Both start in hell: but their talents are multiplied a hundredfold.

As the newsbirds flew over the Grand Line, the skies above the New World were shrouded in an eerie silence.

On the other side of the Red Line, the seas of the first half of the Grand Line remain turbulent.

On the island where revolutionary army branches are scattered, people gather around a Den Den Mushi (a type of electric telephone insect).

Pure white seagulls circled beneath the clouds, while newsbirds, carrying heavy newspapers, scattered like snowflakes across the world.

For the first time in history, Newsbird is no longer solely serving world governments.

"New Navy Commander-in-Chief Shen Jue, in alliance with Revolutionary Army leader Long and Hunter King Guild leader Xiaotian, has officially declared war on the World Government!"

"The Whitebeard Pirates, one of the Four Emperors, have announced their disbandment and reorganization into the Whitebeard Mercenary Guild!"

"The Four Emperors system of the New World has officially collapsed!"

"King Neptune of Fishman Island leads the fishmen into battle!"

"Elbaf, the Land of Giants, declares war with the roar of Loki, the Prince of Giants!"

"With the abolition of the original Seven Warlords of the Sea system, pirate forces in various regions are disintegrating at a visible speed under the pressure of the new Navy and the instigation of the Revolutionary Army. The anti-World Government wave is unstoppable between the Grand Line and the four seas."

"World governments have issued an emergency mobilization order!"

The broadcast sounded simultaneously in taverns, ports, and ships across the country, and countless people stopped what they were doing and listened intently.

Off the coast of Mary Geoise, a naval warship slowly cruises.

The sea reflected the enormous shadow cast by the red earth, like an insurmountable wall of sighs.

Garp sat cross-legged on the specially made chair at the bow of the ship, eating senbei in one hand and tea in the other, oblivious to everyone around him.

Sengoku emerged from the cabin, clutching a stack of newly translated classified documents, his brow furrowed deeply.

"Garp, can you be a little more serious?" Sengoku walked up to him, his voice low.

Garp didn't even turn his head: "What's wrong? What's gotten into the World Government now?"

Zhan Guo slapped the document on his lap: "Read it yourself."

Garp put down the senbei, squinted at it, and slowly stopped chewing.

After a while, he picked up his teacup and took a sip, but there was no joy in his laughter.

"Haha, they're betting the whole world on this!" Garp chuckled.

Sengoku sat down on the folding chair next to him and held up one finger.

"First, the Marine Headquarters has entered a state of highest combat readiness. That kid Akainu has already arrived at the Holy Land ahead of us. You and I are nominally going there to assist in command, but in reality, we are just acting as shields for the Celestial Dragons."

Garp snorted but didn't reply.

"Second, all CP0 to CP9 agents are ordered to return to Mary Geoise to carry out 'Operation S.H.I.E.L.D.'. The total number exceeds three thousand; those dogs have all shrunk back to their master's side."

"Third, the Order of the Gods has been confirmed to be deployed. Commander Garin-sei will lead nine God Knights into the inner ring of Mary Geoise." Sengoku paused.

"The Celestial Dragons are serious this time."

"Fourth, Impel Down, Magellan received direct orders to temporarily conscript all 180+ high-security prisoners on Level 6. These criminals were all fitted with specially made explosive collars and formed into the 'Sin Soldiers' unit, which was then deployed to the front lines."

Garp finally spoke: "Put collars on vicious criminals? They'd probably be the first to rebel."

Zhan Guo ignored him and continued speaking.

"Fifth, the World Government Member States Alliance, although only a few dozen countries responded to the mobilization, the total number of troops is not small."

"Among them, Judge of Germa 66 has already arrived on the Red Line with the clone army."

"Sixth, the World Government's last remaining special science force, along with the remaining clones of that kid Shen Jue, has also gathered in Mary Geoise."

The Warring States period turned a page, its tone growing even more somber.

"Seventh, and most importantly, Uranus has been confirmed to be activated. The World Government claims that Uranus has the ability to destroy an entire sea area, and any fleet that approaches Mary Geoise will be put to trial."

"8. Nearly two hundred Devil Fruit users have been urgently mobilized from various locations to form a 'Special Operations Group,' which includes both Logia and Mythical Zoan types, and most of the active-duty Marine Vice Admirals have been assigned to it."

