Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 304 How can someone who doesn't dare to sit upright on the throne call himself a king?

Between the powers of Pongel Castle.

The Five Elders were standing by the window, watching the war that was breaking out on the edge of the Red Line outside Mary Geoise.

"It seems the first line of defense is about to be breached," Mazsan said softly.

"As expected, it was the fact that the Holy Mother's Flames failed to work that surprised me somewhat," said Saint Vocuri with a somber expression.

"After all, five nature-based beings made a move," said Grimm, his expression gloomy. "And they were all powerful individuals."

"Enough with the nonsense." Nasujuro Sei placed one hand on the sword at his waist and said, "Lord Im's orders must be carried out. Continuing to wait here will only make the situation worse. While we still have the strength, we must make our move."

"Let's go." Green Saint was the first to agree, turning and walking towards the door.

Subsequently, the other four members of the Five Elders also left the Hall of Power.

Soon, the Five Elders and their companions left Pongel Castle and arrived at the walls on the edge of Mary Geoise.

Seemingly sensing the footsteps behind him, a man wearing an owl mask and a white suit quickly turned around.

After recognizing who it was, he immediately knelt on one knee and said, "Five Elders, I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"Get up, Night Owl." Saint Vochuli waved his hand, then asked, "How is the situation?"

"This is bad. The Knights of God have already retreated. The battlefield has completely collapsed. It's clear that we can't stop the rebels outside the city," Night Owl said decisively.

As soon as he finished speaking, the four veteran Five Elders, including Vocuri Saint, all looked at Gringu Saint.

Grimm Saint's expression was also slightly embarrassed. He said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, it's just a strategic retreat. The Knights of God will definitely live and die with Mary Geoise."

Just as the Five Elders and others ascended the city wall, Bane had already arrived at the center of the battlefield. Well, "center" isn't quite accurate, because Mary Geoise's forces had already begun to crumble. The Knights of God had managed to retreat to the foot of the city wall in an orderly fashion, but the rest of the troops were in complete disarray, being relentlessly pursued and killed.

As if by telepathy, Bane's gaze suddenly turned to the top of the city wall, passing through the chaotic battlefield and smoke, and in an instant, his eyes met those of Vauciuri Saint.

After staring at each other for a moment, Bane grinned, revealing a cruel smile.

Volcholi instinctively felt a chill in his heart. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Bane's figure suddenly disappear from his sight.

Without the slightest carelessness, Saint Vochuli immediately activated his Observation Haki, instantly detecting Bane's presence, and then abruptly looked up at the sky.

His actions and the release of his Observation Haki immediately alerted the Five Elders around him, and they all followed Vochuri Saint's gaze to the distant sky.

"Bane!?" Nasujiro asked, a deep hatred flashing in his eyes.

At this moment, Bane stepped on the moonwalk, his figure flying in the air. The instant he was watched by the Five Elders, his aura suddenly burst forth.

A surge of Conqueror's Haki instantly enveloped the entire sky, and the swift airflow dispersed the smoke from the battlefield. The powerful figures who were still pursuing each other all looked up at the sky.

"What is he doing!?" Sabo muttered to himself in surprise.

"The Five Elders!" Dragon's Observation Haki also spotted the Five Elders who had climbed onto the city wall.

Before Dragon and the others could even process what was happening, they saw Bane, far away in the sky, unleash a punch.

The surging Conqueror's Haki collapsed instantly, and in a mere instant, it all converged into the wind of his fist. The surging energy roared down, heading straight for the Five Elders on the city wall.

On the city wall, Sacred Vochuli was the first to activate his ability, instantly transforming into a giant four-tusked warthog covered in black spots and surrounded by black ribbons that signified the awakening of a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user.

His massive physique caused the city wall to collapse, and the Five Elders and Night Owl quickly sprang away to avoid the area.

Immediately following, Bane's fist force had already reached this area. The warthog that was Vorchuli Saint transformed into roared and unleashed a surging Conqueror's Haki shockwave from its mouth, which swiftly collided with Bane's fist force.

"Not bad, as expected of Conqueror's Haki honed over a hundred years!" Bane looked at his fist force being shattered, but he didn't seem surprised.

After all, that punch was just a greeting, nothing special.

Using Moonwalk, Bane didn't waste any time and rushed towards the direction of Sacred Worchul.

But the next second, a sudden sense of vigilance arose in his heart, which made Bane slightly suspicious. His Observation Haki had already been activated, and he did not sense any threat at this moment. No, that's not right!

Like a dream, a man wearing an owl mask suddenly appeared beside Bane, holding a triangular dagger, about to stab Bane in the heart.

"He can conceal his aura to such an extreme degree!?" Bane's heart skipped a beat, and he paid even more attention to Night Owl.

At a previous meeting, Sakazuki said that Night Owl seemed to have no presence, and now, Bane has experienced firsthand the actual manifestation of this "lack of presence." Even with his Observation Haki strength, he almost missed it.

