At the same time, in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise—deep within the innermost reaches of Pangaea Castle.
At the far end of a vast, cavernous hall stood the Empty Throne, elevated high above dozens of steps carved from white stone as smooth and lustrous as jade.
Legend claimed that this throne symbolized "vacant sovereignty"—proof that the World Government had no single absolute ruler.
And yet, at this very moment, before the throne that embodied "equality," the highest authorities in the world—the Five Elders—were kneeling in utter humility… and unmistakable fear.
They had been kneeling for far too long.
From the moment the world-shaking declaration from New Marineford spread across the seas via Transponder Snails… from the instant Gern Reginald Sigmar proclaimed his independence—
The five of them had received a command from that being—a command so brief it bordered on nothingness.
And so, they remained here.
Pinned in place.
Kneeling at the cold foot of the Empty Throne's steps.
No further instructions followed. No explanations. Not even the usual hollow, genderless voice that would echo within their minds.
There was only silence.
An endless, suffocating silence.
"…Nasujuro."
At last, a faint voice broke the suffocating stillness.
Shepherd Ju Peter spoke quietly, his tone strained. His pristine dark suit had long since creased from kneeling, and even his meticulously groomed beard had fallen into slight disarray.
Still, he turned his head, glancing toward the man beside him—
Ethanbaron V. Nasujuro.
"What… exactly happened?"
The question had lingered in all their minds for far too long.
They only knew this: Nasujuro had been ordered by that being to intercept Gern and reclaim the "Mother Flame."
He had returned gravely wounded.
Then came that rare command—
Do not descend to the lower world.
And after that… more than a month of unprecedented, absolute silence.
Nasujuro remained kneeling, his head slightly bowed. At the question, his stern, rigid expression tightened into a faint frown.
"I don't know either," he said in a low voice. "All I remember… is that I lost."
"A complete defeat. My swordsmanship, my Devil Fruit abilities… even the 'blessing' granted by that being…"
He paused.
"And then… when I came to, I was already… back in Mary Geoise." His brows knit deeper. "What happened in between, what method Gern used, why that order was given… I have no memory of it."
"It's as if that stretch of time… was erased."
Erased?
The others felt a chill run through them simultaneously.
"That's a side effect of that being's descent," said Jaygarcia Saturn, opening his eyes briefly. "If we have no memory, then there's nothing to question."
He closed them again.
"Then what do we do now?" Marcus Mars let out a long sigh. "Do we just sit back and let 'Skyquake'… let Gern continue like this?"
"Enies Lobby has been fully taken over by the Marines. Every route leading to the Gates of Justice is blockaded by naval fleets."
"Our tax fleets across the Four Seas and the first half of the Grand Line are being driven off—or outright seized—by the Marines."
"More than ten affiliated nations have already stopped paying the Heavenly Tribute. Instead, they're redirecting their taxes to New Marineford."
"The operational space of CP agencies in the lower world has been compressed to the limit. Losses are severe…"
"At this rate, in less than half a year, the 'legitimacy' the World Government has maintained for eight hundred years will be completely torn apart—and trampled under his feet."
"…In any case," Saturn said calmly, his eyes still closed, fingers lightly rolling his staff, "we cannot disobey that being's command."
"But—" Topman Warcury couldn't hold back any longer. "Saturn, if we continue to 'remain still' here, we're handing all initiative in the lower world over to Skyquake!"
"He's not just stripping away our wealth and authority—he's systematically, completely dismantling the very legal foundation of the World Government's eight-hundred-year rule!"
"He's telling the entire world that there's no need for Celestial Dragons, no need for World Nobles, no need for 'descendants of the creators'!"
"That the seas can function perfectly well without them—perhaps even… better!"
"He… he's digging up our roots!" Warcury's voice grew more heated with every word.
"When the hearts of the people fully turn to him… when those affiliated nations grow accustomed to paying taxes to the Marines, to seeking their protection… when the Marines' 'new justice' becomes the standard in people's minds…"
"Even if we return to the lower world with overwhelming power, what awaits us won't be resistance—it will be something far worse."
"Alienation."
"Hostility."
"We will become… invaders."
The words were sharp. Brutal.
And undeniably true.
The other four—including Saturn, who had kept his eyes closed—tightened their expressions.
They held the highest authority in the world.
They commanded the God's Knights, the peak forces of CP0, and vast military potential. They controlled portions of Vegapunk's advanced technology. They possessed eight hundred years' worth of terrifying resources and secrets.
In theory… they had the power to overturn everything Gern had done in an instant.
But the command of that being had bound them completely.
It wasn't just an order.
It was… fear, made manifest.
Even that being, after encountering Gern, had issued a near-retreat command—do not descend—and then fallen into an unsettling silence.
The meaning behind that… chilled them to the bone.
"You think we don't want to act?" Nasujuro suddenly snapped, raising his head. "Isn't this—right now—proof enough?!"
His sharp gaze pierced straight into Warcury, his voice turning cold and severe.
"Or are you suggesting… that we defy that being's command?"
Warcury's body trembled. The color drained from his face as he quickly lowered his head.
"I wouldn't dare."
To defy that being?
The very thought made their souls quake.
The consequences… could not be described as mere death.
It would be something far more terrifying than erasure.
It would be… denial.
Silence fell over the hall once more.
They—the rulers of the world—now resembled five children who had committed an unforgivable mistake, kneeling helplessly as they awaited judgment.
Time passed, second by second.
Sunlight streamed through the towering stained-glass windows, casting shifting patterns of color across the floor. The hues slowly dimmed—from brilliance to dusk—
Until they were replaced by the soft white glow of the hall's wall lamps.
No one knew how many more days had passed.
"Buzz…"
A faint vibration—so subtle it seemed to resonate directly within the soul—suddenly echoed in all five of their minds at once.
It wasn't sound.
It was the sensation of a presence reconnecting.
All five trembled violently. Their heads dropped even lower, their foreheads nearly touching the cold stone.
It had come.
That being… had finally descended once more.
But the instructions they had expected—orders, reprimands, commands—never arrived.
Instead, what flowed into their perception were fragments.
Broken.
Blurred.
Disjointed.
Endless darkness and void.(Was that the essence of that being's power… or something it had encountered?)
A single point of blazing gold and crimson light—so intense it scorched the soul.(What was that? A Devil Fruit? Haki? A completely unknown power system?)
Pain.
The sensation of being burned.
(Fear…? That being felt fear?!)
"Starlight… ember…"(A fragmented whisper, its meaning unclear.)
And finally—
An overwhelming rejection of that golden-crimson light.
Followed by the lingering echo of an absolute command:
"…Withdraw… observe… understand… that 'flame'…"
And then—
The connection was severed.