Queen's scream died in his throat—he couldn't form a single word.
Because what exploded from Lucian Thorn wasn't just Conqueror's Haki—
It shattered everything he understood about the term.
This wasn't Haki.
It was a divine will that regarded all living beings as insects.
BOOM—!!!
The black lightning no longer circled Lucian's body—it became material, like colossal thunder serpents roaring and writhing around him, tearing at the very air.
From Lucian as the center, the sky above Whole Cake Island was ripped apart by an invisible hand, forming a pitch-black rift that spanned the heavens.
The sky itself was torn.
"Aaaaagh—!!"
"My… eyes! My eyes!"
The soldiers of the Charlotte Family and elites of the Beasts Pirates couldn't even look at him.
Just brushing against the ripples of that will sent their eyes rolling back, mouths foaming, as they collapsed in droves—bleeding from every orifice.
Just his aura cleared 90% of the battlefield.
This place, once a deadly trap set by the top forces of two Yonko crews…
Now felt oddly empty.
"This monster…"
Katakuri's Observation Haki screamed in his mind, flooding him with visions of bloody futures—every one ending with Lucian's unmoving back.
His proud foresight was laughably fragile before this absolute power.
Across from him, King—the All-Star of the Beasts Pirates—stood frozen.
That masked Lunarian, second only to Kaido, had never felt such crushing humiliation.
Lucian hadn't even looked at him.
To be dismissed like a pebble on the roadside—
It stoked a rage deeper than any insult.
"Stop looking down on me, bastard!!!"
King roared and exploded forward, unable to bear being ignored another second.
His longsword flew from its sheath as his wings surged, creating searing updrafts.
He shot toward Lucian's back at supersonic speed.
"Flame Emperor!"
Fire wrapped his blade, becoming a massive fiery slash that tore the air as it came down on Lucian.
An attack that could split mountains and evaporate rivers.
And yet—Lucian didn't even turn his head.
At the last second, just as the blade was about to touch his back,
He lifted his left hand—and lazily waved it.
Like swatting away a noisy summer cicada.
No boom.
No explosion.
The burning slash—strong enough to make Smoothie or Cracker go all out—
vanished.
Gone.
No trace.
As if it had never existed.
King's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
His most powerful strike… hadn't even touched the man.
A terror unlike anything he'd ever known flooded his mind.
He realized—this opponent was already beyond comprehension.
"Warm-up's over."
Lucian finally spoke. His voice was still calm—
but it carried a chill that shook the soul.
He slowly turned around, those golden eyes facing everyone for the first time.
They held no anger.
No bloodlust.
Only the indifference of a god looking down on dust.
"I thought I'd play around a bit," he said.
"But… you're too weak."
"Weak enough to bore me."
The moment the words dropped—
HUMMMMM—!!!
Behind Lucian, a colossal sun-shaped phantom formed, built from nothing but pure radiant energy.
Blinding light and unbearable heat spilled from it, bathing all of Totto Land in a doomsday golden glow.
Sun God Apollo—Phantom Form.
"What… what the hell is that?!"
Queen's massive body trembled uncontrollably. His cigar had long since dropped to the floor.
His voice was drenched in raw, unhideable terror.
Katakuri and King both clenched every muscle in their bodies.
That phantom sun radiated an aura of pure annihilation—one that could erase them without resistance.
Lucian ignored the panic of these "insects."
With the world watching, he raised his right hand, palm facing upward.
Golden light gathered—compressed—condensed.
Within seconds, a golden sun, barely a meter in diameter yet brighter than the real one in the sky, hovered silently in his palm.
Space around it buckled and collapsed, unable to bear the weight of its energy.
Lucian's gaze passed over the others and settled on one target—
The enormous Cake Castle, symbol of Charlotte Linlin's dominance.
"…Let's start with you," he murmured.
"As the appetizer for this funeral."
On the throne of the Cake Castle, Charlotte Linlin's massive body shuddered.
Her bloodshot eyes locked on the tiny golden sun in Lucian's hand—
And a sense of death—true death—rushed through her.
"You brat!! You dare?!"
She shrieked hysterically, unleashing her soul power at full force to try and disrupt Lucian's will.
Meanwhile—
Above a nearby sea—
A massive azure dragon ripped through the sky, its size blotting out the sun.
Kaido, in full dragon form, raced toward Whole Cake Island at terrifying speed.
With his own sharpened Observation Haki, he too sensed the energy far ahead—
Energy that made even his heart tremble.
"Oh-ro-ro-ro-ro-ro!!"
"That bastard… what the hell is he doing?!"
Kaido's draconic face twisted with a mix of rage and electrifying excitement.
"STOP!!"
Two Yonko roared across the sky, their voices shaking the heavens.
But Lucian didn't flinch.
He didn't even glance their way.
His lips curved into a cold smile—
And with a gentle push of his right hand—
"Divine Punishment."
"Heaven-Eclipsing Sunbeam—Annihilation."
BOOOOOMMMMMMM—!!!!!!!
The golden sun morphed into a beam of divine light, piercing the sky and earth, smashing into the Cake Castle at a speed that defied vision.
No explosion.
No thunderous noise.
Only silence—
As the castle, built from countless sweets and steel, the symbol of Yonko authority—
vanished.
At the moment the light touched it—
it silently disassembled—
melted—
vaporized—
reduced to pure particles.
From the highest spire to the deepest foundation—
all gone.
In just one second—
A fortress that had stood for decades was erased from existence.
All that remained was a massive, bottomless crater—its glassy edges smooth as mirrors.
Silence.
The entire world—
fell into absolute silence.
Katakuri, King, Queen, Smoothie—
all the strongest of the New World—stood like statues.
Minds blank.
One attack…
Just one—
Had wiped a Yonko's base off the map.
What kind of power was this?!
As the dust faded, Lucian slowly lowered his hand.
His plain white shirt was still spotless.
He looked around—
At the "mighty warriors" whose fighting spirit had now completely crumbled.
And then his voice, cold and clear, rang in everyone's ears.
"Warm-up's over."
"Now…"
"The war—officially begins!!!"