The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

Those once cold and proud eyes are now filled with only despair and hopelessness.

Gern lowered his gaze, coldly looking down at that face, and slowly raised his right hand to the black sword, Eight Desolations, still wreathed in dark purple, domineering lightning.

"I said..."

"I don't have time to play with you guys..."

"It's just a game of pretend!" The words were spoken the instant a blade flashed!

"Whoosh!" A highly refined black-purple slash swept past!

There were no obstacles encountered.

The head of the sheep skull masked rider was instantly separated from his neck!

This time, there were no strange immortal properties. Warm blood gushed into the air like a fountain from the severed neck!

Gern didn't even let the splattered blood touch him; the vibration easily shook all the blood droplets away.

"Strange, shouldn't the Divine Riders be immortal? And that guy, Grimm Saint, didn't even chase after us to fight back..."

Although he was puzzled, Gern didn't bother to think about it anymore. He just wanted everything to go according to plan.

So he casually scooped it up and precisely caught the hair bun of the flying head.

Immediately afterwards, he pulled a sturdy thin rope from the corpse and skillfully tied the fresh head to the belt around his waist.

The wide-open eyes on that head, filled with fear and despair, were facing forward, as if silently watching over the "sacred land" it had once protected.

After doing all this, Gern didn't even glance at the headless corpse.

Holding the still-humming black sword, Bahuang, he took a step and continued walking towards Pangu City.

The severed head at his waist swayed slightly with his steps, dripping blood that left a shocking trail on the sacred ground.

Cold-blooded and violent, yet possessing a suffocating power!

..........

The last surviving sniper, Shenqi, hid behind cover in the distance, forcibly suppressing the horror in his heart, and kept taking deep breaths in an attempt to stabilize his almost collapsing mind.

He cannot escape. As a knight of the gods, the consequences of deserting in the face of battle are more terrible than death, and it will implicate the entire family!

So he chose to once again perfectly conceal his presence and blend into the environment, slowly raising the specially made sniper rifle.

The chamber was filled with sea stone bullets, which were coated with a sheen of armor color!

"No matter how strong you are... as long as you are an ability user, you will become weak and powerless when facing 'Black Gun'!"

He silently repeated the phrase to himself, trying to give himself a bit more courage and confidence.

Then, through the high-powered sniper scope, he locked his gaze on Gern's unsuspecting back.

Hold your breath, concentrate, and pull the trigger!

"Bang!!!" A gunshot rang out, clear even though it had been silenced!

Specially designed sea stone bullets tear through the air at supersonic speeds and strike the target with unparalleled accuracy!

In the sniper's scope, Gern seemed completely unaware and continued walking forward.

However, just as the bullet was about to touch the word 'justice' on Gern's back, at the critical moment...

Something strange happened!

The air behind Gern seemed to suddenly transform into a piece of highly elastic and incredibly tough transparent rubber!

The deadly black bullet slammed into the invisible barrier, its speed decreasing dramatically!

The air in front of the bullet visibly caves in and folds, presenting a twisted and wrinkled state like a rag being twisted tightly!

"Zizzizi!"

The high-frequency vibration waves rubbed violently against the powerful aura on the Seastone bullet, producing a piercing sound!

Ultimately, that Seastone bullet, powerful enough to instantly exhaust any ability user, was...

He was actually blocked in mid-air just centimeters away from Gern's back!

After its kinetic energy was exhausted, it fell to the ground with a "thud".

"Wh...what?!" Sniper Divine Rider was stunned when he saw this completely illogical scene through his scope; his mind went blank.

"How is this possible?! That was... air? Vibration? It stopped the sea stone bullet?!"

In that instant when he was stunned and frozen by the unbelievable sight

In the sniper scope, Gern's figure... vanished!

"!!" The sniper, Divine Rider, was startled and immediately put down his sniper rifle. He looked around in a panic, trying to recapture Gern's trail.

However, the instant he lowered his gun and looked away from the sniper scope...

A very subtle, yet icy and piercing pain suddenly came from the very center of the top of his head!

"Pfft!"

It felt as if something had precisely pierced his skull!

His movements suddenly froze, his pupils dilated instantly, and his consciousness blurred rapidly like the receding tide...

In his last moments before losing consciousness, he mustered his last ounce of strength and slowly and laboriously lowered his head.

He saw it.

He saw the deep, dark blade tip, covered in dark red cracks, protruding from below his chin, dripping warm blood.

Immediately afterwards, he felt it.

A wild and incomparably powerful Conqueror's Haki, filled with an aura of destruction.

Like a flood bursting its banks, it was rushing wildly into his body along the blade that had pierced through his head and body!

It utterly destroyed all his vitality and eliminated his so-called 'immortality'!

"When...did you...find me..." The Divine Rider couldn't turn his head and could only mutter softly.

And Gern... had somehow appeared behind him.

And using the Eight Directions technique, it pierced through the top of his head and out through his chin, impaling his short stature on the blade!

Gern didn't answer, his face expressionless as he gripped the hilt of his knife, his wrist twitching slightly.

"Whoosh!!!" An even more powerful and domineering aura suddenly erupted!

It was as if countless miniature shock bombs had been dropped inside the sniper's body, causing it to shatter completely from the inside out!

Then he slowly drew out the Black Blade Eight Desolations.

The sniper's body fell limply to the ground, his eyes still holding the last traces of horror and confusion.

“As expected, none of them have the immortality trait…” Gern flicked the blood off his blade, not even glancing at the corpse at his feet, and turned his gaze back toward the direction of Pangu City.

Another head needs to be tied to the belt.

Chapter 328 With the seagull-shaped cap on, the Warring States Marshal doesn't care about anyone!

