared calmly at the Five Elders—the very ones who had once filled him with terror and despair during the God Valley battle—and said in a deep voice,

"Old man, I won't let you hurt Daren-san."

He raised both hands.

The air between his palms visibly compressed, glowing brighter and brighter.

Saint Saturn's pupils narrowed slightly.

"So I have to take care of you first... your hands are far too troublesome."

Before he could finish speaking, the compressed air between Kuma's hands had already reached its peak.

He lifted his arms and pushed forward gently.

"Ursus Shock!"

BOOM!!

A massive explosion erupted, unleashing a shockwave of destruction that devoured everything in its path.

And just as the explosion ripped through the battlefield...

The cry of warhorses pierced the air.

Like phantoms wrapped in black flame, skeletal steeds galloped with thunderous force—yet moved as swiftly as illusions, flashing through the blinding light of the air blast.

An eerie black blade streaked through the void, trailing a brilliant blue glow—as if a frozen hell had descended upon the world.

Ice crystals drifted down.

One clean slash!

Shhhk!!

Daren, still gripping the Den Den Mushi, suddenly jolted. His eyes went blank for an instant.

A spray of crimson erupted from his chest, blooming like a flower in full, terrible bloom.

"Daren, a monster like you should never have existed in this world."

In his centaur form, Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro—known as "Bakotsu"—gripped the infamous cursed blade with one hand, his voice cold and sharp.

Black flames swirled around him, reflecting eerily in his glasses. His samurai robes whipped wildly in the blaze, and the skeletal warhorse beneath him shrieked sharply… like a death knight risen from the depths of hell.

"That blade… is it the original Kitetsu?"

Daren staggered back two steps before falling to one knee with a heavy thud. His pale lips bled as he glanced at the cursed sword in Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro's gaunt hand.

"A strike that chills the soul... I've never seen swordsmanship like this."

He looked down—his chest bore a deep, bone-revealing wound, yet the bleeding had stopped. The gash was now sealed under a thick frost, its bitter cold spreading inward—straight toward his heart.

"The brush of death... the chill in my soul…"

Clutching his chest, the Vice Admiral looked up. In Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro's stunned gaze, Daren's lips curled into a grin that bordered on madness.

"You're making this more and more fun!"

He picked up the Den Den Mushi and issued the command:

"Do it…"

Taking a deep breath—whether from pain or rage—he roared, eyes bloodshot and mouth twisted into a savage grin:

"Blow it up!!"

In that instant—

The Five Elders froze.

As if sensing something, they turned in horror to the Den Den Mushi projecting the live feed from Mary Geoise.

The sight that met them nearly made their eyes burst from their sockets.

"This... can't be…"

...

At the same time.

Red Line.

Mary Geoise.

BOOM!!

A battered, bloodied figure flew through the air before crashing into a building, the force of impact instantly reducing it to rubble.

Fisher Tiger struggled from the wreckage, staggering to his feet.

Blood dripped freely from his body. He pressed a rough palm to the gash in his abdomen—so deep it nearly split his organs—and was consumed by an overwhelming wave of weakness.

In the distance, the cries of slaves being massacred cut into his heart like blades.

The "Hoof of the Soaring Dragon" branded on his chest throbbed with a burning pain, as if ready to ignite or explode at any moment.

"Is that all you've got, Fisher Tiger? What a disappointment. I thought you might at least make things interesting."

The Celestial Dragon with crescent-shaped crimson hair strolled forward, lazily twirling his Western sword.

"Some Shichibukai you are. With that level of strength, I don't see a reason for your kind to exist."

With Figarland Garling's sneer, the God's Knights flanking him chuckled mockingly.

"How utterly boring... In the end, only Daren can hold my interest."

Figarland Garling sighed and shook his head.

He raised his sword, ready to deliver the final blow to Fisher Tiger.

But then—

Rip!

A bolt of blue lightning tore through the dark sky.

Figarland Garling's face darkened as he abruptly changed his strike mid-air, swinging his sword.

BOOM!!

A piercing sword slash collided with the dazzling lightning, unleashing a wave of purgatory-like force.

"Mind if I join the fun?"

A deep voice echoed from above Mary Geoise.

The sudden interruption left Figarland Garling, the God's Knights, and the Holy Land guards fighting the slaves momentarily stunned.

They all looked up—somehow, a figure had appeared in the sky above Mary Geoise.

A wide white cape. A crisp black suit. A stern mustache...

It was a young Marine officer with an aura of calm and deadly focus.

Electricity crackled from his raised hand, surging with power.

In the other hand, he held a Den Den Mushi.

"Tch... just you?" Figarland Garling sneered.

His figure vanished in a blink.

In the next instant, he reappeared midair, racing toward Momonga at terrifying speed.

"Of course not."

Momonga shook his head, unleashing dozens of jagged lightning bolts with one hand.

Figarland Garling slashed through them with ease, laughing as he closed the distance.

"The strongest Logia... is that all?"

He suddenly accelerated again, appearing directly above Momonga and raising his sword high.

"Get down!"

"You don't deserve to stand above—"

He didn't finish.

From the Den Den Mushi in Momonga's hand, Daren's voice rang out.

"Blow it up!"

Figarland Garling froze.

BOOM!!

A massive golden beam shot down from the clouds, engulfing Figarland Garling and slamming him into the ground below.

The explosion erupted in a sea of roaring, fiery red flames!

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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