When Edie reappeared amidst the chaos of Mariejois, his steps were calm and deliberate as he moved past Saturn's ruined mansion, heading toward the heart of Pangaea Castle. The air carried the acrid tang of smoke, mingling with the faint coppery scent of blood, creating an oppressive atmosphere. His sharp eyes landed on a crimson stain on the cobblestone street—evidence of Saint Halifax's demise.
"I killed him only 5 Minutes ago," Edie murmured, noting the absence of the body. His Observation Haki swept the area, probing for any disturbances.
His gaze shifted upward to the rooftop of a nearby building, where a woman lounged on the eaves. Her golden waves shimmered under the flickering light of the burning Holy Land, and her posture was casual yet predatory. She appeared to be in her thirties, dressed provocatively, far removed from the pompous garb of most Celestial Dragons.
"Yo~," Edie greeted her nonchalantly, his lips curling into a faint smile.
The woman chuckled, her voice dripping with arrogance. "I am Joyce Mia, the 'Blood Knight' of the Knights of God. Did you kill Halifax? Are you the mastermind behind tonight's attack?"
Edie's smile deepened, his Observation Haki expanding to encompass the town. Amidst the chaos, he detected nine distinct auras—powerful and extraordinary. The woman before him was one of them.
"You don't seem interested in answering," Mia said, feigning a pout. Her blood-red nails glinted as she toyed with her golden curls. "It's a shame. I like men who are as intelligent and handsome as you."
She raised her hand, forming her fingers into the shape of a pistol. A sinister smile spread across her face. "I think I'll make you my slave. Don't worry, I'll treat you well!"
A bead of crimson blood formed at the tip of her index finger, condensing into a bullet.
"Piercing Blood!"
The blood bullet shot toward Edie with incredible speed, only to be stopped midair, thirty centimeters from his chest. It hovered there for a moment before rebounding harmlessly, as though an invisible wall protected him.
"Just as the reports described," Mia muttered, narrowing her eyes. A blood-red blade materialized in her hand as she leapt from the rooftop, slashing downward with all her might.
Edie didn't flinch. He raised a single finger, halting the blade mere centimeters from his skin. Despite her strength, the weapon couldn't close the short gap. It was as if an unbridgeable abyss separated her attack from its target.
"So hard… I like hard men!" Mia laughed maniacally. "Blood Prison!"
Her blood blade disintegrated into a crimson net, expanding and wrapping itself around Edie. The net quickly solidified into a sphere, sealing him inside.
Mia distanced herself, her demeanor still cocky but her instincts sharp. She analyzed the situation carefully. "His Haki is monstrous. My Blood-Blood Fruit can't manipulate the blood in his body, and his invisible armor is impenetrable. If only I could get my blood to touch his skin directly…"
Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden, faint gleam. Before she could react, a thin cut appeared on her cheek, and blood trickled down her face.
Startled, she leapt backward, her face twisting in fury. Edie stood calmly, his blade Yoshi in hand, the faint glow of his slash dissipating.
"Innate danger sense?" Edie remarked, his tone amused.
Mia touched the wound, trembling with rage. "You… you scarred my face! Do you know what that means for a woman? My face is more precious than my life!"
Edie smirked, his voice dripping with mockery. "Then you must be quite cheap as a woman."
"Damn you!" Mia roared, her anger reaching its peak. She activated her awakening.
The ground trembled as blood erupted from beneath her feet, spreading like a living tide. In an instant, the streets, buildings, and everything within a hundred meters transformed into blood. The grotesque scene shimmered with malice as the blood writhed, forming colossal tendrils and serpentine shapes that lunged at Edie.
Edie remained unmoved. A simple flick of his finger caused the blood constructs to disintegrate before they could touch him.
"Monster!" Mia hissed, frustration and fear mixing on her face. "Where is my backup? Why hasn't anyone come yet?"
Desperation clawed at her, and she formed a massive blood cage, compressing it around Edie. The sphere shrank rapidly, attempting to crush him, but even as it condensed to a mere ten meters, it failed to make contact.
"ROOM."
A shimmering wave of energy expanded outward, dwarfing the blood cage.
"Spatial Cut."
With a single slash, reality itself seemed to split. The blood sphere shattered, and the crimson tide surrounding them was cleaved apart as though a blade had sliced through a painted canvas.
Mia gasped, her expression frozen in disbelief. Her body was cut cleanly in half—severed at the waist.
Edie appeared before her in a flash, his blade piercing her chest with ruthless precision. "Do you know how much the human soul weighs?" he asked coldly, his tone clinical.
Mia's bloodshot eyes widened as her life ebbed away. Her trembling hands gripped Yoshi in a futile attempt to resist. "T-the soul…?"
"Twenty-one grams," Edie said, twisting the blade. With a final motion, he unleashed a Gamma Knife, sending a wave of green energy through her body, destroying her organs.
As her upper body fell lifelessly to the ground, the blood tide receded, and the surroundings returned to their original state.
Edie stared at the corpse indifferently and switched to the [Soul] Ring.
Five seconds passed.
Edie knelt, collecting Mia's escaping soul into a small, pink orb. He examined it with curiosity. "Heavier than twenty-one grams… how intriguing."
