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 elementalizing space.

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

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

Master Space was completely different from R in both essence and meaning.

R merely used spatial ability to create a circular space that covered part of the real world. Within it, spatial control was strengthened, allowing the use of manipulation, teleportation, cutting, repulsion, and other spatial abilities.

Master Space, however, was a truly independent space that belonged solely to him. Everything within it could be created and controlled as he wished.

By freely moving between Master Space and the pirates' real world, he could create an invincible effect that appeared to grant immunity to damage in the eyes of others. He named this unbelievable ability "Intangibility."

"How could there possibly be an invincible ability?" the white-haired elder said coldly, raising his long sword, clear as autumn water. With his power and wealth, he had seen countless 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 into the air, his figure streaking across the sky. His sword pierced directly through Ye Qiong's chest with lightning speed, passing through him completely!

Yet there was not a trace of joy on his face. Instead, his disbelief deepened—the enemy pierced by his sword was truly nothing more than an insubstantial 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 possess the ability to shatter space or reach across it.

This was no longer a matter of superior skill, but a different level achieved through ability.

His sword could not touch the entity before him, and the white-haired elder's body could not stop itself from surging forward, passing directly through Ye Qiong's phantom-like body.

"There truly is no invincible ability, but under 'Intangibility,' I can be considered pseudo-invincible, standing undefeated."

Ye Qiong turned in midair and lightly pressed his hand against the elder's somewhat broad back, their bodies overlapping and crossing through each other.

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

He reacted with incredible speed, bending his body and raising his famous sword with his curved left arm. Sword radiance and cold light surged as he tried to turn and strike, but how could Ye Qiong, now materialized, give him a chance to counterattack?

"R Tensei!"

The outward repulsive force increased without limit. In almost an instant, the white-haired elder was caught off guard and sent flying with a bang. Airwaves boiled and exploded around him as his body shot in a straight arc into a villa. The magnificent building was instantly smashed through and shattered, then the entire villa collapsed with a thunderous roar, smoke and dust billowing everywhere.

"Since you refuse to let me leave, I'll play with you a little longer."

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

"I'll give you all a gift."

He spread his hands and expanded the circular space. In his awakened state, the R he created exceeded all previous limits, covering nearly half of the Holy Land within his spatial ability.

"R Devastation!!!"

Ye Qiong lifted both hands. Terrifying repulsive force surged upward, coupled with powerful manipulation. The broken walls and collapsed ruins throughout the Holy Land shook violently before flying into the air one after another, crazily crashing together 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 wreckage were pulled upward too, but sword radiance flashed through the air. He cleanly sliced apart several floating rocks, breaking free of the gravitational pull like a meteor and descending. His famous sword nailed itself into a sturdy building to anchor his body as he looked up at the ever-growing rocky sphere in the sky, his expression turning incomparably grave.

Very quickly, under the force of attraction and condensation, a gigantic spherical body with a radius of five hundred meters floated in the night sky, suspended steadily above the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. A vast shadow spread below it, indescribably strange and terrifying.

The surviving Celestial Dragons throughout the Holy Land watched this godlike scene and nearly forgot to flee. They stood frozen, staring blankly at the sky. The fear and oppression rising from the depths of their hearts expanded without limit, nearly crushing their fragile hearts. Some directly wet themselves in terror, utterly miserable.

"My friend, you should know that this is the Holy Land of the world nobles. Don't take things too far!" the white-haired elder said in a deep voice. For the first time, an unexpected expression appeared on his normally placid face.

So even the supposedly cold and merciless Five Elders had moments when they urged others 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 about not taking things too far? Did you ever think about showing mercy? About giving them a way to live!!!"

Remembering the kind yet steadfast faces of the scholars buried beneath the cannon fire on Ohara Island, as well as Dr. Clover, who had been prepared to die, Ye Qiong's eyes flashed coldly as killing intent churned within him.

He lightly brought his hands down, and the enormous rocky sphere floating in the sky came crashing down with a roar, its shadow covering more than half of the Holy Land.

"You!!!"

The white-haired elder's expression changed. He rushed at high speed toward the bottom of the descending sphere, gathering dense and powerful Haki into his sword. Then, staring at the sphere that filled his entire vision, he swung upward with all his strength. A huge, terrifying sword radiance shot into the sky and slashed toward the sphere.

Screech!

The sword radiance tore through the air, directly splitting the rocky sphere, which was falling like a star, in two. Then countless sharp edges burst from the sword aura, shattering its massive body.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Although the rocky sphere had been destroyed, the shattered stones still rained down in torrents, 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 more scars, becoming utterly unrecognizable.

Only the spreading flames continued to flicker, illuminating the sky red.

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

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

Tap, tap, tap!

Just after Ye Qiong left, four elderly men in black uniforms descended upon the battlefield. All had youthful faces and crane-like bearing, their temperaments extraordinary. Their expressions were solemn as they looked over the chaotic Holy Land, now reduced to ruins, yet they remained calm and unhurried, as though there were very few things in this world capable of making them lose their composure in fury.

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

"Who would have thought that the Holy Land, peaceful for hundreds of years, would be shattered in a single night? Not stationing powerful guards here was a mistake born of carelessness."

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

"Hmph, someone actually dared to brazenly invade the Holy Land. It seems the World Government's prestige has declined!"

The four elders discussed among themselves when a streak of sword radiance 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 the four of them.

"Tell Sengoku to keep his eyes open! Investigate this matter thoroughly as soon as possible and give me an explanation!" the sword-wielding elder said coldly. His white swordsman's robe was torn and damaged in many places, though he had suffered almost no injuries.

After speaking, the sword-wielding elder had no interest in discussing matters with the other four and simply walked through the air and left.

"Third Brother was truly disheveled this time. It has been many years since we 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 Navy lacks strength, how can it suppress these seas?"

"Yes, and investigate the person who fought Third Brother just now. With such strength, if he has no backing, eliminate him quickly. Otherwise, he will become a source of endless trouble."

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

And tonight was destined to be another sleepless night.

Marine Headquarters.

The bleary-eyed Sengoku wore a Marine coat over a hopelessly disheveled undershirt. He had clearly been dragged from his warm bed and hurriedly dressed before rushing over. Though his face was full of sleepiness, he could only force himself to stay alert.

"An urgent notice in the middle of the night—what exactly happened?" Sengoku was immensely puzzled. Before he even entered the Fleet Admiral's office, he saw a Marine communications officer emerge from inside, drenched in sweat.

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku." Seeing Sengoku arrive, the communications officer visibly breathed a sigh of 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 face changed drastically. For the Five Elders, the World Government's highest rulers, to be personally alerted, something truly catastrophic 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 even after the Den Den Mushi was hung up, Sengoku remained somewhat dazed in his Fleet Admiral's chair. Behind his glasses, his eyes were filled with undisguised horror!

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 choose to become an enemy of the World Government!

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

Cold sweat drenched Sengoku. No matter what, the matter could not be blamed on him, but as Fleet Admiral of the Marines, he bore the responsibility 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.