This novel is finished, and I have posted all the advanced chapters on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
They had thought the Holy Land's calamity was finally over. The losses were immense, yes, but as Rowen said, compared to the cost of total reconstruction, they had at least managed to preserve their dignity.
The World Government had saved face, which meant the Allied Kingdoms would remain calm. And if the Allied Kingdoms stayed calm, then the world would continue, as usual.
But now, Rob Lucci realized…
This was only the beginning!
The Five Elder Stars were dead. Rowen had become the only visible authority in the Holy Land. But that still wasn't enough for him!
He even wanted to take the power held by the shadowed ruler behind the throne, Imu!
Feeling the crushing weight of two invisible yet tangible forces colliding in the air, Lucci wished he were blind and deaf, so he wouldn't have to see or hear any of this.
Unfortunately… he wasn't.
He heard everything, saw everything, including the slight tremor in Imu's shoulders when Rowen spoke those defiant words.
That must be anger, right? He's furious! Someone's going to die!
As Lucci's thoughts ran wild, Imu turned around, brows slightly furrowed, expression faintly displeased.
Rowen's pupils contracted sharply when he saw him clearly.
Imu… had grown younger.
What did that mean?!
Bang!
Suddenly, a terrifying pressure exploded outward. That same divine, godlike presence that Rowen had felt upon their first meeting surged once more, flooding the hall.
The sheer might made Lucci collapse face-first onto the floor, trembling.
"So strong…"
Rowen's heart tightened. This power, it was even greater than before!
Zzzzt…!
BOOM!
Lightning crackled violently across his body, bursting outward in arcs of pale-blue flame that enveloped him completely. A layer of pitch-black aura rippled around him, his will hardening, isolating him from Imu's overwhelming pressure.
Imu's eyes narrowed slightly. His tone was calm, but every syllable carried the weight of divinity.
"Whether the era has changed or not… is not for you to decide."
Thud!
A limp body rolled out from the open doorway behind Imu, Orrick, barely clinging to life.
Rowen's fingers twitched slightly, though his face remained unreadable.
A show of force. Imu was warning him, even someone as formidable as Orrick, a trusted pillar of both the Marines and the Government, was nothing before him. So what chance did Rowen think he had?
But Rowen's answer was cold, defiant:
"And what good will that do you?"
Since the other had already broken their tacit balance, Rowen no longer saw reason to play polite.
He stood straight, and the marble floor beneath his feet began to crack and crumble, as though bearing the weight of a mountain.
Lucci carefully backed away to the far end of the chamber, he dared not take part in a clash of this magnitude.
Rowen rose, unflinching, his gaze locked with Imu's.
"If I give the order," he said, his voice steady as thunder, "the entire sea will rise up against you. Without the people to rule… what meaning does your throne even have?"
Lucci's eyes widened in disbelief.
What did that mean? How could Rowen possibly command the entire sea?
But then, he realized something.
Wait. It might actually work!
The massacre of the Celestial Dragons had never been made public! If that information were released now, the world would descend into chaos! Yes, some would seize the chance to rebel, but far more would rejoice.
And with the Marines' reputation, years in the making, and Rowen's sheer authority and fearsome image, the masses could easily be swayed to follow his lead.
He wouldn't have to command the sea… he'd simply direct the tide of an era already crashing forward!
A ruthless, absolute move, cutting off every retreat!
Lucci shivered, trembling at his own thoughts, awed by Rowen's terrifying foresight and ambition.
And that wasn't even the end of it. How many people in the world even knew of Imu's existence?
To the outside world, Rowen was now the supreme leader of the Government. Even the highest-ranking officials of the Holy Land believed the Five Elders were the ultimate decision-makers.
If Rowen were to step forward now, to twist the truth, to brand Imu as the traitor…
How many would believe him? How many would follow?
A world where Rowen alone held all power, round or flat, right or wrong, would all be decided by his word.
"The era… really has changed." Lucci sighed softly, realization dawning.
Rowen, a variable created by the Government itself, nurtured under their very eyes, had grown into the monster that would overthrow them.
Every step had been leading to this moment. The Soryu (Azure Dragon) was always cunning, always strategic, but compared to this? Those past maneuvers were child's play.
This, this was the grandest move on his board.
Lucci glanced at Imu again, and sure enough, his shoulders trembled once more. His eyes glimmered with killing intent.
"You're not afraid I'll kill you?"
BOOM!
The chilling words erupted through the chamber, and the oppressive aura surged once more, so immense it spread across the entire Holy Land.
Outside, countless people collapsed unconscious beneath the suffocating pressure.
