"I'd wondered what the highest center of power within the World Government would actually be like, but in the end, it's really no different from an ordinary kingdom on the seas! If Imu is the king, then the five of you are basically the civil administrators and military commanders responsible for managing the country on his behalf, aren't you?"
As he spoke, Roy glanced at the mustached Five Elder, then at the bald one holding a sword and the blond, middle-aged Five Elder whose entire body radiated a powerful aura.
"You three must be the ones responsible for the military side, right?"
"That's correct. Originally, I wanted to test myself against you and see just how large the gap between our strength truly was. But…"
The blond, middle-aged Five Elder's muscles swelled to an astonishing degree. He stared darkly at Roy, his gaze containing both gloom and a trace of greed.
"But you finished off that CP0 agent using Conqueror's Haki alone. To be frank, the most I could probably do with sheer pressure would be to overwhelm him until he lost consciousness. There's no way I could accomplish what you did."
"To possess such a powerful body and abilities… that must be one of the benefits of becoming a Heteromorph, correct? Tell us the method for becoming one! We might still consider sparing your life!"
"Are you joking?"
Roy smiled.
"Putting aside the two Five Elders responsible for civil affairs, do you really think the three of you can stand against me? The Gravity-Gravity Fruit, unparalleled swordsmanship, and you…"
Roy looked toward the blond Five Elder.
"You should possess what is publicly considered the strongest martial arts ability in the world right now, correct? But with only that, the three of you wouldn't even survive a single exchange against me."
"I know."
The blond Five Elder who specialized in martial arts admitted it without hesitation.
"I know we aren't your opponents. But you are absolutely no match for that person!"
His voice was exceptionally firm when he said those words.
Roy could even see a trace of fanaticism and fear in his eyes.
"It seems your recognition of Imu's strength—and your fear of him—has been carved into your bones~ To tell you the truth, I've already lost interest in the five of you. Go call Imu out. It's time for me and him to settle this once and for all~"
"Stop dreaming! Imu-sama isn't someone a bastard like you can meet just because you want to!"
The sword-wielding Five Elder roared and once again swung Shodai Kitetsu, unleashing wave after wave of sinister blood-red flying slashes.
"As one of the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades and also a cursed sword, Shodai Kitetsu really is a unique weapon in certain respects."
Roy casually offered his evaluation before lightly flicking his finger.
Several bursts of force instantly dispersed all of the flying slashes into nothingness.
The bald Five Elder's expression became even uglier.
"At this rate, we'll definitely alert Imu-sama! And once Imu-sama is disturbed, the consequences…"
At that thought, all five Elders shuddered.
They exchanged glances before drawing their weapons at the same time.
"Repulsion: Extreme Divergence!"
"King Punch: Meteor Burst!"
"One-Sword Style: Blood-Cleaving Slash!"
The three combat-oriented Five Elders shouted simultaneously as they gathered their strength and prepared their strongest attacks.
However—
"I already told you. I lost interest in you a long time ago~"
Roy merely looked at them calmly before raising a single finger.
"Death Beam~"
Five purple beams shot directly from Roy's fingertip.
In an instant, they pierced straight through the bodies of all five Elders, causing every one of them to lose the ability to fight and fall from the sky to the ground below.
Silence.
Deathly silence.
At that moment, the entire battlefield fell quiet.
Countless people raised their heads and stared at Roy.
Whether it was government commanders such as Kong, or captains of the Thunder God Pirates such as Burgess, everyone was looking at him.
Even the chaotic war itself came to a halt.
The CP0 agents and everyone else stood frozen, their eyes filled with disbelief.
The Five Elders…
They had been defeated that easily?
Dragon stared at the five battered figures lying on the ground, momentarily dazed.
He had founded the Revolutionary Army with the goal of overthrowing the World Government and had struggled toward that objective for nearly twenty years.
Dragon had once risen to the rank of Vice Admiral at Marine Headquarters, so he understood better than most just how terrifying the five seemingly insurmountable obstacles standing above them truly were.
There had even been a time when Dragon believed the Five Elders were unbeatable.
And now…
Garp looked at Dragon, whose expression had become somewhat absent-minded, and stopped fighting as well.
He sighed helplessly, sat cross-legged on the ground, and looked toward Roy with an extremely complicated expression.
"Thunder Emperor~ Just what kind of man are you? Come to think of it, this old man has never dealt with you personally before~"
"So, you still aren't going to call Imu out?"
Roy slowly descended from the sky and landed in front of the Five Elders.
He spoke in a calm voice.
Each of the Five Elders had a finger-sized hole through his chest.
Logically speaking, injuries like these should have amounted to almost nothing for them.
However—
Roy had spent several years training and had finally managed to gain the slightest glimpse of the power wielded by a God of Destruction!
The Power of Destruction!!
Roy had awakened an infinitesimal trace of this power after cultivating his Conqueror's Haki to an extraordinarily high level.
Conqueror's Haki and the Power of Destruction were remarkably similar in nature~
It was precisely because this power was ravaging their bodies that the Five Elders had immediately lost all ability to fight.
They couldn't even speak.
Their expressions were twisted with extreme pain.
After hearing Roy's words, the five Elders exchanged glances.
Each of them could see the fear in the others' eyes.
Finally, the curly-bearded Five Elder struggled to nod.
Then, from beneath his hat, he took out a platinum Transponder Snail!
His trembling hand hovered over the button on the Transponder Snail.
But no matter what, he couldn't bring himself to press it.
"I'll do it~"
Roy turned his palm over.
The Transponder Snail in the curly-bearded Five Elder's hand instantly flew into Roy's grasp.
The moment Roy pressed the button on the platinum Transponder Snail, the curly-bearded Five Elder seemed to age several years in an instant.
And in the very next second—
BZZZ!
An enormous and eerie presence suddenly erupted from within Pangaea Castle.
It came from the figure seated upon the royal throne at the highest point within the castle.
That presence surged outward like an overwhelming natural disaster, roaring in every direction.
In a single instant, it enveloped the entirety of the Holy Land Mary Geoise.
Then it spread across the entire Red Line!
Immediately—
The wind stopped.
The clouds became completely still.
(End of Chapter)
[200 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
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