Holy Land Mary Geoise.
The massive, towering city gates hadn't been lowered. The people inside knew it would be pointless. No gate could stop someone who meant to enter, and dropping them would only look like fear. Better to throw them wide open.
By now, Ortoren and his group had already crossed the chaotic battlefield and arrived at the entrance.
Ortoren didn't slow down to take in the Holy Land's main gate. He simply walked forward, steady and unshaken.
And from that very first step, something changed. With every step he took, the pressure around him rose another notch, and the Conqueror's Haki within him began to stir, growing more and more active.
Guards were still stationed here despite the open gates. They watched Ortoren with tense, fearful eyes, while he treated them like they didn't exist.
As the distance closed, that vast Conqueror's Haki inside him seemed to "greet" them, leaking out in thin strands.
Just a trace was enough.
With each step Ortoren took, another nervous Holy Land guard buckled under the pressure and dropped unconscious.
By the time Ortoren and his group passed through the gates, every guard there was already down.
Beyond the entrance should have been the busiest commercial street. Instead, every storefront was shut tight, doors barred, windows dark. Not a single person was in sight. The Holy Land felt wrong in its emptiness, like a dead city holding its breath.
None of it slowed Ortoren.
He crossed the street. Passed through the Noble District. Walked over the Social Plaza. And at last, he reached Pangaea Castle.
Pangaea Castle was the most grand and imposing building in all of Mary Geoise.
Inside were countless sections with clear purposes: an enormous conference chamber used for the world meeting, offices for top World Government officials, including the highest seat of power, the Five Elders' office, and even Kong's Fleet Admiral office, all housed within Pangaea Castle.
Beyond those, there were two rooms that carried even greater weight.
One was the Void Hall, where the Empty Throne stood. The other was the Flower Chamber, a place no one could approach without permission, except the Five Elders themselves.
The Void Hall sat at the very center of the inner plaza inside Pangaea Castle.
Ever since the world meeting began, every royal family arriving in Holy Land Mary Geoise had been required to come here first and pay respects before the throne, as a symbol of the World Government's absolute equality and the claim that there was no dictatorship.
That was why, if you entered through Pangaea Castle's main gate and walked straight ahead through the gate hall, you would reach the Void Hall.
Now, though, the entire castle was silent. There wasn't a soul to be seen on either side.
Only when Ortoren and his group passed through the gate hall did they arrive at the central garden in the inner plaza.
There, before the Void Hall, the Five Elders and the others stood in black suits. They didn't look like the World Government's highest authority. They looked more like guards stationed at the door.
Only then did Ortoren stop.
The two sides faced each other. Ortoren's gaze was calm, unhurried, and he even had the spare attention to glance around, taking in the scenery inside Pangaea Castle.
Across from him, the five of them wore heavy expressions, eyes dark and hostile, as if they wanted to kill Ortoren with nothing but their stares.
After a brief silence, Saint Warcury finally stepped forward and looked at Ortoren.
"So, you came after all… Ortoren."
"Mhm." Ortoren nodded lightly and smiled. "With the throne right in front of me, how could I not come?"
Warcury looked as though he wanted to say more, but Ortoren gave him no chance and asked calmly, "The King of the Old World, the one you address as Imu-sama… is he inside?"
Warcury's face twitched. King of the Old World?
If he hadn't been politically sharp, answering rashly just now would have meant getting dragged straight into Ortoren's framing.
After carefully weighing his words, Saint Warcury spoke in a deep voice, "The King of the World, the true Creator, Imu-sama, is indeed within the hall, resting upon his throne."
"Hahahaha… the true Creator?" Ortoren laughed. "Doesn't he feel embarrassed saying that himself?"
With that, Ortoren took a step forward, as if intending to enter the hall.
But the moment his foot moved, the remaining four Five Elders stepped forward in unison, lining up with Saint Warcury and forming a human wall that blocked the entrance.
"If you wish to meet Imu-sama, then you'll have to get past us first!" Saint Saturn said solemnly.
At the same time, a powerful aura began to pour out from his body. As an awakened Zoan user, black flame-like clouds quickly condensed around him, swirling into ribbon-like trails as he exerted his power.
And it wasn't just him. The other four Five Elders were the same.
"All of them are Zoan users…" Dragon said, watching the scene with a sigh.
He had known it from intelligence reports, but seeing it with his own eyes was something else entirely.
Before learning this, Dragon had long believed the Five Elders were non–Devil Fruit users. After all, as Celestial Dragons of the highest rank, becoming ability users would be rather awkward. They probably wouldn't even be able to enjoy a proper bath.
"Not only are they all Zoan users," Lucci said gravely, "they're all Mythical Zoan types… and every single one of them has awakened their abilities."
Among those following Ortoren, aside from the little secretary Hina, Lucci was the youngest, and his strength was still somewhat lacking.
And as a fellow Mythical Zoan user himself, facing five awakened ones at once, how could he not feel immense pressure?
At this moment, hatred burned fiercely in Doflamingo's eyes, though his orange sunglasses hid the killing intent well. The corner of his mouth curled into his trademark wicked smile as he said softly, "I hear awakened Zoan users gain a massive boost in recovery and vitality. Mythical Zoans should be even tougher, right? How wonderful. That way, no matter how much I torture them or vent my anger, they won't die so easily…"
By the time he finished speaking, his tone had turned almost gritted. White rings of thread began spreading outward from beneath his shoes, assimilating the ground beneath his feet into white strands.
That's right. Doflamingo had long since mastered the awakening of the Ito Ito no Mi.
Or rather, ever since he began following Ortoren, Doflamingo felt life growing brighter by the day. His revenge against Mary Geoise was practically within reach, inevitable. That belief fueled him endlessly. Whenever he had time, he trained, preparing for the day he could take his revenge with his own hands. He hadn't even held a family pool party in years.
And now, that day had finally come.
Looking at the Five Elders before him, Ortoren let out a helpless sigh.
"This really is troublesome…"
At that, Isshō stepped forward from behind Ortoren with a cheerful smile, gently stroking the hilt of his cane sword.
"Admiral, there's no need to worry. Allow us to clear the way for you."
As Isshō finished speaking, his cane sword slid from its sheath, rings of pale purple energy spreading outward.
He wasn't alone. Behind him, Doflamingo's white threads danced wildly. Dragon's robe billowed as a breeze rose. Bartholomew Kuma removed his gloves, revealing his bear paws.
Lucci rolled his shoulders and neck, baring his teeth slightly, while Hina's pink hair ignited with blue flames.
Sensing the fierce fighting spirit of those around him, the faintly resigned look on Ortoren's face faded. In its place came a satisfied smile. He nodded and said softly, "Go. Open the path to the throne for me."
In the next instant, the Five Elders moved, and Isshō and the others moved as well. The clash of overwhelming auras and energies sent shockwaves rippling through the vast inner plaza.
Ortoren, however, remained where he was. Every surge of power, every flying slash, every residual wave of energy that came within half a meter of him was smoothed away by the aura radiating from his body, as if an invisible force were shielding him.
After a brief wait, the doors of the Empty Throne were finally blasted open by the raging aftershocks of power.
At that very moment, Ortoren stepped forward once more and began walking toward the Void Hall.
This time, no one could stand in his way.