The force of the explosion was so overwhelming that it completely vaporized the entire above-sea-level portion of Punk Hazard.
And that destructive energy didn't stop there — it tore downward through the seabed, all the way to the planet's core, exposing glowing magma beneath.
Triggered by the explosion, an earthquake followed.
The ground cracked wide open, and magma surged violently through the fissures, erupting at the surface.
Under such hellish force and molten devastation, no living being could have survived.
If Roya hadn't acted in time and evacuated everyone, they all would've been killed without exception.
In mere moments, the surrounding seawater began to boil.
Scalding steam surged into the air, completely blinding visibility in all directions.
Aokiji's face turned grim.
"An explosion of this scale… could only come from a massive amount of Dyna Stones."
Kizaru blinked in shock and cursed.
"That lunatic Zephyr! He must've brought an entire shipload of the stuff.
He was ready to take us all down with him from the start."
Aokiji shook his head.
"He had many dealings with Kong.
Now that Kong is dead, all hope of avenging his family is gone.
That's probably what pushed him over the edge."
By now, the group had recovered from the shock of the blast.
Kizaru instinctively took a small step back.
"So… what are you planning to do?"
Aokiji looked back at Roya, standing tall on the warship's bridge.
He sighed.
"The Navy… is a shattered dream now.
But at least the illusion has been broken —
exposing the nightmare beneath."
"It's time… to finally wake up."
With that, he tore off his white Admiral coat and tossed it into the sea.
The moment it hit the water, it was swallowed whole.
Dragged into the deep, where no light could reach —
The white turned black as it vanished beneath the waves.
Then he turned toward Roya's direction and gave a deep bow.
"Thank you, Lord Roya, for saving my life.
If I ever get the chance, I will repay this debt — even at the cost of my life!"
With that, he leapt from the warship.
Just before he hit the water, icy air burst forth —
Freezing the ocean's surface into a narrow path of ice.
He walked forward, unhurried, vanishing into the mist.
Kizaru watched his retreating back and sighed softly.
It wasn't clear if he was talking to himself or offering Roya his own parting thoughts:
"The Navy's just a military unit in the end.
Whether dream or nightmare… once the dream ends, we all need our own direction."
He paused, gave a bitter smile, and added:
"But handing all that military power over to those people…
That would be the real nightmare."
"Besides, there are still a lot of unreliable pirates in this world.
Somebody's gotta keep chasing them."
Up ahead, a Naval patrol ship flying the New World Division's flag suddenly came into view.
Kizaru wasn't surprised —
He realized Roya had deliberately taken this route, arranging a clear path for the groups to part ways.
He turned to glance at Fujitora, still frozen in a daze.
After a moment of thought, Kizaru decided not to call out to the strong yet conflicted newcomer.
He leapt from the deck — becoming a streak of yellow light — and landed aboard the patrol ship.
Unexpectedly, Green Bull landed beside him a moment later, his expression dark and brooding.
Kizaru frowned, but said nothing.
Vice Admiral Smoker approached.
"Admiral Kizaru, what's the battle report?"
Kizaru shook his head.
"Aokiji has officially resigned.
He's off wandering now. No need to worry about him."
Smoker let out a long sigh, then turned toward the direction of the vanished Punk Hazard, now shrouded in mist — and silently grieved.
The two ships turned in opposite directions and departed, each bound for its own uncertain fate.
---
Meanwhile...
In the magma deep beneath what was once Punk Hazard,
a mangled body — reduced to just a torso and head — sank slowly into the molten earth.
It was Akainu.
His magma-based body had reached its limit.
Almost all of his internal magma had been drained —
Leaving behind nothing but a thin, fragile crust.
Now, as he sank deeper, even that protective shell melted, fusing into the sea of magma.
And then — something stirred.
From the depths of the Earth's core, a steady pulse began to rise within the magma.
Like a heartbeat — slow at first, then stronger and stronger.
More alive by the second.
---
Elsewhere...
Kizaru now stood before the Five Elders — shoulders low, not daring to breathe too loudly.
The pressure of their presence weighed on him like mountains.
Five auras — massive and suffocating — bored into his body.
They drilled into his very cells, digging out every memory, every detail of what had occurred on Punk Hazard.
No one spoke. Time stretched endlessly.
Finally, the pressure receded.
Kizaru let out a long breath and noticed that his back was soaked with sweat.
The elder with the black round cap waved his hand.
"You may leave.
Continue enacting your 'ambiguous justice.'"
Only then did Kizaru fully relax.
He bowed slightly, his lazy smile returning, and walked out.
The blonde-bearded elder spoke:
"Do you all believe Roya has already discovered Vegapunk's King's Gene project?"
The elder with the long mustache shook his head.
"Doubtful.
If he had, he wouldn't have let Test Subject Zero escape so easily."
The bald elder with closed eyes said softly:
"Trying to guess the mind of someone with top-tier Observation Haki is pointless."
"What we can do — is mobilize everything we have, from every angle, and target Roya with full force."
"If even that fails, we'll accept the consequences and let Imu-sama decide his fate."
The others nodded in agreement.
The black-cap elder drew a deep breath.
"In that case… let's wait and see what Prototype One can do for us."
"And I propose… we reactivate the CP0 plan."
The others nodded in unison.
"Agreed."
---
Meanwhile...
Back in the Earth's molten core — the pulsing magma grew fiercer.
Two beams of searing light suddenly burst from the depths,
piercing through the thick layers of magma and blasting into the sea above.
Wherever they passed, the ocean instantly vaporized.
Within moments, the burning beams pierced straight through the sea and shot into the sky.
An endless surge of energy raged at their source —
So overwhelming, even the Earth's core seemed afraid of it.
The magma trembled, then ejected the energy as if trying to spit it out.
A massive ball of molten rock, formed entirely of magma, burst upward —
Surging out of the planet's core, piercing through the ocean, and rocketing into the sky.
The blazing beams of light withdrew, leaving two glowing spots on the magma sphere —
Suspiciously positioned… like a pair of eyes.
The sphere hovered in mid-air, slowly rotating.
Then its surface began to shift.
The molten rock reshaped itself… gradually forming a massive human figure.
The face resembled Akainu.
But the body had nearly doubled in size — from his former three meters, to over five.
And more terrifying than anything…
Was the energy within this new body.
Its destructive power had increased more than tenfold.
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