Momousagi and the others were still dozens of li away from Impel Down.
Yet even from that distance, they could clearly see it—
A super-colossal titan rising from the direction of the prison, towering into the sky.
Chaton Tokikake drew in a sharp breath.
"That has to be ten thousand meters tall. One punch like that could wipe out an entire country."
The CP0 leader's face was grim.
"That's not the most important part."
"Look at what that giant is made of—those are Impel Down's structures. That bastard Bullet fused the entire prison into himself!"
Momousagi and Chaton immediately understood.
A behemoth like this could only belong to one man—
Douglas Bullet, the terrifying "Devil's Heir," the Clank-Clank Fruit user.
A former member of the Pirate King's crew… had broken out of Impel Down.
And not only that—he had effectively destroyed the world's most infamous prison.
The two Admiral candidates were shaken to their core.
Impel Down was the World Government's most heavily fortified prison, standing for centuries.
It was a symbol of terror—a weapon used to intimidate pirates, revolutionaries, and every force that dared oppose the Government.
But today…
that weapon no longer existed.
It had been shattered completely.
Once this news spread, it was easy to imagine the waves it would unleash across the sea.
Momousagi parted her red lips and spoke softly.
"The public execution of Fire Fist Ace—the Pirate King's son… The Five Elders and Fleet Admiral Sengoku intended it as a warning to pirates."
"But if Impel Down is destroyed…"
"Then even if Ace is executed, it won't achieve the deterrent effect they wanted…"
It wasn't just "won't achieve it."
There would be no deterrence left at all.
Because the significance of Impel Down far outweighed the life of a single "Pirate King's son."
The CP0 leader had thought of that too. He had no words, only a heavier, more suffocating frustration.
When they returned, the Five Elders would tear into him again.
Grinding his teeth, he ordered his men:
"Increase speed. We can't let those bastards do whatever they want!"
The warship pushed to maximum power.
Standing on the deck, they kept their eyes fixed on the ten-thousand-meter monster.
Since Bullet had played a hand like this, he was clearly using it to kill someone—
and that someone could only be Fifth Emperor Luo Xing and his side.
If Bullet could wipe Luo Xing out for them…
it would be perfect.
And sure enough—
A tiny figure, so small compared to Bullet's behemoth that it looked like an ant, stepped into the air using Moonwalk and stopped high above the sea.
"So that's Fifth Emperor Luo Xing?" Momousagi asked.
"The man who invented monster cells and all those outrageous tools—genius enough to make even Dr. Vegapunk feel inferior?"
The CP0 leader had seen Luo Xing back on Sabaody. He nodded, voice heavy.
"That's him."
Momousagi's eyes brightened with unmistakable curiosity.
As an Admiral candidate, she and Chaton usually worked around the Supreme Commander, Kong.
And since Vegapunk's research facilities were also on Mariejois, she was familiar with the man himself.
She knew exactly how frightening Vegapunk's mind was—how far ahead, how brilliant.
Yet this Luo Xing…
was said to surpass Vegapunk by tenfold, a hundredfold—an outright monster among geniuses.
How could she not be curious?
Beside her, Chaton's expression stiffened.
He had feelings for Momousagi. He'd confessed countless times, and every time, he'd been rejected.
Still, he refused to give up—believing one day she would be moved.
Now, seeing her look at another man with such interest, he couldn't help it.
He snorted.
"Bullet was already a top-tier monster who could stand alongside Dark King Rayleigh."
"And now he's even stronger than he was back then."
"He's taken the Clank-Clank Fruit to a level so absurd he can fuse an entire Impel Down."
"That Luo Xing is rumored to be strong too, sure… but facing a thing like that alone?"
"That's arrogance."
Then he turned to the CP0 leader.
"You fought him not long ago. How strong is he really?"
The CP0 leader replied, "He has Conqueror's coating. He can briefly contend with Dark King Rayleigh without falling behind."
"But Bullet's giant form is… too huge. And it's covered in Armament Haki from head to toe."
"Who wins and who loses… honestly, it's hard to say."
Chaton's cold smile deepened.
"Then let's see how this so-called Fifth Emperor handles it."
Momousagi's eyes flickered with faint helplessness.
She could hear the jealousy in Chaton's tone, and it only made her dislike it more.
She had only paid a little extra attention to that man.