In Real life , the person who discovered [21 Grams of Soul] is a physician from Massachusetts in 1907.
Edie estimated that the other party only conducted experiments on ordinary people, and 21 grams was only an average weight.
The soul of this female knight is obviously much heavier than 21 grams.
At least hundreds of grams.
At that moment, Snake landed beside him, bowing respectfully. "Lord Heavenly Father."
Edie absorbed the soul, his tone distant. "Let's check on our failed experiment over in the Pangaea Castle." He swung Yoshi, shaking off the blood, and vanished with Snake in tow.
Moments later, three more members of the Knights of God arrived, their faces darkening at the sight of Mia's body.
"She used her awakening…" one muttered grimly.
"And still died," another added.
Their eyes hardened. "The enemies are more dangerous than we thought."
Behind the blazing ruins of Pangaea Castle, the atmosphere shifted as a swirling black magic circle materialized, its edges brimming with malevolent energy. Emerging from the void were the remaining four Five Elders, their imposing forms exuding an unnatural presence. The thick black smoke that had accompanied their arrival receded, dissipating into the ashen air. The battlefield stilled for a moment, and all eyes turned toward these ancient figures.
Saint Nusjuro, the Financial God of War, stepped forward, his golden armor gleaming ominously despite the flickering flames surrounding them. His sharp, calculating gaze fell upon the bizarre figure in the distance—"Nika."
His expression twisted with disbelief. "That laughter… That form… It's him. Nika." His voice was heavy with shock, and yet, beneath it, there was something else—fear.
The other three Elders, Saint Mars, Saint Peter, and Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, exchanged uneasy glances.
"Impossible!" Saint Mars, the Goatee Elder, hissed. His hands trembled slightly as he pointed at the rubbery figure. "That fruit—didn't the Red-Haired Pirates secure it? How is it here? How is it awakened already?!"
"Nika!" Saint Peter growled, his tone sharp and commanding, but his hardened exterior couldn't mask the unease in his voice.
Across the battlefield, [White], now fully consumed by the influence of the Mythical Zoan Sun God Nika, continued to bounce joyfully on the rubberized ground. His carefree laughter echoed through the ruined landscape, mocking the tension.
"Ya-ha-ha-ha~!" [White] laughed, bouncing higher with every leap. The surreal and whimsical nature of his movements clashed violently with the apocalyptic backdrop of flames and destruction.
The Five Elders shuddered as the implications of Nika's reappearance settled in. The ancient figure of liberation, the one said to embody rebellion and chaos, stood before them—not as an ally, but as an uncontrollable force.
"He's not the man he once was," Kaido's guttural voice interrupted their thoughts. The hulking figure of the Beast King loomed nearby, his green dragon scales glinting under the flickering light. He tightened his grip on his massive kanabo, and his lips curled into a grin filled with equal parts menace and excitement. "[White] no longer has human consciousness. He's become a broken vessel of Joy Boy."
Saint Nusjuro's sharp eyes darted toward Kaido, narrowing. "Kaido… of the Beasts. Have you abandoned your ambitions to throw your lot in with this madness?"
Kaido let out a booming laugh, shaking the very ground beneath them. "Abandoned? No… This is what I've been waiting for! A true fight against gods!" His voice roared with unrestrained bloodlust as he bent his knees, muscles rippling in anticipation.
In a flash, Kaido propelled himself forward, the ground beneath him shattering into a crater. His speed defied his massive frame, and in an instant, he closed the distance to Saint Saturn.
"Thunder Bagua!"
The attack came with devastating force. Kaido's kanabo, infused with both Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki, didn't even need to make direct contact. The sheer energy emanating from the weapon struck Saint Saturn, blasting him backward with explosive power. The Elder flew through the air like a cannonball, his form disappearing into the flaming wreckage of the castle behind him.
The ground quaked, and debris rained down as the Five Elders stared at Kaido with grim expressions. Despite their calm exteriors, they could feel the immense pressure radiating from the Awakened Yonko.
Saint Nusjuro, the Bald Elder, stepped forward, drawing his blade. The weapon, an ancient and ornate katana, thrummed with a sinister energy. "You've made a grave mistake, Kaido. Do you truly believe you can challenge the gods themselves?"
Kaido's grin widened, his fangs glinting as he slammed his kanabo into the ground, cracking the earth beneath him. "Gods? Don't make me laugh. You're nothing but old relics clinging to power."
From above, a booming voice interrupted the tension.
"Nika! Joy Boy! You are an anomaly that must be corrected!"
Saint Saturn emerged from the wreckage of Pangaea Castle, his face bloodied but his eyes burning with otherworldly fury. His form began to shift, transforming into a grotesque hybrid of his human and monstrous states. Black tendrils of energy writhed around him, and his aura grew so oppressive that even Kaido momentarily paused.
Kaido grinned, his blood pumping with excitement. "Now we're talking!"
As the two sides prepared to clash once more, the other Elders moved to flank Kaido, their combined powers creating a battlefield of apocalyptic proportions. Nearby, [White] continued to laugh and bounce, his presence a wild card in this chaotic confrontation.
The fight between Kaido and the Five Elders was far from over, and the very foundations of Mariejois seemed to tremble under the weight of their power.