The Dark Hound, Sakazuki's full-power attack, disintegrated like a moth flying into a flame as it made contact with the fist.
Gales howled, the ground shattered, and the punch seemed as though it could fill the entire world!
To the three admiral candidates standing at the front, this was unimaginable and made no sense.
Even though they could fend off the combined techniques of two Yonko, at this moment, they felt boundless terror.
Every nerve in their bodies boiled, sending frantic signals to flee!
A simple punch carried such an overwhelming, world-shattering power!
The force of the punch was so immense and fast that even with entering elemental form the second before he attacked, Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru couldn't avoid being torn apart by the punch's wind, coughing up blood as a result.
Sakazuki, who had concentrated most of his focus on attacking, suffered the worst. More than half of his body was blown apart.
Lava mixed with blood splattered everywhere, only to be obliterated by the follow-up energy of the punch!
And that was merely the wind pressure from King's punch!
Yet, in a twisted way, they were fortunate. Though gravely injured and battered, they managed to cling to life by relying on their elemental forms.
But standing behind them, commanding the battle, Saturn was not so lucky.
The lofty Gorosei had no time to react as he was hit squarely by the full force of the punch.
A slight change crossed the indifferent, stoic expression on his face. As he regained his senses, Saturn felt something and blankly stared at the sunset suddenly appearing on the distant horizon.
How strange? Wasn't the sky torn apart by Haki, revealing deep, abyssal darkness?
Why did it now seem like a serene and beautiful sky, as tranquil as the East Blue?
No, that wasn't it. Why did the entire world appear to be covered by a thick red mist?
I am one of the Five Elders, the highest authority of the World Government. Filthy things that block my vision should be thoroughly wiped out!
Sengoku! Zephyr!
Do you hear me? I order you to make this disappear immediately!
As he spoke, Saturn finally realized something was wrong: he couldn't hear his voice.
Or, more precisely, he no longer had a throat with which to issue commands!
His bloodshot eyes slowly turned, and what entered his gaze was the scorched earth, still flickering with fiery embers.
His body, with its remarkable regenerative abilities, had been completely annihilated by that single punch!
No! Impossible! I am one of the Five Elders, a noble standing at the pinnacle of this world!
Saturn, now truly panicked, desperately tried to use his powers to regrow a new body.
However, the shockwave that followed utterly obliterated his remaining head, leaving not a trace behind.
The Gorosei, the Scientific Guardian Deity of the World Government, Jaygarcia Saturn… was gone!
Despite Saturn's rich inner monologue before death, all of this happened within 0.1 seconds.
By the time Sengoku and Zephyr reacted, all they saw was Nasujurō and Vochuli, half their bodies obliterated by the shockwave. As for Saturn…
Not even a hair remained!
"What kind of scene is this…?"
Sengoku stood frozen, icy terror creeping from his heart to his limbs.
Having faced King several times before, he had always questioned rather than feared the man rumored to be the greatest strength of the Sea Restaurant.
Even Garp had mentioned before that the man's strength likely came from a heart far beyond ordinary men.
Though it sounded paradoxical, Sengoku had always thought King was only marginally stronger than Zyhark. Otherwise, the captain of that crew would have long since changed hands!
Now, seeing King take down six of the highest-ranking fighters with a single punch, it would be a lie to say he wasn't shaken!
Neither Roger nor Whitebeard, even at their peak, could have accomplished such a mind-boggling feat, right?!
More importantly…
Sengoku's face grew increasingly grim and unpleasant.
The person King had killed wasn't just any Celestial Dragon, but one of the Gorosei, the highest authority of the World Government!
Recalling the many rumors about the Empty Throne, Sengoku felt a shiver down his spine, realizing Zyhark's crew had truly stirred up a massive disaster.
Perhaps everyone related to the Sea Restaurant, including the entire nation of Alabasta, would be completely erased!
Even though he had not planned to eradicate Zyhark and his crew, Sengoku was filled with deep fear and disbelief.
The strength of this blond man was beyond their comprehension!
