Above Brown Square, all members of the Ion Pirates were gathered.
Every face was filled with shock.
Watching from Brown Square had already been overwhelming enough.
But now that they stood directly before Uranus, the immense pressure radiating from it crashed over them like an abyssal beast preparing to devour everything in its path.
Even the Ion Pirates, who had already witnessed Pluton, could not help but be astonished by the sheer scale of the giant construct before them.
"Is this the legendary strongest Ancient Weapon, Uranus? It looks quite impressive," Crocodile said excitedly as he stared at Uranus.
Although he had long since abandoned his plans of using the Ancient Weapons to seek revenge against the world, seeing this legendary weapon, one said to surpass even Pluton, still stirred his excitement.
"Uranus? The pressure it gives off is terrifying, but the design is actually pretty handsome." Zoro stroked his chin with a slight smile, admiration flashing in his eyes.
"It really is." Kuro pushed up his glasses with the base of his palm and nodded in agreement.
"Heh heh, putting its power aside, the craftsmanship alone is extraordinary." Even the experienced Issho could not hide his appreciation.
"Hey! So this is the legendary strongest Ancient Weapon, Uranus? It's nothing special!" Enel suddenly shouted.
Then he added, "Though I admit it does look pretty good, almost as good as my Ark Maxim."
At that moment, Hancock crossed her arms and said disdainfully, "You men really are strange. It's just a pile of metal. I don't see anything attractive about it."
The women immediately voiced their agreement.
"Exactly! Isn't it just a giant lump of iron? It's ugly!" Lina grabbed Nami's wrist. "You agree, right, Nami?"
Nami nodded.
"Your tastes really are strange."
"It's not handsome at all. It's ugly," Robin added mercilessly.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
A crisp countdown sound suddenly echoed through the air, interrupting everyone's discussion.
At the same time, Franky flew upward and stared at the colossal machine in shock.
He had personally participated in repairing Pluton and loading its energy supply.
No one present understood Pluton better than he did.
Yet even the gigantic Pluton seemed lacking compared to Uranus.
He suspected it was because Pluton still lacked a true Seed as its power source.
The thought only lingered for a moment.
Snapping back to reality, Franky immediately shouted at everyone.
"Hey! What are you all doing?!"
He rushed in front of Uranus.
"This is the attack countdown!"
Everyone's expressions changed instantly.
"What?!"
"This is the attack countdown?"
"What are we waiting for? Hurry up and destroy it!"
Zoro immediately drew all three swords.
Wado Ichimonji rested between his teeth while Silence and Flowing Light were held firmly in his hands.
The others also entered combat stances.
"It's so huge. Where are we even supposed to attack?" Lina asked helplessly.
Franky struck one of his signature poses.
"AHO! No need to worry! Pluton and Poseidon are fully prepared! Even if Uranus is complete, I believe we can bring it down!"
...
Along the coastline of Kulusimiya Island, countless ships were sailing away.
Pirate ships, Revolutionary Army vessels, and Marine warships all fled from the island.
Whether pirate, Marine, or Revolutionary Army member, everyone stared nervously toward the sky above Brown Square.
After Kuzan's announcement, more than ninety percent of the people had chosen to evacuate.
They all understood that the coming battle was far beyond anything they could influence.
"What a terrifying pressure! I never imagined something like this could exist in the world."
"You're right. I feel like I've been living at the bottom of a well."
"So this is the level of the world's strongest fighters? There's no way we could participate."
"Let's go. Whatever happens to the world next isn't something we can decide."
Meanwhile, the battle within Brown Square continued to rage.
"Hahaha! Kuzan, the little brat who used to follow Garp around has actually grown this far. I have to admit, your talent is extraordinary."
Kong laughed loudly after exchanging another punch with Kuzan.
Kuzan frowned.
"Arara, who would've thought a small fry like me would catch the attention of the great Commander-in-Chief Kong?"
A trace of clarity briefly flashed through Kong's eyes after hearing those words, only to disappear again beneath murky madness.
"Hmph! Not only has your strength become troublesome, but you've also inherited Garp's irritating way of speaking."
Kuzan's expression darkened.
"Arararara. I also never expected the once-respected Kong to become such a servant of evil."
"Kekekeke!"
Kong laughed wildly.
