On the towering blood-colored cliffs of the Red Line, stretching high into the heavens, lies Mary Geoise.
Blue-tiled roofs and white-walled buildings line the immaculately clean streets. Artificial gardens, fountains, and greenery wrap around grand and ancient mansions nestled on gentle, flower-covered hills—like a paradise above the clouds.
This is the Domain of the Gods in Mary Geoise, the sacred and exalted residence of the Celestial Dragons.
Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream shattered the peace.
"Th-this... this can't be happening!!"
In a resplendent golden hall, an official responsible for overseeing the daily life of the World Nobles collapsed onto the floor, pale and trembling.
Other officials rushed in. Their eyes immediately locked onto the burning scrap of paper that was quickly turning to ash—
"That... that's Saint Shaldes' Vivre Card!"
"According to intel, wasn't he still in the North Blue, having just boarded the return government vessel?!"
"How could this happen...?!"
The room fell silent. Panic spread. Several gulped dryly, their throats burning.
Saint Shaldes—one of the Celestial Dragons—was dead.
"Quick!! Inform the Gorosei!!"
The lead official forced himself to his feet and roared.
And so, the message spread.
Panic swept Mary Geoise. CP agents in black suits darted through the streets like shadows. The sacred guard corps galloped down the pristine roads, spurring civilians into terrified silence.
Eyes turned toward the grand stairway to the heavens.
Another "god" had fallen.
Not since the God Valley Incident eight years ago had a Celestial Dragon died on the Grand Line.
North Blue, somewhere at sea.
Thunderclouds loomed like a collapsing fortress. Torrential rain poured over the raging sea. Marine battleships rocked violently in the swells, as if giants tossed them through the storm.
Cannons roared from the battleship decks, muzzle flashes lighting the storm as barrels glowed red-hot from overuse. Explosions rippled across the ocean as towering water columns shot skyward.
"Byrnndi World!! You can't run!!"
Standing at the prow, drenched and furious, was Admiral Sengoku—square-framed glasses fogged, black goatee tied into a braid.
His voice thundered over the waves.
"Barororororo!! Sengoku, you think you can catch me?! You're a century too early!"
A hulking figure laughed at the storm.
Dressed in a crimson captain's coat and horned helmet, with mossy green facial hair, he radiated a crushing aura.
The World Destroyer—Byrnndi World!
Captain of the World Pirates. Bounty: 200 million berries!
A legendary pirate, once equal in fame to Whitebeard and Roger!
Cannonfire exploded around his ship. Spray and smoke clouded the deck. But World didn't flinch—he simply grinned.
"When it comes to firepower, I've never lost to anyone."
His body blurred—vanished.
Like a phantom, he zipped across the rain-soaked deck, leaving a void in the storm.
He reappeared at the opposite side, gripping a massive cannon.
"Adjust course! Let's show those government dogs the power of the World Pirates!"
His men roared with feverish loyalty.
One pirate wrestled with the helm. "Hard to starboard!!"
The ship creaked as it tilted under the storm's force.
Rain battered the deck as pirates clung to the slick railings.
World locked the cannon's aim.
"All this fuss over sinking one fat Celestial pig's ship..."
He sneered, laughing maniacally into the gale:
"Come, Sengoku!! Witness the power to destroy the world!!"
He yanked the firing cord.
A black cannonball screamed into the sky.
"Momo: Fiftyfold Shell!!"
White shockwaves burst from the projectile.
In an instant, the ball expanded—growing dozens of times in size.
Over 20 meters wide now, it arced high—then hurtled toward Sengoku's ship like a falling meteor!
Friction with the air ignited crimson flames around it.
This was the power of the Momo Momo no Mi.
It could multiply an object's size and speed. And with it—its destructive force.
That single cannonball... could flatten a town.
A shadow engulfed the Marines.
The deck groaned. The pressure alone cracked the boards.
Sengoku launched skyward.
Golden light blazed around him.
To the stunned awe of his men, he transformed into a towering golden Buddha.
"Great Buddha Impact!!"
A golden shockwave met the cannonball.
For a moment, the world fell silent.
Then—a titanic explosion shattered the heavens.
A fireball a hundred meters wide lit up the dark sky. Shrapnel rained down.
A voice drawled lazily through the storm.
A golden flash soared upward.
"Yasakani no Magatama."
Countless beams of light pelted the fragments.
The night sky turned to day.
Through the haze, Sengoku landed on the deck.
He stared at the fleeing pirate ship—and clenched his fist.
"Stop the pursuit. We have a problem."
A masked CP0 agent emerged.
The joint operation to capture World had been led by CP and the Marines.
"Retreat? But we've cornered him—he can't escape the stormy chaos ahead!"
The CP0 shook his head.
"Byrnndi World doesn't matter anymore."
He handed over a Den Den Mushi.
An aged, chilling voice came through:
"Sengoku. Withdraw at once."
"But, Gorosei—Sir! We're so close! He's in the trap—just give me a little more time—"
"Withdraw. Now. That's an order."
Sengoku gritted his teeth.
"May I ask why? We've poured so much into this operation—"
"Saint Shaldes has died. In the North Blue."
A Celestial Dragon... dead?
"As the sole Marine Admiral currently active, your top priority is to investigate the cause. Nothing else matters."
The command left no room for doubt.
Drenched in rain, Sengoku exhaled sharply.
His fighting spirit... smothered.
He bit out the words.
The CP0 agent turned and left.
Golden photons gathered nearby—coalescing into a man.
Tall, striped suit, sunglasses, goatee.
Rear Admiral. Monster of the next generation—Borsalino.
"Should I chase him down, Admiral Sengoku?"
Sengoku glared at the retreating pirate ship—then slammed the railing, shattering it.
"No. Return to base."
Borsalino was powerful—far above the average Vice Admiral.
But against a legend like World?
A future Marine Admiral couldn't be gambled.
They had come so close.
But Sengoku knew... he couldn't disobey.
A Celestial Dragon had died. In the same sea.
And he was the only Admiral left.
"Who in the North Blue... would dare strike a Celestial Dragon?"
Rain lashed his pale face.
Sengoku stared into the storm, lost in thought.