World Destroyer

At the same time.

On the blood-colored cliffs stands the Red Line, towering so high it seems to vanish into the firmament.

Holy Land Mary Geoise.

Buildings with blue roofs and white walls stand in rows, the streets kept clean and spotless.

Surrounded by vegetation, rockeries, fountains, and man-made gardens, grand and ancient structures sit upon hills filled with the scent of birds and flowers, resembling a fairyland.

This is the Land of the Gods within Holy Land Mary Geoise, the residence of the noble, sacred, and great gods.

Suddenly, a shriek of absolute terror shattered the peace and tranquility of the Land of the Gods.

"This... how is this possible!!"

Inside a magnificent, gold-adorned building in the Land of the Gods, an official responsible for the daily management of the World Nobles turned deathly pale, collapsing onto the floor in terror, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.

His voice quickly drew the attention of other officials.

The moment they rushed into the main hall upon hearing the cry, they saw a Vivre Card slowly burning away into ash, and they nearly forgot to breathe, their minds going completely blank.

"Lord Saint Childers..."

"That is the Vivre Card of Lord Saint Childers..."

"According to the latest intelligence, didn't he just board the official ship to return from the North Blue?"

"This... how is this possible..."

The officials looked at each other with panicked expressions, their throats bobbing as they swallowed involuntarily, their gullets feeling as dry as if scorched by fire.

The Celestial Dragon Saint Childers... was dead.

"Quick!! Report this to the Five Elders immediately!!"

The lead official jolted, forcing his weak body to stand as he gritted his teeth and roared.

The news spread rapidly.

Holy Land Mary Geoise was instantly thrown into a state of high alert; CP agents in suits darted through the streets like ghosts, and the Holy Land guards galloped their horses across the pristine roads, leaving the residents shivering in fear.

The officials looked toward the direction of the Stairway to Heaven with fearful eyes, their hearts churning with turbulent waves.

A sacred, noble Celestial Dragon had died.

This was the first time since the God Valley incident eight years ago that a "god" had fallen in these seas.

North Blue, a certain sea area.

The sky was dim, with surging black clouds rolling continuously like a thick city wall on the verge of collapse.

Torrential rain enveloped the world, and the warship tossed and turned under the surging giant waves, as if being tossed about by an invisible giant.

Rumble!!

Dense volleys of cannon fire erupted from the barrels of the warship, flashes of light blooming in sequence, the black barrels already glowing red from the intense heat.

The roar of the cannons and the explosions bloomed with violent fire on the distant sea surface, sending massive pillars of water shooting into the sky.

"Byrnndi World!! You cannot escape!!"

On the warship, Sengoku, wearing black-rimmed glasses and his black beard braided, stood on the bow, staring at the pirate ship at the center of the bombardment and roaring loudly.

The heavy rain poured down from the sky, rebounding off the deck and shrouding the warship in a white mist.

Many marines on deck braved the downpour, quickly loading ammunition into the heavy cannons; every time a shell fired, the warship shuddered.

"Jiehahahaha!! Sengoku, you are still far from being able to arrest me!!"

On the pirate ship, a burly figure stood at the bow, arms crossed, grinning hideously.

He wore a bright red captain's coat and a horned helmet, his gray-green beard trembling slightly with his laughter, his entire body exuding a deep and formidable aura.

"World Destroyer" Byrnndi World!!

Captain of the World Pirates, with a bounty of 200 million Beli!

A legendary great pirate, a man who stood on equal footing with Whitebeard and Roger!

Cannonballs exploded around the pirate ship, sending curtains of seawater and rain flying, thick smoke billowing.

Yet Byrnndi World ignored it all, his eyes fixed viciously on the warship as a cruel smile suddenly tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"When it comes to firepower, I have never lost to anyone."

His figure vanished from the spot like a ghost.

A phantom seemed to streak through the dense curtain of rain, his speed so great that it created a brief, long vacuum in the downpour.

The next second, Byrnndi World had appeared on the other side of the deck, his hands resting on a cannon.

"Boys, adjust our course! Let those lackeys of the World Government see the true power of our World Pirates!!"

He shouted loudly.

ROAR!!!

The crew of the World Pirates felt a surge of fanaticism in their eyes, raising their arms and cheering wildly.

Amidst the surging waves, a pirate gripped the ship's wheel with all his might.

"Attention! Hard to starboard!!"

The moment the words left his lips, The hull of the pirate ship groaned and creaked, tilting sharply amidst the raging storm and the bombardment of cannon fire.

The deck suddenly became a steep slope, and the pirates clung tightly to the slick railings to avoid being tossed into the sea.

Heavy rain splashed and splattered across the deck.

Byrnndi World gripped the cannon with hands like iron pincers, and as the ship tilted, the fixed cannon barrel gradually aligned with the massive warship.

"So what if I sank one of those Celestial Dragon pigs' official ships... was it really worth chasing me for a whole day and night?"

He let out a disdainful scoff, grinning maniacally into the driving rain:

"Come on, Sengoku!! Let me show you... the power to destroy the world!!"

He yanked the cannon's fuse.

BOOM!!

A pitch-black cannonball tore out of the barrel, slicing through the curtain of rain.

"More-More 50x Cannon!!"

As Byrnndi World let out a cold shout, an invisible force seemed to ripple outward.

White shockwaves radiated from the whistling projectile.

Then, an incredible sight unfolded—

The flying cannonball suddenly began to expand and multiply, its volume ballooning dozens of times over in the blink of an eye!

The black projectile, now over 20 meters in diameter, saw its velocity surge in tandem. After reaching the peak of its arc, it plummeted madly toward the warship where Sengoku stood!

Its speed was so fast, its descent so violent, and its size so immense that it even generated fiery red shockwaves from friction with the air; from a distance, it looked like a meteorite breaking through the clouds, falling from the heavens!!

