Caelan's voice echoed through Dressrosa, announcing the end of the crisis and the beginning of war.
With the destruction of Uranus, the dark cloud that had shrouded Dressrosa dissipated.
The pressure in countless people's hearts was shattered by the golden beam of light and Uranus's downfall.
"Lord Caelan has taken action. Dressrosa is truly safe now!"
"Long live Lord Caelan!"
"Long live the Neo Navy!"
The residents of Dressrosa rejoiced, kneeling on the ground in deep reverence.
Thanks to the God Slayer Spear that shattered mankind's mysterious weapon, Caelan had saved them once again.
If there were gods in the world, Lord Caelan was surely one of them.
At this moment, pieces of charred debris fell from the sky, landing all over Dressrosa.
The material used in Uranus was indeed extraordinary. Even under the power of the God Slayer Spear, fragments remained.
The power of the God Slayer Spear had been too concentrated and only exploded on the core body of Uranus.
The outer edge of the weapon was merely grazed by the aftermath of the two beams of light, yet the presence of any remaining fragments was proof of how remarkable Uranus was.
One piece of debris struck Zephyr's shoulder. He quickly caught it and examined it in his hand.
He couldn't tell if it was originally metal or some kind of synthetic compound. Now, it had turned into a warped carbon sheet, its original form completely unrecognizable.
But the fact that something had survived, showed just how powerful Uranus was.
After all, the three mythical beasts and the Five Elders who had once fought at the summit were reduced to ash under that same power.
However, with a light squeeze from Zephyr, the carbon sheet crumbled into black powder and metal dust.
Well, perhaps not so powerful in front of Caelan.
"So this is the king of the three ancient weapons, the trump card of the Celestial Dragons."
Zephyr looked at the black powder in his hand, momentarily stunned.
A weapon capable of destroying a country had been reduced to powder in an instant.
That red light source from earlier had been threatening the lives of everyone in Dressrosa.
He had no doubt that if even one beam of that crimson light had struck, Dressrosa would have been obliterated.
"It really was Uranus. Thankfully, Commander Caelan returned in time," Sengoku said with a sigh of relief. "Otherwise, us old bones and the Neo Navy would've been finished."
Until today, he had only heard of the legend of Uranus, never seen its power.
Only now, after witnessing it, could they understand just how strong the World Government truly was.
However, no matter how powerful the World Government might be, it couldn't compare to Caelan as he was now.
If he could destroy Uranus with a single strike, didn't that make Caelan an ancient weapon even more terrifying than Uranus?
And judging from past events, the cost for Caelan to use the God Slayer Spear wasn't high—almost negligible.
Unlike Uranus, which the World Government only used in moments of absolute desperation.
An ancient weapon with no limitations, capable of destroying a country in one strike, was truly terrifying.
Sengoku and Zephyr shared their thoughts, then went on to comfort the people of Dressrosa.
Once everything was settled, the two met again. "Let's go. We should find Commander Caelan and discuss the decisive battle."
The World Government had launched a devastating attack on Dressrosa. Although it was ultimately stopped by Caelan, it had filled them with fear and fury.
Had Caelan not rushed back, Dressrosa would have been wiped out.
They needed to eliminate the World Government as soon as possible to prevent further chaos. A new world awaited them.
Uranus was completely destroyed by Caelan. The World Government's remaining cards were growing weaker.
It was time to end it.
…
Holy Land Mariejois.
The Five Elders sat in silence, staring at the gray screen in front of them. The atmosphere in the room was suffocating.
The camera had been attached to Uranus. Now that Uranus was destroyed, they naturally couldn't see anything.
What was harder to accept was that they would still have to face Caelan's wrath, even though they had failed to destroy Dressrosa.
There are some actions, whether successful or not, that cannot be forgiven once committed.
There had been no results. The expedition had been a complete failure, and now they had to face an enemy who remained unscathed and was even stronger due to his rage.
The weapon was destroyed, and Dressrosa was untouched.
They had destroyed nothing, and in return, only fueled the Neo Navy with righteous fury.
"Uranus, destroyed."
Saint Saturn sat weakly on the sofa and spoke.
"The power of the God Slayer Spear is as terrifying as ever," said Saint Nusjuro, who had witnessed the Battle of Marineford. He sighed as his hand, holding the First Generation Kitetsu, trembled slightly. "Hanging thousands of meters in the air, even the three ancient weapons couldn't escape destruction."
"Wasn't he in Egghead? How did he get back to Dressrosa?"
"Even if he left with the King yesterday, he shouldn't have arrived so soon."
"Could there be an error in Lord Imu's intel?"
The two newly promoted Five Elders from the Knights of God began raising questions.
Logically, their plan had been executed with the speed of lightning. Even if there had been a traitor, it shouldn't have allowed Caelan to return to Dressrosa so quickly.
Not even the fastest warship could move that fast.
"There's no point in discussing this. Lord Imu's intelligence cannot be wrong."
"Yesterday, we all watched the final memories from Garling's death together."
Saturn spoke in a heavy tone.
He also found it strange.
No matter how you looked at it, Caelan shouldn't have been in Dressrosa. But he was there.
Like a ghost.
"That's true." The two looked at each other and took back their earlier words. "So, what now?"
"Go discuss it with Lord Imu. The true decisive battle is coming."
Although Saturn hadn't heard Caelan's last words, he could still guess.
"No need. I'm preparing for battle. You can make decisions on your own."
Imu's voice resonated from within the bodies of Saturn and Nusjuro, carried by the energy he had planted in them.
He had already gone into hiding but still expected the Elders to die for him.
"Lord Imu!"
The four Elders in the room were startled.
So, Lord Imu had been monitoring them through the energy in their bodies. Fortunately, they hadn't said anything disrespectful.
"Lord Imu, do you at least have a command? Without it, how can we face Caelan's forces?"
Nusjuro asked.
"I have only one command: annihilate Caelan's forces at all costs," Imu's voice echoed, domineering and absolute, as if he had already claimed victory. "Once I unleash the last of my power, that will be the moment of his death."
He was hidden well and already believed himself to be invincible.
"Do we still have any trump cards left?"
Saturn and Nusjuro were stunned.
However, considering that Imu had always been unfathomable and was the final victor eight hundred years ago, it was believable that he still had a hidden ace they didn't know about.
But, what kind of trump card could make Lord Imu so confident in defeating Caelan?
(To be continued.)
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