At first, the people of the Holy Land of Mary Geoise and Red Port, already swallowed by darkness, watched the celestial phenomenon with a trace of excitement. After all, it was something they might not see even once in their entire lives. But as the pillar of fire connecting the earth and the sun appeared, and the enormous black celestial body seemed to hang in the sky forever, blocking the sun and plunging the world into darkness, everyone began to realize something was wrong.
Their expressions shifted from excitement to unease, and then, finally, to panic.
"Is it just me? Why hasn't the sun come back out yet...?"
"Does a solar eclipse last this long?"
"The sun isn't going to stay hidden, is it...?"
"What's going on with that firelight...?"
Among the crowd at Red Port, Morgans, the News King, and Stussy of CP0 also stared at the scene in shock.
Almost instinctively, Morgans grew excited.
"Big news! I smell big news!"
Stussy looked at him suspiciously and questioned him.
"Morgans, you don't happen to know something, do you...?"
Morgans shouted in excitement.
"Heh heh heh, you think too highly of me. If I knew what was going on, I wouldn't still be here right now..."
At that point, Morgans seemed to remember something and asked Stussy, "Hey, Stussy, I can agree to the terms you proposed. In exchange, as CP0, you should be able to take me up there, right?"
Stussy's masked body clearly stiffened. She neither refused nor agreed, only saying, "I need to ask for instructions."
"Do as you like, but you'd better hurry. It'd be a real shame to miss the show."
Stussy's Den Den Mushi soon received a reply.
"We can take you to Mary Geoise, but afterward, the exact report on today's news must receive our approval."
"Heh heh heh, no problem. Then let's not waste any time!"
As Morgans and Stussy ascended to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, the Marines from Marine Headquarters and the G1 Branch also quickly began converging on Red Port.
At that moment, on Pangaea Castle's Social Plaza.
The vast plaza was now deathly silent. The royal families and guards from the fifty kingdoms attending the Reverie all stood there pale-faced and sweating coldly, staring at the man sitting alone in a chair, his body burning with flames that connected the sun and the earth.
"Gulp..."
Everyone swallowed involuntarily.
Only now did many of the royal guards recognize the young man who had suddenly become the center of the banquet. The boy who had removed his helmet and revealed a head of red hair was none other than the captain of the Sky Pirates: Fire Dragon Yemu.
And they had Fleet Admiral Sengoku's sudden furious roar to thank for that realization.
Facing Sengoku's rage-filled roar, heavy with killing intent, Yemu had only just used the flames to connect the power of his Fuwa Fuwa no Mi ability to the massive satellite above, bringing the enormous celestial body fully under his control. Only then did he let out a breath of relief in his heart and speak to Sengoku, whom he had not seen in a long time.
"We meet again, Admiral Sengoku! I heard you became Fleet Admiral. Congratulations are in order!"
At that moment, Sengoku did not relax in the slightest because of Yemu's casual words. Instead, he stepped forward heavily, walking slowly through the crowd until he arrived less than ten meters from Yemu. The other four Marines followed closely behind him.
Looking at Yemu, who was now right in front of him, Sengoku's fury shot straight into the sky like the pillar of fire around Yemu. Even so, he did not lose his composure. He only questioned him coldly.
"I have no desire to accept congratulations from a pirate. Tell me, Fire Dragon Yemu, what are you trying to do this time?"
"What am I trying to do? I thought I'd made it obvious enough, Admiral Sengoku!"
At that, Yemu slowly stood up. Facing the entire world alone, surrounded by burning flames, he declared the true purpose of his arrival.
"To declare war, of course!"