!!!
Step!
Saint Garling abruptly twisted his body, his vigilant gaze locking onto the suddenly appearing Red and Luffy. A flicker of surprise crossed his face.
"Why are you here…" he asked again in a low voice.
At the same time, the heavy blade that had been aimed at Brook now released a dangerous, chilling aura toward Red and Luffy instead.
Although the intelligence obtained from the Five Elders told him that Straw Hat Luffy possessed astonishing abilities, he did not feel particularly afraid.
As a member of the God's Knights, he himself held the authority to punish Celestial Dragons.
Perhaps it was precisely this authority that caused the God's Knights—Celestial Dragons themselves—to develop an even more superior mindset.
At the very least…
Saint Garling, who had climbed to this position purely through strength, had never regarded the Five Elders' power as anything worth fearing.
If not for their good fortune in gaining Lord Imu's favor and obtaining that miraculous power of immortality, those five decrepit old men would be nothing at all…
Hmph!
Saint Garling snorted inwardly.
Fortunately, one of those old men had died for reasons unknown, leaving a vacancy among the Five Elders.
And by convention, that seat should naturally be inherited by him—the strongest existence beneath the Five Elders.
Although he did not know why Lord Imu had yet to summon him, Saint Garling was in no hurry. After all, within the entire World Government, no one was qualified to compete with him.
Only…
Weren't the Five Elders defeated when they went to suppress the Straw Hat crew by the combined forces of three Yonko crews!?
If he could kill the leader of the Straw Hat Pirates here, perhaps Lord Imu would reward him with ascension to the Five Elders~
Despite his advanced age and already possessing everything the world could offer, a greedy gleam now shone in Saint Garling's eyes.
He had once believed he would never have another chance—prepared to await the decline of his body and accept a miserable remainder of his life.
But now, the opportunity for immortality lay right before him. How could he possibly remain calm?
He had to—
Claim that seat!!!
"Divine Punishment · Heavenly Chasm!!!"
Boom!!!
Without the slightest warning—
A terrifying burst of Conqueror's Haki erupted from Saint Garling's body.
The impact was like a raging storm, crushing and bending all the surrounding trees.
In the next instant, however, that rampant Haki vanished abruptly, drawn under Saint Garling's control into the longsword in his hands.
Supreme Grade Meito · Godslayer!
The only blade in the entire pirate world that had absorbed the blood of a Celestial Dragon!
Of course, that was merely the official record.
Throughout history, there had been no shortage of exceptional figures. While swords that had slain Celestial Dragons were rare, there were still more than a handful.
However—
Godslayer was the only surviving blade that had openly and publicly executed a Celestial Dragon before the world!
Moreover, it was the sole weapon officially recognized by the World Government as one that could carry out divine punishment upon Celestial Dragons.
Boom!!!
A blazing slash tore a deep trench across the ground, flying straight toward Red and Luffy.
Seeing this, Red raised an eyebrow slightly.
"As expected of Celestial Dragons—won't even spare a single word for us 'ants,' huh~"
He mocked Saint Garling lightly, then immediately turned to Luffy behind him.
"Then… I'll leave this guy to you, Luffy!"
"I'll check on the other members of the God's Knights and make sure Uta and the others are safe."
"Yeah! I'm counting on you, Red!"
Luffy nodded firmly.
The next second, a wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from Luffy's body, no weaker than Saint Garling's, surging forth like a tsunami and enveloping the world.
As Red's figure vanished from the spot, Luffy's arms suddenly expanded and swelled, muscles bulging wildly, as if the arms of a giant had been grafted onto his body.
Then he roared:
"Gum-Gum… Barehanded Blade Catch!!!"
Pa!!!
It was as though space itself shattered.
Luffy's two massive arms clapped together, striking Saint Garling's slash head-on.
In an instant, that overwhelming, godlike slash was unbelievably stopped by Luffy's palms!
Though the violent trembling made it clear that blocking the attack was no easy feat, under the pressure of Luffy's hands, the terrifying slash gradually shrank—until it vanished completely.
"Hehehe~ Attacks at this level aren't nearly enough!"
Luffy grinned broadly, pride flickering across his face.
Defeating the World Government didn't particularly excite him. What truly brought him joy was feeling his own strength grow again after intense training in the Room of Spirit and Time.
Saint Garling, however, was not surprised. Instead, he sneered coldly.
"Hmph! Just an appetizer, and you're already pleased with yourself?"
As he spoke, his gaze sharpened and his presence surged once more.
An overwhelming tide of Conqueror's Haki burst forth again, directly suppressing Luffy's own.
The battlefield felt as though it were smothered beneath a colossal mountain, utterly inaccessible to ordinary weaklings.
At this moment, in terms of sheer presence alone, he was no weaker than Yonko like Kaido or Whitebeard.
Clearly—
Saint Garling, who had risen above countless Celestial Dragons to become the supreme commander of the God's Knights, possessed power on par with a Yonko!
And this was Luffy's first true face-to-face confrontation with Yonko-level strength!
…
…
"So strong… that pressure!"
At the same time, Brook and Chopper—rescued by Red—hovered above the battlefield at the center of the courtyard, staring down in shock.
