Accompanied by Law's cold voice:
Hum!
A pale blue, hemispherical space expanded instantly, enveloping a radius of several metres. The world around them seemed covered by a thin blue film, and all sights became distorted and blurred.
"My... my body... what is happening?!"
The Celestial Dragon of the Donquixote family screamed in terror. His head had detached from his neck and was now floating in mid-air!
Shiliew looked on with great interest. "Oh? You're not killing him outright?"
"Killing them instantly is too merciful," Law said coldly. "I want to pile the heads of these swine into a high mountain. I want them to live in terror, to watch with their own eyes as their Holy Land is destroyed and their kin pay the price for their sins!"
Building a Kyo-kan (corpse mound).
This was the name Lord Shane had once given to this method of punishment. Combined with Law's fruit ability to keep a severed head alive and conscious, it wouldn't just deter the enemies in the city—it would allow these high-and-mighty Celestial Dragons to personally experience the meaning of true despair.
"Hiss..."
Shiliew took a sharp breath. Looking at the murderous Law, he couldn't quite fathom why this youth's resentment toward the Celestial Dragons was even greater than his own. He hesitated, eventually managing only: "...Er, watch the scale. Don't be too extreme."
"Rest assured, I know the limits." Law's lips curled into a cold smile as he turned toward the centre of Mary Geoise. "Let's go. This is just the beginning. There are thousands upon thousands of 'building materials' waiting for us."
"Thunder Bagua!"
BOOM!
Accompanied by a young girl's roar, a massive explosion erupted in the central plaza of Mary Geoise. A plume of dust and smoke tens of metres high soared into the sky.
Six figures wearing the uniforms of the Holy Knights emerged battered from the smoke. Every one of them was covered in wounds, drenched in blood, their auras withered to the extreme.
"Damn it!"
The leading Holy Knight struggled to look up at the tall figure before him. He grit his teeth, his eyes full of terror and resentment. "Damn it all! How can this be... why is every single one of them so strong..."
Even though the rebuilt Holy Knights consisted of thirty formal knights who had signed the "Deep Sea Contract," granting them unprecedented power, they were facing only five people. Yet, in front of these five, the Holy Knights had lasted barely ten minutes before losing over half their number. The gap was despairingly vast!
"Strong?"
Kuina slowly sheathed her sword, her gaze indifferent. "In my view, it's simply that you are too weak."
Behind her stood three High Executives: Kuma, Jack, and Angewomon, along with Yamato, the executive who had joined after the battle of Wano. The four of them stood in a line, each radiating a suffocating, terrifying pressure.
Angewomon, in particular, made the remaining Holy Knights turn pale. They instinctively shuddered at the sight of her. This woman had left an impression that was far too deep. Their prideful power of immortal regeneration meant absolutely nothing to her; over half of the Holy Knights had been reduced to ash and annihilated by her hand!
"What do we do, Vice Commander?" a Holy Knight wheezed. "Further back is Pangea Castle. The Five Elders ordered us to never let Curtain Call enter the castle at any cost. We are the last line of defence, but we truly cannot hold..."
"Where are those useless Marines?" the new Vice Commander of the Holy Knights cursed. "Mary Geoise is in this much chaos; are those idiots too stupid to come and reinforce us?"
"I just contacted them. We can't blame them," another knight said bitterly. "Kizaru is pinned down by Aokiji. As for the old man Kong, he tried to rush back the moment things went south, but he was intercepted by that blind man named Issho. They are still locked in a fierce battle."
The warnings from their predecessors were right. Curtain Call was far too terrifying! In eight hundred years of history, the World Government's strength had always sat firmly at the peak of the world, unshakable by any force. But now, they were witnessing these invaders from Curtain Call breaking through Mary Geoise like it was a deserted field!
Whether in scale of troops or top-tier combat power, they were at an absolute disadvantage!
"It seems you have no more reinforcements." Kuina stepped forward slowly, each footfall seemingly treading on the hearts of the knights. Under their terrified gazes, her calm voice rang out: "In that case, please... die quietly."
Swish!
The moment the words fell, her figure vanished. When she reappeared, she was already in front of the Vice Commander!
"Frostfall!"
Since her duel with Hawk-Eye and her realisations in Wano, her sword mastery had reached a new realm. Coupled with Sakura Yuki, the Supreme Grade blade forged by her ancestor and bonded to her soul, she was now truly capable of facing an Admiral or Emperor level powerhouse head-on without backing down.
A brilliant flash of light swept across the plaza. The biting sword intent was so sharp the air itself seemed to freeze. The Vice Commander didn't even have a chance to react before his head flew high into the air—only to be neatly finished off by an arrow from Angewomon, turning him into ash.
"Vice Commander!!!"
The remaining knights were shocked and enraged, but before they could move, Kuma, Jack, Angewomon, and Yamato struck simultaneously!
"Charge!"
Yamato was the fastest, lunging out first with her kanabo raised, laughing out loud. For her, finally being able to fight alongside Lord Shane and the senior Finalizers—and against the World Government and Celestial Dragons, no less—was simply...
"Simply too much fun!"
Yamato's eyes sparkled. Her kanabo, wreathed in black-red lightning, slammed into the nearest Holy Knight. Conqueror's Haki Infusion! Among the group, she was the only one who had mastered this infusion. She didn't even need Angewomon's help; her overwhelming Haki alone was enough to beat the Holy Knights senseless!
The knight hurriedly raised his weapon to block, but upon contact, both he and his weapon were blasted away, embedded into the ground with half his head gone.
"And you two, have a taste of my club! Thunder Bagua!" Yamato excitedly swung toward another side.
A violent storm of energy swept the field. The remaining Holy Knights didn't even have time to scream before being swallowed whole! Jack followed behind but couldn't keep up at all. Watching the girl rampage through the crowd, his eyes twitched—it seemed to trigger some rather unpleasant memories.
