High above, the rolling dark clouds instantly spread out the Meteor Volcano, making everyone in Mary Geoise feel an unprecedented sense of oppression.
The tense atmosphere spread at an astonishing speed to every corner, forcing the World Nobles residing in the Holy Land to hurriedly return to their mansions under the protection of their bodyguards.
"Damn it, Meteor Volcano! It's Sakazuki! How dare he!"
"So, the Marineford has now been completely taken over by Orion, who launched a coup? Even Sakazuki, the admiral who upholds absolute justice, has defected!"
"Stop talking nonsense! Hurry and protect the Celestial Dragons! Be careful, or Sakazuki absolute justice might fall on your heads!"
In Pangaea Castle, the Celestial Dragons who had been leisurely strolling in the square, gardens, and by the lake all turned pale upon feeling the suffocating pressure descending upon them.
They scrambled away in panic. Fortunately, each Celestial Dragon had bodyguards and CP0 agents, known as the strongest shields of the Celestial Dragons, who reacted in time, preventing a stampede.
...
Meanwhile.
At the entrance of the moving walkway, Kong, Vice Admiral Tsuru, and Garp stood side by side all gazing solemnly at the World Government Headquarters building.
Kujaku, standing beside them, looked up at the Meteor Volcano flashing like wildfire in the rolling dark clouds and instinctively stepped behind Vice Admiral Tsuru.
"Admiral Sakazuki Meteor Volcano... Is this the start of a fight?"
After a brief pause, she turned to Garp and tentatively asked.
"Mr. Garp, if a fight breaks out, whose side will you take?"
"Don't worry, there won't be a fight!" Garp, usually carefree, now wore a serious expression as he stared in the direction of the World Government Headquarters. Feeling the intense heat and bone-chilling cold in the air, he calmly said.
"The Five Elders are probably trying to exert some pressure on Orion to gain the upper hand in the upcoming negotiations. After all, Orion has deceived everyone, and even I don't know the full extent of his strength. Naturally, the Five Elders want to test him first!"
"However, it's clear that Orion isn't giving them any respect. Sakazuki has now firmly sided with Orion. By covering Pangaea Castle sky with Meteor Volcano, he's sending a message to the Five Elders: this is the Holy Land, and if war breaks out, he'll feed those useless trash Celestial Dragons in Pangaea Castle a mouthful of magma first."
Upon hearing Garp openly call the Celestial Dragons trash, Kong and Tsuru almost simultaneously turned their heads. However, they did not stop him, as Garp had always harbored disdain for the Celestial Dragons in the Holy Land who enjoyed all privileges.
Not only would he insult them to their faces, but even if a Celestial Dragon stood before him now, Garp would not hesitate to call them garbage.
It was precisely because of this disdain for the Celestial Dragons that Garp had repeatedly refused promotions to Admiral. In Garp view, becoming an Admiral would mean losing much of his freedom and being obligated to rush to the aid of the Celestial Dragons he despised whenever they were in danger.
Of course, their turning to look at Garp wasn't entirely because he had insulted the Celestial Dragons, but also because they didn't expect Garp to analyze the situation in the Holy Land so thoroughly.
.....
In front of the World Goverment Headquarters building.
As Sakazuki words fell, the atmosphere instantly became tense. Nusjuro glanced up at the Meteor Volcano looming over the sky above Mariejois, then looked at the frozen ground. Despite the overwhelming killing intent in his heart, he dared not make any move at this moment.
The reason they had set up such a formation earlier was to test Orion strength and how the three Admirals would react. However, while the outcome was clear, it wasn't what they had expected.
They had considered the possibility that the three Admirals might unite with Orion against a common enemy, but they didn't anticipated that Sakazuki and Kuzan would immediately unleash their ultimate moves.
In such a situation, if they continued to probe further, a battle would be inevitable!
Once the battle began, the Meteor Volcano suspended high in the sky would undoubtedly pour down, indiscriminately attacking everyone living in Mariejois.
The freezing power of the Hie Hie no Mi, covering a radius of hundreds of meters, would also instantly spread, turning Mariejois into a city of ice. They themselves were not afraid, but the Celestial Dragons living in Mariejois would undoubtedly suffer heavy casualties.
"Step back!"
Suddenly, a voice that was both sharp and low, with a hint of hoarseness came from behind the Five Elders and the members of the God Knights.
Then—
Tap, tap, tap…
The crisp sound of footsteps, carrying a natural rhythm, grew louder and clearer, reaching the ears of everyone present. Following the sound, they saw Im, cloaked in a long, dragging robe that revealed only a pair of dark red, ripple-patterned eyes, slowly walking out from the gate.
Seeing this, the Five Elders and the God Knights quickly stepped aside, bowing respectfully and calling out in unison.
"Lord Im."
Im, with the dark red ripple-patterned eyes, continued walking without pause, passing directly in front of the Five Elders and Garling, looking down at Orion and his group standing at the foot of the steps.
Almost simultaneously, the three Admirals, as well as Sengoku and Zephyr standing behind them, looked up in disbelief at the tall figure before whom the Five Elders and Garling had bowed. Although the three Admirals, Sengoku, and Zephyr had already believed in Im existence, witnessing it firsthand still left their minds reeling.
"Follow me!" Im ignored the presence of the three Admirals, Sengoku, and Zephyr. After gazing at Orion for a moment, the sharp yet slightly low voice spoke again.
Before anyone present could react, a massive teleportation array suddenly appeared beneath their feet. In the next second, the vision of everyone present suddenly darkened, and they found themselves standing in the dimly lit grand hall of a palace.
"Where is this…" Before they could process how they had been transported from the front of the World Government building to the palace hall in the blink of an eye, Sengoku was the first to react, exclaiming in shock.
"The Pangaea Castle!"
Before his words could fully settle, his pupils contracted sharply, and his face turned pale as he stared at the tall figure cloaked in a robe standing before them.
Under his gaze, the figure turned its back to the crowd in the hall and ascended the steps, stopping before the Empty Throne that stood at the very top of the hall.
Im, who had walked up to the Empty Throne, slowly turned their head, their dark red ripple-like eyes sweeping over Sengoku, Zephyr, the three Admirals, and Gion, all of whom were wide-eyed and horrified.
"I believe Orion has already told you the secrets you were never supposed to know. As you can see, the Empty Throne always belongs to me!"
Before the six could recover from their shock, Im, having finished speaking stepped over the row of weapons planted in front of the Empty Throne and sat down upon it.
Seeing this, the six gradually shifted from shock to acceptance and finally they all turned their gazes to the young Fleet Admiral standing just a step away from them.
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