The order was given. "Kill!" bellowed V. Nusjuro, his voice thundering across the battlefield. With Figarland Garling leading the charge, the twenty members of the God's Knights unleashed a storm of Haki and surged forward like predators descending upon prey.
In the opening moves, the tide had already turned against the Marines. Devil Fruit abilities were suppressed—a debilitating handicap that stripped away roughly forty percent of their combat potential. In stark contrast, the Celestial Dragons' powers remained fully unsealed. Victory's scales tipped decisively in their favor before the first blow was even struck.
"Let this old man handle the geezer," Garp grunted. With no time to dwell on the disadvantage, he surged forward, intercepting the Knights' commander.
"This time, you chose the wrong side," Figarland Garling declared, his blade coated in the unmistakable aura of Conqueror's Haki.
"I don't recall ever standing on the Celestial Dragons' side," Garp retorted. His own fist, hardened by Haki, met the sword with a shockwave that threatened to split the very atmosphere. Both legends of the God Valley Incident, their clash instantly unleashed a tempest of Conqueror's Haki.
Meanwhile, the former Warlords entered the fray. Bartholomew Kuma and Boa Hancock engaged the elite Knights with devastating efficiency—their strength far exceeding that of the average officer. Donquixote Doflamingo and Gecko Moria, though hampered by the suppression, managed to hold their ground against individual opponents.
This was not a battle for Vice Admirals. The sheer pressure of dozens of advanced Conqueror's Haki clashes created a barrier that only those with the potential of kings or strength rivaling a Yonko's commander could endure. Rosen had left the Vice Admirals behind for this reason; their enhancement via artificial Mythical Zoan fruits was meaningless in this Haki-dominated field.
On the flanks, the Marines held their line. Gion, the "Rumble-Rumble" candidate, engaged two female Knights simultaneously. Kaji faced a masked opponent with a goat skull visor. Tenma and Tsuru moved with the precision of veterans, intercepting reinforcements.
Sengoku assessed the battlefield. "Dol. Tsuru. Tenma. Can you hold?"
"One is no problem," Tsuru stated.
"Two," Tenma said, his form blurring as he intercepted a pair of Knights.
Dol, the former Warlord, stepped forward. "Two." He drew the black blade Shusui, his stance calm despite the loss of his Op-Op Fruit. Gilde Tesoro, the golden financier, silently moved to cover a flank.
Sengoku turned to the remaining threat. Four Knights remained, their Haki radiating. As the former Fleet Admiral—the "Buddha"—even without his Mythical Zoan abilities, his mastery of Haki placed him firmly at the Admiral level. "Come at me all at once," he commanded, a scarlet aura erupting around him like a corona.
Zephyr, the former Admiral, faced a suited agent from CP0—a figure whose Haki rivalled an Admiral. Zephyr's arms turned jet-black. "Give me ten minutes," he said, not to the enemy, but to the silent Douglas Barrett standing nearby. "I will clear the path."
Barrett, the "Demon King," nodded. His Fusion-Fusion Fruit was sealed, but his physical power remained absolute. He set his sights on the remaining CP0 agents, a grim resolution in his eyes.
Rosen stood alone in the center, facing the Five Elders.
"Without your Arms-Arms Fruit, it seems you lack the numbers," Saturn sneered, his insect-like limbs twitching.
Nusjuro's eyes were cold as ice. "This time, it is not merely a clash of wills. It is a death sentence."
"Without your Zanpakutō," V. Mars added, his gaze fixed on Rosen's empty hands, "you are merely a man."
The Five Elders encircled him. Five against one. Five masters of Conqueror's Haki, each possessing centuries of combat experience and immense physical power.
"Five against one?" Rosen's voice was calm, devoid of fear. He looked at his hands, then at the empty air where a blade should be.
"Don't complain about the odds," V. Warcury rumbled. "You brought this upon yourself."
They attacked simultaneously.
Nasujuro unleashed a demonic sword strike, the air freezing around him. V. Nusjuro charged with blinding speed. V. Warcury burrowed underground, emerging with a maw wreathed in Haki. Saturn emitted a wave of lethal energy, while Mars dove from the sky, claws extended.
To any other Yonko or Admiral, this coordinated assault would be fatal. The combined pressure of five Conqueror's Haki masters was enough to crush a lesser king instantly.
Rosen stood firm.
"Five against one?" he repeated. He raised a single hand. "It's alright."
A torrent of black lightning erupted from his body. It wasn't a Zanpakutō, but something far denser—Haki manifested to its absolute limit. "You're simply too weak."
Fudo Susanoo.
The black lightning coalesced instantly, forming a five-hundred-meter giant of pure Armament Haki, its skeletal structure looming over the Red Earth. It was not a Bankai, but a Haki Construct—an avatar of pure will.
The Five Elders' attacks slammed into the Susanoo, but the hardened Haki held. The skeletal hand of the avatar descended, ignoring their strikes, aiming to crush them all in one motion.
"Impossible!" V. Warcury roared. He immediately shrunk from his hybrid form back to human size, attempting to slip through the fingers of the giant hand. The others did the same, shrinking their massive frames to evade the grasp.
"You cannot escape," Rosen said.
His Observation Haki had already pierced the veil of time. He saw twenty seconds into the future—every dodge, every counter, every desperate breath of the Five Elders.
As they shrank and darted away, Susanoo's hand clenched. But not before Rosen's eyes, glowing with scarlet light, burned with intensity.
Thunderous Roar.
At the very edge of Susanoo's palm, a distortion erupted. It wasn't just Haki—it was a crushing, invisible force. The air itself screamed as black lightning converged, pressing down with the weight of a mountain. The pressure wasn't physical mass, but Haki density so intense it warped space.
The Five Elders, having just barely slipped to the edge of the palm, were slammed back into the center by the shockwave. It was as if the Buddha had closed his hand over a disobedient monkey—inescapable, overwhelming.
Then, the fingers of the Haki avatar curled tight.
BOOM.
A shockwave that shattered the clouds for miles erupted from Rosen's position. The ground buckled.
When the dust settled, Susanoo slowly unclenched its fist.
Nusjuro, V. Mars, Saturn, and V. Warcury lay in heaps, their bodies twisted into unnatural angles, limbs shattered, lifeless. Only V. Warcury, the strongest of them, remained barely conscious, his body contorted like a broken doll but still clinging to life.
Five against one.
It had been over in seconds.Here is the localized One Piece Chapter 481.
—-
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