Deva Path Pain spoke, pointing towards a pair of captives.
Escanor, with an air of unhurried confidence looked over to the direction Deva Path was pointing to.
Hidden within a pit nearby, Flampe and a blond woman had already been apprehended, they both trembled with fear.
Flampe, in particular, was in a state of distress, soiling her once proud demeanor, she'd never experienced before, despite her grown-up stature.
It was the first time she had felt such a profound sense of defeat.
"Release me! Release me!" she cried out desperately, her voice quivering.
"Do you even know who my mother is?" she exclaimed.
"She's one of the Four Emperors! If you even lay a finger on me, my mother will hunt you down, she will ensure your demise."
"And not only you but your entire crew will be annihilated!"
Escanor approached at a leisurely pace, inquiring,
"What exactly are these 'Four Emperors'?"
Deva Path Pain answered, "They seem to be a powerful pirate group, but the details are vague. I never delved into them extensively."
Amidst the tension, a boisterous laugh erupted, echoing through the desolate Sabaody Archipelago.
"Hahahahahaha...."
Suddenly, a burst of laughter erupted from the blond woman who was besides Flampe.
"Flampe, it's a shame. Your mother has just met her end at the hands of Carnes," she remarked with a sly grin.
Flampe paused for a moment, clearly not believing the words of the blond woman.
In her eyes, her mother was an invincible force who noone could defeat.
"Who are you? How dare you speak ill of my mother? I'll kill you!" Flampe retorted angrily.
"Quit dreaming," the blond woman replied unshaken.
"At this very moment, the Big Mom Pirates have been defeated and Big Mom has been declared dead."
"You wretched woman, I'm going to end you!" Flampe struggled desperately, attempting to break free from Deva Path Pain's grasp.
But her efforts were in vain.
Deva Path held her as effortlessly as one would a chicken, her struggles amounting to naught.
"Kill her. There's no point in keeping her alive," Escanor declared, his tone casual.
Hearing this, Flampe's conviction wavered entirely.
Flampe's face contorted in fear.
"You can't kill me." she shouted defiantly.
"If you do, my mother won't spare you, and neither will my brothers or sisters—they'll all hunt you down. You'll never escape."
Without hesitation, Deva Path conjured a black rod and drove it through her heart.
"Ah!" screamed the blond woman in horror as she witnessed the gruesome scene which unfolded before her eyes.
Deva Path turned his attention to her.
"And what about the other woman, Escanor? What do you think?"
"She... doesn't appear to be associated with them," Escanor responded.
"Yes, yes! I'm just a news agency girl, just a cute reporter," the blond woman hastily explained.
"Have you encountered Captain Carnes?" Deva Path Pain inquired from the side.
"My partner is responsible for gathering news over there. I've heard that the battle there has concluded.
Both emperors, Kaido and Charlotte Linlin, have fallen, and Lord Carnes is on his way here."
Deva Path released his grip on the blond woman and placed her on the ground.
"Leave our sight before we change our minds."
"Okay, okay," she nodded, retrieved her camera from the pit, and fled away without looking back.
Just then, above the sky, dark clouds and thunder gathered.
Escanor and Deva Path Pain simultaneously gazed upwards.
"This doesn't seem right; it's not a normal phenomenon," Deva Path Pain murmured.
"It appears to be preparation for some kind of massive attack."
Meanwhile, Carnes and Ulquiorra, who were returning, also noticed the unusual phenomenon.
"Captain..."
"Yes, I've noticed it."
At the same time, in the Holy Land of Mariejois, within Pangaea Castle's secluded garden.
The shadowy mastermind behind the World Government.
The ruler of the Empty Throne, Imu, fixed her gaze upon the map before her.
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