Meanwhile, those standing with Zyhark—Rayleigh, Hancock, Kuma, and others—were left wide-eyed and speechless.
They had known King was hiding his power, but to punch the earth and sky in half was beyond any understanding!
The slowly reforming magma took on Sakazuki's form once more.
The future Fleet Admiral of the Navy, who had merely been caught by the punch's wind pressure, appeared extremely battered, his Navy uniform torn open to reveal a massive, bloody fist mark on his body.
Blood oozed from his nearly broken limbs, and his breathing was heavy and labored, making it difficult for him to remain standing!
It would likely take a year or more to recover from such injuries.
Kuzan and Borsalino, standing nearby, were in similarly poor condition, their bodies exposed and covered in wounds, coughing up blood.
Had they not been resilient by nature, even their Logia forms would not have saved them from that attack!
Both the World Government and Navy forces were filled with dread, casting fearful glances at King, who still held his fist raised.
The arrogance that had once assured them victory was now utterly shattered.
One punch was all it took to strike fear into the strongest fighters on these seas!
King, with his gleaming bald head, slowly lowered his arm, his face showing no visible emotion despite the overwhelming presence.
Amidst the tense stares from his enemies, King chose not to press the attack. Instead, he silently turned and walked step by step back to where Zyhark and his crew stood.
The broad back he exposed to his enemies signified the ultimate arrogance of a king who had broken his limiter!
"Hahaha! Amazing, amazing! That kind of power—even in my prime—I would have had to retreat!"
Moria laughed loudly, his sharp voice echoing through the now-silent battlefield.
Strangely, though he had been on the verge of collapse moments ago, he now found the strength to stand.
King stopped beside Zyhark, his expression calm.
No words were exchanged. With the accumulated trust of years spent together, Zyhark instantly knew something was wrong.
King had reached his limit…
In reality, King's situation had far exceeded Zyhark's expectations.
His entire right arm had lost all sensation, and his body was wracked with searing pain, as though every cell was on the verge of exploding. His consciousness began to blur.
The moment he decided to bet his life, King had indeed broken through the limiter on his strength, reaching unimaginable heights.
But his frail body couldn't keep up with the change. It was like a cannon made of paper—while it could fire, the paper would still tear apart.
In simple terms, King had broken through, but not completely.
If not for the solid foundation from his training and his extraordinarily strong heart, King would have likely disintegrated even before Saturn, unable to make the short walk back!
This was the price of power.
"Moria, I'm different from you," King muttered quietly, glancing at his excited, admiring crewmates.
Seeing King's arrogant demeanor, even while dragging his injured body, Moria couldn't help but bare his jagged teeth.
"You bastard! Who do you think you're looking down on?! Just give me—"
He stopped mid-sentence as the strange atmosphere around them caused him to freeze, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.
"Hey, you…"
Even someone as slow as Moria could sense the rapidly fading aura around King.
King did not respond to Moria's concerns, instead turning his head slightly to look at Zyhark.
"Zyhark, with this, I should've been able to help you out a bit, right?"
As King neared death, Zyhark's eyes welled with tears uncontrollably.
Though they had Aqua's resurrection magic to fall back on, watching King's body fall apart filled him with an indescribable sadness.
Since arriving in the world of pirates, this was the first time he had faced the loss of a comrade.
"Yeah! You've shown the world the might of the Sea Restaurant!" Zyhark gave King a thumbs-up.
"Good. Now I can rest easy." Tears of joy streamed down King's face.
He had finally proven his worth to the team!
A gentle sea breeze blew through, carrying away King's smiling, domineering face and scattering his towering, resilient figure.
As Meowth would say, you'll come back someday, King!
Zyhark put aside his chaotic thoughts, his eyes suddenly blazing with determination.
Seeing this, the weakened World Government forces couldn't help but feel a flicker of hope.
"A final, all-out attack at the cost of his own life? What a powerful yet utterly foolish man…" Vochuli muttered, his body rapidly regenerating.
The situation had spiraled far beyond their control.