Garp's smile finally faded, and the teacup rested on the armrest with a soft thud.

"Tsk, even after Shen Jue took away a third of the Navy's fighting force, they still managed to produce so many Devil Fruit users?"

"I know perfectly well that the lads at Naval Headquarters are not willing to be enemies with Shen Jue."

The sea breeze swept across the deck, bringing with it a fresh smell of gunpowder from war.

"This is almost all of the World Government's assets." Sengoku looked at Garp with a complicated expression.

"In this war, no one can have it both ways."

"Garp, we've spent our entire lives as Marines, what exactly are we protecting?"

Karp did not answer immediately. He gazed in the direction of the Red Line in the distance, where seagulls swept across the sky, emitting sharp cries.

"The Warring States period," Garp suddenly grinned. "My grandsons are on the other side."

Zhan Guo remained silent for a moment, and instead of scolding him as usual, he simply nodded slightly.

"I'm also thinking that the Navy should perhaps change its approach before this war begins."

The warships continued to cruise slowly off the coast of Mary Geoise, the distant red earth resembling a crouching behemoth, making it hard to breathe.

"As for the new navy, the Hades battleship has already crossed the Calm Belt and is expected to arrive soon," Sengoku said in a low voice, as if speaking to Garp, but also as if speaking to himself.

"Then it will all be over."

The red earth is like a giant wall stretching across the sky, splitting the world in two.

At this moment, the sea at the foot of this wall is so covered by countless ships that the water is almost invisible.

For the first time in eight hundred years, the Red Harbor directly beneath Mary Geoise has been fully opened.

Huge elevators transported wave after wave of troops from the sea to the holy site, the roar of steam and gears never ceasing day and night.

From a distance, the entire red earth continent resembles a giant beast awakening, frantically devouring the fuel of war from all over the world.

The outermost layer of Red Harbor is the fleet of the Naval Headquarters.

Two hundred warships were arranged in three arc-shaped defensive lines, with all their guns pointed at the open sea.

Akainu stood at the bow of the flagship at the very front, his naval cap pulled low, the shadow obscuring half his face.

Behind him stood the remaining elite of the Navy Headquarters, a dozen or so vice admirals lined up in a row.

"Reporting, General! All warships have reached their designated positions!" A major general ran up, stood at attention, and saluted.

Akainu didn't turn around, but simply gave a cold "hmm".

His gaze remained fixed beyond the horizon.

The Pluto warship is approaching from that direction.

"Shen Jue..." Akainu squeezed out the name, gritting his teeth but showing no sign of hatred.

Admiral Candidate Momousagi stood by the railing on the third deck of the flagship, holding a cup of tea in her hand.

She gazed at the densely packed fleet on the sea, her expression neither relaxed nor heavy, and slowly said, "I really don't want to fight Shen Jue and the others, but there's nothing I can do."

"I'm still a member of the Navy."

"Following orders is the Navy's mission," Akainu said coldly. "Momosasa, fulfill your duties."

"Alright, alright, relax." Momousagi smiled slightly and said, "Sakazuki, you're too serious."

"We should enjoy these last few cups of tea before this terrible war."

After saying that, Momousagi glanced at the lieutenant generals behind Sakazuki.

Those veteran naval vice admirals remained silent, maintaining their dignity as naval vice admirals in a remarkably unified manner.

She smiled slightly, glanced at Sakazuki, and then took another sip of tea.

In the middle level of Red Harbor, the "Special Agreement Zone," which is separately designated, is separated from other defense zones by three steel gates.

Several ships of different styles are moored here, with the World Government's flag flying from their masts, but none of them are warships.

The sea breeze swept through the locks, carrying the smell of engine oil from the distant fleet and the shouts of soldiers, but the area was eerily quiet.

Moonlight Moria stood at the bow of his enormous dreadnought, his round body wrapped in a black coat, the cross pendant around his neck jingling in the sea breeze.

Behind him, his shadow stretched extremely long on the deck, flickering in and out with the movement of the clouds.

"Lord Moria, all the corpses sent from each defense zone have been received," a zombie soldier reported mechanically as he crawled out of the shadows.

Moria raised a large, fleshy hand and tapped the gunwale lightly with his fingertips.

"Not enough, not nearly enough." His voice escaped from his grinning mouth, tinged with a sticky laugh.

