The scent of war hung heavy in the air—sharp, electric, inevitable.
Ryuunosuke stood tall, flanked by Escanor, as they faced the Five Elders inside Pangaea Castle. The tension was so thick it could've been sliced by Mihawk's blade. Just moments ago, Saturn's terrifying display of power had sent a shockwave through the room—and through Ryuunosuke's gut.
He had seen Kirito's strength firsthand. While not the strongest among the Dragon Hunter Pirates, Kirito was no weakling either. With his system panel, he'd honed his body close to its peak potential. And yet, just one strike from Saturn had nearly crippled him.
That wasn't just brute force. That was dominance—centuries of experience refined into one terrifying blow.
These old men... they weren't relics of the past. They were monsters wearing the skin of politicians.
"Ryuunosuke," one of the Elders sneered, brushing imaginary dust off his sleeve. "You're just the leader of a Logistic crew, aren't you?"
"If you're willing to cooperate with the World Government," another chimed in with a forced grin, "we might reconsider your attack on Mary Geoise."
"Of course," the third one added coldly, "we'll still declare your crew criminals, but perhaps… only lightly punish them."
"Don't waste your breath," Topman cut in sharply. "They won't kneel."
The Dragon Hunter Pirates had become a force far beyond what the World Government predicted. What baffled Topman most was the crew's sheer unity. These weren't just pirates—they were believers, fighters who would rather die than betray their captain.
That wasn't supposed to happen.
For three years, the World Government had been watching them grow—tracking their battles, their victories, their movements. When the division leaders were out on solo missions, agents approached them with bribes, offers, even threats.
They expected a few to crack. They expected loyalty to falter.
Every single one of those "bribed" division leaders had taken the gifts and smiled… but now stood on the battlefield, blades drawn, fighting to the death under Ryuunosuke's banner.
Topman, the architect of that secret operation, felt the shame biting at his pride like a rabid dog.
Then, Ryuunosuke spoke.
His voice was soft, even pleasant. But what he said made the temperature in the room drop like a stone in the ocean.
"I only have one condition."
His eyes, golden and unblinking, met Guraji's.
"For every member of my division who died… I want a Celestial Dragon buried alongside them."
"If not… then we fight."
He smiled. But there was no warmth behind it.
Topman felt the chill crawl up his spine. The boy's calm wasn't weakness—it was control. Ryuunosuke was a man who could kill without blinking, yet speak as though asking for tea.
"…Then I suppose," Topman said slowly, "we have no choice but to—"
"Fight?" Ryuunosuke cut him off.
A sonic boom cracked the air as Ryuunosuke vanished and reappeared in front of Topman, fist cocked. No more words. The time for diplomacy had died the moment the first crewmate fell.
Peter lunged in from the flank, his crutch wrapped in black-armament Haki, aiming for Ryuunosuke's ribs.
But Escanor moved just as swiftly, intercepting the others before they could engage. Saturn, Mars, and Nusjuro had already targeted Escanor, recognizing him as the greatest threat.
After all, they'd seen what he did to Sakazuki.
"Apologies," Escanor said politely, golden axe materializing in his hand, light armor blooming around his body. "But my captain has given an order."
He raised his axe, and with a dazzling grin added:
"Please die quietly."
The heat around him intensified as his power began to rise. Though it wasn't noon, his body shimmered like the noonday sun—unstoppable and glorious.
The sky itself screamed.
A meteor, no, a sun-like mass descended from above, casting a massive shadow over all of Mary Geoise.
Breaking through the battlefield like a ghost, he stood high above the Holy Land, palms raised. His voice echoed with divine finality:
"God: Tengoku no Tenmetsu"
It was massive—far greater than anything Fujitora had ever summoned. A meteorite so vast it swallowed the sky.
"No—!" Saturn shouted, eyes wide with dread. "The Celestial Dragons—get them out now!" Follow current novels on novel⟡fire.net
Members of the Celestual Group instantly broke formation, redirecting their attention from the Dragon Hunter Pirates to the incoming apocalypse.
Six of them shot into the air, aiming to intercept it.
Fujitora stepped forward too, his gravity powers straining to slow the descent. He succeeded—but barely. Blood sprayed from his lips as the strain overwhelmed him.
Even so, his Observation Haki never lied.
He could sense Yahiko clearly.
There was no hatred. No chaos. Just… serenity. Power wrapped in purpose.
And still more strength beneath the surface.
"Why?" Fujitora asked quietly. "Why join this fight? With your pain, you could've walked away."
Yahiko appeared in front of him in a flash.
"Because I know pain."
Fujitora was hurled backward, crashing through steel and stone.
Yahiko turned again, his chakra boiling.
Hands clapped together. Blood poured from his nose.
"Tengoku no Tenmetsu!"
"God: Ten no Mu Bakuhatsu!"
His entire being ignited with one final effort. A second celestial star—larger than the last—descended from the heavens.
This one carried not just fire, but gravity.
A vortex formed, sucking in the six Celestial warriors still airborne. The broken fragments of the first meteor were dragged into its core, forming a mass of doom.
The six were wrapped in debris, unable to escape.
The second star collapsed into itself, detonating with a force that shook the Red Line. Light and shockwaves engulfed the sky.
No meteor. No Celestial Group.
Only silence. And ash.
Ryuunosuke stood still, fists clenched.
One of his captains had just sacrificed himself to kill six of the Celestial Dragon Group.
Even the Five Elders stared in shock.
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