North Blue — Philseque Island.

"Flying warships?!"

"This is impossible!"

"You little bastard!"

"Damn it!!"

"The Holy Land is being bombed?!"

The Five Elders stared at the image projected by the Den Den Mushi, eyes bloodshot, veins bulging—barely able to believe what they were seeing.

The sky above Mary Geoise burned like a sea of flames. The Celestial Dragons' sacred city was under siege, and high above it hovered an invincible airborne fleet.

Lasers, artillery, fire, and brilliant light rained down in a wild, crisscrossing storm, cleansing everything in their path with relentless fury. Massive fireballs erupted across the surface of Mary Geoise, spreading outward in waves.

In all their centuries living in the Holy Land, the Five Elders had never witnessed a scene like this.

Ancient stone walls crumbled. Nobles—once revered as gods—scattered and fled in terror. Palatial buildings lay in ruins, and priceless treasures were reduced to ash and rubble.

The scale of destruction made their hearts bleed. Even their pupils trembled.

"This is a gift from the North Blue Fleet, in celebration of the grand success of your World Noble Hunting Festival!"

Daren laughed wildly, a feverish flush creeping across his pale, blood-streaked face.

"This is the great achievement... you forced me to deliver!"

As he spoke, his hands transformed into three-pronged dragon claws, intercepting Saint Nusjuro's cursed blade again and again. Their clashes tore the air apart, sparks and gales exploding on every impact.

"You think threatening the Holy Land will make us back down, Daren!?"

Saint Warcury charged headfirst through the raging wind dragon, bellowing with fury. His overwhelming Conqueror's Haki erupted into a storm of black and crimson lightning, distorting the dragon's form until it blurred and cracked under the pressure.

"With just your fleet's firepower, you'll never destroy the Land of the Gods!"

"Who said I was trying to destroy the Land of the Gods?"

To their surprise, Daren didn't deny it. He simply burst into mocking laughter.

The Five Elders froze.

If he wasn't aiming to destroy the Celestial Dragons' sanctuary... then what was the point of this relentless bombardment?

Wait—

They watched the various military forces stationed across the Holy Land all being pulled toward the Land of the Gods.

And then, in terrifying unison, a chilling realization dawned on them.

No…

They stared at the Marine Vice Admiral before them in disbelief, a cold sweat breaking down their spines.

Daren grinned, his blood-slicked teeth flashing as he said:

"I'm just curious... can that esteemed figure of yours really step down from the Empty Throne?"

The Five Elders were shaken to their core.

...

Mary Geoise.

If I razed Pangaea Castle to the ground... just how far would my Conqueror's Haki rise?

"I must be insane to even think this!"

Momonga let out a bitter laugh as his heart thundered violently, blood surging through his veins like a wild tide.

He never imagined that someone like him—so disciplined, so by-the-book—could suddenly entertain such a reckless thought.

This was the kind of madness only Daren, that lunatic, would come up with!

"Could it be... that my awakening Conqueror's Haki is affecting me in return?"

He frowned, but now wasn't the time for reflection. Crackling arcs of searing blue lightning began to surge across his body, growing more volatile by the second.

He hadn't led the North Blue fleet into the heart of the World Government just to butcher pig-like Celestial Dragons. That was never the sole objective.

Even as his mind reeled from the adrenaline high of awakening Conqueror's Haki, Momonga forcibly steadied himself.

He hadn't forgotten Daren's orders—nor the true goal of their mission.

To probe the depths of the World Government.

That colossal regime had stood atop the world for 800 years. Beyond the ruthless CP agencies, the enigmatic and refined God's Knights, and the tens of thousands of Holy Land soldiers… what secrets still lay hidden within Pangaea Castle?

"We need to act fast… At this rate, with the scale of our laser deployment, the fleet's energy reserves won't last much longer."

With that decision made, Momonga inhaled deeply, his eyes hardening with grim resolve.

The Holy Land's defenses were terrifying. What looked like panic and disorder was really just a brief moment of vulnerability—caught off guard by the surprise air assault.

In truth, aside from the initial bombing run that wiped out large swaths of Celestial Dragons, Holy Land guards, and government officials, nearly all subsequent air-to-ground strikes had been intercepted by the swift CP agents and members of the God's Knights.

The chain of explosions tearing through Mary Geoise might have looked catastrophic, but the actual death toll was far from decisive.

If things continued like this, the defenders only needed to hold out a few more minutes—then the North Blue fleet would be drained dry.

Momonga clenched his fists. Deep within his pupils, a strange red gleam began to swirl. Thin bolts of lightning danced around him, and his Observation Haki, supercharged by the Goro Goro no Mi, expanded in an instant—blanketing the entire Holy Land.

Then, his body suddenly shuddered.

His heart jolted as if struck by a hammer. His pupils shrank to pinpricks.

"What... is that?"

Momonga's eyes widened as he stared toward the deepest part of Pangaea Castle.

There, in a tranquil garden filled with birdsong and flowers, a lone figure sat upon an ancient, sacred throne—slender, tall, crowned, and watching him from afar with a gaze that was cold and utterly disdainful.

Those eyes… They were disturbingly unnatural. Their pattern, majestic and unknowable, exuded a noble aura so overwhelming that it sparked involuntary reverence.

It felt like those ringed eyes could pierce every veil, read every secret—like nothing in the world could hide from them.

A raw, primal fear gripped Momonga's soul.

He wanted to flee.

Don't look. Don't defy. Don't resist.

Kneel. Obey.

That was the will of the being on the Empty Throne.

"Damn it…"

Momonga gritted his teeth hard. His eyes turned blood-red, and a torrent of thunder exploded from his body, flooding the sky in an instant.

"Don't underestimate me!"

BOOM!

Conqueror's Haki erupted from his chest like a tidal wave, taking form as shockwaves that tore through the sky and shattered the suffocating grip of that dreadful gaze.

Crack!

Crack!

Crack!

Bolts of lightning laced the fire-stained night sky. Momonga's body surged with electricity. Blue arcs danced in his eyes. Lightning branched like glowing tree limbs across the heavens.

The entire sky lit up—thousands of bolts shimmered as if they had a will of their own, pulsating and roaring.

With a groan, Momonga raised his sword, blood and sparks spilling from his nose and mouth.

He locked eyes on the depths of Pangaea Castle and growled through gritted teeth:

"I don't care who you are... I will never kneel."

Behind him, in the air, twisted lightning dragons began to form—gathering in the trails of light, coiling and roaring.

He raised his arm.

From the sky, nine thunder dragons howled in unison, crashing down toward Pangaea Castle in a blinding storm.

His gaze was proud, unshaken.

"...I obey no one but Rogers Daren."

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