"Arrogant fool!"
"Bluff!"
Saint Saturn sneered, refusing to believe that any mortal could withstand the full force of an Ancient Weapon. These weapons represented absolute power—the might to obliterate islands with a single blow. For 800 years, they had secured the Celestial Dragons' dominance over the world.
"Mere humans cannot rival such power," he thought. Even their own immortality was a crutch, a shield against the natural order they could not overcome.
"It's over, Edie," Saturn declared with chilling finality. "This is divine judgment!"
High above, the roiling dark clouds began to part, revealing bursts of radiant white light. Edie tilted his head slightly, a faint smirk playing on his lips. He observed the descending light with an unsettling calmness, more intrigued by what lay hidden beyond the clouds than concerned about the impending attack.
Boom!
A colossal beam of light, tens of meters in diameter, erupted from the heavens, engulfing Edie in an instant. It crashed downward with terrifying force, carving into the yellow-sand island below. The ground split apart, followed by a deafening explosion that rippled across the sea.
A massive shockwave expanded outward, obliterating everything in its path. The island collapsed, massive tidal waves surged in all directions, and even the Five Elders were caught in the devastating aftermath.
Despite the chaos, their thoughts remained synchronized.
"Direct hit!"
"Don't be complacent," Saint Nusjuro cautioned. "He possesses a space-type Devil Fruit—he might have evaded at the last second!"
"And the Time-Time Fruit!" another elder reminded, his voice tinged with frustration. "He could have escaped into the future, just as he exiled Lord Imu outside of time!"
"No," Saint Saturn interjected coldly. "The beam struck before he could react. Even if he fled into the future, we'll seal this location off. He has no escape!"
Their mental exchange ended abruptly as the blast's remnants swept over them.
The once-intact yellow-sand island was now a fragmented wasteland. A massive crater, hundreds of meters wide, gaped where the beam had struck. It resembled the void near Water 7, though smaller and more focused. Seawater cascaded into the crater, forming a vast, spiraling waterfall. Around the edges, remnants of the shattered island jutted above the waterline.
The largest fragment bore the remnants of black mist, from which Gyūki Saturn emerged, reverting to his original form. One by one, the other Four Elders regenerated, their demonic forms fading.
All eyes turned to the massive crater.
"Dead?" Saint Nusjuro's cold voice broke the silence. Observation Haki failed to detect Edie's presence, forcing them to rely on sight.
"The beam should have reduced him to nothing," Saint Mars muttered, though his demonic form betrayed unease. He ascended into the air, hovering above the crater. Suddenly, his expression shifted.
"Something's emerging!"
A chilling roar echoed from the abyss as a skeletal demon ascended. Its massive, snake-like body sported sixteen spider legs, four grotesque fangs, and two skeletal wings that blotted out the sun.
Daemon.
The artificial demon let out a thunderous roar, its colossal form dwarfing even Saint Mars in the sky.
"It's reborn," Saint Warcury murmured grimly. "Just like us."
"Man-made immortality..." Saint Saturn leaned on his cane, his tone grudgingly respectful. "A technological marvel. Edie's expertise surpasses even our greatest minds."
He studied the creature carefully. The fused blood factors and intricate design left no doubt—it was far superior to their combined strength.
As the Five Elders contemplated their next move, Saint Mars froze mid-air, his pupils dilating in shock. "Still alive? Impossible!"
Above Daemon's massive head, a lone figure emerged—Edie. Dusting off his charred white coat, he looked unfazed.
"It's a shame," he said casually, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade. "Even your Ancient Weapon isn't enough to kill me."
The other Elders turned their gazes upward, their expressions shifting from disbelief to sheer horror.
"Impossible...!"
"How can you survive!?"
Gyūki Saturn's composure shattered as he shouted in fury. His voice trembled with a mixture of rage and fear. This was beyond reason. Only Edie's coat bore signs of damage—his body remained unscathed.
The sight before them wasn't just a defiance of power—it was a defiance of reality itself
"Impossible? How is it possible?"
Edie repeated Saturn's words with a faint smirk, his calm gaze fixed on the elder below him. Hovering above, bathed in the light breaking through the dispersing clouds, he seemed almost divine.
"Why is it impossible? Energy attacks are just that—energy," he said, his tone dripping with nonchalance. "Granted, the energy density was quite high this time."