"Send more people to the outskirts of Honggang, salvage as much as possible from those sunken ships."

"But the World Government's orders are for us to be stationed in the 'Special Agreement Zone,' and we are not allowed to leave without permission." The zombie soldier's voice grew softer and softer.

Moriah suddenly turned around, his pale face looking particularly terrifying in the shadows.

"Forbidden? Order? Huff huff huff huff..." He laughed so hard he almost fell over, his laughter echoing across the empty deck.

"Tell me, once the Pluto appears, will those idiots in the World Government still have time to care whether I retrieve the bodies or not?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the sea breeze suddenly intensified.

A fine gust of sand swirled up from the airflow at the bottom of the Red Harbor, swirling and gathering on the deck, eventually condensing into a human shape.

Crocodile, Crocodile.

He was wearing his signature black fur-trimmed coat, a cigar dangling from his lips, and the gold hook in his left hand gleaming coldly in the setting sun.

After the sand dispersed, he didn't even look at Moria, but went straight to the ship's side and gazed at the distant horizon.

"It's rare to see you here." Moria stopped laughing, his eyes turning cold.

Crocodile exhaled a puff of smoke, his voice low and menacing: "Enough with the nonsense. I'm just here to see how many dogs are locked up in the World Government's so-called 'Special Agreement Zone.'"

"You're one of them too, Sand Crocodile," Moria grinned.

Crocodile sneered, offering no rebuttal.

He turned his head and glanced at the towering red earth continent above Red Harbor, where the buildings of Mary Geoise were faintly visible in the clouds, like a heavy crown.

"The Celestial Dragons' smell is still as nauseating as ever," he suddenly said.

Moria's expression shifted slightly, but he didn't respond.

Just then, an unusual ripple appeared on the sea.

The sea surface parted to both sides as if propelled by some force.

A Kuja pirate ship, towed by two giant sea kings, slowly entered the special agreement zone.

On the ship's side, the female warriors of the Kuja Pirates stood in neat rows, holding spears and looking solemn.

Standing at the bow was Boa Hancock.

She wore a purple, high-slit robe, her black hair cascading down her back, and tilted her chin slightly upward.

From Red Harbor's perspective, only her back could be seen, yet it was enough to make the World Government soldiers around her hold their breath.

"That crazy woman is here too," Moria muttered under his breath.

Crocodile didn't speak, he just squinted.

After the Kuja Pirates ship came to a stop, Hancock remained standing at the bow, with her back to Red Harbor and her face towards the sea.

Her two sisters, Boa Sandasonia and Boa Marigold, stood guard on either side of her.

"Big sister, the World Government's liaison officer has been waiting for a long time," Sandersonia whispered a reminder.

Hancock didn't turn around, her voice as cold as frost: "Let them wait."

"Yes."

After a moment, Hancock suddenly spoke up: "How's the new Navy going?"

"According to intelligence, the new navy's fleet is about to arrive," Marigold whispered.

Hancock paused for a moment, then gently tilted her head back, her long hair fluttering in the sea breeze.

"Then, the person I'm waiting for will arrive soon."

She didn't say the name, but the female warriors of Kuja knew it perfectly well.

Gecko Moria, Crocodile, and Boa Hancock—only these three members of the Seven Warlords of the Sea appeared at the defensive positions requested by the World Government.

The three gathered together, yet the atmosphere was remarkably peaceful, without the provocations and battles typically seen between powerful individuals.

It was as if the three of them had tacitly reached some strange agreement.

Deep within Mary Geoise lies Pangaea.

Behind that enormous stone door, which had never been opened to the world, was a long staircase leading downwards.

The lamps burned dimly on the stone walls on both sides, their light unable to penetrate the darkness at the end of the steps.

The air was filled with an ancient, almost stagnant atmosphere, as if time here was completely isolated from the outside world.

The five elders knelt on the ground.

Not one knee, but both knees.

These five elderly men, standing at the pinnacle of world power, had fine beads of sweat on their foreheads.

Their breathing sounded particularly heavy amidst the silence of the Void Throne, and every wrinkle on their faces betrayed their unconcealed fear.

Im sat on that high throne.

The shadow of the throne swallowed his upper body, leaving only a pale finger visible, tapping the armrest repeatedly.

"explain."

It was just one word, but it made the swordsman among the Five Elders tremble violently.

