A clash of black and gold forces collided inside the grand hall of Pangaea Castle, creating a swirling storm of intertwined black and gold energy. Strangely enough, despite the terrifying rampage of this storm, the "little" Pangaea Castle remained completely intact—only swaying slightly when viewed from the outside.
Inside the castle, Lily, who had lost her strength, was tightly shielded in Carl's embrace. Her long, sea-blue hair was whipped high by the fierce winds, exposing her pale, snow-white forehead beneath.
Lily raised a hand to press down her hair, glancing sideways at Carl. The sensation of being held protectively like this was a first for her—and deep within her heart, which had lain dormant for over 800 years, a rare ripple stirred.
But Carl had no time to spare for such things. That golden storm formed by the gathered swords was truly sinister. No matter how much dark power he poured out, the storm's strength would rise in tandem, matching him blow for blow.
What Carl didn't know was that, outside these walls, the world had already descended into an apocalyptic scene.
All across the seas of the world, monstrous waves surged simultaneously. Sea levels rose rapidly, swallowing countless islands whole. Many people didn't even have time to react before they were dragged beneath the ocean's depths.
The newly appointed Five Elders, including Akainu, quickly received desperate pleas for help from all corners of the world. The sheer suddenness of this catastrophe caught everyone off guard. Their first thought was simple: find Carl.
But when they followed Saturn's lead to the outskirts of the Room of Flowers, they were blocked by an invisible barrier.
Faced with the barrier, Akainu and the others hesitated. Saturn had already explained the significance of this place to them—this was essentially the Holy Land's Holy Land, a place above all others.
In their urgency, they called for Garling. After quickly grasping the situation, Garling drew his sword without a second thought, slashing at the barrier. Crimson-black Haki crackled like lightning as a blood-red slash burst forth from his blade.
But even his strike, powerful enough to rend the heavens, merely sent faint ripples across the transparent shield—unable to shake it in the slightest.
Seeing this, Garling ordered Akainu and the others to attack together. But the result was the same. Even after unleashing a barrage of elemental assaults, the barrier showed no signs of breaking. On the contrary, it seemed to grow even more solid.
Clang!
Sheathing his blade, Garling frowned as he stared at the barrier blocking their path. After a brief moment of thought, he spoke in a low voice:
"Looks like this whole matter is tied to Carl inside. We'll have to wait until he comes out."
Akainu then stepped forward and said,
"Garling-sama, I'll take Borsalino and the others to dispatch rescue forces first. The Navy's new warships should be able to handle this situation."
Even when dealing with the Five Elders, Akainu never used honorifics like "sama." But when it came to Garling, his respect ran deep.
His respect stemmed not only from Garling's own overwhelming strength but also from the fact that Garling was Carl's uncle.
Garling gave a slight nod.
"Go. Too many deaths will cause unnecessary trouble."
At his words, Akainu immediately turned and led Aokiji and the others away at speed.
...
Inside Pangaea Castle, Carl's cloak flapped wildly in the gale as dark power surged from him like a tide, his confrontation with the golden energy still locked in a deadlock.
Seeing no sign of the golden energy weakening, Carl remained calm, even smiling casually as he said to the woman in his arms,
"Lily-sama, looks like the two of us might be stuck here, squaring off against this thing for the rest of our lives."
Lily, nestled against Carl's chest, shot back irritably,
"Fine by me. I've been stuck here for over 800 years already—what's a few more? But, Saint Carl, can you really bear to leave that Lucia girl outside? And all those maids of yours? Can you let go of them so easily?"
"Of course I can't. But even if I step back now, it's not like this thing will just give up and let me go, right?"
"The curse has already taken hold. Until you fully accept the Mark of the Empty Throne, it will follow you—wherever you go."
"Tch. Like a cursed leech, huh? So basically, I can't refuse it even if I want to? How shameless!"
Lily pretended not to hear the mocking tone in Carl's words and answered coolly,
"Correct. Someone must take the Empty Throne. Otherwise, this world will collapse into chaos and be destroyed."
"Sounds serious. But Lily-sama, you were sitting on that throne just fine. Why'd you have to come down here and stir up trouble? And then shove this flaming mess into my lap? Honestly, I'm starting to regret going too easy on you yesterday."
Lily let out a soft snort.
"Try staying in the same place for 800 years and see how you like it. I finally found someone qualified—you. Solve this, and I don't care if you do whatever you want with me every day afterward. At least I'll have a little freedom."
"You crave freedom too? So in the end, you're still one of the D clan, huh?"
"Don't you dare lump my idea of freedom with Joy Boy's nonsense! I was never on the same path as him from the very beginning!"
"So who are you siding with now? Me? Hmph, looks like I'm the only option left."
Lily pursed her lips and muttered softly,
"You really have an inflated opinion of yourself..."
Carl chuckled.
"Isn't that fine? After all, Lily-sama, your future happiness depends entirely on me now!"
Lily's cheeks flushed red as she turned her face away.
"Stop spouting nonsense! What does my happiness have to do with you?"
"Heh, who else would it be? You thinking about getting yourself a few boy-toys or something?"
"What—boy-toys!? Disgusting! Are you insulting me!?"
Carl smirked and tightened his arms, pulling Lily even closer against him.
"Then behave yourself. I'll finish off this thing first."
"You're the one who's not behaving! And you're squeezing me too tight—it's suffocating!"
Ignoring her protests, Carl's right hand gleamed with dark light as the demonic blade Muramasa shot forth from his palm, turning into a streak of black light that pierced the golden torrent before them.
In the next second, golden light shattered. The nineteen golden swords scattered once more, their blades trembling as they floated in the air.
Before them, black mist spiraled together, reforming into the shape of the cursed blade, Muramasa.
With Muramasa's appearance, the nineteen golden swords fell still, no longer thrashing about as they had moments ago.
Lily's eyes widened in astonishment.
"They… actually stopped!?"
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+140 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg