Chapter 147: Chapter 146: World in Chaos (3)
"First, Whitebeard. Then, Big Mom. Now, Kaidou..."
A man dryly remarked as he read the newspaper.
"The new is replacing the old. The time of their reign is over, and perhaps..."
*CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES IN TAJINE KINGDOM*
"...So is the World Government."
Sighing, he closed it and stood up. Turning his head, he stared at one bounty poster on the wall.
*'Blackbeard' Marshall D. Teach.*
"Damn you, Shanks. Calling on old men like us..."
Taking hold of a glass by the table, he gulped it down, savouring the last bit of it.
"Shakky."
This man, Silvers Rayleigh, said to a woman who was found leaning against a wall, with her arms crossed.
"I'll leave Amazon Lily to you."
"...You better make it back alive."
Rayleigh grinned.
"If I don't return, assume that I'm cheating."
Shakky snorted,
"As if."
Walking past Shakky, Rayleigh waved without turning back. Through the open exit, he walked, and unknown to Shakky, the jovial expression no longer existed on his face.
Grimly, he muttered to himself,
"Seems like it will be a reunion with many familiar faces."
__________
"Who knew?"
In the middle of Tajine Kingdom, Garp stood with Dragon and Sengoku by the side.
"For those who sit at the peak of the world, ones who claim themselves to be gods, to possess the powers that are more devilish than any other..."
Dragon coldly remarked,
"Oh, the irony."
Staring back at them were five demonic creatures.
Jaygarcia Saturn as the monstrous bull-spider, Gyuki.
Marcus Mars as the giant monster bird with a serpentine body, Itsumade.
Topman Warcury as the gigantic, four-tusked boar demon, Fengxi.
Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro as the enormous skeletal horse, Bakotsu.
Shepherd Ju Peter as the giant Sandworm.
"For how long do you think we reigned over this world?"
The Gyuki growled.
"Peace, no matter how harsh it may be, is peace nonetheless. By daring to oppose us... you've willingly set the entire world in chaos, and now, many will suffer due to your selfishness."
"What you're speaking of is nothing but pure sophistry."
Dragon replied with conviction in his eyes.
The wind picked up the surroundings. Garp grinned and Sengoku grimaced.
Kuma, having collected his breath, clenched his fists as he stood in front of Ginny. Ivankov, though laughing wildly, had his eyes glaring at their foes in contempt.
"The peace which you speak of... only applies to you, the Celestial Dragons."
Though calm on the outside, Dragon's heart was beating faster than it ever had.
It was for this moment that he sacrificed everything—be it his family, his future, or his life itself.
"To bring down the sky,"
That's what he vowed.
"As you enjoy the luxuries which were taken from the poor who suffer from down below, they faced tyranny under the greedy and foolish royals. Whether this world is placed in chaos or not, one thing is for sure.
This world will, without a doubt, be a better place without the World Government."
Visibly angered, the World Government waited no more. Roaring, the five gigantic demons released ferocious bursts of Conqueror's Haki, one that caused everyone nearby to be blasted back from the sheer force that was generated by them—except for the three, that is.
Dragon, Garp, and Sengoku—the strongest ones of the rebellion stood without faltering even a single step even under the full pressure of those Conqueror's Haki.
"After Xebec's fall, after seeing the reality in God Valley yet deciding to act as if I saw nothing, I was unable to use Conqueror's Haki. It was because I yielded and derived from my initial belief in justice."
Garp grinned as he spoke.
"Then, four years ago, my Conqueror's Haki returned. Bwahaha... what's there to fear when I'm more free than I have ever been?!"
Brazenly, Garp then launched himself at the five demons. His fist, which was veiled by the monstrous black lightning, was then blasted right at Saturn as Gyuki, one that stood in the middle of the five.
Saturn's eyes widened, caught off guard. By the time he realized, it was too late, and—
—Garp's punch landed straight on his face, crushing it hard into the ground right below.
A huge explosion arose and the nearby demons were knocked away from the impact.
Roaring, the Sandworm began to suck up the very air itself, generating a pressure that pulled everyone nearby into its mouth.
