Master Space

Could space be elementalized?

Ye Qiong did not know, but by creating a Master Space that could connect to real space and move back and forth at will, he could achieve a roundabout form of space elementalization.

And in his awakened state, he could control such an unbelievable ability.

When attacked, he appeared to remain in the same place in the real world, but his true body was actually in a distant secondary space. Ye Qiong called this space he had truly created himself the "Master Space."

Master Space was fundamentally and conceptually entirely different from the previous R.

R merely used spatial abilities to create a circular space that covered part of the real world, enhancing control over space within it and allowing abilities such as manipulation, Teleportation, cutting, and Repulsion Force to be used.

Master Space, however, was a truly independent personal space that belonged solely to him, where everything could be created and controlled at his will.

By freely moving back and forth between Master Space and the pirates' real world, he achieved an invincible effect that appeared immune to all damage in others' eyes. He named this inconceivable ability "Intangibility."

"How could there be an invincible ability?" the white-haired elder said coldly, raising a longsword as clear as autumn water. With his power and wealth, he had seen all kinds of bizarre Devil Fruit abilities, but there was absolutely no ability that could make someone invincible.

What mattered most was one's own strength.

The white-haired elder leaped up, his figure streaking across the sky. His sword pierced Ye Qiong's chest with lightning speed, passing straight through and completely impaling him!

Yet there was not a trace of joy on his face. Instead, his disbelief deepened—the enemy pierced by his sword was truly nothing but an illusory phantom.

Ye Qiong's true body was within Master Space, separated by an unknown number of spatial layers. To injure him, the white-haired elder would have to either shatter space itself or possess an ability that could reach across it.

This was no longer a matter of superior technique, but a completely different level attained through ability.

The sword could not touch the entity before him, and the white-haired elder's body continued surging forward, passing directly through Ye Qiong's phantom-like form.

"There truly is no invincible ability, but under 'Intangibility,' I can at least be pseudo-invincible—unbeatable."

Ye Qiong turned in midair and lightly pressed his hand against the somewhat broad back of the elder whose body overlapped with his own.

The white-haired elder's pupils abruptly contracted. What he had pierced moments ago had clearly been a phantom, yet now the other's hand was unquestionably solid!

His reaction was incredibly swift. He bent his body, raised his famous sword with his left arm, and swept out a cold flash of sword light as he tried to turn and slash. Unfortunately, how could Ye Qiong, now materialized, give him the chance to retaliate?

"R Tensei!"

The outward Repulsion Force expanded without limit. In almost an instant, the white-haired elder was caught off guard and sent flying with a bang. The surrounding air waves boiled and burst as his body traced a straight arc into a villa. The luxurious building was instantly smashed apart, and the entire villa collapsed with a thunderous roar amid rolling dust.

"Since you won't let me leave, I'll play with you a little longer."

Ye Qiong smiled faintly. In his Devil Fruit awakening state, he could not defeat the white-haired elder, but escaping was absurdly easy.

"Let me give you a gift."

He spread his hands and expanded the circular space. In his awakened state, the R he created surpassed its former limits, enveloping nearly half of the Holy Land within his spatial ability.

"R Devastation!!!"

Ye Qiong lifted both hands. Terrifying Repulsion Force surged upward, paired with powerful manipulation. The shattered walls and rubble throughout the Holy Land trembled violently before flying into the sky, crashing together wildly and assembling into a circular rocky sphere.

Countless fragments of stone and earth were flung upward as well, continuously enlarging and condensing the rocky sphere.

The white-haired elder and the villa's ruins were pulled upward with it, but a streak of sword light flashed through the air. He cleanly sliced apart several floating rocks, broke free of the gravitational pull like a meteor, and drove his famous sword into a sturdy building to anchor himself. Raising his head, he stared at the ever-growing rocky sphere in the sky, his expression turning incomparably grim.

Very quickly, under the pull of the attraction, a massive sphere with a radius of five hundred meters floated in the night sky, suspended steadily above the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. Its enormous shadow covered the ground, creating an indescribably eerie and terrifying sight.

The surviving Celestial Dragons throughout the Holy Land watched this godlike scene and nearly forgot to flee. They stood motionless, staring blankly into the sky as the fear and oppression rising from the depths of their hearts magnified without end, nearly crushing their fragile hearts. Some directly collapsed in terror, utterly disgraced.

"Friend, you should know this is the Holy Land of the World Nobles. Don't take things too far!" the white-haired elder said in a deep voice. At last, an unexpected expression appeared on his otherwise placid face.

So even the supposedly cold and ruthless Five Elders had moments when they would urge someone to show restraint. Ye Qiong found that rather surprising.

Ye Qiong shook his head, glanced at him, and sneered. "When you destroyed Ohara Island, did you ever think not to take things too far? Did you ever think of showing mercy? Did you ever think of leaving them a way to live?!"

Thinking of the kind yet resolute faces of the scholars on Ohara Island, buried beneath cannon fire, and Dr. Clover, who had faced death with resolve, a cold glint flashed in Ye Qiong's eyes as killing intent surged within him.