Besides, he was a pirate—and he already had a wife. What relationship could she possibly have with him?
Momousagi pursed her lips, too lazy to argue, and returned her gaze to Luo Xing.
...
High in the air.
Luo Xing stood upon the empty sky, sword in hand.
The behemoth Bullet had become radiated an immense pressure.
Just in terms of size alone, it had surpassed Kaido's Azure Dragon form.
Across the entire sea, perhaps only Zunesha—the giant elephant that carried Zou on its back—could compare to it.
Speaking of Zunesha…
Back when Luo Xing subdued the Mink Tribe of Zou, he fed Zunesha ten thousand Momotaro rice balls until it finally obeyed.
He'd sent it to Wano.
Now, Zunesha guarded the seas around Wano. Any outsider ship that dared approach would be smashed without hesitation.
So even though Kaido had led most of the Beasts Pirates away from Wano toward Whitebeard's territory…
Wano's safety wasn't a concern.
Not to mention—Yamato was still there.
Yamato had trained with Luo Xing in the Time-Gravity Room. In her fury last time, her Conqueror-coated Thunder Bagua had even forced Big Mom back.
Her strength had clearly stepped into the upper ranks of top-tier fighters.
If husband and wife fused again with their fusion earrings…
this ten-thousand-meter behemoth could likely be erased with ease.
But Luo Xing didn't call Yamato over.
There was no need.
Because he wanted to test a move—
one even stronger than the "Purgatory—King of Hell" he once used to kill Black Arm Zephyr.
Luo Xing drew a slow breath and activated Life Return, controlling every muscle fiber, every cell in his body.
He gathered all his power into his right arm.
His Conqueror's Haki poured out like a raging ocean, released without restraint.
Hummm…
In the boundless sky, dark clouds swarmed together, black and heavy—like the end of the world was descending.
The sea below churned violently, as if a tsunami were forming.
And between the sky and sea—
Luo Xing's body was tiny compared to Bullet's behemoth…
yet his aura surged so vast it seemed to lift his silhouette infinitely higher, as if heaven and earth couldn't bind him.
Endless black currents of force coiled around him.
In that moment, he looked like a demon god.
Bullet, fused into a behemoth, had been confident he could crush Luo Xing and reclaim his dignity.
But the instant he sensed Luo Xing's aura…
his expression changed drastically, and he roared in disbelief:
"How can this brat have Conqueror's Haki this strong?!"
Bullet had only ever felt pressure like this from one man—
his nightmare, his lifelong obsession, the Pirate King himself:
Gol D. Roger.
"Impossible!"
"Roger is dead! No one can reach that height again!"
"I'm the strongest in the world today!"
Shock turned into rage.
Bullet bellowed, swinging a mountain-sized arm down toward Luo Xing.
"Die!"
"Let your death prove I'm the strongest!"
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!
The arm was so enormous that the mere motion created a hurricane.
The violent winds whipped the sea into even greater frenzy.
Even the Navy warships dozens of li away were affected, pitching under the pressure.
Momousagi's eyes shone, and an involuntary admiration surfaced in her gaze.
That man's Haki…
was truly unmatched. The strongest she had ever seen.
Chaton's face, meanwhile, turned darker.
And when he noticed the light in Momousagi's eyes, the jealousy in his chest flared even harder.
But in the very next instant—
he had no room left for jealousy.
Only shock.
Only fear.
Because the man he resented… finally moved.
The blade in Luo Xing's hand turned pitch-black in a blink—
not just coated, but carrying the weight of something absolute.
He raised it, and brought it down, as if he were cutting through the will of heaven and earth itself.
His voice rang out at the same time:
"Purgatory—Demon God!"
HUM—!
A black sword wave—so vast it couldn't be properly described—ripped through the air.
It tore the wind apart.
It tore the sea apart.
It tore the sky apart.
In a single instant, it severed the behemoth's incoming arm—
and then drew a clean line straight through the center of the giant body.
The sword wave didn't stop.
It continued onward for dozens of li—
and left behind a deep, terrifying gouge in the ocean.
It looked like a newly born sea strait:
a chasm that plunged a thousand meters down, stretching for miles like a scar across the world.
That strike—
not only split Bullet's behemoth in two…
it carved a sea trench so dreadful it made the heart go cold.
Anyone who witnessed it…
felt their spirit shake to the core.
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