He paused, as if savoring the tension in the air, before continuing:
"To be honest, it was a bit dangerous. This is the first time since I mastered [Overlord's Territory] that my absolute defense was almost breached."
He raised his right hand, pinching his thumb and index finger together to indicate just how narrowly he had escaped harm.
"Really, it was just a hair's breadth—this close," he said, his mockery palpable. If anyone from Earth's Korea saw the gesture, they might have taken offense, but Saturn and the other Elders had no room for anger.
All they felt was fear.
The sunlight streaming through the dissipating clouds illuminated Edie, casting him as an almost divine figure in stark contrast to their own monstrous forms.
"Can't comprehend it?" Edie mused, tilting his head as if puzzled. "I think I've explained the principle of [Overlord's Territory] to someone before...but they didn't get it."
His voice grew sharper, more mocking. "What are you waiting for? An explanation? Do you really think I'd waste my time enlightening you fools?"
Yet, despite his dismissive words, Edie's scientific mind couldn't help but indulge. He continued with deliberate clarity:
"The truth is, [Overlord's Territory] isn't some infinite, impenetrable shield. Nothing is truly invincible. It's all about energy management. Right now, my maximum energy level is 300 billion."
He gestured with his hand as he explained:
"At 30 centimeters from my body, the defense level is 3 billion.
""At 20 centimeters, it rises to 30 billion.""
At 10 centimeters, it peaks at 300 billion."
"And at just 1 centimeter, the defense level hits its absolute limit: 30 trillion."
Edie smiled, his tone turning light and sardonic. "Your little 'national treasure' attack? Easily above 30 trillion. But here's the catch—I only need to protect my body. A smaller defense area means higher energy density. And that," he pointed to his slightly charred coat, "is why I'm still standing."
Saturn's expression darkened, his mind struggling to grasp the implications.
"Do you regret it?" Edie teased, his tone almost jovial. "If you'd condensed that attack into three or five concentrated beams instead of one wide blast, you might've actually harmed me."
"Monster!"
Saint Saturn's voice trembled, his fear finally breaking through. The word echoed in the minds of the other Elders, who could only gape in silence. Even Lord Imu might not have walked away unscathed from that attack, yet Edie stood, barely touched.
Edie's smirk vanished, replaced by an icy calm. "If you're out of tricks, this charade is over. Time to send you to the afterlife."
Without warning, he drew his blade, Yoshi, and vanished into thin air.
"Calm down, Saturn!" Saint Mars barked, releasing his Observation Haki in every direction. Yet Edie's presence remained undetectable.
"Damn it!" Mars cursed inwardly. "I can't kill him, and I can't even find him!"
Saturn, regaining his composure, slammed his cane into the ground, summoning a massive demonic magic circle. "Prepare to retreat! The Knights of God will—"
Before he could finish, a sharp blade materialized from the void, plunging through Saturn's forehead.
Puff!
The gleaming white blade emerged, slick with blood and gore. Saturn's eyes widened in shock and fury as he grabbed the sword's hilt with trembling hands.
"Caught you!" he roared. "Even invisibility can't let you escape from this! Return!"
Dark mist surged around them as the magic circle activated.
in Mariejois
In the blink of an eye, the Five Elders reappeared atop the Red Line, but not in their Great Hall. Instead, they found themselves in Mariejois' back garden, surrounded by startled royalty.
"Monsters!"
Panicked screams erupted as the gathered nobles fled in terror. The grotesque forms of the Five Elders mirrored the infamous images broadcast a month earlier.
Among the chaos, Princess Otohime stood protectively in front of her children, her wide eyes fixed on the scene.
At the center of the commotion stood Edie, his blade still embedded in Saturn's skull. The Elders' monstrous forms loomed menacingly, but the sight of Saturn's humiliation stole the breath from all who watched.
"Five against one? Mr. Edie is very courageous," Otohime mused silently, her gaze flicking between the chaos and the defiant scientist who had thrown the world into turmoil.
At one corner of the demonic circle, Saint Mars, who represented position three, shouted in alarm:
"What's going on, Satan? The coordinates are wrong!"
The Five Elders had worked in unison to activate the massive teleportation circle, intending to return to the Great Hall where they initially fought Edie. Yet, a strange deviation had occurred.
