The one laughing was Whitebeard.
He slammed the legendary Murakumogiri heavily onto the solid deck.
In an instant, sparks scattered everywhere, streaking through the air like brilliant falling stars.
Looking closely, Whitebeard's knotted muscles were tense with excitement, each one packed with overwhelming power, as though they could erupt at any moment.
Even more astonishing was the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit flowing through him. Without him even meaning to, it caused faint cracks to appear in the surrounding air.
Those cracks spread outward like a spiderweb, giving off a faint aura that made people's hearts tighten.
Whitebeard's eyes burned brightly as he looked around and roared,
"Do you see this?! This is the kind of power that can scare the old bastards in the World Government so badly they piss themselves!
"If I'd had this thing back then, I would've led my brothers straight to Mary Geoise and flipped that damn place upside down!"
His words were filled with endless boldness and domination, as though time had turned back to the age when blood ran hot and battles shook the sea.
Not far away, Kaido could no longer suppress the restlessness in his heart either.
He raised the wine gourd in his hand high, then smashed it hard against the railing.
With a sharp crash, amber liquor poured down like a waterfall, dripping across the blue dragon scales covering his body.
The scales shone strangely under the wine, making him look even more savage and wild.
Kaido's eyes burned like fire, his dragon pupils flashing with dangerous heat.
As his emotions surged, waves of scorching steam began rising unconsciously from his body.
The steam coiled upward around him, as though it wanted to swallow him whole.
He swung his thick arm and shouted hoarsely,
"I'm going to blast Marine Headquarters right now! With this kind of firepower, one shot from this thing could punch straight through Impel Down, that so-called unbreakable hell!"
At that point, his emotions completely went out of control.
He suddenly threw his head back and roared toward the sky, the sound piercing the clouds and startling countless seabirds into flight.
Then he shouted loudly to his subordinates,
"King! Wait for me a little longer! I'll go slaughter my way through everything first!"
In Big Mom's enormous eyes, two flames seemed to be burning.
A terrifying greedy light burst from them, as though she wanted to devour everything around her.
Behind her, Zeus the thundercloud churned wildly like a rampaging beast, releasing deafening rumbles.
Prometheus the sun blazed like a scorching sun, radiating suffocating heat as he stirred with the same excitement.
The two homies intertwined behind her, creating a terrifying scene.
Her thick, almost bloated fingers tapped nervously against Napoleon, the great sword that symbolized supreme power and strength.
Every tap seemed like a declaration of her ambition to the world.
With a strange, tempting laugh, she shouted at the top of her lungs,
"Mamamama~ Ron, boy! Look at us now! Our alliance has become even stronger, like a raging tide that no one can stop!"
At this point, she suddenly stopped tapping.
She stuck out her tongue and licked her thick lips, her eyes filled with cruel impatience.
"How about we go take Elbaf right now? Let those giants who think they're so big and strong taste the terror of Pluton! Let them learn who truly rules this world!"
The three Emperors were whipped into a frenzy by her words, their blood boiling with excitement.
The whole scene seemed to be set ablaze.
Yet amid all that noise, Ron stood quietly at the highest point of the bridge like an unmoving mountain.
The black robe draped over his shoulders snapped in the sharp sea wind, as if echoing the calm resolve in his heart.
He slowly raised his right hand, his movement unhurried yet full of power.
Following that motion, Pluton's main cannon gave off a low, earth-shaking mechanical rumble as it turned, like a giant beast that had slept for ages beginning to wake.
Ghostly blue energy gathered along the barrel like living serpents, rushing toward the muzzle and flickering with mysterious, dangerous light.
"Everyone, don't be impatient."
His voice was calm as still water, yet carried unquestionable authority. It was as if some invisible force made everyone present fall silent on instinct.
At the same time, by pure coincidence, the turning sound of the main cannon also came to an abrupt stop.
The entire space sank into an eerie silence.
Ron raised his head slightly, his deep, firm gaze sweeping over everyone as he continued,
"Pluton is indeed powerful. Its might is enough to make anyone shudder.
"But do you really think the World Government has made no preparations over the past eight hundred years? They're like hunters hiding in the dark, always waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
"That is why you must become stronger!"
...
Inside the Revolutionary Army headquarters, the underground command room felt like a fortress wrapped in darkness yet filled with hidden power.
Deep below the surface lay Baltigo's underground command center, a place shrouded in mystery.
The atmosphere here was tense and oppressive, as if the air itself had thickened under the heavy pressure.
At that moment, every army commander stood silently like a statue.
They held their breath, their eyes fixed firmly on the enormous projection screen.
The screen was like a window leading into a terrifying abyss, replaying the same chilling scene over and over again.
Pluton's world-ending shot had erased an entire island in an instant.
The intense blue light poured from the screen, mercilessly illuminating every face in the room.
Those faces were filled with gravity and worry, and every crease seemed to hide fear for the future.
"It's earlier than we expected."
Lindbergh's voice trembled faintly.
The wrench he had been gripping slipped from his hand and fell to the floor with a clang, breaking the deathly silence.
His tail curled slowly and unconsciously, as if revealing the unease inside him. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead and slid down his cheeks, yet he did not notice at all.
Beside him, Belo Betty held a cigarette between her lips, but her usual composure had vanished completely.
The cigarette had already burned down to her fingers, and the hot ember was scorching her skin, yet she seemed entirely unaware.