He lightly swept both hands downward, and the huge rocky sphere floating in the sky came crashing down with a roar, its shadow covering more than half the Holy Land.

"You!!!"

The white-haired elder's expression changed. He shot toward the bottom of the descending sphere, gathering dense and powerful Haki into his sword. Staring at the sphere that filled his entire vision, he swung upward with all his strength. A huge, terrifying sword slash soared into the sky and cleaved toward the sphere.

Screech!

The sword slash tore through the air. The rocky sphere, like a falling star in the sky, was split directly into two. Then countless sharp blades of sword energy burst forth, shattering its massive body.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Although the rocky sphere had been shattered, the broken stones still rained down in a scattered torrent, smashing countless houses and buildings with tremendous force. Explosions rang out without end, dust filled the air, and the already devastated Holy Land gained countless new scars, rendered utterly unrecognizable.

Only the spreading firelight continued to flicker, illuminating the sky in blazing red.

"Hm?" Ye Qiong, floating in the air, raised an eyebrow and looked toward a certain direction in the Holy Land. He smiled playfully. "Looks like the other four have arrived. It's time for me to leave too."

With a flash of silver light, Ye Qiong vanished from where he stood.

Tap, tap, tap!

Just after Ye Qiong left, four elders in black uniforms descended onto the battlefield. All of them had youthful faces and white hair, carrying themselves with extraordinary bearing. Their expressions were solemn as they looked upon the Holy Land, now reduced to chaotic ruins, yet they remained calm and unhurried, as though there were very few things in this world capable of making them lose composure in fury.

"He noticed us and escaped in advance? His perception is truly sharp."

"Who would have thought that the Holy Land's centuries of peace would be shattered overnight? Failing to station powerful guards here was a mistake born of carelessness."

"Yes. The losses to the Holy Land and the casualties among the Celestial Dragons are far too severe this time. Still, this can also serve to curb the arrogance of those Celestial Dragon nobles."

"Hmph. Someone dared to brazenly invade the Holy Land. It seems the World Government's authority has declined!"

The four elders discussed among themselves when a streak of sword light shot out from the ruins. After looking around and confirming that Ye Qiong had gone far away, the white-haired elder who had shattered the rocky sphere landed beside them.

"Tell that brat Sengoku to wake up! Investigate this matter as quickly as possible and give me an explanation!" the sword-wielding elder said coldly. His white kendo robes bore large tears and damage, though he was mostly uninjured.

After speaking, the sword-wielding elder had no interest in discussing matters with the other four. He simply stepped into the air and departed.

"Third Brother was really quite miserable this time. It has been many years since I last saw that."

"Indeed. He is genuinely enraged. It seems the enemy who fought him just now had some skill."

"Put pressure on Sengoku! If the Marines lack strength, how are they supposed to suppress this sea?"

"Yes, and investigate the person who fought Third Brother. With such strength, if he has no affiliated force, deal with him quickly. Otherwise, he will become a limitless future threat."

The other elders nodded, tacitly accepting this view. This world would ultimately remain under their control.

And tonight was destined to be another sleepless night.

Marine Headquarters.

Sengoku, still bleary-eyed, wore a Marine coat over a hopelessly rumpled undershirt. He had clearly been awakened from his warm bed, hastily changed clothes, and rushed over. Though his face was full of drowsiness, he could only force himself to stay alert.

"An emergency notice this late at night? What happened?" Sengoku asked in great confusion. Before he could enter the Fleet Admiral's office, he saw a Marine communications officer emerge from inside, drenched in sweat.

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku." Seeing that Sengoku, someone capable of making decisions, had arrived, the communications officer visibly sighed in relief. After saluting respectfully, he hurriedly said, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, there is a call from the World Government..."

"Who?" Fleet Admiral Sengoku froze and asked instinctively.

The communications officer's expression was solemn, his voice trembling with reverence. "The Five Elders."

Sengoku's expression changed drastically. For the Five Elders, the World Government's highest rulers, to be personally alerted, something truly enormous must have happened!

Without pausing, he hurried into the Fleet Admiral's office.

Over the next ten minutes, Sengoku held a phone conference with the Five Elders. No one knew what exactly they discussed.

Yet after the Snail Phone was hung up, Sengoku remained somewhat dazed in his Fleet Admiral's chair. Behind his glasses, his eyes were filled with undisguised shock!

The Holy Land of Mary Geoise had actually been attacked!

That was the domain of the World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons, yet someone had truly dared to challenge them and become an enemy of the World Government!

An incident that dealt such a heavy blow to the World Government could be called a world-shaking event seen only once in a century.

Cold sweat covered Sengoku. No matter how one looked at it, the incident could not be blamed on him, but as Fleet Admiral of the Marines, he bore the duty of leading the entire Navy in guarding the world and maintaining order. How could such a major incident have nothing to do with him? If responsibility were truly pursued, even his position as Fleet Admiral might not be secure.