However, since he had already noticed it, this sudden attack had lost its original threat. Before the Night Owl could pierce his heart with the triangular dagger, Bane punched the dagger.

The sheer force caused Night Owl to lose his grip on his weapon, sending it flying.

"His strength is negligible," Bane thought to himself.

Perhaps he had focused all his talents on covert assassination, as he knocked Night Owl's weapon away with a single punch. The tactile feedback made Bane think that this guy's strength wasn't even as great as Doflamingo's.

Having missed its target, Night Owl suddenly unfurled a pair of wings that still looked as illusory as bubbles, and with a powerful flap, quickly widened the distance between itself and Bane.

It seemed he wanted to adjust his rhythm and launch an attack in a different way, but before he could even get his rhythm right, a thunderous sound instantly entered his ears.

"One-Sword Style: Thirty-Six Troubles of Wind!"

The slash, imbued with the power of thunder, exploded like a gust of wind, instantly reaching Night Owl's front. With a flick of his sleeve, two more triangular daggers appeared in his hand, flying up and down with incredible speed, deflecting the wind and thunder slash that was rushing towards him.

"It seems he's stronger than Doflamingo. Was he just putting on a show to appear weak?" Bane glanced at the scene and then stopped paying attention to what was happening.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

With a steady footfall, his cloak of justice billowed in the wind behind him. Looking at the figures in front of the collapsed city wall ruins not far away, Bane grinned and said, "Long time no see, five lords, no, four. After all, there's one newcomer I've never seen before."

By this time, Saint Vocuri had already returned to human form and was standing side by side with the other five elders.

"You're so disappointing, Bane. We promised you everything in this world, even the noble position of a Celestial Dragon, but you made this decision that disappoints everyone," Saint Vocuri said, looking at Bane with some annoyance.

"A promise?" Bane said with a hint of regret. "It's a real shame. I understood a long time ago that one must rely on oneself."

After a slight pause, Bane's gaze darkened as he looked at the Five Elders and said, "You've all served Im for so many years, don't you even understand this basic principle? What anyone else promises you doesn't count; only what you can decide for yourself matters!"

Bane's words carried a hint of sarcasm, and although the Five Elders' eyes blazed with anger, none of them could refute them.

Ultimately, the reason they were forced to confront Bane in Mary Geoise was because they had no say in the matter.

Ignoring the Five Elders' feelings, Bane asked directly, "Where is Im? Where is he? I've already led my troops to Mary Geoise, and he still hasn't shown up. Could he have run away? Is this all the responsibility the self-proclaimed King of the World has?"

Before the Five Elders could speak, Bane scoffed again, "But then again, he's called the King of the World, but in our eyes, he's nothing more than a rat hiding in the gutter. He's too afraid of the world's backlash to sit on that throne with dignity. What face does he have to call himself a king?"

Why doesn't Im sit openly on that empty throne? Why doesn't he proudly reveal his existence to the world?

Is it because you don't want to?

No, it's because I'm afraid!

He lacked confidence that he could withstand the world's questions and tests once he sat on that throne!

He was terrified that if he were exposed, it would trigger an uncontrollable wave of resistance that would eventually overthrow him!

Ultimately, it all comes down to a lack of magnanimity!

But Bane was not afraid of any of this. He never shied away from his ambition to covet the throne and to sit on it, nor did he hide his belief that he wanted to become the king of the world!

"Arrogant!" Saint Vochuli said with murderous intent in his eyes, "It's bad enough that you've insulted us, but you even dared to speak disrespectfully to that great man!"

Upon hearing this, Bane burst into laughter, saying, "If you want to show loyalty, you should take action, not just bark here. So what if I insult him like this? Let him come out and kill me then!?"

When Bane spoke, his voice was loud and clear, as if it could penetrate the noisy battlefield and resonate throughout Mary Geoise.

Among the flowers, a figure in the flowerbed also heard the sound. A butterfly rested on his fingertip. The next second, the beautiful butterfly was shattered and fell by an inexplicable force.

Immediately afterwards, the Five Elders suddenly felt a palpitation, followed by an unbearable pain in their hearts, as if someone had crushed their hearts.

It's obvious that Lord Im is angry.

"Please calm down!" Saint Vochuli clutched his chest, his face contorted in pain. "We will kill this madman right now!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Nasujuro Sei, despite the pain in his chest, drew his sword and slashed out. With this action, Im's punishment disappeared.

Facing the oncoming slash, Bane paid no attention; his focus wasn't even on that. Instead, he looked towards the ruins of the city wall at Pangel Castle, a slight smile appearing on his face. "Found it."

Immediately afterwards, a golden streak of light appeared beside him, and he drew the Kusanagi Sword, blocking Nasujuro Sei's slash with a single blow.

"I apologize, I'm a little late," Borsalino said softly.

"No, you've come at just the right time," Bane said with a smile and a wave of his hand.

At the same time, Sakazuki, Garp, Issho, and the others gradually arrived behind Bane, each with a menacing look on their faces as they stared at the Five Elders opposite them.

(End of this chapter)