'Boom! Boom!!'
Deafening explosions rocked the entire Sabaody Archipelago. The island trembled violently, as though the massive Yarukiman Mangrove trees supporting it might collapse at any moment.
Had it not been for most of the pirates, residents, nobles, merchants, and marines already being knocked unconscious by the Conqueror's Haki shockwave, they would likely have been paralyzed with fear and panic.
'Whoosh... Whoosh…'
Fierce winds raged as massive waves roared, surging outward in all directions.
"Tch! That monster..." Hammons William, the Marine Fleet Admiral, had been forced into retreat. Just as he tried to regain altitude using Moonwalk, his expression darkened. Even someone of his rank couldn't help but gasp in astonishment. The terrifying power of the attack had wiped out an entire section of the Sabaody Archipelago.
'Roar—'
High in the sky, a massive creature, several hundred meters long, appeared, its presence overwhelming. It carried Lily, Linlin, and Gerd within it. The beast, with golden horns and a fierce head, suddenly extinguished the roaring flames behind its neck.
'Crackle... Crackle...'
The enormous Feathered Serpent was bathed in a dazzling electrical glow. Its two massive pairs of wings, one blue and one black, beat with immense force.
'Whoo... Whoo...'
It was as if a super-typhoon had formed out of nowhere. The towering trees of the Sabaody Archipelago began swaying wildly. Some cracked and collapsed, while less stable buildings were ripped from their foundations and hurled away.
Even Hammons William, trying to use Moonwalk to ascend, was pushed back by the forceful wind currents, unable to maintain his balance in mid-air, let alone give chase.
'Whoosh...'
In the next moment, the gigantic creature soared into the distance at an incomprehensible speed, like a massive blue rocket, showing no intention of lingering.
"Fallen Angel El!!!"
Angry roars echoed across the sky. Several formidable figures, their faces twisted in fury, shot into the air. Their expressions were grim as they watched the colossal creature disappear into the horizon, growing smaller and smaller.
"Damn it!"
A massive thunderbird screeched and took off in pursuit, but it couldn't keep up with the gigantic Feathered Serpent, which had achieved its full form, mastering wind and lightning with unbelievable speed, leaving the thunderbird far behind.
'Crackle... Crackle...' The thunderbird unleashed fierce lightning bolts in an attempt to strike the fleeing figure, but El was too fast, soaring to an altitude of over ten thousand meters, impossible to track.
"No need to see us off…" El's mocking voice echoed as he called out, "If you want those Celestial Dragons back, then prepare the 'ransom' properly!"
"Damn Lunarian scum, we cannot let him get away…"
Members of the self-proclaimed noble Holy Knights, their faces full of anger, glared at the massive figure as it flew further and further away, helplessly watching it vanish into the distance.
…
Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters, Marineford, which neighbored the Sabaody Archipelago:
Within the imposing, heavily guarded Marine Headquarters, a treasure vault sealed by a Seastone door lay hidden in a secluded corner. Even the surrounding walls, reinforced with Seastone, were designed to prevent Devil Fruit users from entering.
Yet, no one would have believed that someone could infiltrate it unnoticed.
Inside the vault, the dazzling sight of countless treasures—gold and stacks of Berries—was overwhelming, the sheer quantity enough to leave anyone in shock.
"There are surveillance transponder snails…" said Moss, the young mink, scratching his head as he stood in the unnoticed alternate space alongside Uthan, the Door-Door Fruit user. "Shall we take them out?"
"No rush," Uthan replied confidently, tapping the horns on his head. "Since any action might raise suspicion, let's first thoroughly scout for any hidden compartments…"
He smirked, exuding confidence. "I'm sure even if the Marines realize what's going on and rush here, it'll take at least five minutes to break through the door—especially with their Fleet Admiral absent."
"And if necessary, I can reverse the door, leading them into the alternate space, making them believe they've entered but unable to reach us. That would buy us another ten minutes at least!"
Though Devil Fruit abilities had limits, how much they could achieve depended on the user. Ever since Uthan acquired the Door-Door Fruit three years ago through the Underworld Trade, he had honed his abilities under El's guidance, mastering them to the point of easily outsmarting the Marines.
"True. With Little Oars helping out…" Moss chuckled, confident. "A few minutes should be more than enough for us to empty this place!"
"And if we act fast and discreetly, the Marines might even think the transponder snails are malfunctioning. By the time they realize the truth, the bureaucratic procedures could delay them further."
Soon, the two began their search in the alternate space, carefully investigating the vault and locating hidden compartments that contained Devil Fruits and treasure maps.
"Air Door!"
In no time, a tiny, nearly invisible Air Door appeared in mid-air, going unnoticed.
"Finger Pistol!"
Uthan swiftly attacked. Though still young, his natural talent had flourished under El's rigorous training, allowing him to master advanced Six Power techniques, including the ranged version of the Finger Pistol.
'Pew, pew, pew…'
Sharp air blades shot out, swiftly and accurately killing the surveillance transponder snails.
'Shing—'
After confirming that all the transponder snails had been eliminated, they opened a larger Air Door, stepping out of the alternate space.
"Barry, let's get started!"
Moss took out a mirror and called to Barry, the Mirror-Mirror Fruit user, who was on standby inside. "We don't have much time!"
"No problem!"
In no time, the mirror expanded before their eyes, and Barry, the Snakeneck youth, emerged from Mirror World. "Wow, this is impressive!" he marveled.
Though Barry had seen large quantities of treasure before—due to the Underworld Trade's involvement in black market transactions with gold and jewels—the sight before him far surpassed anything he'd seen.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg," Nef, another member of the group, crossed her arms with a smirk, gazing at the age-worn treasures. "These are the spoils the Marines have collected from countless pirate raids, sunken ships, and discovered treasures over many years…"
"What a pity…" someone else added. "The World Government's quarterly funding is transferred directly into their bank accounts, not in cash."
"All in all, though, this haul is more than enough," Moss said as he opened a secret compartment that stored the Devil Fruits. Inside, ten or so small, colorful treasure boxes lay in wait. He packed them all into a large cloth, hoisting it over his shoulder with a grin. "By the time we're done here, the Marines will be losing their minds!"
"Hurry, Little Oars, help us move the treasure!" Uthan called to the Ancient Giant Oars.
"No problem, leave it to me!" Oars's body expanded, growing to a towering five or six meters. His giant hands scooped up massive piles of treasure, which he then stuffed into the enlarged mirror provided by Barry.
'Clang, clang…' The heavy treasures clattered into the mirror's surface, vanishing into the endless depths of the Mirror World, which seemed like a bottomless pit.
It was an unbelievable scene, leaving them all in awe.