"Is it just killing three Celestial Dragons that makes you so excited, Portgas D. Ace? Isn't it a bit too complacent to think you can subvert the world government with this?" Saint Saturn's voice was cold, his grip on the staff of power firm as he stared across at Ace.
To the Five Elders, the death of three Celestial Dragons was insignificant. If it weren't for Ace's global broadcast and the ensuing public executions, the event would have scarcely registered. Among the Celestial Dragons, the true elites were the Knights of God. Ordinary Celestial Dragons were merely breeding tools for potential members of this elite force.
Saint Saturn's contempt was palpable. What did a public broadcast change? The world government had stood for eight hundred years, weathering countless storms. They wielded supreme power, and the dissent of ordinary people could be crushed with violence. The Buster Call existed for this very purpose. To the Five Elders, ordinary people were mere insects, their thoughts molded by centuries of control.
The Celestial Dragons, born as the world's nobility, possessed superlative privileges. Publicly killing civilians was their right, for they were the descendants of the Creator, inherently superior and empowered to deal with civilians as they saw fit. Civilians, on the other hand, were born into subjugation. In the presence of Celestial Dragons, they were expected to kneel. Any offense against these nobles or the world government resulted in slavery—a permanent state passed down to their descendants.
This was the world the Five Elders had crafted, a balance they fiercely maintained. Celestial Dragons would always be Celestial Dragons, civilians would always be civilians, and those who offended the Celestial Dragons or the world government were doomed to slavery, their lineage eternally marked. The class structure was immutable, locked from birth.
This hierarchical system was why trash among the Celestial Dragons could act with impunity. On the streets, they could plunder women and shoot civilians without consequence, reinforcing the societal divide. The citizens and slaves were conditioned to accept their place, deepening the psychological chains that bound them.
The Five Elders allowed this brutality to perpetuate the notion of an unchangeable class system. This was why, even after Doflamingo killed his father and returned to the Holy Land with his head, he was not reinstated as a Celestial Dragon. The world government and the Five Elders propagated a vision of a society where one's birth determined their fate, and this fate could only descend, never ascend.
And there are some missing unstable factors that is the will of "D". Once the will of "D" is spread, it will bring an unprecedented impact to this idea of inherent class fixation. Free the slaves, free the soldiers, and free the minds. This kind of thing must be completely buried in history!
On this island, there are too many unstable factors that dare to challenge class. They need to be cleared! And the biggest source lies in Portgas D. Ace. This is why the Five Elders have come.
"What an unpleasant look," Ace said, observing Saint Saturn's expression, especially his strange and abnormal eyes. Forming an image transponder snail in his hand, Ace continued, "Then, at the final stage of this public execution, let me give you some gifts. Well, say hello to you, Five Elders."
Ace raised the corner of his mouth and waved his hand suddenly. "Bang! Bang! Bang!" With three soft sounds, the three bullets that had taken the lives of the Roswads flew out of their bodies. Under the coercion of Conqueror's Haki, they came to Ace.
"You!!!" Saint Saturn's pupils began to change for the first time since his arrival. Even in front of the whole world, as the three Roswads were publicly executed, his eyes had never wavered. Now, however, there was a surge of emotion.
"These are the three bullets that killed the Celestial Dragons. They don't have the power of the Devil Fruit. There is no Haki in this bullet, which can only be mastered by the strong. It is the most common bullet that anyone in this sea can get if they think about it. The most common bullet kills Celestial Dragons. Anyone who wants to can kill Celestial Dragons!" Ace's mouth curved into a wanton smile.
From the beginning, Ace had no intention of executing the Roswald family himself. From the beginning, Ace planned to let Nokigao kill one of the Celestial Dragons with the most ordinary bullets. For this moment!
This public execution was not just to force the Celestial Dragons, the World Government, and everyone on the sea onto the stage he built. In addition to acting according to his own script and then using it as a way to support and strengthen his Haki, it was also a trial between Ace, the Five Elders, and the hidden Im behind them.
Seeing the way Saturn's strange eyes began to change violently at this time, Ace confirmed some of his guesses. The will of "D" that the Five Elders are most afraid of, although Ace has not yet completely determined it, one thing is certain: the will to liberate must be a very important component of "D"'s will.
Eight hundred years ago, Nika, known as the liberation warrior, freed the enslaved people and established a huge kingdom. He was revered as the "Sun God" Nika by the world. Some clues can also be seen from this legend that the world government tried its best to bury. Since it is the world government, the things that they are most afraid of and want to hide the most must, of course, be spread to the whole world.
"Then, I, Portgas D. Ace, have the blood of the Pirate King. According to the world government, I, the commoner, am a criminal."
"Shut up!" Saint Saturn erupted in unprecedented fury upon hearing Ace's words. "Damn you!" he roared.
The spider-like legs of Saint Saturn suddenly elongated, shining with a frightening purple light, clearly infused with a deadly poison.
In response, Ace's terrifying flames burned violently. His figure disappeared within the flames, only to reappear directly above Saturn. "And he is the highest authority in the world government, the Five Elders. The God of Scientific Defense, Jaygarcia Saturn!" Ace laughed out loud.
"Saturn, stop him!" Saint Warcury's furious voice echoed in Saint Saturn's mind.
