Alnus Hill.
Inside the regimental commander's office—
Lieutenant Colonel Bradley was intently studying the map spread out on his desk.
Now, with the Imperial Capital as the center, the surrounding 1 000 kilometers lay entirely beneath their watchful eyes.
If all went smoothly, within another month they would likely have mapped out the full contours of the continent, even extending into overseas regions.
At that moment, fresh reports arrived.
Colonel Eisenhower's First Brigade had already taken control of the Imperial Capital.
Meanwhile, Colonel Schörner, having returned, was now leading his Second Brigade westward.
Once the generals resolved the matter of those so-called gods—
—the Auxiliary Corps would be free to dispatch additional forces to occupy every corner of this world.
With that thought, Lieutenant Colonel Bradley's eyes burned as he gazed at the map.
Although he was only a mid-level officer within the Auxiliary Corps—
—the pride of conquering an entire world made his heart surge and his blood boil.
Lieutenant Colonel Bradley sat down.
He casually picked up the cup on his desk, breathing in the fragrance of the coffee.
As for the matter of the Imperial Capital's occupation—
—he suddenly recalled something Colonel Eisenhower had mentioned over the Den-Den Mushi.
Apparently, a woman had appeared, kneeling and begging them to slaughter the entire Imperial royal family.
She had introduced herself as the chieftain of the "Warrior Bunnies."
Her reason was that, three years ago, the Empire's Crown Prince, Zorzal, had massacred her entire people—a crime worthy of death!
As for her, in order to protect the few survivors, she had been forced into slavery, enduring years of endless torment day and night.
She swore that if the World Government would avenge her people and grant them an environment to live and prosper—
—the Warrior Bunny Tribe would pledge, generation after generation, to fight for the World Government until the end of time.
And when this chieftain, named Tyuule, had finished speaking—
—it was said that Elves, Winged Folk, Medusas, and many other beast-type demi-humans suddenly emerged as well.
All of them knelt to Colonel Eisenhower, bowing their heads to the ground, begging him to execute the entire Imperial royal family and nobility.
Such was the depth of hatred the Empire's upper class had earned from the other races.
Yet, with the Imperial Capital already occupied—
Colonel Eisenhower judged it improper to execute the Imperial royals and nobles without orders.
After all, even on Starfish there were many royal families and nobles.
So he had called Bradley, asking him to report the situation to High Command—
—and then simply await the World Government's orders.
Lieutenant Colonel Bradley fully agreed with Colonel Eisenhower's judgment.
[Knock, knock, knock!]
Suddenly, the door was struck with urgent knocks from outside.
Bradley's heart clenched. Could it be… are gods attacking?
Ever since Admiral Aokiji had left the camp, he had been uneasy.
The next moment, his adjutant burst through the door, face full of panic.
"Colonel! The Ginza Gate is gone!!!"
"What?!"
Lieutenant Colonel Bradley leapt to his feet, wondering if he had misheard.
"The Gate is gone, Colonel!" the adjutant shouted again.
Without a word, Bradley rushed out of his office, his adjutant hurrying close behind.
Soon, he reached the center of the camp.
A crowd of officers and soldiers had already gathered there.
The air buzzed with uneasy murmurs and fearful speculation.
"It's over…"
Where once stood a stone temple gate, there was now only empty air.
Bradley froze, mouth agape, at a loss for words.
Though he had always harbored this fear—
—facing it in reality was still impossible to accept.
Because it meant they might never return.
Never again see their friends and family.
...
Meanwhile—
North of Alnus Hill lay a city called Italica.
Surrounded by vast tracts of cultivated farmland—
—it was not only one of the Empire's granaries, but also a bustling trade hub.
Explosions lit up every corner of the city, corpses lay in tatters, figures blurred through the smoke, and the thick stench of blood filled the air.
Italica had become the battlefield of the ninja clans and the magician factions!
In the skies, mages astride flying staves hurled down multicolored magic projectiles.
On the rooftops, ninjas spat fireballs and blasts of raging wind upward at them.
Every street and alley within the city swarmed with combatants locked in ferocious battle.
At any moment, houses were shattered apart by jutsu or magic.
Even from the farmland outside the city—set ablaze in raging flames—one could hear the screams of dying mages and ninjas alike.
"Cato, Cato… let's see how long you can endure."
Old A stood on a hillside outside the city with five squads of ninjas, his cold gaze fixed on the chaotic battlefield ahead.
