While Rimuru was still purifying and reorganizing his powers, the world of One Piece was undergoing an earth-shaking transformation.
"What are the Marines doing? Why haven't they sent reinforcements yet? The rebels are almost at the capital!" a furious king shouted at a member of CP9.
"The Marines can't spare the manpower. They're tied down by the pirate alliance," the CP9 agent replied without any surprise. Calls requesting help had become a daily occurrence, but there was simply no help to send. Dozens of nations were being attacked all at once, and the Marines were completely bogged down fighting the pirate alliance led by Pirate King Roger and Whitebeard. There was no time or energy to deal with anything else.
"What is the World Government even—" The call was cut off before he could finish. The CP9 agent didn't even bother letting him finish—surviving was hard enough without wasting time on whining. Picking up his call had been generous enough.
"Damn it! He hung up on me?! I'll report you, you bastard! Damn this World Government!" the king roared through clenched teeth. "Those lowly rebels dare rise up? I'll have them all executed!"
"I don't think you'll be executing anyone," a cold voice echoed through the wide palace hall.
"Who's there?!" The king jumped up in fear. Before he could steady himself, a blade flew from the distance, piercing straight through his body and pinning him to the wall.
His body crumpled to the floor, and with him, his kingdom fell.
Benimaru stepped into the room, glanced indifferently at the body, and clicked his tongue in disdain. Pulling the sword from the wall, he turned and left without another word.
Across the world—outside the New World—Velgrynd, Milim, Shion, Hakurou, Geld, Souei, and other top commanders were crushing tyrannical regimes one after another. In a matter of days, they had already conquered more than thirty nations. Twelve kings had willingly joined their alliance, and their forces grew like wildfire.
In the New World, over 90% of the kingdoms had become allies, thanks to the pirate alliance's overwhelming power.
Under the sea, in the Ryugu Kingdom—
"Well then, King Neptune, what is your decision?" Diablo politely asked the towering merman in front of him.
Neptune, still young, looked cautiously at Diablo, then turned to Queen Otohime.
After a small nod from her, Neptune asked, "Can you truly promise equality for merfolk?"
"Absolutely," Diablo replied without hesitation. "All life should be treated equally. I promise you—when the new world arrives, merfolk will be treated the same as every other race."
"If you truly can uphold that promise, then Fish-Man Island will join you," Queen Otohime spoke up. "But I must ask—can you really do it?"
"We will, and we must," Diablo answered firmly.
She looked into his eyes, silent for a moment. "We need to discuss this. Could you give us some privacy?"
"Of course." Diablo turned and walked a short distance away to wait.
"What do you think?" Neptune asked. "Is he telling the truth?"
"Yes," Queen Otohime nodded. "He isn't lying."
Neptune frowned in thought. "But what if we join them and they lose? The consequences would be unimaginable."
"But if they succeed," she said, "we might finally live under the sun, side by side with humans as equals. Isn't that what we've always dreamed of? The World Nobles will never grant us that. We have no choice but to take a leap of faith."
Neptune clenched his fist. "You're right. For all these years, they've done nothing but abuse us. They capture us, sell our people, reject our petitions over and over. Hundreds of our kind are enslaved every year, and we still have to pay the Celestial Tribute with no protection or dignity in return. How can we trust a government like that?"
"Mr. Diablo," Neptune said as he approached, Queen Otohime by his side. "We will join your alliance and send troops to support your cause. But we expect you to honor your promises."
"You won't regret it," Diablo said with a smile. "This world will become better."
Victory was drawing near, and so was the final battle.
Meanwhile, in the Celestial Dragon's Holy Land, in a grand palace—
The Five Elders of the World Government were kneeling, reporting to the figure above them.
"Lord Imu, the situation is critical. The damned rebels are challenging your supreme authority."
"Uprisings are breaking out across the world," another elder added. "We don't have the manpower to keep up. Even the commoners are starting to riot on their own!"
One by one, the elders reported the chaos spreading across the globe. But the figure on the platform didn't respond, simply standing there in silence.
Then a single word came from above.
"Prepare."
The Five Elders fell silent immediately, waiting for the rest of the command.
"Mobilize all forces. The final battle is about to begin."
"Yes, sir!"