"I...I report to Lord Im." The swordsman raised his head with difficulty, his voice hoarse.

"Uranus, the Heavenly King, the Three Judgments have been launched."

"Then?"

"All invalid."

These four words struck the backs of the Five Elders with a heavy blow.

Im paused for a moment as he tapped the armrest.

"What do you mean by invalid?" The voice was flat, yet it caused the temperature in the entire hall to plummet.

Another of the Five Elders quickly lowered his body, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead onto the cold floor tiles.

"The King of Heaven's attack was completely neutralized by some unknown force when it came within about a hundred meters of the Hades warship," he said, trembling.

The attack simply vanished.

"Disappeared?" Im's voice trembled slightly.

"We've mobilized all available scientific forces and observation methods, but we're completely unable to decipher its principles," the swordsman replied.

"It's not even possible to confirm whether it's a Devil Fruit ability."

Im's fingers began tapping the armrest again, this time with a much faster rhythm.

"Useless," he said.

"Yes! Your subordinate is incompetent!" The five elders knelt down in unison.

Besides the Five Elders, members of the Knights of God were also present.

Garin, who was standing to the side, spoke up at this moment: "The Knights of God are ready to be deployed at any time. If the Heavenly King is ineffective, then we will directly storm the Hades Ship."

Im did not respond to him.

silence.

Only the suppressed breathing of the Five Elders and the unsettling tapping of the armrests remained in the throne room.

"From the very beginning, Mu should have personally intervened in this matter," Im said slowly, his voice like a chilling current rising from the deep sea.

"Shen Jue, an ordinary man who defected from the navy, actually managed to get to this point."

"Furthermore, D has appeared in the fleet formed by the rebels."

"The D clan?"

Im's body leaned slightly forward in the shadows.

"It's D again."

These three short words made the Five Elders bow their backs even lower.

They understood Im's obsession with and fear of "D" better than anyone else.

For eight hundred years, this word has always appeared at turning points in history, each time like a thorn stuck in the heart of world governments.

"Saint Garin," Im suddenly called out.

"exist."

"The Knights of God need not be deployed for the time being."

Im leaned back into the depths of the throne, his pale fingers gently tracing the ancient patterns on the armrest.

"I just find it strange," he muttered to himself.

"The power of the Heavenly King is the pinnacle of worldly rules, so why would such a strange thing happen?"

He paused.

The throne room was so quiet that you could hear the faint sound of candlelight flickering in the wind.

"But war? They thought they were well prepared."

"Then let them see for themselves that they are no different from the great kingdom of eight hundred years ago."

"They will all perish at Mu's hands."

"Let these mortals enjoy their final moments."

The gate between the thrones of the void slowly closed after the Five Elders and Garin Saint withdrew.

On the throne, Im's figure completely disappeared into the darkness, leaving only a pair of eyes that glowed faintly in the shadows, gazing at the huge wall at the end of the hall, which was covered by a curtain.

Time passed quietly. At the forefront of Red Harbor, the Naval Headquarters Fleet formed the outermost line of defense.

A communications soldier sprinted off the flagship's bridge, the telegram paper in his hand rustling loudly.

"Alert! The new Combined Naval Fleet has crossed the first warning line!"

He was breathing heavily, his voice almost cracking.

"Less than twenty nautical miles from Red Harbor!"

On the deck, more than a dozen lieutenant generals turned their heads at the same time.

"impossible!"

"Are you kidding me!"

"There are ocean current walls and thunderclouds beyond the first warning line. How could they possibly have crossed it silently?!"

Exclamations of surprise spread like waves.

Akainu remained standing at the bow of the ship, his brow furrowed.

Only the deck at his feet suddenly cracked open due to the excessive force.

At that moment, the lieutenant generals all raised their heads.

They heard a roar far more muffled than a tsunami or a thunderstorm, pressing down from the horizon.

The sound had a definite source, as if the entire ocean was vibrating.

Immediately afterwards, the sea breeze reversed, and the dark clouds parted to both sides.

Sunlight poured down through the holes in the clouds, making the sky appear as if it had been torn open.

"What...what is that?!"

Red Harbor Middle Level, Special Agreement Zone.

Crocodile's cigar fell from his fingers onto the deck, burning a wisp of smoke.

Moria's smile vanished.