"His brain was penetrated, and he still insisted on activating the circle. A minor error is forgivable," Edie remarked with a faint chuckle. He kicked Saint Saturn away, freeing himself from the latter's grasp while pulling his sword out. Blood gushed from Saturn's head, but oddly, the bright red liquid began sizzling as it touched the ground, gradually turning black.
"Saturn!" Saint Peter, positioned as number one, cried out, his expression shifting to one of dread.
"IZIZIZAHHHHH…" Saint Saturn staggered, half-kneeling as he clutched his mouth. Large streams of blood poured out, quickly darkening. "What... is happening?" he croaked, his voice tinged with disbelief and fear. "Why can't I recover?!"
Raising his bloodshot eyes to Edie's figure, Saturn roared, "What did you do to me?"
Without turning fully, Edie cast a cold glance over his shoulder. "Don't waste your breath screaming—it only exposes your weakness," he replied icily. "Your so-called immortality? Did you really think I'd start this war without a way to counter it?"
"Impossible! What have you done?!" Saturn's voice quaked as the realization of death began to settle over him.
"Kill you… Damn human! I'll eat you!!" In a fit of desperation, Saint Saturn's body ballooned grotesquely, transforming into a massive Gyūki. His spider-like forelimbs extended, sharp spikes lunging toward the back of Edie's head.
Whoosh!
The sword flashed, slicing through the air with unparalleled precision. Edie's form shifted as he evaded the attack, countering with a devastating slash. The invisible blade energy cleaved Gyūki cleanly in two.
The upper body separated from the lower with a sickening thud.
"Saturn?!" Saint Ju Peter, in his monstrous sandworm form, stared in horror at the spectacle.
In an instant, Saturn's bisected form exploded into black mist, dissipating into the wind. The blood he'd spilled on the ground followed suit, corroding the earth before evaporating without a trace.
"It's your own fault," Edie said coldly. "If you'd just stayed put and known your place, you might have lived a few more minutes." He flicked his sword clean and turned his gaze toward the remaining four corners of the circle. "Now… who's next?"
The remaining Elders stood silent, stunned by the swift obliteration of their comrade.
Peter Ju Peter, the youngest and least experienced among them, felt his stomach twist. Unlike the others, he wasn't a relic of 800 years ago. He'd joined the Five Elders only 200 years prior, kneeling before Lord Imu and receiving the so-called gift of immortality. Yet, as he watched Saturn perish, he realized the truth—his "immortality" was nothing but a lie.
Fear overwhelmed him. Without thinking, he burrowed into the ground, his monstrous sandworm body trembling as he sought refuge.
"Don't be rash! Come back!" Saint Mars called out, but it was too late.
The ground beneath Edie's feet swelled and cracked. A massive maw burst forth, swallowing him whole.
Inside the sandworm's cavernous body, Peter's voice bellowed, "He must die! If we don't kill him now, it will be us who perish!" His words were a desperate plea, driven by primal fear—the first he'd felt in centuries.
A flash of light erupted from within the sandworm. A clean, swift slice followed.
Pop.
The enormous creature broke apart into three gruesome sections.
Edie emerged unscathed, his sword glinting in the sunlight as he hovered midair, exuding an aura of divine authority. Casting a disdainful glance at the broken remnants of Peter's form, he spoke, "Want to know what I did?"
Peter's human body reappeared amidst the wreckage, fragmented and bleeding black. His voice wavered with disbelief. "What… have you done?"
"It's simple," Edie replied coolly. "Once I understood the true source of your immortality, dismantling it became easy."
He descended toward Peter, whose fragmented body trembled on the scorched earth. Black blood oozed from his wounds, corroding the ground it touched.
"You were never truly immortal. You forfeited your humanity when you allowed yourselves to be consumed by the demonic essence within the Devil Fruits. You became something else entirely—a clan of demons."
Peter's eyes widened. "How…?"
Edie smirked faintly. "By introducing external demonic soul matter into your own, I disrupted your 'immortality.' That was all it took."
Lowering his blade, Edie pierced Peter's forehead with precision.
"That's Two down," he said coldly. "Who's Next?"
With that, another of the Five Elders fell, leaving the remaining three paralyzed with fear.