Everyone stared at the two people who had just appeared.
Perospero's arrogance from moments ago had completely frozen on his face.
His long tongue hovered stiffly midair, and even his signature "Perorin~" laugh was stuck in his throat, unable to come out.
Cold sweat silently rolled down his temples.
These two…
Lucian Thorn.
Marco the Phoenix.
What kind of sick joke is this?!
How—how were they here?!
Even the fastest ship from the New World to Fish-Man Island would take days!
How did they…?
Fly?
The absurd thought flickered through his mind. Even he found it laughable—but he had no other explanation!
Fear surged over him like the deep sea's crushing weight.
But still—who was he?
He was Big Mom's eldest son, a commander with a 700 million bounty!
He couldn't afford to retreat here.
Mama's reputation would not allow it.
"Gu… gu…"
Perospero swallowed with difficulty, forcing down his fear and stretching a smile uglier than crying.
"Do you two… even understand what you're doing?!"
He bellowed, his voice a shrill mask over his panic.
"This island now belongs to Mama! You're declaring war on the Big Mom Pirates!"
He emphasized "Big Mom" with venom, hoping the Emperor's name might salvage the situation.
But—
Lucian didn't even blink.
His gaze never even lingered on Perospero for more than a fraction of a second.
To him, the man with a 700 million bounty was no different than specks of dust on the ground.
He simply muttered a few words:
"Too noisy. Marco."
The voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unmistakable note of command.
Marco understood instantly.
Hands still in his pockets, he lazily took a step forward, lips curled in a cold smirk.
"Hey, candy-licker."
"Since when did punks like you get to run wild on my old man's turf?"
"You—!"
Perospero's face flushed red, ready to retort—
But Marco didn't give him the chance.
"It's trash clean-up time."
The moment he spoke—
"Screech—!"
A high-pitched cry split the air!
BOOM!
Blue flames erupted skyward from Marco's body!
He didn't even fully transform—just his right arm turned into a flaming wing as he slashed it forward.
"Phoenix Feather!"
Whoosh—!!!
Dozens of blazing blue feathers burst forward like razors, tearing through the air and heat-blasting toward the officers behind Perospero!
Too fast!
Those once-proud Big Mom officers didn't even get a scream out.
They were instantly consumed by the fiery storm.
The flames didn't ignite the palace—but they did burn away every ounce of their strength.
Thud. Thud.
Perospero's elite squad collapsed without a word—eyes rolled back, foaming at the mouth, completely unconscious.
One move.
Total wipeout.
"What?!"
Perospero's eyes bulged nearly out of their sockets.
He knew Marco was strong, but—this strong?!
These weren't small fry—they were elite commanders under Big Mom!
And they didn't even last a single move!
An icy chill devoured him.
Run.
He had to run!
Pride, face, titles—all gone.
Only one thought remained: escape.
"Candy Maiden!"
Perospero shouted and slammed his foot down!
Molten candy gushed from the floor, forming a towering candy golem with flailing limbs, charging toward Lucian and Marco with a roar!
It was one of his signature moves—enough to stall even top fighters.
And he—he turned to flee, dissolving into a sticky wave of syrup, racing toward the exit of the palace!
He would get out.
He had to tell Mama everything!
But—
He was dreaming.
The moment he turned—
A calm voice sounded behind him:
"Did I say you could leave?"
Lucian moved.
No earth-shaking aura.
No world-ending techniques.
He simply raised his right hand.
Then, fingers spread—
He grasped the air.
Buzz——!!!
A formless, indescribable force instantly engulfed the entire throne room!
Time itself seemed to pause.
No.
Not pause.
Seal.
Perospero's eyes went wide in horror. His syrupy wave—frozen midair!
As if encased in invisible amber.
He, too, was frozen—completely unable to move. Not even a finger.
Space had been locked.
"What… what is this power?!"
Terror filled every corner of his mind.
A Devil Fruit?
No.
He couldn't sense the presence of any Devil Fruit.
This was something else.
Something far more terrifying.
A divine force.
He was controlling the laws themselves.
Lucian paid him no mind.
He raised his right hand again, slowly extending a finger—
Aimed straight at the back of Perospero's head.
In that instant—
Every hair on Perospero's body stood on end.
A pure, suffocating fear of death seized his soul.
He wanted to dodge!
To defend!
To coat himself in Armament Haki!
But he couldn't move.
He could only watch—
As that finger, like a reaper's scythe, locked onto him.
"NO—!"
He screamed in despair.
Lucian's fingertip tapped forward.
No sound.
No light.
Just a faint, nearly invisible spatial ripple that shimmered once in the air.
The next moment—
CRACK——!!!
It was as if Perospero had been struck by an invisible war hammer.
His candy armor shattered instantly!
He vomited blood—
And like a cannonball, he was blasted back, smashing through the thick walls of Ryugu Palace—
No one knew where he landed.
Silence.
Only the gaping hole in the palace wall proved the attack had even happened.
King Neptune's jaw hung open, his trident clattering to the floor.
The three princes—Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, and Manboshi—stood frozen, faces blank.
Shirahoshi's wide blue eyes were locked in awe—she forgot to even cry.
It was over?
Just like that… over?
From Marco's first move, to Perospero getting blasted through a wall—
Had that even taken ten seconds?
The unbeatable, tyrannical first son of the Big Mom Pirates—
A pirate worth 700 million—
Defeated with a single finger.
King Neptune's mind went blank.
He looked at the calm, dark-haired youth who had never once changed expression—
And a deep, instinctual reverence bloomed in his heart.
Now he understood—
Why this man's bounty was 7.5 billion.
Why even the Five Elders were crushed by him.
This wasn't just strength.
This was… a god.
Only a god could wield such power—power that transcended all reason.
Lucian ignored their awe.
He stepped forward, paying no attention to the sticky syrup beneath his feet, and stopped before the half-conscious Perospero.
He looked down coldly at the bleeding, glaring Minister of Candy.
Then he bent down—
And pulled a ringing Den Den Mushi from Perospero's coat.
Lucian held it up and glanced at it.
The other side was clearly still waiting for a report.
He didn't speak.
He simply pressed the connect button.
The trash had been taken out.
Now it was time—
To talk to the trash's owner.