Deep within the mysterious depths of the sea, the battleship Pluton gave off a slow, low, powerful roar, like a giant that had slept for a thousand years.
The sound was like a summons from antiquity, crossing the long river of time with endless majesty and power, stirring waves through the surrounding seawater.
Every intricate, beautiful pattern across the hull lit up at the same time.
Brilliant light flowed along the outline of the ship like a moving galaxy.
Hundreds of years had passed in the blink of an eye. Through all those long ages, this battleship, which carried countless legends and secrets, had remained silently hidden.
Now, it had finally awakened for real.
With that deafening rumble, it descended once more upon the vast sea with unstoppable force, carrying the might of thunder.
The waves retreated before it, as if they had sensed the overwhelming presence of this ancient ruler and did not dare defy it.
"Let's go. We'll find a place to test this big guy's power."
Ron's voice was steady and firm, ringing in everyone's ears like a great bell.
There was a trace of excitement and anticipation in his eyes, the confidence of someone about to reveal a power beyond imagination.
Afterward, under Ron's lead, the group headed toward a specific stretch of sea.
Ahead of them stood a lonely, deserted island.
It was abandoned and broken-looking, overgrown with weeds, with bare rocks exposed everywhere, as though time itself had forgotten it.
But now, it would become the stage that witnessed Pluton's terrifying power.
At this moment, after the tense and orderly charging process, dangerous blue light began flowing across Pluton's hull.
The glow flickered like ghostly fire, covering the entire battleship in a mysterious, eerie shade.
The whole ship was like a beast awakened from an ancient abyss, releasing a pressure that made people's hearts tremble.
This pressure was not mere intimidation.
It was fear that seeped into the bones, making everyone who approached instinctively feel awe.
Ron stood tall before the main control console on the bridge.
His gaze was sharp as a hawk's as it slowly swept across the ancient characters flashing across the screen.
Those ancient symbols seemed to contain endless wisdom and power. Only someone who truly understood them could unlock the secrets within.
"Target: seventy nautical miles northeast. Uninhabited island, Ashen Rock."
Ron's voice was terrifyingly calm, without the slightest emotional fluctuation, as though he were simply stating a fact that had already been decided.
Then he gave the next order.
"Activate Level-One Annihilation Mode."
On the deck, everyone held their breath.
The tension had reached its peak.
Whitebeard tightened his grip around Murakumogiri. The legendary blade trembled faintly in his hand, as though it too could sense the battle aura about to erupt.
His brows were furrowed, and his eyes carried resolve and steel.
Kaido's dragon pupils narrowed into thin vertical slits. His already savage gaze became even sharper, as though he wanted to tear apart everything in front of him.
Big Mom unconsciously kneaded Zeus's thundercloud with her fingertips, the corner of her mouth lifting into a cruel smile.
Even Enel, who was usually lazy and careless, straightened his back. His expression became grave, and caution flickered in his eyes.
"Energy transmission rate: one hundred percent…"
A mechanical ancient-language notification echoed through the bridge, every word striking people's hearts like a heavy hammer.
"Main cannon calibration complete…"
The cold, emotionless voice continued, as though announcing the approach of death.
"Target locked…"
As the final notification sounded, Pluton's enormous triple-mounted main cannon began turning slowly.
At the cannon mouth, a dazzling blue-white sphere of light gradually gathered.
The light grew stronger and stronger, and the surrounding space began to warp under the overloaded energy.
The previously calm sea rippled in layers, and the air filled with a scorched smell.
"Fire."
The instant Ron lightly pressed the control button, time seemed to stop.
The whole world fell into absolute silence.
Everyone's eyes fixed on the energy about to erupt, waiting for that earth-shaking strike.
Beneath the vast, cloud-covered sky, a gigantic pillar of lightning descended like divine punishment.
Its diameter exceeded one hundred meters, like a furious silver dragon tearing through the heavy heavens with mountain-crushing force.
Everywhere it passed, the rolling clouds were instantly vaporized as if struck by the hottest flames in the world, disappearing into thin wisps of mist.
The boundless sea below did not escape the aftershock of that terrifying energy either.
It was forcibly split open, forming a deep trench hundreds of meters down. The seawater churned and roared violently, as if crying out in pain.
Before anyone could recover from the shocking sight, the world-ending pillar of light struck the distant island with perfect accuracy.
In that instant, time seemed to freeze.
The entire world fell into dead silence, and even the air was filled with suffocating tension.
But that silence lasted only for a brief moment.
Then a blinding light millions of times brighter than the sun erupted.
The light was so intense that everyone's vision was completely swallowed. Their eyes felt as though countless tiny needles had stabbed deep into them, bringing unbearable pain.
"Not good! Close your eyes!"
Marco reacted extremely quickly. He immediately spread his broad, powerful wings like a guardian angel, shielding the people beside him.
His feathers flickered faintly under the fierce light, but even they could not fully block the radiance that seemed capable of piercing the soul.
Almost at the same time, a devastating shockwave followed the blinding light, surging toward them like a savage prehistoric beast.
Even though they were dozens of nautical miles away from the center of the explosion, that overwhelming force still made them feel the threat of death.
Pluton's seemingly indestructible shield was shaken by the terrifying impact, forming dense, spiderweb-like ripples that looked as if they might shatter at any moment.
At the same time, the calm sea seemed to be stirred violently by an invisible giant hand, instantly raising a thousand-meter tsunami.
It was a spectacular yet deadly sight.
The sky was dyed an eerie purple-red by the immense energy, as though the entire world had been dragged into a celebration from hell.