Amidst the massive crater, the Five Elders, now transformed into monstrous, beast-like forms, stood alongside three members of the elite God's Knights, all radiating overwhelming fury.
Their faces twisted with rage.
"Gulp!"
"Are those monsters... Our enemies?"
"Shut up! Show respect! Those are the Five Elders!"
"What?! The Five Elders?!"
"So... This is their power?"
"Damn... They look like demons from hell...!"
"Idiot! Watch your mouth!"
A wave of Mary Geoise guards rushed to the scene.
But when they laid eyes on the towering, black-flame-shrouded creatures, they nearly mistook them for enemies.
Several guards were about to attack until elites CP0 and God's Knights stopped them just in time.
"You insolent worms!"
But then, St. Jaygarcia Saturn, now in his terrifying Gyuki form, with a grotesque spider-like body, a twisted, monstrous face, and long, curved horns, glared at them fiercely.
His eyes glowed with an eerie light.
"Aaahhh...!"
The guards who had offended them by talking without thinking let out a scream; then their heads exploded on the spot, and blood splattered everywhere, creating a horrifying scene.
"Did we kill him?"
A tall, slender man with crescent-shaped red hair, bearing a striking resemblance to Red-Haired Shanks but with an older, more sinister face, gripped a luxurious rapier while staring at the ruins ahead; his expression darkened and was uncertain.
The Obask Luke they had supposedly obliterated was nowhere to be found.
"Not even Kaido, the so-called strongest creature of land, sea, and air, could survive an attack like that... Luke must be dead."
The massive St. Topman Warcury, now in his Beast Form, surrounded by black flames, spoke with a cold expression.
Yet, even if Luke was dead, the destruction of the Celestial Dragons' most prized treasure filled them with rage instead of joy.
They wanted Luke alive just so they could torture him to death and rip him apart piece by piece.
"Rooooaaaarr!!"
Just then, without warning, a monstrous, terrifying figure emerged from the ground.
Grotesque, savage, like an ancient beast from the abyss.
Its voice was hoarse and filled with rage.
"I was careless..."
"Is that daring guy Obask Luke?"
Crackle…
An overwhelming wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted.
The sheer force made everyone present turn pale.
It felt like a mountain was pressing on their chests, suffocating them.
Cold sweat ran down their backs, and weaker CP agents and guards standing too close immediately fainted, falling to the ground while foaming at their mouths.
But in the midst of the utter shock and disbelief of the CP0 and marine elites…
"Imu-sama—"
Whether it was the Five Elders, who held the supreme power of the World Government, or the esteemed and formidable members of the God's Knights, selected from the elite of the Celestial Dragons, they all bowed in reverence before the figure.
"So, you're Imu?"
Without any warning, a calm yet disdainful voice echoed across the Holy Land Mary Geoise.
"Hiding in the sewers like a rat, unable to show your face to the world, have you finally decided to reveal yourself?"
High above the sky, Luke had once again appeared.
He gazed indifferently down at the powerful figures of the World Government, with Imu at their center.
"Impudent!"
"Damn Black Prison!"
"How dare you be so disrespectful!!"
The God's Knights and the Five Elders were all shocked and furious, glaring at the imposing figure hovering in midair. Their eyes burned with rage, their killing intent palpable.
Whoosh!
In an instant, two cold, gleaming flashes of light cut through the air like lightning.
A red-haired elder with a crescent moon-shaped hairstyle and St. Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, who had transformed into a legendary demon with a human upper body and a skeletal horse lower body, both struck simultaneously.
Their two blinding slashes cleaved directly through Luke, continuing unstoppably into the distant sky.
"Flap... Flap..."
However, to their shock, Luke's body, which had been split apart in an instant, strangely burst apart into countless blood-red bats that scattered into the air.
The bats fluttered and swirled before quickly converging once more.
Luke stood there, completely unharmed.
"You, a mere CP traitor, actually know of my existence?"
A monstrous and grotesque figure, massive in size, rapidly shrank and compressed before taking the form of a tall, imposing silhouette.
Wearing a towering crown, with a cold, emotionless face and sharp, hawk-like eyes that rippled with eerie waves, Imu gazed up at Luke.
"Hah? I found out by accident... One of the original twenty kings, isn't that right?"
Luke vanished in a flash, reappearing amidst the ruins below.
He locked eyes with Imu, whose overwhelming aura could not be underestimated.
Glancing at the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, now transformed into grotesque beasts, Luke sneered.
"Tch, a bunch of misshapen freaks, like demons straight out of hell..."
"Perfect. Instead of standing atop the Red Line, hell is exactly where you belong!"
"Arrogant!!"
St. Shepherd Ju Peter, who had transformed into a giant sandworm with razor-sharp fangs, seethed with killing intent.
"Obasuke Luke, you're bringing about your own destruction!"
St. Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, still in his skeletal horse form, gripping the legendary cursed sword Shodai, Kitetsu, spoke coldly.
"Just the Netherworld Pirates alone... Do you really think you're qualified to challenge the might of the World Government?"
St. Jaygarcia Saturn, taking the form of a demonic ox wreathed in black flames, gazed at Luke with eerie, ghostly eyes.
"We had planned to let you live a little longer, but since you've come seeking death, we will grant your wish."
St. Topman Warcury transformed into the legendary creature Fengxi, a massive, boar-like beast with four tusks and spotted wart-covered skin, growled menacingly.
"A mere servant dares to slay his masters?"
An older but still imposing figure resembling the red-haired elder, St. Figarland Garling, held an ornate rapier and pointed it at Luke with murderous intent.
"Foolish creature who does not know his place!"
"You think I'd act rashly without thorough preparation?"
Luke sneered, stomping his foot down.
Before Imu, the Five Elders, and the other powerful figures could react…