"It's a pity. Although we've found Pluton and have the complete blueprints, we still haven't been able to replicate the matching energy source!"
Reiju said helplessly: "Otherwise, dealing with those guys would have been much simpler!"
"It doesn't matter..."
At this point, his eyes burned with intensity, radiating immense confidence.
He clenched his outstretched fist tightly and declared: "This time, we must achieve total victory in a single battle... We will completely pull those high-and-mighty people down from their throne and seize the world in our grasp!"
"If the Holy Land is breached and news of the World Government's destruction spreads, the seas will fall into unprecedented chaos."
Robin hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath, and reminded him: "At that time, all those scheming, ambitious individuals will surely take advantage of the situation to carve out their own territories!"
She wasn't just referring to pirates, the Revolutionary Army, or kingdoms.
Without the control of Marine Headquarters, the scattered marine bases across the world, if left unchecked, could gradually turn into warlords ruling over different territories.
For the common people of the sea, this would be an unprecedented catastrophe, far worse than the early days of the great pirate era.
But if they could take control of the Marines in the process, they could stabilize the chaotic seas in the shortest time possible.
"We'll see what choices the Marines make when the time comes!"
Luke smiled slightly.
He understood Robin's concerns all too well.
It was precisely this pure and untainted kindness that made him truly admire and cherish her.
"In any case, as long as we remove the World Government, the biggest obstacle, everything else will just be minor nuisances. They won't be able to jump around for too long; at most, it will just take a little more time."
"And a thorough cleansing wouldn't be a bad thing either!"
… … …
That afternoon, in the first half of the New World, on Flakka Island.
Chameleone, who had recently completed a deal with the World Government, was stationed there with his pirate crew.
However, even though the sun had been shining brightly just moments ago, for some reason, the sky suddenly turned incomparably dark.
Like the eerie Florian Triangle, a vast expanse of black mist enveloped the entire sea.
"What's going on?"
"Does the New World have weather like this?"
"I've never heard of such a phenomenon in this region!"
The pirates, who had been gathered in small groups drinking, gambling, and joking around, were all caught off guard.
The ship's navigator, in particular, looked completely baffled.
"Captain, for some reason, the outside is suddenly covered in black fog..."
A crew hurriedly ran into the captain's quarters inside a cave to report.
Inside, Chameleone was having a grand time, holding two voluptuous female pirates in his arms, his hands wandering freely around.
"What? You'd better not be joking..."
Hearing such an absurd report from his subordinate,
His eyes darkened, and his expression turned sour, filled with annoyance.
Losing interest, Chameleone pushed the scantily clad women aside roughly and stepped outside.
"What is this..."
He looked at the thick, grayish mist covering everything.
It was almost identical to the Florian Triangle he had visited before, an overwhelming, eerie darkness.
His pupils shrank sharply, and an ominous feeling crept up his spine.
Whoosh!
Without warning, before the stunned and uneasy eyes of the pirates, the endless darkness suddenly expanded, spreading across the ground at a terrifying speed, consuming everything in sight.
In mere seconds, the entire island was shrouded in an abyss-like blackness.
Even light itself seemed to be drawn in and swallowed, sending shivers down the spine of all who witnessed it.
"What the hell?"
"Black smoke?"
"What is this thing?"
Many pirates cried out in shock.
Even Chameleone couldn't suppress the growing sense of unease.
In the blink of an eye…
Rumble!
The ground, now covered in the dark mist, seemed like an endless black hole.
Everything, be it the pirates around, plants, rocks, and mountains, was sinking into the terrifying darkness at a visible speed, pulled in by an invisible force.
One after another, everything was swallowed whole and then obliterated.
Screams of terror erupted around.
"Ahhhh!"
"Damn it! What is this?"
"I can't break free..."
"Help!"
Pirates struggled, screaming in fear as the dark gravitational force dragged them into the abyss.
The moment they were fully submerged in the darkness, their bodies visibly disintegrated, turning into blood mist and pulp before vanishing completely.
It was a horrifying sight.
But there was nowhere to run; the entire island was already swallowed by this eerie darkness.
"Damn it..."
Chameleone's face turned ashen.
At the last moment, he grabbed a sinking pirate who reported and, in an instant, he transformed into Admiral Fujitora's appearance.
Buzz!
The space twisted, and a powerful counter-gravitational force surged forth.
A dozen pirates, who had been about to be swallowed, suddenly found themselves floating weightlessly, saved from the abyss below.
"Who's there?!"
A massive floating rock provided them temporary footing.
Still in his Fujitora appearance but with his vision intact, Chameleone roared angrily.
"Are you looking for me?"
Suddenly, his body froze.
In the air before him, an imposing figure had appeared out of nowhere, making his pupils dilate sharply and cold sweat dripping down on his forehead.
His heart pounded in shock as he swallowed hard.
He stared in disbelief at the figure before him and spoke with difficulty: "Black… Prison?"
"What!?"
"An emperor of the sea?"
"That Obask Luke?"
The sudden appearance of this figure, despite not deliberately exuding an overwhelming aura, brought immense pressure, making people shudder uncontrollably.
The remaining pirates' expressions changed drastically.
Their faces turned pale, and cold sweat poured down their foreheads.
Their hearts pounded faster.
"Thanks to you, I've suffered quite a loss..."
Luke hovered in midair.
He gazed at the man before him, Chameleone, and spoke indifferently: "You've got guts. You should be mentally prepared for what's coming, right?"
"You bastard!"
Sweat dripped down Chameleone's face.
He gritted his teeth and braced himself, ready to fight back with the copied Press-Press Fruit's ability.
"Gravity Blade—"
But before he could even do something…