"Is it wrong for an old man to fear death? Is it wrong to pursue his own justice?"
He pointed toward the devastated battlefield.
"Look around. If everyone had trusted the World Government and submitted to its rule, none of these sacrifices would've happened."
Kuzan followed his gaze.
Brown Square had become a shattered wasteland.
Countless craters covered the ground.
The entire Kulusimiya Island had split into several massive fragments.
At the same time, the island trembled continuously as it slowly sank toward the sea floor.
It was obvious that it would not remain above water much longer.
Across the battlefield, severed limbs and corpses littered the ground while blood stained everything crimson.
Three enormous white skeletons stood among the ruins.
They belonged to Saint Saturn, Saint Nusjuro, and Saint Peter, whose powers had been reclaimed by Imu.
Even for Kuzan, it was his first time witnessing a battlefield this horrific.
Not even Marineford could compare to thirty percent of this devastation.
Despite his long history of combat, the scene still made his stomach churn.
"Kekekeke, what is it? Feeling sympathy? Feeling compassion?" Kong mocked when he noticed Kuzan's expression.
"They're just ants."
Kuzan's eyes narrowed.
Those words should never have come from a veteran Marine like Kong.
Instead, they sounded exactly like the words of a Celestial Dragon.
Kuzan had no idea what had happened to him.
Whatever it was had transformed the former Fleet Admiral into someone who despised life and abandoned justice.
He slowly raised his head toward Uranus hanging high in the sky.
This time, he stopped holding back.
"In that case..."
"I apologize, Commander-in-Chief Kong."
The instant he spoke, an overwhelming aura erupted from his body.
It shot skyward like a tidal wave.
The atmosphere seemed to freeze.
The heavens trembled.
An invisible force exploded outward from Kuzan's position.
Violent winds roared across the battlefield.
The ground beneath his feet shattered apart.
As the aura surged into the sky, even Uranus trembled slightly.
The remaining image Den Den Mushi across the battlefield instantly lost consciousness.
Kong's eyes widened.
"Co... Conqueror's Haki?!"
"How is this possible?!"
"How can someone like you possess Conqueror's Haki of this level?!"
At that moment, the Kuzan standing before him resembled the young Garp of old.
Powerful.
Fearless.
Unyielding.
A trace of relief briefly appeared on Kong's face before being replaced by savage ferocity.
Kuzan spoke calmly.
"Commander-in-Chief Kong, you shouldn't hold back anymore."
"You are the Commander-in-Chief of the entire military, and I am the Fleet Admiral of the Marines."
"It's time to settle this."
In Kuzan's memories, Kong had possessed incredibly powerful Conqueror's Haki during his days as Fleet Admiral.
His presence alone had terrified countless pirates.
Yet throughout this battle, Kong had never used it once.
Ever since the Gorosei had turned into white skeletons, Kong's aura had noticeably weakened.
Even if age had diminished his strength, it should not have declined this drastically.
But instead of unleashing Conqueror's Haki, Kong charged forward with a fist coated in Armament Haki.
Kuzan could not understand why.
Still, he wrapped his own fists in both Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki and met the attack head-on.
Before his decline, Kong had only been able to fight Kuzan evenly.
Now, with Kong weakened and Kuzan fighting at full strength, the battle quickly became one-sided.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Shockwaves tore through the battlefield.
Dust filled the air.
Kong struggled under Kuzan's relentless assault.
Finally, a massive ice-covered punch infused with both Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki crashed into him.
Boom!
Kong was sent crashing to the ground.
His ability to continue fighting was completely gone.
"Hoo... hoo... hoo..."
Lying on his back, Kong laughed weakly.
"That was truly an exhilarating battle."
Kuzan stood beside him.
His fists clenched several times.
Yet in the end, he could not deliver the finishing blow.
At that moment, Kong's eyes gradually regained clarity.
Looking at the bruised Kuzan before him, he smiled with genuine relief.
"Hahaha... well done."
"The Marines will surely prosper under your leadership."
Kuzan frowned.
The old man before him suddenly felt different.
It was as though the proud Fleet Admiral of the past had returned.
Seeing his expression, Kong continued.
"I know you're confused."
Kuzan remained silent but nodded.
"Sigh..."
Kong let out a long breath.
Then he looked directly at Kuzan.
"Thank you, Kuzan."
...