Dragon, witnessing the Sandworm's action, narrowed his eyes. Correspondingly, the wind that was swirling around him had now become something akin to a storm as they traveled upward to the sky.
"Monkey D. Dragon... was once a marine in the past."
Watching such a phenomenon, Tsuru commented.
"Though unknown by generations under, he was someone who would've become an Admiral for sure. Always being one step further than that Sakazuki... Dragon truly befitted the title of Garp's son."
"It's been a while since I saw him fight."
Zephyr grinned.
"Isn't it interesting? Sakazuki, Borsalino, Kuzan, and Dragon—for all of the renowned four of the golden generation to be the users of Logia-type Devil Fruits, I sometimes wonder if it really is nothing but a coincidence."
The Wind Wind fruit. That was the name of the Devil Fruit which Dragon consumed.
And currently, everyone was seeing the might of the power granted by said fruit, as a huge volume of wind was slammed right into the agape mouth of the Sandworm.
Simultaneously, the pressure exerted by the wind in the sky above seemed to have affected the thick cloud. The rain began to pour down from the sky, drenching everyone in sight.
"Speaking of which..."
Nusjuro had the top half of his skeletal horse form morphed into the human form. Taking hold of the hilt of two sheathed swords which were strapped on either side of the skeletal horse, he brought them out and revealed their ferocious gleams.
"Where is White Hunter?"
"What happened to that all-so-great omniscience of Celestial Dragons?"
Grimly replying, Sengoku's body inflated into the enormous golden Buddha.
Mihawk, who was spectating from afar, widened his eyes upon the sight of the sword.
"Black swords! And that ominous Haki... Shodai Kitetsu?"
He revealed a wide, psychotic smile as his grip over his sword, Yoru, trembled in excitement.
On the other hand, Tsuru's eyes narrowed.
"That's..."
Zephyr, who was by the side, nodded,
"Shusui. It's the sword that Smoker used in the past."
Beyond his sunglasses, Zephyr glared at the skeletal horse.
"Any plan?"
"I need to watch first."
Tsuru, while speaking, didn't let her eyes wonder away from the Five Elders who had begun the combat against Garp, Dragon, and Sengoku.
"The key is to understand their powers first and foremost. As I do so..."
Zephyr turned his head and saw the rush of countless World Government soldiers.
"Deal with them, will you."
"A piece of cake."
"Monkey D. Garp..."
Growling, Saturn stood back up with enraged eyes. Shockingly, his disfigured face was returning back to its original form, and the wound he received during Garp's blow was healed automatically, over a short period of time.
"...What?"
Tsuru whispered in disbelief.
"..."
Dragon, noticing this phenomenon, grimaced.
Sengoku, who clashed against Nusjuro, seemed too occupied to notice this.
"Bwahaha!"
Garp, however, seemed delightful as he readied his next punch,
"So you're a free punching bag?!"
Saturn, without saying anything in return, stared at Garp, intently. Then, all of a sudden, everyone felt a wave of some enigmatic energy.
"Hm?"
Garp released his fist and moved his arm around.
"What was that?"
There was no doubt that Saturn did something just now.
Tsuru whispered,
"Telekinesis?"
Just then, Warcury as Fengxi moved. Opening his huge mouth wide, he let out a monstrous, Haki-infused roar.
From the force alone, everyone who stood on the opposing side, be it Dragon, Garp, Tsuru, or Zephyr—every single one of the rebellion were blown off their feet.
Except Sengoku, who was in his gigantic Buddha form, that is.
Sengoku, with a serious expression, turned his palm at Fengxi. An impact wave was blasted from said palm, and colliding against the force generated from Warcury's roar, began the struggle.
And onto the sight of the airborne individuals, Mars in the form of the giant monster bird, Itsumade, entered, flying toward them at a rapid speed.
Dragon motioned his hands forward. A large surge of wind was generated from their back and pushed them forward, preventing their flown-off.
Simultaneously, a ray of lightning struck down Mars from the cloud above. However, simply enduring with Haki, Mars continued to fly through the calamities that Dragon generated.
