At this moment, the ground across the entire Spring Queen Island cracked open. From the narrow fissures, countless wisps of ice-blue gaseous energy surged forth, beginning to pour into the three Gorosei and the two Celestial Dragon Family Heads inside and outside the city.
Mihawk stared intently at Oseinofica's changing form, shaken by the violent eruption of his aura. The last time his expression had faltered like this was when Alucard had effortlessly defeated him.
Cr-crack! Crack-crack-crack!
The ground, which had initially only shown thin fissures, began to undergo a cataclysmic level of upheaval beneath Oseinofica's feet as his power surged wildly. Countless people, unable to react in time, plummeted into the deep chasms.
The same transformation was occurring before Momousagi and Shirokitsune as they battled the handlebar-mustached Gorosei.
Initially, an Admiral and an Admiral-candidate had managed to hold their own against him. Though their odds were slim, a glimmer of hope for victory had remained.
However, after sensing the vast, universe-like power swelling within their opponent, even a battle-hardened expert like Momousagi couldn't help but take a half-step back. She whispered in dread, "W-what is this? A sudden breakthrough in power...?"
Through their earlier exchange, Momousagi had judged that while the Gorosei were strong, they were roughly at the level between a top-tier Admiral and a Yonko. If they were already beyond the Yonko, how could the Four Emperors have ever become such a headache for the World Government?
But now, these men had truly reached the Yonko rank. Not only had they reached it, but their power was still climbing.
In a blink, they had surpassed it!
"Impossible! Even a temporary breakthrough or awakening shouldn't grant such terrifying growth!" Momousagi's face paled.
If they had been "Beyond-Yonko" class from the start, she wouldn't have been so shocked. The issue was this instantaneous jump from Admiral to Yonko, then to Beyond-Yonko, levels that were quickly approaching the peaks of Pirate King Gol D. Roger and "Whitebeard" Edward Newgate. How could this not be terrifying?
Even the "protagonist-halo" fueled outbursts of Luffy never reached such heights.
In roughly thirty seconds, the Gorosei and Oseinofica had shattered the ceiling of the "Top Admiral" class and ascended to the "Beyond-Yonko" class.
As the power of the handlebar-mustached Gorosei approached the peak strength of Roger and Whitebeard, his surging aura finally stabilized just a hair's breadth away from that summit.
The Gorosei frowned slightly, muttering, "Is this the limit...?"
On the other side, Oseinofica's power continued to climb. Garp watched in shock. "That level... only Roger ever reached it..."
Indeed, Oseinofica had surpassed the handlebar-mustached Gorosei, reaching the same level of power Roger possessed during his healthy prime! Even Whitebeard was a fraction behind this.
A bead of cold sweat rolled down Mihawk's face from beneath his wide-brimmed hat. "What is happening?"
"Yehahahaha!!"
Oseinofica laughed maniacally. "This power... it feels absolutely exhilarating!"
With that, Oseinofica delivered a casual swing of his blade. Mihawk reacted instantly, throwing himself to the side to narrowly avoid the strike.
Behind him, the sea was instantly split by a bottomless trench. The surrounding waters rushed into the chasm, churning for a long time without settling.
"With just one swing..."
"The World's Greatest Swordsman didn't even dare take it head-on... what kind of power is this?!"
The pirates behind Buggy were shell-shocked. Buggy himself stood trembling, whispering, "Cap... Captain..."
Yes, he recognized it. That was the power he had seen on Roger, the Roger at his absolute zenith. He even wondered if his eyes were deceiving him; it felt like this might even be a step stronger.
"Hey, been sitting in the office too long? It seems your capacity for soul-power has diminished," Oseinofica taunted the handlebar-mustached Gorosei with a loud laugh.
"Hmph. Shut up and eliminate the rebels," the Gorosei snorted coldly, charging forward to resume his attack.
"Alright, boys, let's begin!"
Oseinofica roared, closing the distance to Mihawk in an instant.
"Don't underestimate me!"
Mihawk was not quite at the Yonko level, but he was only a hair's breadth away. Underestimating him would lead to a bitter end.
But Mihawk truly felt the weight of the pressure now.
The same scene was unfolding inside the city, right before Alucard.
Watching these men whose auras had climbed to the extreme, Alucard said coldly, "Eight hundred years of accumulated soul-power is more than just this. It seems your ability to absorb souls is limited by the endurance of your own bodies."
By his estimation, the blond Gorosei now possessed the strength of Whitebeard in his prime.
The robe-wearing Gorosei possessed power a fraction higher than Roger's peak.
The Celestial Dragon, Nedseo, was slightly behind them.
"If this is your trump card, it's honestly quite boring," Alucard chuckled.
This power was certainly enough to cow the entire world, sd it was the absolute pinnacle of this world's strength, but as far as killing Alucard was concerned, it fell far short.
"I hope your life is as tough as your mouth."
The robe-wearing Gorosei erupted with the radiant light of the National Treasure. He swung his sword, unleashing a storm of red-and-gold sword ki that attacked from every conceivable angle.
Alucard stood still, allowing the torrential sword ki to rain down on him. His Familiars, Jormungandr and Baskerville, did the same.
The sword ki struck the ground and the buildings behind Alucard, sending tremors through the entire island.
"Still relying on your immortality? I'll force you out of it soon enough."
The blond Gorosei moved instantaneously to Baskerville's feet. Suddenly, the air turned heavy. The bodies of Alucard, Baskerville, and Jormungandr were subjected to immense pressure, as if the air itself had become a shrinking box, compressing and crushing them.
"I can manipulate the density of all things. By maximizing the density of the air, I will crush your body into meat paste over and over again," the blonde Gorosei sneered.
"And the one who understands and utilizes the National Treasure best... is me!"
Nedseo, one of the three Great Family Heads, raised his right hand. "Souls" began to gather, absorbing everything around them. He drew in the corpses of the soldiers Alucard had killed earlier, stitching them together into a massive spectral giant that rivaled Baskerville in size.