God's Knights Descend

At the edge of Grove 59 in the Sabaody Archipelago.

An old shipwright wiped the sweat from his brow and squinted up at the sky.

The vast canopy of a Yarukiman Mangrove blocked most of the sunlight.

Today, the light flickered strangely.

Many fast-moving shadows swept across it.

He set down his scraper and walked to the workshop entrance, peering out at the street.

Grove 59, usually fairly lively, had fallen eerily silent.

Few people remained on the streets, and most hurried along with fear on their faces.

What troubled him more was that the Marine patrols, usually confined to their assigned areas, had all vanished.

In their place, black-clad figures darted silently across distant rooftops.

They moved with astonishing speed and agility, all dressed in black suits and sunglasses.

"Cipher Pol—"

The old shipwright recognized them.

He had spent most of his life on Sabaody and lived through several pirate-related disturbances.

But he had never seen Cipher Pol out in force, racing so openly across the rooftops.

Something terrible had happened!

He thought of the two ships that had docked in the bay that morning, one after the other, and the visitors whose presences were each more frightening than the last—

Especially the man in the straw hat, whose smile had made his legs tremble.

"No... I can't stay here... Got to go home, right now..."

The old shipwright muttered to himself.

Business, coating—none of it mattered more than staying alive!

Just as he turned around.

The solid stone pavement beneath his feet lit up without warning.

A blinding dark-red glow spread across it, forming a five-pointed star array that radiated an ominous presence!

The array instantly covered the small clearing before the workshop, its edges shining.

"Wh-what?!" The old shipwright stared.

The star's light flared!

The next moment,