He had already noticed that compared to his ninjas, these magicians were woefully lacking in combat experience.
Their fighting spirit was feeble.
The moment their protective barriers were broken, they fell into panic, screaming and shouting.
If they were wounded, the pain left them unable even to cast spells.
Clearly, they were a group accustomed to peace—hardly worthy of being called warriors!
Their prior battles were likely nothing more than sparring sessions or fending off wild magical beasts.
In such conditions, even with fewer numbers, the ninjas could still press the magicians back.
Suddenly, the sky began to gather thick black clouds.
At the same time, an extraordinarily ornate silver magic circle appeared.
"They've finally made a move!"
Old A narrowed his eyes, a fierce gleam flashing from within.
[BOOM!]
In the next instant, torrents of blue lightning and surging aura erupted from his body.
In a flash, under the stunned gaze of the ninjas behind him, Old A charged forward, fury surging through his veins.
The sound barrier before him shattered, the ground beneath his feet split apart—
—and he transformed into a thick bolt of lightning that shot forth.
His target: Cato, standing above the silver magic circle.
...
Just as war began to spread across World No.0008, Falmart—
—over in World No.0004, the Teigu World.
[Polu-purupuru, Polu-purupuru—]
While Imu was in his office, the pure-gold Den-Den Mushi on his desk suddenly began to ring.
With a calm and composed face, Imu simply lifted the receiver.
At once, the pure-gold Den-Den Mushi spoke.
"Lord Imu, the 'Ginza Gate' in the Nuclear World has vanished!"
It was Stussy.
She had been stationed there these past few days, assisting the World Government in miniaturizing certain large-scale equipment.
"So the Gate has been closed after all…"
Imu sighed inwardly.
Then he rose from his chair, his voice turning cold: "Tell them not to panic. The Gate will open again soon—but this time, it will be our own Gate."
He had already considered this.
If the gods of the Falmart World had kept the 'Ginza Gate' open all along—
—even if they were ultimately defeated and forced to surrender, he might still have considered granting them a chance to submit to the World Government.
But now, the Gate was shut.
That act represented their firm stance of resistance, refusal to cooperate, refusal to submit.
And on top of that, they had taken the World Government's Generals with them.
The next instant, Imu vanished without a trace.
...
Imu's message.
It made the Five Elders, Kong, Sengoku, Zephyr, and the others finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Ever since they had received the report of the disappearance of the "Gate of Ginza," the high-ranking military and political leaders of the World Government had been on edge.
Now that Imu himself had spoken, declaring that there would be a "Gate" of their own, the weight pressing down on everyone's hearts dropped back into their bellies in an instant.
....
The World of Falmart.
Douglas Bullet, who had just defeated the "God of Hatred and Vengeance," returned first to Alnus Hill, transforming into an F-15 fighter jet to do so.
Next came Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, flying back on the massive ice bird Kuzan had conjured.
Last was Kaido, carried in Garp's arms, with the captive "God of Flame and Smithing," Duncan, following along.
[Bang!]
Kaido, unconscious, was tossed carelessly onto an open patch of ground in the camp by Garp. The heavy thud drew countless stares from those nearby.
"Ahlala~ Mr. Garp, and who might this be?"
Kuzan walked over with Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama.
Though Kaido lay battered, bloodied, and unconscious at their feet, Madara's gaze held not the slightest hint of scorn—on the contrary, it was even more solemn than before.
"He's called Duncan, the 'God of Flame and Smithing' of this world, and a dwarf besides. Now, he's my prisoner," Garp said.
"I'll be putting in a word with Lord Imu to allow him to join the World Government. He claims to be highly skilled in forging weapons and armor—should prove useful."
Squatting down, Garp clapped Duncan's broad shoulder and laughed heartily.
The two had spoken much along the way, and had come to understand each other better.
To Garp, Duncan seemed a fine fellow—straightforward, generous, and principled. That was why he had decided to keep him alive.
His words made Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama exchange a glance.
This "Lord Imu" whom Garp mentioned, the one he would plead with on Duncan's behalf—who was that?
Among the World Government's military leadership, no one bore such a name.
Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara both sank into thought, deciding they would have to find a chance to ask the Sage of Six Paths later.
"By the way… what happened to that Gate?"
Only then did Garp notice that something was conspicuously missing in the distance.
"The Gate's gone. Most likely shut by the gods of this world," Bullet answered coldly, his terrifying gaze locking onto Duncan.
"If you're supposed to be a so-called High God, then hurry up and open it for us!"