Kuma, Kuina, and Angewomon shared a helpless smile at the sight and hurried to follow. As the dust settled, the plaza was left with only a few fragmented corpses and a deathly silence.
"Hmph. 'Holy Knights'? Pathetic." Yamato shouldered her kanabo, casually flicking off the blood. She then looked up at the towering palace ahead—Pangea Castle! The core of the core of the Holy Land, the peak of power in the entire world.
"Next is that place, right?" Yamato grinned, her battle intent boiling. "Hey, seniors, let me charge in first to scout things out!"
"No. That place is not for us," Kuina said, reaching out to stop her. "Our task is to clear all the troublesome enemies in Mary Geoise. There are still a few remnants of the Holy Knights, CP-0 agents, and elite guards of the Celestial Dragons that need to be dealt with."
"Imu is Lord Shane's prey, I know that!" Yamato scratched her head. "But aren't there still three of the Five Elders? Do those three require Lord Shane to act personally? Let's just finish them off ourselves."
"Miss Yamato, have you not wondered why those three old men haven't shown their faces despite Mary Geoise being turned upside down?" Kuma smiled and spoke warmly.
"Oh, right!" Yamato realized, her eyes wide. "Don't tell me... those three old guys have already run away?" Curse it! Am I a step too late? She had wanted to see if she could take on a member of the Five Elders in a duel!
"Don't be silly. Their master is still here; how could they have the courage to run?" Kuina laughed softly. She gazed at the towering Pangea Castle and said flatly: "My point is that Lord Shane has likely entered the castle long ago. Since he didn't casually finish off the three old men inside, he must have his reasons. We should not intrude and disturb his battle."
Pangea Castle, Room of Power
Inside the spacious hall, sunlight poured through the giant floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the dust dancing in the air.
Shane sat on a luxurious sofa with his legs crossed, holding a cup of hot tea. He looked leisurely, as if he were merely a friend visiting for a chat. Opposite him, the three Elders—Saint Topman Warcury, Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, and Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro—sat stiffly. Cold sweat stood on their foreheads. They didn't dare to move a muscle, even keeping their breathing shallow as if afraid to disturb their "guest."
"Well," Shane took a light sip of tea and glanced at the untouched cups before them. "You know enough to serve me good tea, but you won't have a cup yourselves?"
The three exchanged covert glances.
"Ye—yes... th—thank you for the reminder." Saint Warcury forced a smile and was the first to pick up his cup. Just as he went to take a sip, his body trembled and his right hand shook, splashing half the tea. He looked up in terror.
Opposite him, Shane had merely lazily shifted his seating position, uncrossing his right leg to cross his left over it instead.
"..." Warcury's face went through various shades of pale. Fortunately, the other man continued to focus on his tea, not even bothering to spare him a glance. He picked up the cup again and took a cautious sip.
This was premium green tea from the Flower Country's imperial tribute. It was bitter at first before the sweetness followed, but Warcury's heart felt more bitter than any leaf.
How had things come to this? Looking back, the first time they had dealt with this man, he was just a newcomer making a name for himself in the New World. As long as they took it seriously, they could have dealt with him whenever they wanted. Thus, they hadn't taken him seriously, treating him as a pawn to destabilise the Four Emperors and break the balance of the New World.
And the result? Who could have imagined that in just over a year, the pawn would violently flip the entire board and look down on them—the former players—with the attitude one reserved for vermin?
Yes, vermin. That sense of pressure... there was no mistaking it!
The three Elders had originally been enraged upon hearing that the Marine lines had been breached. They were prepared to step out of the castle to intercept Curtain Call immediately. However, in the next heartbeat, their vision blurred, and this man appeared directly inside the Room of Power with total nonchalance.
The man had merely glanced at them. He didn't even release his aura intentionally, but it left them frozen, as if dropped into an ice cellar. Forget resisting; they couldn't even move a finger, and breathing became a struggle.
And this terrifying feeling... for centuries, the Five Elders had only felt it from their Master when he was in a state of fury.
The confusion that had loomed in their hearts recently was suddenly solved. No wonder their Master insisted on secluded cultivation until the "World" was complete. No wonder Curtain Call were confident enough to attack the Holy Land directly...
The source of everything lay in the man before them! He was far too powerful compared to before! So powerful he had exceeded mortal boundaries and their imagination. It was quite possible he had surpassed their Master's former self, reaching a level truly worthy of being called a God!
"It's so quiet," Shane suddenly put down his teacup, breaking the silence. "So much time has passed and there's still no movement at the door. It seems your Master is truly intent on waiting for a breakthrough before daring to come out and see me?"
The faces of the three Elders changed. The reason they were so polite to this man was partly because they were truly afraid he would kill them on a whim, and partly because they hoped to buy enough time for their Master. Although the Finalizers had appeared at the base of the Red Line at twilight as expected, their speed of advancement was simply too fast.
In just over ten minutes, they had bypassed the Marine defences and reached the Holy Land. A few minutes after that, this man had broken directly into Pangea Castle. There was still over an hour left before nightfall—the original appointed time! If this guy got impatient and broke into the Room of Flowers, then the Master would...
Warcury and Nusjuro exchanged a look, preparing to brace themselves and speak.
"Hm?" Shane suddenly looked up at a corner of the ceiling, the corners of his mouth curving slightly. "Interesting. It seems your Master has talent after all. Under this kind of pressure, a breakthrough has actually been achieved early."
BOOM!!!
The moment the words fell, the entire Pangea Castle shook violently.
Vroom!
The ceiling erupted as a massive pillar of purple-black light soared into the sky, bleeding outwards and turning the sky of Mary Geoise into total darkness!