His calm eyes gazed down at the Sabaody Archipelago below the sky.
Behind it lay the World Government.
Suddenly, a dreadful Reiatsu came crashing down.
Boom!
At that moment, the sea near the Sabaody Archipelago began to swell violently. The ripples spread out and transformed into massive waves.
Visible to the naked eye, the space above the sea began to tremble—distorting unnaturally.
Moments later, the entire Sabaody Archipelago was affected.
First, the colorful soap bubbles produced by the Yarchiman mangroves under photosynthesis collectively flickered and popped with a resounding click.
Next, a cascade of sounds followed:
Plop! Plop! Plop!
Across various areas of the Sabaody Archipelago, figures collapsed to the ground, one after another.
Pirates, who were either trying to leave the islands or gathering their crews, suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure descend upon them.
The unimaginable terror pinned them to the ground. They couldn't move.
"What… what's going on?!"
"What's happening this time?!"
"Could another monster have appeared in the first half of the Grand Line?!"
In every corner of the archipelago, pirates struggled against the invisible force. Their expressions twisted in panic, their faces red from the strain as veins bulged on their foreheads.
Those who tried to resist spat out blood and collapsed unconscious on the spot.
Yet, unconsciousness was a mercy compared to the fate of others.
The captains, who were still barely conscious, watched in horror as more than half of the pirates on the Sabaody Archipelago lay motionless—dead.
Yes, many didn't just faint.
They had turned into cold, lifeless corpses.
This horrifying scene unfolded in every part of the islands.
In Area 12 of the Sabaody Archipelago:
"This is… bad. Really bad."
The "Strange Monk" Urouge stood frozen on the grass. Beads of sweat streamed down his face, dripping onto the ground below.
Although his mind screamed at him to run, his body refused to move.
Urouge couldn't fathom the sheer terror of the man approaching the Sabaody Archipelago.
Nearby, another pirate, Eustass Kid, took in the chaos around him. A large number of pirates had already been crushed to the ground, many turning into corpses.
Even among Kid's crew, only a few—such as Kira and Heat—remained conscious, coughing up blood as they barely held their ground.
Kid's pupils dilated as the trembling ground beneath his feet mirrored the panic rising in his chest.
"Hawkins!" Kid shouted, his voice shaking. "You said if we fight, the chance of losing is 100%. Are you sure you didn't miscalculate?!"
Basil Hawkins, another supernova, remained silent, his face pale.
Nearby, Scratchmen Apoo, trembling uncontrollably, struggled to speak.
"If what you're saying is true, we're all going to die. That man doesn't even need to lift a finger. Just his Conqueror's Haki alone is enough to wipe us out!"
The pirates exchanged fearful glances, their bodies shaking.
Far above the archipelago, the figure of the man walking across the sea came into view.
The terror they felt now was absolute.
In the Holy Land of Mariejois, atop the Red Line:
"What's going on outside?!"
"Could pirates be attacking Mariejois?!"
The Celestial Dragons felt the faint tremors beneath their feet and erupted into a frenzy.
"My lord, please remain calm," a member of the CPO (Cipher Pol Organization) assured one of the Celestial Dragons. "We will immediately report this matter to the Five Elders. Rest assured, no one can threaten the Holy Land!"
"Good! Because if you fail, you'll be no better than those filthy slaves out there!"
The Celestial Dragon's scolding voice echoed through the halls, while rows of numb, expressionless slaves stood outside.
The CPO members quickly scrambled to action, fear gripping their hearts as they prepared to investigate the disturbance.
Back on the Sabaody Archipelago:
More than 90% of the pirates in the area had perished under the crushing Reiatsu unleashed by Bai Ye.
The "crime paradise" of Sabaody had transformed into a living nightmare—a bloody hell.
Bai Ye landed on the island, his indifferent gaze sweeping over the countless corpses.
These pirates meant nothing to him. Their deaths weren't worth his time.
In this lawless land, filled with auction houses and slave traders, there were no innocents.
Pirates who avoided killing were like sheep among wolves—they wouldn't last long.
Soon, Bai Ye's presence brought him face-to-face with Eustass Kid and his group of supernovas.
In Area 12, under the Alchiman mangroves:
"What do we do? That monster… it's coming this way!"
Kid's group felt the overwhelming pressure closing in.
Suddenly, a pirate, unable to withstand the fear, lost control.
It was "Giant Claw" Char, a notorious pirate with a bounty of 110 million berries.
Ignoring Kid's desperate shouts to stop, Char charged at Bai Ye, his Zoan Dragon Fruit powers transforming his arms into razor-sharp claws.
Swoosh!
Before anyone could react, Bai Ye struck.
A flash of light cut through the air.
Char froze in place, his body split cleanly in two before collapsing to the ground in a pool of blood.
The Kid group stood frozen in horror.
"We can't win against this monster!" Urouge exclaimed.
Without hesitation, the supernovas turned to flee. Hawkins transformed into his scarecrow form, rushing to escape.
But Bai Ye had no intention of letting them go.
"Hadō #4: White Lightning!"
A bolt of lightning engulfed Hawkins, killing one of his subordinates who had absorbed the damage in his place.
Bai Ye frowned. "What an annoying ability."
He wasted no time firing another bolt of White Lightning, this time directly targeting Hawkins.
Meanwhile, Urouge, realizing escape was futile, turned back and charged at Bai Ye.
"If I'm going to die, I'll face him head-on!"
But Urouge didn't last a second. His weapon and body were cleaved in two.
The remaining supernovas—Kid, Apoo, and Hawkins—watched in despair.
"We're doomed," Apoo muttered, trembling as he saw two supernovas fall within moments.
In their hearts, they already knew the truth:
This was not a battle they could win.
Death was inevitable.