Whoosh!
The instant the thousand meter meteorite completely annihilated Mary Geoise, a figure shot out from the ruins at lightning speed.
Without stopping for even a moment, he fled into the distance with everything he had.
It was Imu.
With his level of strength, even though summoning the Celestial Dragon had nearly exhausted him, there was no way he would simply be crushed to death by a single meteorite.
He could not stop it, but escaping was still possible.
Faced with an attack capable of destroying the world itself, only a fool would try to confront it head on.
Yet the ruler who had sat upon the Empty Throne for centuries, always looking down upon the world, was now fleeing like a stray dog.
His face was filled with terror.
Every ounce of strength left in his body was devoted to one thing.
Escape.
Because Imu understood that before Ryūjin Uchiha, he had absolutely no power to resist.
Back in the waters near Fish Man Island, Ryūjin had not even revealed his true strength. Otherwise, Imu would never have survived that encounter.
Whoosh!
Just as Imu escaped the destroyed Holy Land, his vision blurred.
A figure suddenly appeared directly in front of him.
His face instantly turned pale.
Cold sweat poured down his forehead as despair consumed him.
Before he could react, the world around him seemed to lose all color.
Chirp!
In the next instant, Imu's head separated cleanly from his body.
Even until his final moment, he never understood how Ryūjin had killed him.
Buzz!
Afterward, Ryūjin showed no change in expression.
A spatial vortex appeared around him, and he disappeared without a trace.
When everything finally settled and the terrifying surge of energy faded away, the sea gradually returned to peace.
But the Holy Land Mary Geoise, the sacred center of the world that had stood for eight hundred years, was gone.
Completely erased.
As though it had never existed.
"Mary Geoise... it's gone!"
"The Holy Land was completely wiped off the map by Ryūjin!"
Whitebeard, Red Hair, Big Mom, Dragon, the Revolutionary Army, the Marines, and everyone else who had survived the battle stood frozen.
They stared blankly at the empty sea where the Holy Land had once stood.
It all felt unreal.
For eight hundred years, that island had ruled over the entire world.
Now, in less than half an hour, it had vanished forever.
The self proclaimed creators, the Celestial Dragons, the Gorosei, and the rulers of the world had all disappeared alongside it.
"Old Man... Ryūjin destroyed Mary Geoise."
After what felt like an eternity, Marco muttered with lifeless eyes.
Even Red Hair was left speechless.
A trace of worry appeared on his face.
With the rulers of the world completely wiped out, pirates everywhere would become restless.
Once that happened, it would be almost impossible for the Marines to suppress them.
"Leader! The World Government has fallen! Ryūjin destroyed it by himself!"
Sabo shouted excitedly.
Karasu, Betty, and the other commanders were equally overwhelmed.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Excitement.
Not a single one of them could remain composed.
The Revolutionary Army had gathered together, risking their lives and surviving under constant Marine pursuit, all for one goal.
To overthrow the World Government.
Yet now, without lifting another finger, the dream they had spent their lives chasing had become reality.
Karasu had once joked that Ryūjin alone could overthrow the World Government.
No one had taken him seriously.
But Ryūjin had actually done it.
Soon after, the spectators gradually departed, carrying with them unimaginable shock.
The once crowded waters outside Mary Geoise slowly became empty again.
Only the sea breeze remained.
"Mary Geoise was destroyed by Ryūjin!"
"The World Government has been overthrown by Ryūjin!"
"The Holy Land Mary Geoise has been completely erased from the map!"
The news spread across the seas like a bomb exploding.
The entire pirate world was shaken.
Countless people's understanding of the world was shattered.
Most people initially refused to believe it.
But after confirming the news through countless sources, they realized it was true.
Many even traveled to the former location of Mary Geoise themselves.
What they found was nothing.
The sacred and untouchable Holy Land was gone.
Cheers erupted across the world.
The complete destruction of the Celestial Dragons was an event that brought satisfaction to countless people.
Celebrations and banquets were held everywhere.
Even many Marines secretly felt relieved, though none of them would ever admit it publicly.
Serving the Celestial Dragons had never meant they respected them.
Almost no one actually liked those monsters.
After destroying Mary Geoise, Ryūjin was completely deified.
Not as a figure of speech.
People genuinely believed he was a deity.
Only a god could summon a thousand meter meteorite with a single move.
Only a god could effortlessly slaughter a thousand meter Dragon.
Ryūjin had reached the absolute peak of the world.
"What?! That's impossible! Mary Geoise was destroyed?!"
"Our Celestial Dragons possess the ultimate weapon, the Celestial Dragon! How could it lose?!"
"Lies! This has to be fake!"
The Celestial Dragons living on Sabaody Archipelago were completely stunned.
They could not believe it.
They were descendants of the creators.