This was... Byrnndi World's ability!

The More-More Fruit, capable of increasing the speed and size of objects.

Because of the multiplication of speed and volume, the power of the amplified cannonball grew exponentially.

It was no exaggeration to say that if this cannonball were to strike and detonate, the power of the explosion would be enough to easily wipe a town off the map!

The crimson glow expanded overhead, and a massive shadow suddenly engulfed everyone on the warship.

The pressure of the gale descended from high above, causing the entire warship to sink lower, the deck even emitting the sound of wood splintering.

"Damn it!!"

Sengoku roared, his eyes burning red.

If this cannonball struck the warship, he feared that every marine on board, himself included, would be wiped out in the raging waves of this sea.

His military boots stomped heavily on the bow, and Sengoku's figure shot upward like a cannonball.

A magnificent, brilliant golden light suddenly illuminated the high altitude.

The marines watched in shock as their Admiral transformed in an instant into a colossal golden Buddha, striking out with a palm toward the massive projectile falling from the sky.

"Great Buddha Impact!!"

BOOM!!

A vast golden shockwave slammed into the cannonball.

After the world fell silent for a brief second, a heaven-shaking explosion bloomed in the sky.

A fireball over a hundred meters in diameter rose up, and countless fragments of the cannonball rained down toward the warship like a dense shower of fire.

Sengoku, having returned to human form in mid-air, his expression shifted slightly as he shouted:

"Borsalino!!"

"Understood..."

A languid voice drifted through the storm, followed by a streak of golden light that whistled up into the sky.

"Yasakani no Magatama."

Light bullets filled the sky like a downpour, continuously washing away the falling fragments of the cannonball, the surging firelight completely illuminating the dim sky.

Amidst the rolling smoke, Sengoku landed steadily.

The gale blew the smoke away, and he stared fixedly at the pirate ship fleeing toward the distant storm, gritting his teeth as he prepared to issue the order to pursue.

A hoarse voice suddenly rang out from behind him.

"Cease pursuit, something has happened."

Sengoku frowned.

A CP0 member wearing a bizarre patterned mask stepped quickly out of the cabin.

This expedition against Byrnndi World was a joint operation led by the CP department and the Marine Headquarters, with intelligence primarily provided by the CP department.

"Retreat? Byrnndi World has been driven into a corner, and ahead lies the North Blue's most notorious chaotic sea... In weather like this, he has no way to escape!" Sengoku retorted.

Unexpectedly, the CP0 agent shook his head.

"Byrnndi World is no longer important."

He produced a military Den Den Mushi and handed it to Sengoku.

An aged, sinister voice slowly emanated from the Den Den Mushi:

"Sengoku, retreat immediately."

Sengoku was stunned, instinctively replying:

"Five Elders, the operation is on the verge of success. The great pirate Byrnndi World has entered our ambush as planned; if you just give me a little more time..."

Before he could finish, he was unceremoniously interrupted by the voice on the other end:

"We command you to retreat at once!"

Sengoku felt a surge of frustration and asked in confusion:

"May I ask, my lords, why? The World Government and the Marine Headquarters have spent a vast amount of resources and effort on this operation..."

"Saint Childers has died in the North Blue."

The voice of the Five Elders on the other side of the Den Den Mushi left Sengoku frozen in place.

A Celestial Dragon... dead?

This... how is that possible...

"Sengoku, as the only current Admiral of the Marine Headquarters, your top priority is to thoroughly investigate the cause of Saint Childers' death. Do you understand?"

"Beyond that, all other matters are of no importance."

The unquestionable voice of the Five Elders echoed out.

On the deck, Sengoku, drenched by the torrential rain, took a deep breath; the burning passion in his heart felt as though it had been extinguished by the cold downpour.

"I understand."

He gritted his teeth.

Seeing this, the CP0 agent put away the Den Den Mushi and turned to walk back into the cabin.

At this moment, countless golden photons gathered beside Sengoku, quickly reconstructing into a human form.

He was exceptionally tall, dressed in a yellow and white striped suit, wearing exaggerated toad-like sunglasses, and sporting a goatee.

A Rear Admiral and a "monster" of the new generation of Marines... Borsalino.

"Should I continue the pursuit, Admiral Sengoku?"

Borsalino looked at Sengoku's livid expression and spoke in his slow, measured drawl.

Sengoku cast a hateful glance at the World Pirates, who were gradually disappearing into the distant storm, and suddenly slammed his fist against the railing, smashing it to pieces.

"No need, turn back."

He ground out the words through his teeth, his expression looking wretched to the extreme.

As his subordinate, Borsalino possessed considerable strength, far exceeding that of an average Vice Admiral.

But compared to a great pirate like Byrnndi World, who could stand on equal footing with Whitebeard and Roger, he still had a certain gap to bridge.

If he were sent to pursue alone and something went wrong, falling into the hands of Byrnndi World, it would be a loss the Marine Headquarters could not bear.

A future Admiral, a guy with talent as monstrous as his, could not be allowed to meet with any accidents.

Yet, what Sengoku had not expected was that after mobilizing so many resources and so much effort, and being just a hair's breadth away from arresting Byrnndi World, it would end in such a... failed endeavor.

He was unwilling to accept it.

However, Sengoku also understood that he could not refuse an order from the World Government.

A Celestial Dragon had died in these very waters.

With him being the only Admiral currently at Marine Headquarters, both reasonably and officially, he had to drop all other tasks and head out to investigate the matter clearly.

But...

"In the North Blue, who would dare to lay a hand on a Celestial Dragon?"

Sengoku stood in the pouring rain, the water lashing against his slightly pale face.

His expression flickered between uncertainty and deep contemplation.

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