As Conqueror's Haki exploded above the Giant Kingdom, complete silence fell over Elbaf.
Every giant, whether laboring workers or children playing in the streets, simultaneously stopped what they were doing and looked up at the sky in unison.
The moment they raised their heads, the suspended 'crimson sun' suddenly erupted. The black and red Conqueror's Haki poured down from hundreds of meters high like a breached galactic river, then flowed at astonishing speed through every corner of the Giant Kingdom.
A giant blacksmith forging iron dropped his massive hammer with a loud clang.
His towering body stiffened momentarily before his eyes rolled back, collapsing to the ground like a felled ancient tree.
Throughout streets, alleys, and fields, hundreds of giants - men, women, young and old - fell straight down one after another under the impact of this invisible torrent.
The heavy thuds of collapsing bodies echoed continuously.
...
Above the West Village cliffs.
Gaban stared at the crimson sun hanging high in the sky, feeling the terrifying pressure washing over him, his eyes widening uncontrollably.
"Damn it!" After a brief daze, Gaban suddenly turned back, his face pale with horror as he exclaimed.
"Your marshal has made a move against Loki!"
"Eh?" Luffy blinked, pointing at the sky with innocent excitement. "Fighting Loki? Where do you see that, old man? It's clearly the sun rising over Elbaf!"
"The sun! The sun's coming out!" Chopper jumped around happily beside him.
Usopp even took out his notebook, ready to record Elbaf's marvelous spectacle.
Just then, the Conqueror's Haki pouring down from high above finally reached the West Village cliffs.
The substantial pressure caused low-frequency vibrations in the air.
Gaban's expression changed drastically as he instinctively prepared to release his own Conqueror's Haki to protect Luffy and the others.
However, he was too late.
The torrent of Conqueror's Haki swept past him instantly, causing the surrounding space to hum with low resonance.
Even someone as powerful as him felt an invisible tremendous force pressing down, making his breath catch and his body sink abruptly.
But the next moment, Gaban was shocked to discover that Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp remained completely unharmed.
Luffy continued pointing foolishly at the 'sun' in the sky, Chopper kept spinning in place, and Usopp had already started sketching.
The Haki that could instantly knock out giant warriors had gently flowed around them like a self-aware stream when passing by.
Witnessing this, even someone as powerful as Gaban couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.
Releasing Conqueror's Haki in the Netherworld that not only covered the entire Giant Kingdom but could so precisely avoid the three interns before him?
What terrifying control!
After a brief daze, Gaban snapped back to reality and cried out in alarm.
"This is bad!"
Before his words faded, he had already transformed into a blur, speeding toward the library.
"Hey! Old man! Wait for us!"
Seeing this, Luffy and the other two shouted in confusion and sprinted after him.
Before the ruins of Oulst Castle perched atop a towering tree, the giant elder Jarul and a group of giant warriors rose in shock, gazing up at the crimson sun that had appeared out of thin air.
"What's happening?!" a giant warrior exclaimed in astonishment. "The sky... why is there suddenly another sun in the sky!"
"That's no sun!" Jarul's face was unprecedentedly grave, his voice hoarse with awe. "It's Conqueror's Haki! Quickly! Prepare to resist the incoming Haki!"
No sooner had Jarul spoken than the Haki descending from the sky reached the ground, instantly spreading out and stirring up a storm of Haki that made space itself tremble.
In the blink of an eye, it enveloped Jarul and the others.
A giant warrior's pupils contracted sharply. Roaring, he unleashed his own aura in an attempt to resist, but his efforts were meaningless against that overwhelming will.
With a thud, his legs gave way uncontrollably, dropping to one knee as his massive body teetered precariously.
Then, as if triggered by a chain reaction, the other giant warriors around him were forced to their knees one after another.
They gritted their teeth until they nearly shattered, veins bulging, yet couldn't even manage to lift their heads.
Finally, two of the relatively weaker warriors could endure no longer. Their eyes rolled back, and they collapsed unconscious on the spot.
Meanwhile, across Elbaf, the elite giant warriors who had been lying in ambush to handle emergencies fared even worse.
The weaker ones collapsed instantly when the torrent of Haki washed over them, falling unconscious where they stood.
Those slightly stronger were sent flying backward by the impact of the Conqueror's Haki, looking utterly disheveled.
The remaining handful of powerful warriors stood rigidly in place, unable to move their bodies, forced to maintain their upward gaze at the crimson sun radiating boundless majesty high in the sky.
"Sun God?"
After a brief silence, an absurd thought suddenly flashed through the mind of one paralyzed giant warrior - an inexplicable urge to worship, to prostrate himself before this divine miracle.
Yet his body remained tightly constrained by that domineering will, unable to move even a single finger.
...
Inside the Owl Library.
The surging Conqueror's Haki swept through like a silent hurricane.
Saul, who had been catching up with Robin, suddenly stiffened.
The joy of reunion frozen on his face, his massive body seemingly petrified where he stood.
Deep within the library, in a hidden chamber where Ripley and a group of giant students had taken shelter earlier on Gaban's orders, none were spared.
Aside from Ripley, who as a warrior felt the overwhelming pressure bearing down on her, the young giant students didn't even make a sound before collapsing unconscious in unison.
"Conqueror's Haki?!" Ripley's face paled dramatically as she cried out in alarm. "This is bad, war has broken out!"
She didn't have time to attend to the unconscious children and immediately pushed open the hidden chamber door, rushing out.
However, the moment she emerged, Ripley witnessed a scene she couldn't comprehend.
Robin, Perona, and the others stood unharmed, not even a corner of their clothing disturbed.
Before them, the towering Saul stood rigid as a statue, completely immobilized.
Before Ripley could process the situation, the motionless Saul struggled to speak first.
"Ripley, don't act rashly."
"This isn't a war!"
"This is a probe by the Fleet Admiral targeting Elbaf."
"His goal is to make Elbaf submit."
"Give up the resistance, Ripley. No one in Elbaf can stop what this Fleet Admiral intends to do."