Chapter 272
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It's been around 2 hours since the Live Stream abruptly cut off.
Not only the people on the outside world, even the people in Alabasta, where the Sins were, no one had any idea of what was happening outside.
Everyone had their breath held, waiting for the winner to emerge; who some of them could already guess.
What they witnessed today in the war was nothing short of godly and divine.
They knew the people calling themselves Einherjars were strong and were large in numbers. But… From birth, everyone was taught to believe the Celestial Dragon's were the ultimate ruler of the world, and opposing them was basically death. So seeing those Celestial beings' protectors, the marines and Five Elders, die like that in the hands of a bunch of Pirates was unbelievable for most.
If not for the live stream that they watched with their own two eyes, nobody would have believed such news. Heck, some people doubted if they were in a dream or not, or if this was some kind of hallucination.
However, that was only the people who lived in the blues. The people on the Grandline weren't delusional enough to doubt what they saw, since they've been witnessing such power play for the past 9 months already.
But since the majority of the people lived in the Blues, it'd be annoying to expand Amon's influence around there if they were so much in denial.
Just when everyone was about to return home, thinking they wouldn't get to know the result of the war today, the light in the big screens snarled up again.
["Oh, it's up."]
The devil-like man with two red horns and similarly crimson eyes, Amon, knocked on the camera with his finger and smiled seeing the power coming up.
People around the world looked at his face, charming like a prince but scary like a demon, with different types of gazes.
The people who were part of the Einherjars, the Wingless Valkyries, and under the protection of Amon's ruling until now, broke out in a cheer that seemed to shake the entire world.
The people who were hoping he'd lose, released continuous deep sighs. It seemed to release a breeze around the world.
Of course, what were they thinking… If even the marines couldn't defeat Amon's subordinates, what could Shanks do? The same Shanks who's been hiding for a year.
Amon withdrew his face back from the camera, which immediately shattered the bit of hope left within a few people as they got the view of his background.
He was at Mariejois.
A destroyed mariejois, precisely, where a firestorm was raging and lightning of different colours was striking down from the sky, on their own.
Men and women, who most people in the world had seen wearing helmets made of bubbles for their entire life, now ran with desperate cries, leaving their suits behind to not let the heavyweight drag them down. Their naked bodies dangled around as they ran, and those same bodies dropped to the ground with burned charred skin when a lightning strike fell from the sky.
Everyone watched as Amon seemed to click a button that switched the camera to the rear. Therefore showing them the clear view that was happening in Mariejois, the kingdom in heaven.
"I-impossible… he's killing them… the World Nobles…"
"W-wouldn't the government punish him for that?"
Most of the government officers should be present in Mariejois, to ensure the World Nobles' safety. For that reason, some wondered if those people could do something about Amon.
However...
"Don't be stupid! This sight is proof enough that the government is in no shape to care about their death!"
...The people who have already accepted the reality simply scoffed at that idea.
The strongest government soldiers, the Cipher Pol had been thoroughly destroyed, killed, and tortured in the last 9 months—as far as the normal people were informed.
The organisation has been rebuilt with new recruits, but even their strongests could barely match a Vice-Admiral's strength. At the same time, the other government officials would rather run for their life than risk it all for some dying pigs.
Though in the camera, people did see some normal officers still rushing inside the fire to try and save the rulers of this world, but they couldn't even defend themselves when continuous strikes of lightning fell on their heads and caused them to burst like watermelons.
["Boom, there goes another one. Yikes.]
The man behind all this chuckled to himself, and since people couldn't see his expression, they could only imagine his evil grin as he watched his weak and defenceless opponents get butchered like livestock.
The people gasped at his words. How could he take this as a joking matter even as hundreds of people were dying?!
"I...I was thinking why he hasn't killed those pigs already." Amongst the crowds in an unknown part of the world, an old man, weak and skinny, spoke as tears rolled down his eyes. "I have been waiting for this day!!"
"Kill them! Kill them all! I am on your side!"
As the old man yelled, throwing his hand in the air, the people watched him with their eyes shaking. Shocking them, more and more people joined the old man in his cheers as all their dark memories of the World Nobles flashed by their eyes.
"Kill them all, Sky Emperor- No, no." The old man shook his head mid-way. Calling him an Emperor wouldn't work, since he was now the ruler of the world. His eyes shone as he recalled what Amon's people referred to him as. "...Kill them all, God Amon!"
"...What?"
"God Amon, kill them all!"
Despite the reluctance and shock of the majority, the words spread like a frenzy, and a small portion of the people in the world, a very small portion of them, yelled out Amon's name in a cheer.
As if he could hear their cheers, Amon snickered some more and the camera shifted to his face again.
["From Paradise to the New World, currently Zero Marine bases remain."] Amon spoke to the camera. ["The Blues, however, still have some Marine bases intact, which I don't like at all. At the same time, I don't like needless blood shreds either. You have a week worth of time on your hands, Marines. Surrender, flee from your bases, and run far, far from your base. Because from this moment onwards, this entire world... is under my Rule, and no one who dares to oppose me will see the sun of the next day."]
...Indeed, the world now had a new ruler.
—★—
The people on Alabasta were getting worried at each passing second, as it's been almost 7 hours since Amon sent them back.
Seconds ago, their eyes had shone with hope when a huge gate opened in the air of Door Dimension, just before the whole island was pulled out of the dimension.
They got worried when they realised the Kingdom of Alabasta now stood on the soil of Redline, and some of them could see a burning city very far from their position.
"What's happening?"
The people of the whole kingdom were scared for a moment, some hugging each other. But just as a lone figure rose in the sky, standing in front of the dusk sun behind him, everyone's shoulders loosened.
"Um…" a civilian boy, looking to be in his early teens, yelled. "Did we win?!"
At his question, everyone all started at the figure with expectancy.
Because of the sun just behind him, people couldn't see his face, however, as the sun slowly sunk in the western sky, the toothy smile on their ruler, Amon's face, became vividly clear to everyone.
"What do you think?"
That wasn't a question... that was an answer. An answer that by then, everyone had already foreseen coming.
In succession, everyone yelled out in a cheer just as, at the same time, the people who partook in today's fight dropped on their backs with a relieved sigh.
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