Whitebeard's massive body trembled slightly.
He looked down at the claw of death hanging inches from his chest.
Cold sweat rolled down his forehead in large drops.
Then he slowly raised his head toward the sky—
Toward the golden beam that had saved his life.
For the first time, in the eyes of the man who would one day be called the strongest in the world—
There appeared the expression of someone who had barely escaped death.
This was the closest he had ever come to dying.
The terrifying beam from above had saved him.
But the energy contained within that beam—
Was completely beyond his understanding.
In the distance, Roger and Garp, still recovering inside the ruins of the shattered mountain, ignored the wounds covering their bodies.
They stared blankly at the pillar of light descending from the heavens.
They knew exactly how terrifying the demonized Rocks was.
Yet now—
That monster was like a bug pinned in place.
Completely unable to resist.
"What… what the hell is that thing?!"
Golden Lion Shiki.
Kaido.
Charlotte Linlin.
Gaban.
These future rulers of the seas all had their arrogant expressions replaced by the same emotion—
Shock.
Even the four Five Elders, who had been locked in battle with the elites of the Whitebeard Pirates and Roger Pirates, stopped attacking.
Their eyes were filled with confusion and caution.
On the other side of the battlefield—
The king who had stood at the peak of the world for eight hundred years—
Im.
The face of Saturn, which he controlled, no longer carried that indifferent contempt.
Those inhuman eyes were now filled with suspicion and gravity.
He stared into the sky.
Trying to see through the source of this sudden power.
And the aura of that energy—
Reminded him of someone he had known centuries ago.
Someone who had once been his natural enemy.
The source of the power in the sky did not give anyone time to think.
Under everyone's stunned gaze—
Several smaller but much faster golden beams shot down from the heavens.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Like divine spears of judgment thrown by the gods—
They tore through the sky with piercing whistles.
Each beam targeted a different enemy.
The remaining four Five Elders—
Who had been fighting Whitebeard's group.
And the commander of the God's Knights, Figarland Garling, who had only just regained a sliver of sanity after his madness—
Along with the knights under his command.
"Not good!"
"What is this?!"
Facing the sudden attack, the four monstrous Elders and Garling reacted instantly.
Their reflexes were incredibly fast.
Armament Haki erupted.
Unknown Devil Fruit powers activated.
Their defenses were pushed to the limit.
But—
It was useless.
The golden spears shattered their protective energy like dry leaves.
Pshhk!
The dull sound of flesh being pierced echoed across the battlefield.
Several figures groaned simultaneously.
Their bodies were slammed violently into the ground.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The earth shook violently.
Several massive craters exploded open across the battlefield.
Dust surged skyward.
Inside those craters—
Im's subordinates lay battered and humiliated.
All of them had suffered injuries.
Their auras weakened instantly.
In a single moment—
The battlefield had been cleared.
High in the sky, the source of the largest golden pillar of light began descending rapidly after suppressing Demon Rocks.
A figure wrapped in blazing golden flames appeared.
His face could not be seen.
Dragging a long trail of light behind him—
He plunged straight toward the ground.
His target was unmistakable.
Im—possessing Saturn.
At that moment—
Im's instincts sounded the most violent alarm he had felt in eight hundred years.
A deadly sense of danger surged from the deepest roots of his being.
It flooded his will instantly.
He knew very clearly—
The body of Saturn, even as powerful as it was—
Could not withstand that attack.
If he tried to block it—
The body would be destroyed instantly.
Even the portion of his consciousness that had descended into this world might suffer serious damage.
And so—
A historic moment occurred.
Under the stunned gaze of every surviving powerhouse—
Roger.
Garp.
Whitebeard.
Gaban.
Golden Lion.
And many others—
The king who stood at the summit of the world—
The one who viewed all life as insects—
For the first time—
Dodged.
Saturn's body twisted violently in a strange, unnatural motion.
As if grabbed and dragged by an invisible hand.
In an extremely awkward movement—
He teleported dozens of meters away.
Almost the very next instant—
BOOOOOOOM!!!!
The golden figure slammed into the earth.
A deafening explosion shook the entire island.
A massive crater erupted outward from the point of impact.
Terrifying shockwaves mixed with dirt and shattered stone—
Forming a visible circular blast that spread across the battlefield.
Where the shockwave passed—
The earth was peeled apart layer by layer.
The remaining mountains were flattened.
The force of the blast was overwhelming.
Even Roger.
Even Garp.
Even Whitebeard—
These top-tier monsters had to drive their weapons deep into the ground and lower their bodies with all their strength—
Just to avoid being blown away.
"Gurarara… What kind of power is this?!"
Whitebeard gripped Murakumogiri so tightly that veins bulged across his arm.
His face was filled with seriousness.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
Garp gritted his teeth.
His feet were buried deep in the ground.
It felt like he was resisting a Category 18 hurricane.
Dust filled the sky.
Everything was hidden.
Only after a long moment—
When the shockwaves gradually faded—
And the smoke slowly dispersed—
Did the figure appear.
In the center of the crater—
Someone stood quietly.
He wore a pure white mask.
His posture was straight like a spear.
The simple clothes he wore were spotless.
Completely untouched.
Even after such a catastrophic impact.
The devastating collision moments ago—
Meant nothing to him.
The one who had arrived—
Was Lucian.
He had been observing from the sky for a while.
Waiting patiently—
For the perfect moment to enter the battlefield.
He raised his head.
His gaze passed over the ruined battlefield.
Locking precisely onto Im in the distance.
Then—
A voice carrying playful amusement emerged from beneath the mask.
"Oh? You actually dodged."
"I thought you wouldn't."
The casual remark sounded especially jarring on this battlefield filled with destruction and despair.
It was naked contempt.
The ultimate mockery—
Directed at the king who had ruled the world for eight hundred years.
Im's inhuman eyes locked onto the figure who had descended from the sky.
Suspicion.
Cold killing intent.
Both churned within them.
But Lucian acted as if he hadn't seen the terrifying gaze at all.
He ignored Im completely.
He also ignored the countless complex looks from everyone present—
Fear.
Curiosity.
Suspicion.
He simply turned around.
And began walking.
Toward the figure pinned to the ground by the golden beam—
Still roaring in agony.
Still struggling violently.
Toward—
The demonized Rocks.