Pangu City, a place of power struggles.

The atmosphere was so heavy it was almost palpable.

The five elders stood side by side, their gazes like cold blades, focused on the man before them wearing frog-like glasses.

The man had a long beard tied in a braid on his chin and wore a military cap with a seagull symbolizing the "navy".

With a seagull-shaped cap on his head, he's a warlord who doesn't care about anyone!

“Warring States!” Maz Saint spoke first, his voice filled with pressure, “You need to give us an explanation!”

Garp, Kuzan, and Borsalino! Three of the Navy's top combatants couldn't stop a single Gern?!

And you let him so easily land in the Holy Land and slaughter the Knights of God! Is this the 'obstruction' you promised?!

Faced with the Five Elders' accusations, Sengoku remained unusually calm, even displaying a hint of retort, and replied indifferently:

"Explanation? My lords, there are some things that are destined not to be known to everyone on the high seas."

His sharp gaze swept over the Five Elders: "Once those covetous pirates in the New World, especially the other three 'Emperors,' learn that Gurn has completely broken with our World Government, or even that a full-scale conflict has broken out... what do you think they will do?"

Should they seize the opportunity to carve up G-10's sphere of influence, or... join forces to drive all of the Navy's forces to the edge of the New World, turning it into a pirate paradise?!

"At that time, the balance of the entire New World will be completely broken, the Navy will bear the brunt, and the member states of the World Government will suffer heavy losses! Who will bear this responsibility?"

(Because of Gern's existence, the New World can no longer be called 'Pirate Paradise')

At this point, Sengoku didn't give the five a chance to refute, directly changing his tone and becoming even more forceful: "Moreover..."

When you decided to attack G-10 base and assault a key subordinate of a naval admiral, did you ever consult with me, the Fleet Admiral, or seek my opinion?!

Faced with Sengoku's blunt rebuttal, Nasujuro snorted coldly, attempting to intimidate him with his status: "Sengoku! Watch your position and your words! The Navy is merely under the World Government's control..."

"What is it?!" Sengoku interrupted him rudely, his voice suddenly rising, "Is it a pawn that can be discarded at any time? Or a watchdog that can be summoned and dismissed at will?!"

He pointed sharply in the direction outside Pangaea, his voice almost roaring: "Don't forget! Gern is in Mary Geoise right now!"

Don't you all know what his abilities are?!

Or has the World Government already found a new 'Pangu City' and doesn't care whether this place becomes the next 'Ruins of Fallen Gods'?!

Sengoku's almost defiant roar and blatant threat left the Five Elders speechless.

None of the five of them were fools; they immediately understood that Sengoku was doing this on purpose!

He had long anticipated that Garp and his two companions wouldn't be able to stop (or wouldn't try to stop) Gern!

He intends to use Gern, this sharp, uncontrollable knife, to force the emperor to abdicate!

To demand more independence and political power for the Navy!

Thinking of the Warring States period's ruthless strategy and its disgusting true intentions, the Five Elders' faces turned ashen.

They were burning with anger, but they had to admit that the Warring States had struck at their Achilles' heel!

Stop Gern? To be honest, with their five members being far stronger and possessing bizarre immortality than the Divine Knights, any one of them could confidently wear down Gern through a war of attrition.

But... Gern's damn "Heaven-Shattering" Fruit is just too terrifying in its destructive power!

He doesn't need to win; he just needs to unleash his full power without restraint...

The Five Elders felt a chill run down their spines at the thought of the "Ruins of Fallen Gods" in the South China Sea, a place that remains a forbidden zone for life to this day.

They dared not gamble that if Gern was driven to the brink, he might actually go mad and "shock" Mary Geoise as well!

After all, the most terrifying thing about Logia-type characters is that they can create an environment entirely on their own and never be erased!

After a long silence, Shepard X. Peter Saint slowly spoke, his tone carrying a hint of compromise and helplessness: "He has already killed two Divine Riders."

We have already handed over the two culprits who attacked G-10 and injured Enel (they were killed by Gern).

Figarand Greengus...we also gave him strict orders not to interfere before you arrived."

"So... Sengoku, can you... put an end to this farce now?"

Faced with these words that were almost a plea for peace, the Warring States period sneered inwardly, knowing that the time had come.

He stopped beating around the bush and began to state his conditions directly, his tone returning to calm, yet carrying an undeniable air of authority:

"Yes, but there are a few conditions."

"First, the Marine Headquarters has complete autonomy in all future strategic deployments and operations against major pirates, and the World Government must not interfere in any way!"

"Secondly, the New World G-10 base and its surrounding waters are designated as a fully autonomous territory of 'Skyquake' Gern, enjoying a high degree of autonomy. The World Government shall not interfere in its internal affairs or foreign defense policies!"

"Third, formally recognize Gern and his forces as the 'Fifth Pole' of the New World, and the World Government must publicly express its support for maintaining order in certain sea areas of the New World!"

"Fourth, all related losses and subsequent compensation for this incident will be fully borne by the World Government's treasury!"

"Finally... I guarantee that there will never again be any secret operations targeting senior naval officers and their subordinate forces without the approval of the Supreme Commander of the Navy!"

Sengoku laid out his conditions one by one, each one greatly expanding the navy's independence and power.

In particular, the recognition of G-10's autonomy and "fifth pole" status is almost a tacit recognition of Gern's "fifth pole" status in the New World, only disguised as a naval entity.

The Five Elders' expressions grew increasingly grim as they listened to these conditions. They couldn't help but suspect that Gern was putting on a show in cahoots with Sengoku.

But in the end, he gritted his teeth and slowly nodded.