The Holy Land possessed the Heavenly King, a being comparable to a god.
How could anyone destroy it?
They refused to accept reality.
But what followed was even worse.
"Kill the Celestial Dragons!"
"Capture every last one of them!"
"Make them pay for everything they've done!"
The people of Sabaody Archipelago revolted.
Crowds stormed the luxurious palaces of the Celestial Dragons, mercilessly bringing down their blades.
"Ahhh!"
"Ahhh!"
"Ahhh!"
Horrifying screams echoed throughout the entire archipelago.
"You dare attack the descendants of the creators?!"
"Do you want to die for offending the Celestial Dragons?!"
Many of them still screamed those words.
But the world no longer revolved around them.
Instead, they were met with even greater brutality.
One Celestial Dragon after another was beaten to death by the enraged masses.
Many others were captured alive.
Although they escaped immediate death, the future awaiting them would likely be far crueler.
"Don't kill them. Capture them and make them the lowest of slaves!"
Empress Hancock personally led the Kuja Pirates, bringing a nightmare upon the Celestial Dragons that they would never escape.
At that moment, Hancock was overflowing with spirit.
Her heart was filled with endless gratitude toward Ryūjin.
The nightmare of her childhood had haunted her for years.
Even though Ryūjin had erased the humiliating mark from her body, the scars in her heart had remained.
She had always dreamed of taking revenge against the Celestial Dragons.
Ryūjin had turned that dream into reality.
The events at Sabaody Archipelago quickly reached Marineford.
The remaining Celestial Dragons desperately ordered the Marines to send reinforcements.
But the Marines, who had once answered every command without hesitation, remained silent.
Mary Geoise was gone.
The Gorosei were dead.
The World Government had collapsed.
Only a handful of Celestial Dragons remained.
Who would bother protecting those remnants now?
The world was no longer the same.
Marineford.
Fleet Admiral's Office.
Sengoku and the Three Admirals were all gathered.
Vice Admiral Garp was there as well.
His expression was unusually serious.
Aokiji reported the situation.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Sabaody Archipelago has fallen into chaos. The people are slaughtering the Celestial Dragons. What should we do?"
Sengoku barely hesitated.
"They're simply reaping what they sowed. Let them face the consequences."
"A bunch of pathetic worms."
Akainu sneered coldly.
"The era of the Celestial Dragons is over. Don't you understand?"
Without the World Government.
Without the Gorosei.
Those fools were nothing.
"Forget about the Celestial Dragons for now."
Sengoku rubbed his temples.
"We need to discuss how to deal with the current situation. The entire sea has fallen into chaos."
"That damn Ryūjin... what the hell has he done?"
Garp could not help cursing.
With the fall of the World Government, pirates had become wildly active, launching attacks across the seas.
Marine branches everywhere were struggling to hold the line.
Forget maintaining order.
At this rate, the Marines themselves might collapse.
And all of it stemmed from Ryūjin.
"Our military strength is no longer enough to suppress the seas."
Sengoku looked at the others.
"What are your thoughts?"
The Three Admirals and Garp all wore troubled expressions.
The biggest issue was obvious.
Inspired by Ryūjin, pirates had become more active than ever before.
The Marines simply lacked the strength to deal with them all.
Even in the New World, if Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Red Hair were not keeping many pirates in check, the situation would be even worse.
Whitebeard and Red Hair remained relatively stable.
Big Mom, however, was rapidly expanding her territory.
That alone was enough to give the Marines a headache.
Still, her expansion also suppressed countless smaller pirate crews.
Right now, the Marines simply did not have the resources to interfere.
"I do have an idea."
An unexpected voice suddenly sounded.
A gust of wind slipped through the doorway before taking the shape of a man with a shoe print tattoo on his face.
It was none other than the former leader of the Revolutionary Army.
Dragon.
"Dragon! You dare come here?!"
Akainu immediately stepped forward, ready to attack.
"Sakazuki, stand down."
Sengoku stopped him.
Although the Marines and the Revolutionary Army had always been enemies, the World Government no longer existed.
Their conflict had lost much of its meaning.
"Dragon, why are you here?"
Garp glanced at his son.
"For the same reason as all of you."
Dragon looked around the room.
"Although the Revolutionary Army and the Marines stand on different sides, we both want a better world."
"Especially now."
"Like you, I want to restore order to the seas as quickly as possible."
"Dragon, tell us your idea."
After a moment of thought, S
engoku nodded.
He knew Dragon well.
This man had never fought for fame or personal gain.
The corrupt kingdoms he overthrew truly deserved to fall.
At a moment like this, Sengoku was willing to trust him.
"If the Marines no longer possess enough strength to deter the world..."
Dragon's eyes swept across everyone present.
"Then why not seek even greater power?"