The thought that he might never again leave this world—that he might lose forever the chance to continue his conquest across countless realms—made murderous intent rise in Bullet's heart.
He even imagined hunting down each of this world's High Gods one by one, beating them bloody, and forcing them to open a Gate for him.
Never had he expected one of them to simply walk up to him on his own.
"Duncan, do you have a way? I'd like to get back soon myself—gotta see my grandson," Garp said, his tone now serious.
Some days ago, Imu had sent someone to deliver a Devil Fruit to Luffy—the so-called Nika Fruit.
Along with it came the message that this fruit was his destined Devil Fruit.
At the time, Garp hadn't wanted it.
To him, Devil Fruits interfered with the training of Colorless Haki.
But orders from Imu could not be refused.
All he could do was sigh as he watched his grandson take a small bite, officially becoming a Devil Fruit user.
Soon after, Luffy's body had transformed—turned rubber-like, immune to blunt physical impacts.
That part was good, at least. It meant Garp no longer had to worry about the boy getting banged up so easily.
But as for the fruit's ability itself, Garp couldn't have been less satisfied.
Rubber? That was all it was? And they dared to call it a Mythical Zoan?
Had it not come from Imu, he would have thought he'd been conned.
Still, what was done was done, and Garp could only accept reality.
Meanwhile, Duncan's expression turned troubled.
"My deepest apologies. That 'Gate' can only be controlled by the three 'innate gods'—Emroy, Flare, and Hardy. As for myself and the other High Gods, we are all 'ascended gods.'"
"Useless! Then what the hell good are you?"
Bullet roared, fury surging as a terrifying pressure exploded from his body.
Duncan's heart tightened.
He realized this aura was every bit as powerful as Kaido's.
Another giant at the level of a High God!
"Brat, cut that aura out!" Garp snapped, glaring at him.
Bullet stiffened, face twisted in frustration, but in the end, he had no choice but to comply through gritted teeth.
He immediately turned his head aside with a cold snort, saying nothing more.
This left Duncan even more astonished.
He had already witnessed the terrifying might of a single punch from Garp, yet he still wasn't entirely clear on Garp's exact standing within the World Government.
Now, however, he more or less understood.
This "Warrior God" must stand at a level higher than even a General.
"Looks like once Shiki and Newgate finish their fight, we'll have to bring those two gods back here."
Garp stroked his chin, muttering to himself, while inwardly adding: That Sage of Six Paths should have a way.
Only, he couldn't find the man right now.
He'd just have to try shouting for him later when there was no one else around.
"Shihahahaha~~~"
"I'm back!"
Suddenly, a wild, familiar laugh rang out from the skies above.
Garp, Kuzan, and the others all looked up—sure enough, it was that guy Shiki.
But in his hand he was dragging along a blond woman who looked all too familiar.
"Flare!"
Duncan suddenly cried out.
Elsewhere—
The Sage of Six Paths, hidden in the air, looked on speechlessly as Shiki descended toward the ground.
Of course, right after the battle ended, he had appeared at once, intending to take Flare's soul.
But Shiki had refused, saying he would bring her back to camp, let Budo beat her up first, and only after that hand her over.
"The Gate is gone?!"
Upon learning the situation back at camp, Shiki too was startled, a wave of unease rising in his heart.
He had absolutely no desire to remain trapped in this wretched world.
"Oi, stupid woman! Hurry up and bring out the Gate for me!"
At once, Shiki raised the battered and disheveled Flare before his eyes, shouting at her.
"Hehehehe~"
Flare sneered. "Dream on. You're already people of this world now!"
She wasn't the least bit afraid of being killed—in fact, she welcomed it.
For these "innate gods," even if they died, after some time they would be reborn again in the heavens.
What Flare feared far more was being dragged into another world.
Because if she died in another world, then she would truly be dead.
"Hahahaha! No matter how strong you are, so what?"
"I am a god—I am immortal. But you will all die sooner or later!"
"Congratulations, everyone. You are now part of the world of Falmart."
Covered in blood, most of her skin exposed, Flare still wore a face full of triumph, her eyes brimming with mockery and scorn.
Meanwhile, Garp, Bullet, Shiki, and the others turned grim, their mood growing heavier.
Could it really be that there was no way back?
As the air grew thick with a stifling, oppressive tension—
—none of them noticed that in one corner, a kunai stuck into the ground had begun to glow faintly white.
Or rather, it was the script etched upon it that was shining—and growing ever brighter.
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