Even though they had grown far beyond what their past selves could have imagined…
Facing the two monstrous figures below, like living gods, fear still crept into their hearts.
Even Red couldn't help but smack his lips as he watched Saint Garling's aura.
"Looks like today's battle won't end so easily."
"But…"
His gaze suddenly shifted toward several members of the God's Knights flying inland from the coast using Moonwalk.
During the Mary Geoise incident, due to the disappearance of Saint Charlos and Blackbeard publicly assassinating a Celestial Dragon, only Vice Commander Emilagon had remained behind to guard Mary Geoise.
This time, although a few members still stayed behind, the God's Knights had effectively deployed all their top-tier combat power.
After all, the legendary Demon of Song possessed the power to destroy the world—they had no choice but to be cautious.
What they hadn't expected, however…
Was to run into the Straw Hat crew here!
Likewise, Red hadn't expected that what began as retrieving Luffy's childhood friend and completing a deal with Vegapunk would lead to an encounter with the World Government's strongest forces.
Still…
"This isn't a bad opportunity at all~"
"Running into a chance to reduce the World Government's forces just by coming here…"
"Really is enemies meeting on a narrow road~"
Red grinned.
With a wave of his hand, a Hyperspace Hole opened in the sky beside them.
The next moment, a somewhat disheveled Jinbe fell out of it, caught gently by Red's Psychic power.
"Red… sorry for making you worry."
Seeing Red, Jinbe's face filled with shame.
After joining the Straw Hat Pirates, he hadn't achieved anything noteworthy—worse, he'd been lightly injured almost immediately…
Jinbe truly didn't know where to put his old face.
Seeing his embarrassment, Red smiled, tossed him a Super Potion, and reassured him.
"The opponent was stronger than even the Five Elders. Losing to someone like that isn't shameful."
"Instead of dwelling on that loss, focus on the battles ahead."
"Those guys aren't simple either."
Red pointed toward the other members of the God's Knights, drawing everyone's attention.
Besides Saint Garling, four other members had landed on Elegia.
One was the short female knight who had spoken earlier—judging by the sacred, luxurious sniper rifle in her hands, her combat style was obvious.
Among the remaining three, one was a tall figure wearing a goat-skull mask, wielding a massive scythe like a grim reaper, their gender indistinguishable.
Another was a handsome young man with a calm, ever-smiling face, reminiscent of a Ghibli-style little prince.
The last was a valiant female knight wearing modern headphones and a black trench coat.
"Every one of them… seems far from ordinary~"
Red's lips curled upward.
Through Aura sensing, he could easily tell—
Their presences were no weaker than Jinbe or Moria.
In other words, each of them possessed strength at, or close to, the level of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!
To assemble such a team—truly worthy of the Celestial Dragons who monopolized the world's resources.
And unlike ordinary Celestial Dragons…
The members of the God's Knights did not fear consuming Devil Fruits and bearing the curse of the sea.
…
…
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
Four high-speed afterimages halted in midair.
A strange spatial wormhole suddenly appeared, blocking the God's Knights as they advanced inland.
"Sorry, Celestial Dragons~"
"This path is closed."
Red stepped out of the Hyperspace Hole, with Jinbe and the others following.
Though Jinbe hadn't joined the Straw Hats long, his talent and extended training in the Room of Spirit and Time had already allowed him to master Moonwalk.
Aerial combat posed no real issue for him.
Of course—
His true battlefield would always be the open sea.
"Pirates!?"
Seeing Red and the others, the God's Knights frowned.
The hooded sniper suddenly paled.
"Wait!"
"They… they're members of the Straw Hat Pirates!"
"That man is—Vice Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, Trainer Red!!!"
"What!?"
Although not as famous as Luffy, Red's status as vice captain of a Yonko crew gave him considerable renown.
And just months ago, the Straw Hat Pirates had assaulted Mary Geoise, causing massive damage—
It was impossible for them not to know.
"No wonder Lord Garling hasn't returned yet. If I'm right…"
"The explosion earlier must've been from Lord Garling fighting Yonko Monkey D. Luffy!"
"So Lord Garling has been held back by their captain!"
Though supremely confident, the God's Knights were not like ordinary Celestial Dragons.
They had brains.
They knew that even if Saint Garling could defeat Luffy, it would be impossible for him to support them anytime soon.
"But still…"
"Why are the Straw Hat Pirates here? And Jinbe—did he join them!?"
The goat-skull-masked figure rumbled in confusion.
The black-coated female knight calmly lit a cigarette, exhaling elegantly.
"Who knows~"
"Maybe they're here for that legendary power too."
She drew her sword—a jet-black Western longsword with mysterious ripples of light, an obsidian gem set into the hilt.
Its appearance bore a faint resemblance to Dracule Mihawk's Black Blade · Yoru.
And any weapon wielded by the God's Knights was guaranteed to be extraordinary.
Slash—
A black crescent slash traced a dark moon through the air.
Her eyes remained calm, arrogance and killing intent hidden deep within.
"Since enemies of the World Government stand before us…"
"Our task…"
"Is to shatter them completely!!!"
"Night Moon · Zero Crow!!!"
(End of Chapter)