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

"The risks are great, but the opportunities are truly rare." Vocuri's voice followed closely, regaining its composure:

"If we could truly resolve the problems of Tianzhen and Nika in one fell swoop..."

Saint Pitt and Saint Maz also expressed their agreement: "We second that."

"We can no longer allow traitors and blasphemers to run rampant."

A smile finally appeared on Satan's face, now fully recovered.

Then, returning to normal, he raised one of his newly regenerated arms and pressed it against the cold, damp ruins beneath him.

Although the surface of the five-pointed star array was damaged, it still served as a spatial "anchor point".

Its effects remain unchanged due to the resonance of the power of the Abyss Contract.

"In the name of Igorusia Satan..."

"Abyssal resonance, the five stars return to their places!"

After speaking...

"Boom!!!"

A dark energy far greater, deeper, and more soul-chilling than Satan himself.

Drawn from nothingness, following the remaining "anchor point" vein, it descends with a roar!

Above the ruins, the once clear sky suddenly darkened!

Five unseen black holes are forming above the holy land, pulling at light and vision, and sucking them into some unknown dimension!

Immediately afterwards...

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Four beams of light, each a different color, yet all imbued with an intense aura of darkness.

Ignoring spatial distance, it tore through the sky above Egherd and crashed down!

At the same time, all the powerful individuals with keen senses on the island

Including the three parties currently in a standoff: Guern, Blackbeard, and Luffy.

They were all shocked and looked up in horror!

The pressure, amplified by the combined power of five top-tier mythical beast species and amplified by the Abyss Contract, instantly swept across the entire Egerhard!

The sky was completely dark, the wind howled, and the sea roared!

In front of Gern, in front of everyone!!!

The Five Elders...

Everyone has arrived!!!

Jaygolucia Satan's body and spider legs twitched.

The skeleton of Nasujiro Saint has a face and back covered with horse skin, a huge body, and is shrouded in black smoke.

Shepard X. Pitt Saint, a sand worm with a tortoise-like head, emerged from the ground.

Topman Vocuri Saint, on the other hand, is a boar-like creature with four tusks and spots on its body.

Marcus Mazsan has a bird's head, bird's wings, bird's claws, and a snake's body.

The gigantic Itsumade, breathing fire!!

"Skyquake Gern...Straw Hat Boy..."

"Your sins of rebellion and blasphemy..."

"Today, we, the Five Elders, will personally judge this matter!!!"

Chapter 694 Im's Waiting

Meanwhile, in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, deep within the city of Pangaea, amidst the flowers.

Exotic flowers and plants bloom quietly, and eternal light shines through stained glass, illuminating the tranquil stream and the mirror-like ground.

Just as the four dark pillars of light completely disappeared from the Hall of Power...

In the center of the garden, on a pavilion-style couch surrounded by flowers.

The dark figure... opened its eyes.

There is no joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness.

"grown ups."

Junzi stood to one side, maintaining a half-kneeling, bowed posture throughout.

Almost at the same moment Im opened his eyes, his body trembled almost imperceptibly.

Then he lowered his head even further to report.

"Satan has successfully completed his mission..."

"The other four adults have all answered the summons and descended to Egherd."

Im paid no attention to Junzi's report.

Its gaze pierced through the exquisite dome among the flowers, penetrated the rock layers of the red earth continent, and crossed the boundless sea.

Through Satan's eyes, he directly "stared" at Egherd.

And so, after a long silence

Im's lips moved slightly, uttering an almost silent murmur.

"They're all here."

"Gern Reginald Sigmar, who possesses that strange flame..."

And, the successor to Joy Boy's power..."

"And David..."

When he finally uttered the word 'David', the syllables were unclear.

Junzi knelt on the ground, not daring to move.

She could sense that when Lord Im mentioned "Gern" and that "strange flame" (spark),

The perpetually still air seemed to ripple with an extremely subtle movement.

That was a variable that even the King of the World had to face.

The name "Joy Boy" has been intertwined with destiny and taboos for eight hundred years.

After a brief silence, Junzi asked for instructions in a low voice.

"My lord, the appearance of the Five Elders is a good opportunity to deal with the celestial earthquake."

Should we... dispatch other members of the 'Knights of God' to Egerhard to provide support and stabilize the situation?

Im's gaze remained fixed on a point in the void, and his reaction to Junzi's suggestion was unusually indifferent.

"Vegapunk is not qualified."

"Therefore, it's not necessary."

"Because, the knights of Mu must protect the holy land."

Beneath the empty 'throne of gods,' no room for error is allowed.

The reasons are high-sounding: protecting the sacred land is of paramount importance.

But Junzi had been following Im for some time, so he keenly sensed that the meaning behind the words was not the whole story.

Sure enough, Im's next whisper revealed a deeper intention.

"and……"

Im's eyes seemed to flicker slightly as he continued to look at Marshall D. Teach on the ruins of Egerhead through the eyes of the Five Elders.

“Mm, we need 'David's' offspring.”

Upon hearing this, Junzi was suddenly jolted!

I understood instantly!

Lord Im is waiting!

Last time, it attempted to seize the "Mother Flame" and deal with Gern by possessing Nassulang Saint through its descent.

However, he unexpectedly encountered the "Spark" that burned his very essence, causing not only the failure of his plan but also the most severe pain he had suffered in eight hundred years.

This caused Im to hide among the flowers and howl like a dog for months.

Therefore, that experience made Im clearly realize

The Five Elders alone (even in their possessed state) are no longer sufficient to reliably suppress or even eliminate Gern.

The speed at which men grow and the power they wield have already exceeded the category of "exceptional."

It has become a major threat that can only be properly dealt with by the "player" himself.

Therefore, this time, Im is waiting for a more suitable "opportunity".

They are also waiting for a more perfect "container".

And Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach is the perfect candidate for this "opportunity" and "container"!

He possesses the Dark-Dark Fruit, which counters ability users.

He possesses the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, which is powerful enough to destroy the world.

Furthermore, it possesses Conqueror's Haki, which carries the will of "God" and can contend with the lowest threshold of "power"!

more importantly

His ambition, greed, extreme thirst for power, and ruthless cunning...

All of this is related to that powerful figure from back then.

Harald is completely different!

Harald was a proud warrior, the king of giants. His power came from his bloodline and honor, making him difficult to control and ultimately destined for destruction.

Blackbeard... he's more like an insatiable, cunning, and greedy hyena.

For power, he was willing to betray everything, endure for many years, and then murder his father to seize the throne.

This kind of unscrupulous, power-driven nature

Completely opposite to his father, Rocks, yet the underlying emotional nature of the two is essentially the same.

And these are precisely the materials that are most easily exploited, "raised," and ultimately turned into perfect puppets!

What Im needs is not an uncontrollable "king".

Instead, it is a humanoid weapon that can perfectly bear its will and power, specifically designed to deal with "outside-the-rules" enemies like Gern!

"Yes, we need David's offspring..."

Junzi lowered his head deeply and said no more.

She understood that Lord Im had made his decision.

The Five Elders descended to the mortal realm to deal with Vegapunk's crisis and chaotic situation.

At the same time, it is also the final "test" and "pressure screening" for Blackbeard.

Meanwhile, Lord Im waited quietly atop the sacred ground.

The flames of war in Egherd awaited to bring everything to its climax.

Waiting for that perfect "moment".

Waiting...

He personally descended to the mortal realm to collect the "fruits" and personally ended all opportunities for rebellion.

Silence returned to the flowers.

Only Im's eyes, reflecting endless time and space, still "gaze" into the distance.