Commander Kong clenched his fists tightly, turned toward the distant palace, toward the Room of Flowers, and murmured:
"So… the hidden dagger finally reveals itself."
"If you die in there, your ambition will vanish like the waves… leaving not a single trace behind."
This was the threshold. A line that could no longer be crossed.
Yet Rowen remained completely indifferent to the pressure. The blazing light around him tore through space itself, perfectly isolating him from Imu's overwhelming aura. His gaze was firm and unwavering.
Like a statue, he stood motionless at the center of the Room of Flowers, his expression calm and detached.
"You're strong, so strong that you could be called a god. Killing comes easily to you… but even so, there are still things in your heart that you cannot let go of."
He paused for a breath, and then declared…
"That thing is… Dominion!"
Meeting Imu's rigid gaze head-on, Rowen advanced instead of retreating. Under Rob Lucci's horrified stare, he took a step forward.
"I don't care to pry into your origins, it's meaningless. But I'm certain of one thing: you can't abandon this world. You need the World Government to continue ruling everything. Otherwise, there would never have been that blank century, eight hundred years ago."
Step by step, each footfall was heavy and deliberate.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Under the terrifying pressure storm that Imu released, even the air shattered like glass, leaving behind streaks of white cracks. Each time Rowen took a step, the stone slabs beneath him crumbled into dust, every fall sounding like the beating of a heavy war drum that shook one's heart.
"That thing, whatever it is, may threaten the Government's rule, but it cannot threaten beings like you and me, those who hold power in their hands! The sea respects only strength, the strong have the right to look down upon the world and all its laws!"
"But here's the question, why?"
Why… would someone as powerful as Imu care about the Government's rule at all?
Rowen firmly believed, no one acts without a reason!
Under Imu's slightly furrowed gaze, Rowen stepped onto the stairs and slowly ascended.
"That is your greatest weakness."
"You're so strong that you only see what I can't do to you. You've taken my defiance as nothing more than a joke, otherwise, I wouldn't still be alive today. But what you failed to see… is that you were never my true target."
"While you stood by watching, I was already laying the groundwork, to overturn the world itself!"
Thud!
Rowen stomped down hard, stopping one step below Imu.
"And that's why I stand here today!"
He lifted his head, meeting Imu's eyes directly.
"No dynasty lasts forever… Eight hundred years is long enough, Lord Imu."
"You can try killing me, and see what becomes of this world."
He took the final step, standing on the same level as Imu, neither humble nor arrogant.
This was the reason behind everything Rowen had done. All his actions, his provocations, his revolution, none of it was truly to defeat Imu. It was to change the world beneath Imu's feet.
As long as Imu still had unfulfilled goals, as long as he couldn't abandon the World Government, Rowen held his weakness in the palm of his hand.
But at that moment, Rowen suddenly felt something grab his ankle. Looking down, he saw the half-dead Orrick. The man's mouth frothed with saliva as his chest heaved violently.
"Be… careful… he…"
"Noisy."
Boom!!
Before he could finish, Rowen kicked him away, right in front of a startled Imu.
Rob Lucci's eyelid twitched twice, but he still caught the flying Orrick with a resigned sigh.
"...Tch! That hurts like hell!" Orrick's reopened wounds throbbed painfully, and he gritted his teeth.
Snapping out of his shock, Imu looked at the young man standing arrogantly before him, his eyelids lowering.
"You should have let him finish. After all, he fought me once, he might have told you something useful…"
"Not interested."
Rowen cut him off flatly, pulling a cigar from his coat. Lighting it, he took a drag and clenched it between his teeth.
"If you want to fight, I'm always ready. After all, that's been my lifelong wish."
"So I won't forgive anyone who tries to interrupt it."
He had just acknowledged Imu's godlike power, and now, he was ready to fight him head-on. Even when Orrick tried to warn him, Rowen kicked him aside.
Contradiction? Not at all. Because Rowen was the kind of man who lived for battle, even in the face of death. A fight without the risk of dying held no meaning for him.
This time, Imu's calm expression finally disappeared. His fingers curled slightly.
"Arrogant brat…"
"Heh."
Rowen clenched his fist, striking first.
"Whitebeard said the same thing once."
God's Cry: Thunderlight Fist!
Zzzzt… BOOM!!!
A dazzling blue sphere of lightning exploded within the Room of Flowers. Rob Lucci's eyes widened, too stunned to dodge even as shards of debris struck his face.
He stared blankly at the scene before him, his mind completely blank.
"He actually… started the fight?!"
This wasn't a political provocation. This was open rebellion.
(End of Chapter)