Hancock remained standing at the bow of the Kuja Pirates' ship, but her body leaned slightly forward, and a ball of expanding silver light was reflected in her deep blue eyes.

"How could this be...?"

"What kind of monster is this?!"

"A god?!"

The naval officers retreated, their cannons trembling as they aimed at the sea.

"Don't panic! Prepare for artillery fire! Prepare for artillery fire!"

But this did not quell the soldiers' panic, and the silver light that had forcibly pushed open the sky continued to grow larger.

A towering, silvery-white figure, beyond the measure of ordinary understanding, slowly rose from above the Hades warship, like a silver moon emerging from the sea.

Shen Jue has already transformed into a silver-armored giant, surrounded by white flames and clouds, using the form of the Zoan-type Mythical Beast True Monarch of the Pure Origin Mystic Path!

With his physique, he could easily transform into a body ten thousand meters tall! Even taller and larger would be effortless for him! Without the slightest pressure!

Shen Jue stood above the Hades ship, his entire being resembling an ancient god forged from white flames and metal.

His entire body was covered in silver-white armor and flames, with white flames seeping from the seams of each armor plate.

The mask covered the lower half of his face.

On his forehead, a third eye suddenly opened, its silvery-white vertical pupil surrounded by a ring of white flames.

That eye was looking at Mary Geoise.

"Oh my god!"

"That's the new Fleet Admiral Shen Jue!"

"What exactly is he...?"

"How is this possible! What kind of power is this?!"

Outside Red Harbor, on dozens of ships belonging to member states of the World Government, soldiers knelt down in droves, some weeping, some abandoning their weapons.

And Shen Jue moved.

His right arm was outstretched to one side.

Flames spread along his arm, exploding into a burst of white light at his wrist.

After the light faded, a three-pointed, double-edged sword over ten thousand meters long appeared in Shen Jue's hand.

White flames swirled around the blade, flowing along its spine as if breathing like a living thing.

A white ribbon extended from behind his shoulder, fluttering slowly behind him, distorting and steaming the air wherever it passed.

Tiny particles of light kept peeling off the edges of the ribbon, scattering like stardust.

"What was that?! A hallucination?!"

"The sea is trembling!"

"Look at the Red Line!"

Rock walls along the red continental coast have begun to crumble.

The rubble cascaded into the sea like a waterfall, and the resulting giant waves crashed into the World Government's fleet.

The sky above Mary Geoise looked as if it had been pierced by an invisible giant blade.

A beam of light shot out from the vertical pupil of the breastplate on Shen Jue's chest, piercing straight through the clouds and tearing a circular gap in the sky.

The sunlight poured down like a torrent, shining on Shen Jue.

The light reflected from the silver armor forced everyone to look away.

"My eyes! My eyes!"

"Don't look directly at him!"

The highest-ranking World Government official in Red Harbor slumped to the ground, his telegrams scattered everywhere.

"No...no! Where's the Heavenly King?! Launch the Heavenly King's attack now!"

"It's already been launched! Three rounds! All ineffective!"

"Impossible! That's a superstar!"

A long howl came from Shen Jue's mouth.

The roar surged across the sea, whipping up huge waves.

A white flame shot out from the two three-pointed, double-edged swords in his hands, piercing the sky and illuminating the entire sea area as if it were daytime.

"God, God descends!"

Momousagi stood on the third deck of the flagship, her teacup already shattered.

She tilted her head back, her gaze unfocused, but a slight smile played on her lips.

"How are we supposed to fight like this?"

Akainu's military cap was swept away by the gust of wind, but he remained standing in the same spot, his jaw clenched, unmoving.

The lieutenant generals realized at the same moment that from the second Shen Jue transformed, this war was no longer something they could participate in.

"All troops! Admit to maximum defensive posture!"

"We have to stop them even if we can't!"

"This is the dignity of the Navy!"

Akainu roared and issued the command, his right fist turning into magma.

Just then, Shen Jue lowered his head.

His third eye on his forehead and the two eyes in the gap of his visor both looked toward Mary Geoise, behind the two hundred warships outside Red Harbor.

The three-pointed, double-edged sword slowly rose in his hand.

Between heaven and earth, only the rumbling sound that seemed to come from the ancient times could be heard.

Like the collapse of the heavens, like the wrath of the gods.