On the Sabaody Archipelago.
Shakky could hardly believe what she was seeing. Every bit of intelligence she had received said the Revolutionary Army and the Souta Kiryuu Pirates were stirring chaos on both sides of the Red Line.
So how could the Five Elders all dare to move to the G18 Fortress?
Did they truly feel no fear that Souta Kiryuu and Dragon might break through the Navy's defenses and charge straight into the Holy Land of Mary Geoise?
Or perhaps the King of the World, Imu, was simply confident enough to face all enemies.
He had actually sent every single one of the Five Elders out.
"Not sure if they're going to rescue the Elder who fell into the sea… or if they're preparing to annihilate Whitebeard and the other Four Emperors."
Silvers Rayleigh's expression was dark as he spoke. Surrounding him was a group of youngsters—the Straw Hat Pirates.
After hearing Ace's death confirmed again and again, Luffy had collapsed like a lifeless fish, being held down by Zoro and Sanji as he sobbed uncontrollably.
"I'm really worried the Four Emperors will all be wiped out by the Five Elders and the Navy."
Shakky sighed. If that truly happened, then the Great Pirate Era Roger once opened might finally come to an end.
"Why hasn't Souta Kiryuu appeared?"
The orange-haired girl among the Straw Hats asked with a hopeful look. In this kind of ultimate war involving the Five Elders, he should appear—shattering the world with each action.
Nami wanted to safely traverse the Grand Line like Carina once did, chasing after the trail of that man. After much investigation, she had joined the Straw Hats, who seemed both powerful and absurd.
Because Luffy listened to her better than anyone else. Now the top three fighters of the crew all obediently followed her instructions.
She was practically the invisible captain. They fought; she kept the treasure.
"Souta Kiryuu is fighting at the G1 Fortress. He likely won't make it to the G18 battle in time."
Shakky exhaled a plume of fragrant smoke, her tone heavy. She never expected Souta to miss such a world-shaking conflict.
If he were there, he would undoubtedly make the decisive choice. There was no way he would allow the Five Elders any advantage.
···
Meanwhile, at the G1 Headquarters, the war raged with brutal intensity.
"No! Vice Admiral Mouse!!"
A group of marines wept over a pile of shattered stone fragments—the remains of Vice Admiral Mouse, who had been kicked into a crumbling statue by the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock.
Vice Admiral Doberman was blasted apart by Bartholomew Kuma's air shockwave, his blood nearly half emptied from his body before he collapsed at Kuma's feet, bones fractured beyond count.
The naval defenses of G1 were collapsing on all fronts.
"Hyahahaha!! All of you are going to die!!"
Moria cackled wildly as he fought savagely against Doberman, while Crocodile battled Fire-Fist Mountain.
Trafalgar Law dueled Vice Admiral Strawberry in a deadly clash that ripped the battlefield apart.
At the center of it all, Fleet Commander Kong was forced to fight near the sea's edge, relying on seawater and the Seraphim to survive against Souta Kiryuu's Six Paths—but even then, he was being beaten to the brink.
And the battle between Souta Kiryuu and Isaac was the fiercest of all—flattening half of the G1 Fortress.
Every collision between them sent shockwaves equal to a miniature Gura-Gura impact.
Thousands of meters around them, nothing dared approach.
Their physical strength alone was monstrous—surpassing even Kaido and the Five Elders.
Their Conqueror's Haki and Origin Arts were capable of erasing matter itself.
"Souta! Give me just a bit of your normal flesh and blood, and I'll sell Kong and all the marines here at G1 to you!"
Isaac's voice trembled with disbelief. The strength of this experiment had surpassed all reason.
Even the Iron Balloon Physique—something he himself had never fully obtained—was already perfected in Souta.
"You're willing to betray your comrades? So you and the World Government aren't truly aligned.
Why not leave them and join us? We could benefit greatly from each other."
Souta laughed. The mysterious power within Isaac made Souta crave it—this was a force even more primal than Conqueror's Haki.
"That secret of yours still can't compare to his. I won't abandon the World Government."
Isaac's face was cold. Souta's perfect physique and Imu's eternal secret were both things he desired.
But he would never give up Imu for Souta.
"You teach me your Origin Arts, and I'll give you some blood. You could even be a double agent. Profit on both sides. How about it?"
Souta's tone was deceptively casual. If Isaac couldn't flee into the sea, Souta wouldn't have bothered talking at all.
He was used to simply taking what he wanted.
But Isaac wasn't truly loyal to the Government either. If he grew stronger, he could become an explosive threat to Imu.
"Trading a drop of blood for the secret of the Origin Arts? Don't be ridiculous."
Isaac sneered. He was one of the few who understood the true terror of that power.
"Then there's nothing left to discuss."
Souta's expression hardened. He would simply have to capture him alive and extract his memories.
···
"I underestimated you. But we will capture you sooner or later."
Isaac was unafraid. If he couldn't obtain Souta's body today, he would wait. He had time—and the power of the World Government.
"You may have won this time…"
Seeing the collapsing G1 Fortress and Kong being overwhelmed, Isaac prepared to withdraw, abandoning the marines.
"This battle was merely a distraction. I've been waiting… for certain people to arrive."
Souta looked into the distance and smiled strangely.
The expression sent a chill down Isaac's spine.
His face changed instantly as he lunged toward the sea.
"Red Count! Help me capture him!!"
Souta charged, and Redfield, arriving in a cloud of vampire bats, shifted course. Despite wanting to strike down Kong, his old enemy, he followed Souta's command.
"You two won't stop me!!"
Origin power surged through Isaac as he blasted through Redfield and dove toward the ocean.
Once in the sea, Devil Fruit users could not chase him.
···
Meanwhile, at the G18 Sea.
As the teleportation circle of the Five Elders activated, a brown-skinned, white-haired Seraph—resembling a fat version of Sentomaru—came crashing down into a flying battleship.