"I can't follow his speed!" Saint Saturn's cheek twitched in frustration. Portgas D. Ace's Observation Haki allowed him to "see" the future, and he could use the explosive effect of flames exceeding 10,000 degrees Celsius to increase his speed. The instant burst of speed outpaced even the Sparkling Fruit's capabilities. At this velocity, dodging attacks or summoning other Five Elders was impossible.
"Whoosh!" Under Saint Saturn's intense gaze, Ace's right fist slammed down. "Boom!" One punch, hit the target!
The terrifying flames wrapped around Ace's right fist exploded instantly like a volcanic eruption. This was the explosion of fire!
"Boom!" The highest power in the world, the Five Elders, the God of Science and Defense, Jaygarcia Saturn, had half of his head instantly obliterated under Ace's explosive punch. Terrifying flames erupted from the wound, swallowing Saint Saturn's monstrous body.
"I was promoted by the world government as a born criminal, and I smashed the head of the world's highest power." Ace laughed angrily in front of the whole world, watching as Saint Saturn was consumed by flames exceeding 10,000 degrees Celsius.
"!!!" The entire world was completely shocked by this scene.
The Five Elders, the most powerful figures in the world, had their heads smashed by the blood of the Pirate King, Portgas D. Ace?!!!
"I see. No wonder you dream of becoming this man's right hand, Sabo," Dragon mused aloud. At the Revolutionary Army Headquarters, he watched Ace, who declared himself a criminal and publicly obliterated the head of one of the Five Elders, the highest authorities in the world.
Dragon turned to Sabo, who was beaming with pride. A smile appeared on Dragon's lips. Ace's declaration, made before the entire world, signified that even a born criminal could strike down the highest power. The idea of emancipation would spread rapidly across the globe. Ace's approach was much swifter than the Revolutionary Army's efforts, which involved liberating people one place at a time.
While the Revolutionary Army worked to free people's bodies and environments, Portgas D. Ace aimed to liberate minds. The spread of ideas transcended space and time. What an extraordinary man! But Dragon also noted the risk. Within the Revolutionary Army, they lacked the capability to withstand a full-scale siege by the Marines and the World Government.
"D...? You are truly D, Portgas D. Ace. I really want to meet you," Dragon said, a smile on his lips. Ace was not only his son's brother but also a remarkable figure in his own right.
"How's it going? My brother, he's very awesome, isn't he? He's so awesome, isn't he! Hahaha!" Sabo exclaimed, pointing at Ace on the screen. His demeanor was far from that of the second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army; he resembled an excited fan, sharing his enthusiasm with Koala, Haku, and the others.
"So handsome, really, so handsome..." Tears flowed from Koala's eyes. Once a slave to the Celestial Dragons, Koala had suffered deeply. Anger and fear had once led her to become withdrawn, meticulously cleaning to avoid punishment. After being rescued by the Sun Pirates, she gradually overcame her trauma and regained her smile, eventually joining the Revolutionary Army to help liberate others.
But she had never imagined that someone could stand before the entire world, declare themselves a born criminal, and smash the head of a Five Elder. The World Government had ingrained the idea that she was naturally a slave, but here was someone challenging that very notion.
Born a criminal? Born of a bloodline deemed unworthy? And yet, capable of smashing the head of the world's most powerful authority? The impact of this declaration on Koala was unprecedented, far surpassing even her rescue by the Sun Pirates.
"If there is a chance, I can take you to meet my brother," Sabo offered, noticing Koala's emotional state and scratching his cheek awkwardly.
"Really?! Can you get me Ace's autograph and take a photo with me?!" Koala's tears stopped, and she looked at Sabo with excitement.
"Yes, there should be no problem," Sabo replied, the corners of his mouth twitching. Koala had clearly become a fervent admirer of Ace. It seemed Ace had some big trouble brewing...
"Joyboy...? No, you, you should still be Ace."
Rayleigh looked at the smoldering remains of Saturn, whose head had been smashed and engulfed in flames. A wave of confusion coursed through him. If he hadn't known that Ace had eaten the Mera-Mera Fruit instead of the Rubber Fruit, he might have mistaken Ace for Joyboy.
But there was a crucial difference. Unlike Joyboy, Ace aspired to become the king of the world. Joyboy had once failed. Did Ace's method offer the world a different possibility? Rayleigh pondered deeply, considering the implications of Ace's actions.
"What nonsense, you brat," Garp muttered, watching Ace make his bold declaration to the world. Despite his stern words, a slight smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"However, I need to retreat. I can't just stand here," he thought, observing the flames that had consumed Saint Saturn gradually die down. Garp recalled the Valley of the Gods incident. Saint Saturn had been on that island too. He had glimpsed the terrifying secrets of the Five Elders, and he knew Jaygarcia Saturn, the god of scientific defense, was essentially immortal.
"Public execution, over," Ace declared with a triumphant laugh, cutting the connection on the Den Den Mushi, plunging live broadcasts around the world into darkness. Saturn, the World Government, and the Naval Headquarters could withdraw in defeat. There was no need to reveal Saturn's immortality to the world. A public execution that ended with the Five Elders' Saturn having his head smashed in front of the entire world was the real perfection.
Ace watched the dying flames with amusement.
"Portgas D. Ace!!!"
A roar like that of a demon erupted from the monstrous, re-condensed figure of Saint Saturn, emerging from the flames that had failed to consume him.