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Chapter 156 Protecting the People Before the War- The War Begins
On the smoke-filled battlefield, the afterglow of the teleportation array gradually dissipated.
Leiter released his Titan form, his metallic skin returning to normal, and gradually regaining his human form. His brow furrowed as he said in a deep voice, "That red-haired guy just mentioned...the Knights of God?"
Everyone looked at Zephyr with confusion in their eyes.
Zephyr snorted coldly, and the flames of the phoenix slowly converged, transforming into a human form.
He looked around at everyone, his voice low and solemn:
"The Knights of God are the highest fighting force directly under the Celestial Dragons."
"Composed of the Celestial Dragons' elite, they are responsible for maintaining the Celestial Dragons' absolute authority and handling 'internal traitors' or major incidents that threaten the World Government."
Bullet laughed with a sound like metallic friction, and when the power of the Fusion Fruit was released, the debris of the shells embedded in its body fell to the ground with a clang.
"Huh, a Celestial Dragons lackey?"
He kicked away the blood-stained fragments of his straw hat at his feet. The conspicuous bullet hole on the brim of the hat was still emitting smoke.
Shiryu wiped the blood-stained blade and said grimly, "It seems Red Hair's identity... is more complicated than we imagined."
Zephyr nodded, his eyes scanning the wreckage on the battlefield. "The fact that Redhead was rescued by them suggests he's more than just one of the Four Emperors... but has some connection to the Celestial Dragons."
Lei Te retracted his gaze. "No matter what, we've basically wiped out the Red Hair Pirates' top brass this time!"
Aramaki grinned widely. The power of the Sen Sen Fruit caused the surrounding plants to grow wildly, as if celebrating victory: "Hahaha! With this battle, the reputation of G5 will resound throughout the world!"
Zephyr nodded slightly and said solemnly, "Clean up the battlefield and count the spoils."
"Afterwards, I will report to the Marine Marshal personally."
Everyone nodded, and the G5 soldiers quickly took action, starting to clean up the battlefield and confiscate the remaining weapons and intelligence of the Red Hair Group.
Just as everyone was about to return to the G5 Fortress—
Rhett suddenly stopped and looked in the direction of Dressrosa with sharp eyes.
"What's wrong?"
Zephyr noticed something strange and asked with a slight frown.
Leiter was silent for a moment, his Haki stirring faintly within him. "Dressrosa... there's something wrong."
Zephyr narrowed his eyes. "Rogge's way?"
Lei Te nodded, his voice low: "Just then, I sensed a...distorted aura."
Shiryu sneered: "Could that Admiral Xuanlin also be in trouble?"
Bullet grinned: "Want to go and take a look?"
Zephyr pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Let's go back to G5 and report to the Marshal."
"If anything really happens to Dressrosa, Sakazuki will make the decision."
Rhett withdrew his gaze, but the uneasiness in his heart still remained.
Dressrosa, outside the arena.
Fujitora's gravity field enveloped the entire area like a canopy, and thousands of civilians were gently lifted up by an invisible force.
Rubble and debris defied the laws of physics and hung suspended in the air, forming a winding escape route.
Every time the blind Admiral swung his staff knife, he reshaped the city on the verge of collapse - crumbling buildings were reinforced by gravity fields, broken bridges were reassembled, and even the flying glass fragments were precisely controlled within a safe range.
"Keep in formation! Elderly and children first!"
Fujitora's deep voice cut through the chaos. His calloused fingers trembled slightly as he slowly "pulled out" a group of civilians trapped in the collapsed bell tower, like taking out an exquisite model from a sandbox.
With a light swing of the staff and sword, a crumbling building was firmly pressed down, preventing it from collapsing and injuring people.
Not far away, Ain's backward fruit ability was fully activated.
Her slender fingers lightly touched a worker whose abdomen was pierced by steel bars, and the wound was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The steel bars automatically withdrew, the flesh and blood reorganized, and finally even the damaged clothes were restored to their original state.
"Medical team! Prioritize the seriously injured!"
She wiped the sweat from her forehead, and her blue eyes flashed with determination.
"Don't stop! Keep going!"
Just then—
"boom--!!"
The air shield on top of the arena suddenly exploded, and three figures flew out of it!
Rebecca's golden armor was covered in cracks, but her hand holding the sword remained steady;
Eliza Bello II;
The most eye-catching one is Enel - he is wrapped in unstable lightning, holding a charred Chopper in his left hand, and the golden stick in his right hand has been twisted and deformed.
"What's the situation inside?"
