He had begun.
The moment that sun rose above Mary Geoise, everyone who saw it understood what was happening.
There was no need to explain Cyrus's abilities anymore.
The spectacle unfolding over the Holy Land could be seen from an enormous distance, and the rapidly rising temperature only confirmed what people were witnessing.
Mary Geoise itself had naturally suffered the worst.
Calling it scorched earth would no longer be accurate.
The Holy Land was melting!
Stone and soil had liquefied into magma, which now poured down both sides of the Red Line in glowing streams.
Ships sailing through the nearby routes of the Grand Line were fleeing as quickly as they could.
There were no flames anywhere near them, yet the steadily increasing heat was already becoming unbearable.
The Sabaody Archipelago was faring little better.
As the island chain closest to Mary Geoise, it was being affected more severely than almost anywhere else.
"Is that… the Chairman?"
Some people were desperately trying to evacuate because of the heat, but others were almost too excited to move.
The Hunters stationed around Sabaody stared at the sun rising above Mary Geoise with undisguised exhilaration.
Their chairman had finally made his move.
Perhaps after today, the World Government would cease to exist entirely, and the rules of the world would be rewritten under the influence of the Hunter Guild.
For the Hunters watching, it was impossible not to feel a sense of pride.
…
Across the sea, Marine Headquarters at Marineford had also begun evacuating.
Although Sengoku had previously moved much of the Marine force toward the former Wano region, a sizable number of troops had remained behind at headquarters.
Marineford had originally been positioned there to defend Mary Geoise, but now the very place it had been built to protect had become the source of the danger.
The temperature was rising too quickly for ordinary soldiers to endure.
"He really did it."
Kuzan stared toward the Red Line with a grave expression, then glanced at Sakazuki, who had only recently joined him.
"I didn't think he'd actually make his move this suddenly."
Even Sakazuki looked shaken.
An event this enormous should have shown signs beforehand.
A battle capable of determining the fate of the World Government should have required preparation and time.
Yet Cyrus had simply acted.
A flash of golden light appeared on the deck.
Borsalino materialized beside them.
"No need to keep going."
Both men immediately looked toward him.
With his speed, Borsalino had already gone farther ahead and seen more than either of them.
"Mary Geoise is gone," he said after a moment. "And Cyrus is currently fighting some kind of black creature that was lurking there."
"A black creature?"
Sakazuki frowned.
"The person hiding behind the World Government."
Borsalino's explanation was brief, but it was enough.
Kuzan thought for a moment.
"Report back to Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Their current mission had come directly from Sengoku, but he had never specified exactly what they were expected to do once they reached Mary Geoise.
Now the Holy Land itself had disappeared, and Cyrus's battle was clearly beyond anything they could meaningfully interfere with.
They needed new orders.
The Den Den Mushi had barely connected when Sengoku's voice came through.
"I already know."
None of them had even spoken yet.
"I can see what's happening at Mary Geoise from here."
A projection Den Den Mushi.
The World Economy News Paper had begun broadcasting the battle.
Far above and well beyond the worst of the heat, large numbers of News Coos were circling from every possible angle, recording what remained of Mary Geoise and transmitting the images across the world.
Anyone watching the broadcast was stunned by the sun climbing into the sky.
Cyrus had created something similar before, but he had never completely released its power.
He had also grown vastly stronger since then.
This sun was different.
Even through a projected image, people could almost feel the boundless energy radiating from it—the terrifying light and heat of something that looked less like a Devil Fruit technique and more like a celestial body.
The News Coos themselves were being forced farther and farther away by the temperature.
Yet no matter how much distance they put between themselves and the battlefield, the sun on the projection hardly seemed to shrink.
Even people in the Four Seas could now feel the effect of Cyrus's transformation on the world's temperature.
Sengoku understood immediately that there was nothing the Marines could contribute to a battle on this scale.
Ordinary soldiers were irrelevant.
Vice Admirals would be irrelevant.
Even the Admirals themselves would have no place inside that battlefield.
For now, all they could do was stop approaching and watch.
…
For most people in the world, everything they knew about Cyrus came from the World Economy News Paper.
They knew he was powerful.
They knew he possessed the Flame-Flame Fruit.
But very few people had ever truly understood what "powerful" meant when applied to him.
Now they did.
The projected image finally gave substance to the titles that had followed him for years.
The World Government had called him the Flame Demon.
Morgans had once boldly named him the Sun God.
Looking at the enormous sun now hanging over Mary Geoise, people suddenly understood why.
If someone capable of becoming this could not be called a Sun God, then who could?
"He's insanely strong…"
The Revolutionary Army had received an unexpected chance to rest after Cyrus's worldwide attack cleared many of the demons they had been fighting.
Luffy, Ace, and Sabo had all returned after their recent battles, and now the three brothers stood with the Revolutionary Army's senior officers watching the broadcast.
Even Luffy, normally almost impossible to impress for long, stared at the projection with wide eyes.
"Dragon…"
Emporio Ivankov's jaw had nearly dropped.
"Can a human being really become that strong?"
It was almost a ridiculous question.
Dragon did not answer.
His eyes remained fixed on the projection while his hands slowly clenched into fists.
"That really is his power."
Belo Betty stood nearby with a cigarette between her lips and her arms folded, her expression unusually serious.
"I finally understand why the Hunter Guild expanded so quickly—and why the World Government never dared confront it openly."
Several people nodded.
She was right.
This world had always placed enormous faith in individual strength.
One overwhelmingly powerful person could reshape nations, topple governments, or change the direction of an entire era, and most people considered that perfectly natural.
The Hunter Guild had grown exactly that way.
Cyrus's existence had been its greatest guarantee.
"It's almost over."
Dragon had heard the conversations around him, but he was paying attention to something else.
The darkness fighting against the sun on the projection was clearly losing.
Compared with almost anyone else in the world, that darkness would have seemed unimaginably powerful.
Only because its opponent was Cyrus's sun did it appear weak.
And that meant the outcome was already clear.
The only remaining question was how long it would take.
The sun's victory might come very soon.
And when it did, everything connected to the World Government's centuries of rule might finally become history.
"Commander?"
Several officers turned toward Dragon.
"Focus on our own responsibilities."
Dragon finally spoke, though his eyes never left the projection.
"Then wait for the new world to arrive."
He could only hope that the world waiting on the other side of this upheaval would resemble the one he had spent his life fighting for.
Not perfect.
But one where people could finally have hope.