"Galaxy Impact!!"
And that's when Garp, suddenly appearing atop Mars, landed a punch onto Mars's back.
Receiving the full brunt of the unstoppable force, Mars was blasted downward into the ground, and upon his clash, a huge crater was formed on the earth.
Then, the ground quaked.
Sengoku raised an eyebrow, realizing that it wasn't due to Garp's strike.
Just when he realized such, the enormous Sandworm suddenly broke out of the ground and soared straight at the still airborne people in the sky.
Sengoku immediately tried to blast away the Sandworm, but was interrupted by the incoming slashes from the skeletal horse, Bakotsu.
Reaching right under the airborne people, Sandworm once again started to suck in all the air around it. Generating incredible pressure, everyone began to fly into its agape mouth.
And at the very front of those who are being sucked in was Dragon, whose hand held a concentrated swirl of wind.
Said wind was fired straight into Sandworm's mouth. Reaching deep within Sandworm, it then proceeded to explode magnificently, causing the Sandworm to fall to the earth while spraying its blood everywhere.
"...Strange."
Landing back on the ground, Dragon mumbled.
"All of them—their healing factor is beyond comprehension. Even when accounting for the regenerating power of Zoan-type fruits, for them to be able to heal up to this much without any hint of stamina usage..."
It's as Dragon said. The Five Elders, standing back up at their full Zoan might, showcased the astounding rate of regeneration. Be it the lost part of their bodies or the gruesome wounds that would be lethal to human beings, they restored them in a matter of seconds.
Zephyr expressed his amazement,
"Are they humans even?"
The battle in Tajine Kingdom was ongoing, and seemed far from over...
...or not.
...
Unknown to them, someone with crimson eyes was watching the scene—all the way from the Pangaea Castle of Mariejois.
"..."
Then, he stood up from the throne on which he was sitting.
Walking down the stairs, he stated,
"Mu will use the Uranus."
Back in Tajine Kingdo, all Five Elders froze on their spot, drawing confusion out of their enemies as well as the World Government soldiers.
"""""Yes, Imu-sama."""""
Kneeling in their full Zoan-form in the middle of the battlefield, they said.
"Imu?"
Dragon instantly caught onto the name and furrowed his brows.
"Who?"
Garp, casually throwing his fist at one of the enemy soldiers, blasted said foe away into the ocean far off.
"Sama? Kneel? But... there isn't supposed to be anyone who stands above the Five Elders!"
Sengoku immediately refuted, confused more than any other.
"There isn't supposed to be an occupant of the Empty Throne!"
By the time he said so, the act had already started.
Beyond the cloud, everyone witnessed the light that was becoming more and more intense.
Tsuru widened her eyes and quickly shouted,
"EVERYONE!! TAKE COVER—"
The destructive and massive beams of pure energy struck down the kingdom of Tajine, pulverizing everything in their paths into oblivion.
The bright light consumed the entire island, and,
__________
*the whereabouts as well as the survival of those who were present on the battlefield... remain unknown.*
Reading the newspaper in his hands, Smoker revealed a stoic expression, as if unable to believe what he just read.
"And this newspaper... was published a week ago. What even..."
"What's wrong, Smoker?"
Noticing his wavering eyes, Hina asked.
"What did it say?"
"We need to speed up the ship, Hina."
Smoker instantly said as he stood up. With urgency written in his eyes, he walked up the stairs and exited through the door, revealing the deck of the ship in which they were within.
"Smoker-san?"
Approaching Rosinante who tilted his head in curiosity, Smoker asked,
"How far are we from the Red Line, Rosinante?"
"...It hasn't been long since we left Wano. It would take more than a week at this pace, I'd assume."
The first thing that entered Smoker's mind, before all else, was the safety of those who inhabited the Sky island.
Luffy, Ace, Monet, Sugar, Baby 5, and others—are they safe? Are they well hidden?
Feeling nausea wash over him, Smoker held his head as he sat on the deck and leaned against the railing.
Looking up and gazing at the peaceful sky, Smoker muttered to himself,
"Fuck."
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