Ainn Shunpo stepped forward, the power of the Reversal Fruit gathering in his palm.
Enel casually tossed Chopper down, and the little reindeer was gently caught by Fujitora's gravity field before it hit the ground.
"That Straw Hat kid...seems to have transformed into something that shouldn't exist."
He showed a rare serious expression. "Admiral Rogge is dealing with him alone!"
He glanced at the unconscious Chopper and added, "The boss said this was to repay a favor."
Ian nodded and immediately waved to the Marines, "Take it and help evacuate the civilians!"
Rebecca, who had just recovered, suddenly froze in place - she saw her father whom she hadn't seen for ten years.
Cyrus's iron helmet gleamed in the sunlight, and the familiar scar stung her eyes.
"Father..." Her voice was as soft as a dream.
Cyrus stood firmly on his one leg, and the iron armor made a crisp clinking sound as he held his daughter in his arms.
"Now is not the time to reminisce, my princess."
He kissed the tip of his daughter's hair, turned, and shouted, "All Riku troops! Assist the Marine in evacuating the civilians!"
Elizabelo II also saw the recovered King Riku, and the two smiled at each other.
"Old friend, it looks like we have to fight side by side again."
King Riku nodded. "For Dressrosa!"
Fujitora's gravity field continued to expand, completely sealing off the area surrounding the arena and preventing the aftermath of the battle from reaching civilians.
"Everyone speed up!"
His gravity field suddenly expanded, reinforcing all buildings within a kilometer radius. "The aftermath of the battle is coming!"
Enel was suspended in mid-air, lightning dancing restlessly on his body.
The magatama on his golden earlobe vibrated violently, a sign that Observation Haki sensed extreme danger.
"You must be joking..."
He muttered to himself, "Even the natural world of thunder and lightning is... afraid?"
Rebecca gripped the new sword her father handed her, the hilt still having a familiar warmth.
"What can we do?"
She asked the question on everyone's mind.
Fujitora's staff blade dug deep into the ground, and gravity ripples spread out from him.
"Trust Admiral Rogge!"
He said in a deep voice, "And we... must hold this last line of defense!"
"Now, our mission is to ensure everyone's safe evacuation!"
The heart-pounding sound of drums came from the arena in the distance, and every beat made the earth tremble slightly.
Inside the arena, the air seemed to freeze.
The ruins trembled silently, and broken stones were suspended in the air, as if even gravity was swallowed up by the dark body.
Dark Nika stood in the center of the crumbling arena, the winding dark red lines on his skin pulsating like blood vessels. Every time the drums sounded, his figure blurred for a moment - it was not his speed, but reality itself that was rejecting his existence.
Black fog surged from under their feet, corroding the ground into grayish-white powder wherever it passed, and even the light was torn into twisted threads.
"Hee…hee hee hee…"
The laughter did not come from the throat, but emerged directly from the air.
In the wreckage of the auditorium, several corpses suddenly stood up twitching, their necks twisted unnaturally, their empty eye sockets staring at the battlefield - and then exploded as if crushed by invisible hands.
Nami dug her nails into the ground, her knuckles breaking from the excessive force, and she couldn't even scream.
The moment Dark Nika descended, blood holes were burned in her retinas and her eardrums were pierced by the laughter.
Warm blood gushed out from all seven orifices and solidified into black ice crystals on his cheeks.
Three meters away, Sabo's chest collapsed into a terrifying crater.
The power of the flame fruit was dissipating, and the golden flames were swallowed by the black mist as soon as they emerged from the skin.
The two men were already dead, but their bodies still knelt there, nailed to the moment of death by the aftermath of "Dark Liberation".
Luffy in Dark Nika form stood in the center of the ruins, his body wrapped in ominous black mist, and the lines on his skin squirmed like a living thing.
The corners of his mouth stretched from ear to ear, revealing a maniacal smile, and countless distorted silhouettes were reflected in his dark pupils.
"Hee…hee hee hee…"
Strange laughter echoed in the arena. Every time the drums beat, space would distort, as if reality was being torn apart by some force.
Rogge tore off the Marine Admiral's cloak, and the white cloth was crushed into powder by the invisible pressure before it hit the ground.
He slowly made an air compression starting posture, his fists wrapped in high-density compressed airflow, his eyes solemn and cold.
"Let me see..."
He lifted his foot forward, and the sole of his boot crushed not only the ground, but also a wisp of darkness that tried to wrap around him.
"Are you really as tough as the rumors say?"
"bring it on!"
The moment the last syllable exploded, Rogge's fist pierced through all the time and space between the two of them.