At this moment, standing in the center of an abyss hundreds of meters wide caused by the attack of 'Uranus' Uranus, Bai Ye ignored the shock and disbelief of the outside world.
Holding the flame-imbued Ryūjin Jakka, Bai Ye turned his gaze toward Im's projection looming above the World Government's Mariejois.
"If this is the extent of your power," Bai Ye muttered coldly, his voice indifferent. "Then it's my turn now."
Boom!
The moment Bai Ye exerted strength under his feet, a scorching, high-temperature heatwave erupted like a torrent, engulfing the entire Mariejois. Vegetation ignited and burned to ash in an instant, and the bottomless abyss beneath Bai Ye collapsed completely.
In the next second, he vanished.
Shunpo.
"M… He disappeared!" The Five Elders with shaggy beards, still reeling from the earlier destruction, scrambled in terror. Their eyes darted around wildly.
"Where is he?! Where did he go?!"
As their gazes swept the area, one of the Elders suddenly froze, pointing upward in shock. "The sky! He's in the sky!"
Above Mariejois, Bai Ye's muscular frame loomed. His presence radiated dominance and power, and his burning Ryūjin Jakka was raised high as he faced Im's massive projection.
"Enough with your illusions!" Bai Ye's eyes flashed with disdain.
He slashed Ryūjin Jakka downward, aiming deep within Mariejois.
In that instant, an awe-inspiring scene unfolded before the entire world. A seemingly endless torrent of bright, fiery energy poured down from the skies over Mariejois, resembling a sea of flames consuming everything in its path.
From the Red Line, those below could see the heavens above Mariejois completely consumed by fire.
The fiery torrent engulfed Im's massive projection, cutting through it like a blade through paper. Ripples spread across the void, and the intense heat triggered a massive explosion. The colossal projection, once an ominous symbol of fear, shattered and was torn apart.
At that moment, the mysterious figure of Im, who had caused even the Five Elders to kneel in submission, showed visible fluctuations of emotion for the first time—a flicker of cold rage in its eyes.
The projection raised a hand as if to retaliate, but it dissipated before it could act.
Meanwhile, Mariejois crumbled further. Entire buildings collapsed into piles of rubble, and flames consumed everything. The slash from Ryūjin Jakka had created a massive fissure, nearly a kilometer long, that tore through the heart of Mariejois. This devastating mark of destruction burned with unrelenting flames, dividing the World Government's stronghold in two.
At the very end of the slash was Pangu City, a hidden fortress deep within the World Government's domain. For the first time in history, the mysterious palace was revealed to the entire world.
The entire Grand Line fell silent as people stared at the broadcast. Eyes widened in disbelief, and cold sweat trickled down faces. The sight of Pangu City shocked the masses.
"What is that...?" someone whispered in the silence.
The previously hidden city was flanked by two massive stone statues, each towering over 300 meters high, standing like ancient guardians. Moss covered their weathered forms, but their presence exuded an ominous aura.
Before the crowd could process this revelation, the two stone colossi moved.
A collective gasp escaped the onlookers as the massive statues took their first steps. The ground beneath Mariejois quaked violently with each movement. Cracks spiderwebbed across the Red Line, and debris rained down from above.
"H-How can this be?!" someone stammered, their voice trembling.
The Marines at Naval Headquarters watched in stunned silence, their faces pale. Even the most seasoned among them had never seen such technology.
The Five Elders, still trembling from the destruction of Mariejois, stared at the moving colossi with wide eyes. One of them fell to his knees, murmuring, "The God Attendants… Lord Im's guardians… they're real!"
The legends of the God Attendants had been whispered for centuries within the World Government's inner circle, but few believed they truly existed. Yet here they were—massive, ancient weapons of stone, their eyes glowing red, ready to obliterate any who opposed Im.
As the colossi advanced, Bai Ye hovered in the air, his gaze calm but analytical. "Are these remnants of the ancient kingdom's technology?" he muttered to himself.
Memories of the ancient kingdom flashed through Bai Ye's mind. According to legend, it was a civilization far more advanced than the current era. After its fall, all its technology and knowledge had been confiscated by the World Government—hidden away and repurposed for their control.
The two God Attendants, powered by this ancient technology, moved with destructive force. Each step caused the Red Line to quake and crumble. Their towering forms were covered in thick moss and weathered stone, but their immense power was undeniable.
Despite the imposing sight, Bai Ye remained composed.
When one of the colossi lifted its massive stone foot to crush him, Bai Ye disappeared once more. He reappeared mid-air, his blade blazing with 6,000-degree flames.
"It's useless," he declared coldly.
With a single slash from Ryūjin Jakka, flames erupted and tore through the chest of one colossus. The fiery strike left a burning scar hundreds of meters wide as the titan crumbled, its massive frame engulfed in flames.
The second God Attendant barely had time to react before a pillar of fire surged from the ground, engulfing it completely. The intense heat reduced the titan to ash, and its remains fell to the ground with a deafening crash.
Mariejois was now an inferno. Pillars of fire erupted across the city, consuming everything in their path.
Bai Ye stood amidst the destruction, his gaze sharp and unyielding as he stared toward Pangu City and the figure of Im seated on the Void Throne.
From the beginning, there was no force here capable of stopping him.