The Red Line — Holy Land Mary Geoise.
As Trafalgar Law appeared aboard one of the airborne warships through his Door-Door Fruit ability, waves of overwhelming Conqueror's Haki surged throughout Pangaea Castle.
Those who had already received Lafitte and Bege's retreat signal — the Ghost-Faced Unit, Van Augur, Doc Q, Brook, and Aokino, the more obedient members of Souta Kiryuu's crew — had already withdrawn to one of the ships and were making their escape.
Twenty Pacifistas were left behind as rear guards, holding off the maddened Marines, Holy Knights, and CP agents.
"Move it, you idiots! Get the hell out of here!"
Law roared at the stragglers, not bothering to save them. He turned instead to the loyal few still aboard. "Launch the ship—now!"
Several second-generation Seraphim managed to break free from the Holy Knights and return safely. Meanwhile, Bartolomeo, Burgess, and Edrago were sprinting back at full speed, panic written all over their faces.
The oppressive aura rolling from Pangaea Castle sent waves of dread through them—they ran like their lives depended on it, because they did.
"Time to bail! My zombie generals, retreat!"
Gecko Moria barked out his order as he used his Shadow-Swap Technique, vanishing from the battlefield while commanding his zombie army — including the corpse of Saint Galin and several zombified Holy Knights — to withdraw.
But Saint Plezes and his fellow Holy Knights weren't about to let Moria escape with Galin's body. Their divine energy erupted, crushing the zombies with overwhelming power.
"My zombies! Damn it, that's my masterpiece!"
Moria appeared aboard his personal airship, shrieking in fury and heartbreak. Those undead were his greatest creations — his trump cards.
A piercing screech split the sky.
A monstrous bird burst from Pangaea Castle, diving toward the pirates clustered above Mary Geoise.
Its first attack alone obliterated a Pacifista, scattering mechanical debris across the city.
Clatter, clatter, clatter—!
The rapid pounding of hooves followed. A massive skeletal warhorse, its rider wielding a twisted blade, charged from the ruins. One sweeping slash cleaved three Pacifistas clean in half.
"Boom! Boom!"
The earth trembled. Below two Pacifistas firing lasers, the ground suddenly split open—an enormous maw erupted from the soil, swallowing them whole.
A roaring boar barreled through next, tusks gleaming like swords as it tore through five or six more Pacifistas, sending their mangled remains flying.
The overwhelming power of these four beasts sent panic through the Kiryuu Fleet.
"Kuma! Get Bartolomeo and Burgess out of there—now!"
Law's pupils shrank as he barked the order. The Seraphim version of Kuma instantly obeyed, teleporting forward to slap each of the key members out of harm's way.
As for the lesser pirates—and the terrified Celestial Dragon slaves—Law didn't even look their way. They were already written off.
Hearing the command, Seraphim Kuma flashed through the chaos, one by one sending Bartolomeo, Burgess, and Edrago to safety.
"Mars! Shoot down those airships!"
Saint Mars bellowed in fury. Because of these "vermin," they'd been forced to abandon the G-18 fortress and retreat to the Holy Land.
Now they dared flee again? Not a chance.
"Something's wrong!" cried Saint Peter, who had transformed into a colossal sandworm. "There are tunnels everywhere beneath us — and intruders!"
Reports poured in immediately: "Revolutionary Army Commanders — Karasu and Morley — they're sabotaging the defense systems!"
"It's the Push-Push Fruit! Morley's ability!"
Peter roared and burrowed underground to pursue them, leaving the surface battle to the remaining Elders.
Meanwhile, deep beneath the Red Line, Karasu and Morley were racing through the tunnels, feeling Peter's monstrous energy closing in fast.
"He's gaining—Morley, go straight for the outer wall!" Karasu snapped.
"Got it!"
Morley crashed through the tunnels like a rampaging titan, his Push-Push power smashing a path toward the surface.
"Wretches! You dare defy a god!?" Peter's roar echoed from behind. The death worm shot through the red soil like a serpent in water, gaining on them.
"Raven's Soulstorm!"
Karasu unleashed his ultimate technique. The tunnels exploded with black mist as his body split into a thousand ravens, buying Morley precious seconds.
Morley leapt onto the fleeing flock, adjusted his goggles, and shot upward at full speed.
They hadn't found the ancient weapon Uranus, but they'd helped Souta Kiryuu's fleet breach Mary Geoise, disrupt Imu's teleportation array, and force both Imu and the Elders to retreat.
That alone was a victory.
"Damn you pests!" Peter roared in frustration, his massive sandworm form tearing at the Red Line's outer wall. But even his monstrous suction couldn't pull back the fleeing ravens.
In that moment, Saint Peter realized something dreadful:
The Holy Land of Mary Geoise wasn't nearly as secure as they'd believed.
Not only could Kiryuu's fleet invade from the skies without restraint, even the Revolutionary Army could tunnel straight into the sacred heart of the world.
He suddenly despised every single Devil Fruit user alive.
High above Mary Geoise.
'Boom!'
In the blink of an eye, the monstrous bird tore apart two of the fleeing airships. The survivors panicked, scattering in all directions, abandoning anyone still stranded below.
"Abandon ship! Run for your lives!"
"Kuma! Get back here!"
Law saw Saint Mars charging toward them and immediately grabbed PX-Bruno, diving through a Room Gate to escape.
"The kid with the Ope-Ope Fruit, huh?" Mars's eyes narrowed the instant he spotted him.
He'd take Law alive — as compensation for losing Saint Saturn.
"Hey, Law, wait up! You forgot me!"
Moria's scalp prickled as the Elder closed in. He abandoned his own airship, morphing into a swarm of black bats and fleeing through the sky toward Law's last location.
But the heavens suddenly darkened.
From above poured a storm of shadow arrows, thousands of them raining down like black comets. They pierced Moria's fleeing bats and shredded the remaining pirates still trapped within Mary Geoise.
Screams filled the air.
Law reemerged far away, opening another Void Gate to the upper sky. Around him, Seraphim Kuma and the second-generation Seraphim regrouped — abandoning their ships completely.
"Quick! Use your power—send us out of here! All of us!"
Law's face was drenched in sweat as the monstrous bird and the oppressive shadow energy closed in. He didn't hesitate.
There was no time to worry about Moria's slow, foolish self.
Lafitte and Bege had sent the retreat signal long ago, yet these idiots still lingered for their worthless zombies. If they couldn't tell what mattered most, they'd die for it.