Buzz!
A storm of repulsive force exploded beneath the scepter, wiping out everything and everyone in Mary Geoise in an instant.
What kind of concept was a Six Paths-level Almighty Push?
After the Almighty Push subsided, the ground of Mary Geoise was as smooth and flat as a polished mirror, with only a single palace standing far in the distance.
A straw-hat-shaped barrier protected the palace, its light flickering weakly, clearly reaching its limit.
The only living being left was the kimono-wearing Elder, though his condition was utterly miserable.
The lower half of his body and his left arm were completely gone. He lay in a pool of blood, face-up, staring silently at Kaito floating above.
Swish!
Kaito appeared before the kimono Elder. He glanced at the palace protected by the straw-hat barrier in the distance and said calmly,
"Imu is inside that palace, isn't he?"
The Elder's face twisted into a chilling smile. With every ounce of strength he had left, he shouted hysterically,
"Uchiha Kaito! Today is the day you die! Imu-sama will never let you escape!"
But as soon as he finished, his eyes suddenly flashed with the same pattern as Imu's… then instantly faded. His expression turned confused.
"I… Imu-sama?"
Kaito frowned. Just now, he had sensed an intense mental fluctuation from the Elder. It seemed the Elder had just broken free from some illusion.
The Elder coughed up a mouthful of blood. The pain of his body dragged him back to reality. Looking down at his ruined form, he gave a broken laugh.
"Imu-sama… you really are cruel!!"
Kaito could see how pitiful he was now. He raised his scepter to grant the man a quick death.
Realizing Kaito's intent, the Elder suddenly spoke,
"Uchiha Kaito, you'd best leave this place now. Imu wants to feed you to that monster. In doing so, he'll gain unimaginable benefits. If he succeeds, this world will truly be destroyed!"
At the brink of death, a man's words turn sincere.
Of all the Elders, this one was undoubtedly the most tragic. On the surface, he had seemed Imu's most trusted Elder. In truth, he was nothing but a puppet, his mind endlessly influenced by Imu's will.
The cruelest part was that his consciousness remained awake. Sometimes, he hadn't wanted to obey—like when he killed the blond Elder.
But his body acted against his will. That powerlessness was unbearable.
He had been controlled for who knew how many years. Now, finally regaining his original self, his body was collapsing beyond repair...
Though controlled, he remembered everything that had happened over the years, including Imu's "farming" of Kaito.
He knew full well—if Imu succeeded, no one in this world would be able to stop him. Imu would use that monster to turn the entire world into wasteland.
The reason he had been chosen as Imu's "mouthpiece" back then was because he was different from the other four Elders. He was a warrior, still retaining some shred of humanity.
That was precisely why Imu had chosen him—ensuring all five Elders would serve as loyal hounds.
Kaito's scepter paused midair. He asked,
"Thanks for the warning. But sooner or later, he and I will settle things. Do you have any last words?"
The Elder had already said what needed to be said. What Kaito chose to do was no longer his concern.
At death's door, he used his one remaining arm to lift his katana toward Kaito.
"Please… give this to Mihawk. A-and tell that brat… that some of the things I did were not of my own will. Tell him not to resent me. If possible… I'd love to hear him call me… f-father… just once more…"
His voice weakened… then vanished.
The Elder was dead. But the arm holding the katana remained raised.
Kaito was still stunned by his words. He had guessed Mihawk might be a Celestial Dragon, but never imagined his father was one of the Elders.
He recalled how, after the Shichibukai system was abolished, the Navy had been sent to arrest Mihawk. At that time, this Elder had shown no sign of recognition.
It could only mean one thing—Imu's illusion was truly terrifying. To the point of disregarding even his own son's life.
With a quiet sigh, Kaito took the katana from the Elder's hand. The instant he did, the arm fell lifelessly, and the Elder's eyes closed.
Kaito waved his hand, releasing a chill of Yomi to encase the Elder's corpse in ice, forming a frozen coffin that drifted into the Door-Door Space.
Mihawk and Kaito at least shared a "meal" between them. And Kaito admired Mihawk as a pure swordsman. When he returned, he would hand his father's body over to him.
...
By now, Sengoku and the others had also arrived. The sight before them made them all draw sharp breaths.
The once-prosperous Mary Geoise was now utterly barren. Even the hated Celestial Dragons had been wiped clean.
Sengoku's expression was complicated as he looked at Kaito standing ahead. He didn't need to ask—this was clearly Kaito's doing.
Aokiji looked at the ground beneath his feet, smoother than ice itself, and thought,
"He actually did it… The World Government has fallen by his hand!"
Kizaru adjusted his glasses, glancing around as he muttered in his habitual drawl,
"Kooowa~ This is really a big one…"
Akainu pressed down his cap. Compared to Kaito, his Meteor Volcano felt utterly insignificant. Perhaps he should have gone all out earlier?
Gion, however, noticed Kaito standing motionless. She quickly walked up to him, worry written on her face.
"Kaito, are you alright?"
Kaito turned to her with a smile.
"I'm fine. But this isn't over yet."
"Hm? Didn't you just level Mary Geoise? Who could have survived that kind of attack?"
"Heh… humans can't survive. But what if they're not human?"
As he spoke, Kaito narrowed his Rinnegan toward the distant straw-hat-shaped barrier.
Ripples spread across its surface. Then, three figures stepped out through the shield.
Sengoku and the others also reached Kaito's side. When they saw the faces of those three figures, even Sengoku—always calm and composed—cried out in shock,
"This is impossible!?"