Saturn's death not only dealt a heavy blow to the Celestial Dragons' absolute rule, but also signaled the collapse of the World Government's core power structure.
To fill the crucial vacancy of the "Scientific Guardian Deity," it would take them years, possibly even decades!
During this period, whether it was Vegapunk or the Revolutionary Army, they would face unimaginable threats and influence.
"Still, at least the man who posed such a threat to our position is now thoroughly dead. The longer a potential crisis goes unnoticed, the more dangerous it becomes."
Izambaron V. Nasujurō had also restored his broken half-body.
He placed his famed sword to the ground to stabilize his shaky posture, clearly drained of considerable stamina.
This kind of superhuman regenerative ability appeared to be a shared skill among the Five Elders.
It might also hold the key to why they had lived for so many years!
"Sengoku, Zephyr, and all Navy forces, I order you to annihilate everyone related to the Sea Restaurant here and now. This is a death command," Vochuli said coldly.
He wasn't a fool. He could clearly tell from the previous battle that some of the participants lacked a true desire to kill.
Though he might have turned a blind eye if the situation were one of assured victory, now, by any means necessary, the remnants of Zyhark's group had to be utterly destroyed!
Sengoku sighed deeply as he received the order.
The word "Justice" emblazoned on the cloak draped over his shoulders weighed heavy on his heart.
Even the Marine strategist, the one most adept at scheming, found himself at a complete loss as to what "justice" truly was at this moment.
If even the typically composed Sengoku struggled, it was no wonder that Zephyr, who always upheld "non-lethal" justice, found it difficult.
The two admirals stood side by side, their hearts in turmoil.
"What are you hesitating for? Know your position—this concerns the justice of the entire world!" Nasujurō shouted harshly.
His words seemed to darken the already oppressive atmosphere.
That old man Garp's disciple, Smoker, was the smart one, having gone off early to pursue the fleeing Blackbeard by ship…
Thinking of the unruly Smoker, whose behavior and actions mirrored Garp's, Sengoku couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
At a moment like this, he genuinely envied that old comrade of his who had refused multiple promotions to admiral and was now hiding away at home!
After a brief silence, Sengoku's golden Buddha form surged, and Zephyr's dark Armament Haki deepened.
Ultimately, the two decided to act.
Compared to the deeply entrenched World Government, Zyhark's crew was still too weak. They had no choice!
As the battle intent of the two admirals erupted, the Navy vice admirals prepared themselves, raising their weapons and advancing toward Zyhark's group.
Even though King had taken down Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru with a single punch and killed the Five Elder Saturn, seriously injuring the World Government forces, the situation Zyhark and his companions faced was still dire—it had merely downgraded from an impossible scenario to a near-impossible one.
They were exhausted, and now they had to confront two remaining Five Elders, two admirals, two leaders of the Holy Knights, and nearly full-power fighters like Mihawk.
Meanwhile, far away from the coastal waters near the Land of the Gods, a pirate ship bearing a flag with three claw marks fluttered in the wind.
"Captain, it seems the situation hasn't changed much. Should we step in?" Lucky Roo asked, munching on a large drumstick.
Beside him, Beckman, Yasopp, and the others had serious expressions.
Even these infamous pirates of the New World were deeply shocked by King's all-out punch. They still hadn't recovered from the shock.
Who could have imagined that the stoic man they had shared drinks with just a couple of days ago would turn out to be such a terrifying monster, willing to risk his life in such a selfless attack?!
Standing at the ship's prow, Shanks didn't reply, his serious gaze fixed across the long stretch of ocean, staring at the battlefield in the Land of the Gods.
There, facing down the pressure from several top-tier fighters, a similarly blond man stepped forward.
Even though the sun was setting and twilight was upon them, the blazing heat inside his body only intensified.
As he stepped forward, the solid ground beneath him melted into a deep pit.
"Even though we're crewmates, it's really annoying to have all the spotlight stolen like this," Escanor, with eyes that shone like two blazing suns, stepped forward proudly, looking down on the many top fighters.
(End of Chapter)