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Boom!
As the five Elders with shaggy beards watched in horror, their complexions shifted. An overwhelming light cloaked the entirety of Mariejois, painting the sky with a piercing brilliance. A white pillar of destruction hundreds of meters wide began its descent, signaling an imminent catastrophe.
In that split second, everyone was blinded by the penetrating light and forced to shield their eyes. Mariejois, the seat of the World Government, trembled with unrestrained ferocity. As the pressure from above bore down, large swathes of the Red Line crumbled, fissures sprawling across the land.
Below, on the Sabaody Archipelago, pinned beneath the Red Line, the effects were felt clearly—a tumult shaking the very fabric of the heavens and the earth. Unlike the distant tremors from past tsunamis, this calamity struck at the heart of Sabaody, with earthquakes and a myriad of natural disasters unfolding.
The Alchiman mangroves, with their thick roots, collapsed, leading to utter chaos. The entire archipelago was torn asunder; sea water gushed in, and docked pirate ships were dashed to debris.
One could scarcely imagine the terrifying force bearing down upon the 'Holy Land' of Mariejois at this moment. "Is this what one might call the power of a god?!" Rayleigh, leaping through the wreckage of the mangroves, could not conceal his shock, his gaze turning abruptly toward Mariejois where the man attempting to overthrow the government stood.
Boom!
At that moment, above the heaving Mariejois, Bai Ye stood, bathed in an orange-red flame as scorching as the surface of the sun. In his right hand, he brandished Ryūjin Jakka, his spiritual pressure soaring. "You think this level of attack can destroy me..." he muttered, a sharp glint in his eyes as he looked toward the projection of Im hovering above. "But it's not enough!" With a fierce slash, he targeted the beam laying waste to all of Mariejois.
Boom!
In that instant, a cataclysmic release of spiritual pressure burst forth. A deluge of flames tore through the Red Line, lifting the earth's crust and melting it.
Flames erupted from beneath the ground and surged into the sky. As the fiery onslaught from Ryūjin Jakka met Uranus's destructive force, the two forces collided, creating a massive, roaring explosion that echoed across the Grand Line. Even the distant seas trembled faintly.
Afterwards, the residual effects of the clash above Mariejois caused visible ripples in the sky, and from afar, these spread toward Marineford, the Calm Belt, and even the New World. The entire sky was webbed with cracks as though it might shatter at any moment.
Those on the outside watching through a projected phone bug were rendered speechless by the display. Fear gripped every kingdom, force, and pirate that bore witness—was this the hidden truth of the World Government's might?
After a seemingly eternal pause, the world snapped back to reality, processing the horror they had just witnessed.
I felt uncontrollable fear in my heart.
Someone's voice trembled slightly, in disbelief and almost crazed:
"No... no way.
"Just by raising your hand... you're almost on par with a 'god'!"
"It's no surprise that the Whitebeard Pirates are attacking the Marine's stronghold, and yet the World Government remains indifferent."
"With such terrifying power... Not just the Whitebeard Pirates, but even if all Four Emperors of the New World joined forces, they couldn't storm Mariejois without suffering heavy losses, right?"
"Unbelievable."
The horrors unleashed by the World Government spread fear throughout the Grand Line.
The Grand Line, the New World, the Four Seas – all around the world, countless people despaired.
For 800 years since its inception, the institution stood unshakable in these seas.
If there were once forces that held onto hope for change.
Now, in this moment.
All those hopes were crushed!
Especially since the mysterious figure who made the Five Elders kneel appeared.
The World Government's first public demonstration of power...!
Comparable to a "God"!
A tremor of despair from deep within the heart shook everyone.
It was enough to make anyone realize.
There was no chance to challenge that 'monster'!
"Is it... is it over?!"
Suddenly.
As the dust cloud surrounded Mariejois, everyone had the same thought about the man who dared to challenge the World Government alone.
But just as we thought it was the end, whether it was the Marines at the Naval Headquarters or pirates like Doflamingo from the New World.
Even the other members of the Four Emperors, like the Red Hair Pirates, Big Mom and the others, we all had the same sudden realization.
The color of the Mariejois dust cloud turned red!
It seemed as if a wave of fire had descended upon Mariejois!
Intense heat tore through the place!
A roiling inferno enveloped Mariejois!
"What... what is that?!"
Countless people shuddered.
In no time, when we could hardly imagine where the next attack would strike, we saw it in front of us.
Everyone was stunned.
All that could be seen.
Was a massive pit, nearly a thousand meters across, like an abyss on Mariejois!
The pit was dark and seemingly bottomless.
It exuded an air of suffocating despair.
Yet, at the very heart of the abyss.
There was a small clear space at the center!
And there.
Stood a man with a powerful build!
When everything was revealed.
A fresh wave of terror struck everyone.
People were speechless:
"No... unharmed!!!"
"How is this possible!!!"
"After that kind of assault...!!!"
"Is that man really human?!"
At this moment.
People across the entire Grand Line were nearly driven mad.
The disheveled Five Elders saw something 'impossible.'
The shock to his heart and his worldview left him frozen in place.
His eyes were wide, his mouth trembling slightly open, all because he was near the blast that targeted Lord Im.
He had personally witnessed the unimaginable power of "God's Judgment" that Lord Im had unleashed.
An attack that should have obliterated any enemy of the World Government...
But it didn't!
"Are you kidding me?!"
For the first time, the shaggy Five Elder felt a terrifying madness rising in his chest.
He couldn't believe his eyes!