"Insolent!" "You court death!" "Insects!" "Ants!" "Trash!" "..." The Gorosei roared furiously. However, it was useless!
Luffy stretched his arms, grabbing Horse Bone with one hand and seizing the Ox Demon with the other, slamming them together! He then stomped one foot onto the Wild Boar's back and kicked Itsumade away!
... Luffy fought one against five, crushing them forcefully!
"This... this is too exaggerated." "It's fundamentally impossible for a human to achieve."
Those on the sea watched from afar, their mouths twitching uncontrollably.
Watching the colossal giant wantonly toy with figures resembling demons from hell, they felt as if the sky had collapsed!
They had originally thought that Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Hero Garp, and the Three Admirals were the pinnacle of terror, but they never expected an even stronger existence!
This level of combat was something they couldn't participate in at all. They were elites from the Four Seas, but here, elites were no different from ants!
... Dracule Mihawk stood amidst the ruins, his sharp, hawk-like eyes filled with astonishment.
He could sense the power in Luffy's body that surpassed all limits, a power that transcended the bounds of the sea!
Hawkeye's gaze became fervent. As a sword fanatic, his desire for the path of cultivation was absolute.
However, countless brilliant talents were trapped in a bottleneck, unable to advance even an inch! It was as if it were a heavenly shackle; he had been trapped for too long... too long!
... Aboard the Moby Dick, Marco dragged his exhausted body to treat the division commanders.
However, everyone's eyes were fixed on the figure fighting two opponents in Marineford, the magnificent figure who had shielded them from the wind and rain for half their lives.
"— Old Man!!" Tears streamed down everyone's faces.
They saw scorching magma attacking Whitebeard's body, and they saw chilling ice invading Whitebeard's bone marrow!
In order to buy them time, Whitebeard had long since exceeded his physical limits.
"— Marco, can we really only watch from here?" Izo, the commander of the sixteenth division, looked stubbornly at Marco.
"That is the Old Man's will, we cannot fail him —" Marco braced his hands on the railing, his shoulders trembling.
"I just can't accept this!" Izo clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his flesh!
"Why? The Old Man protected us for half a lifetime, and now... we can't do anything for him?!"
Everyone lowered their heads. They were unwilling, yet helpless!
... Deep within Marineford, the area was utterly ravaged.
Rubber had completely assimilated the ground. Luffy frowned as he looked at the five lumps of "muck" opposite him, which were currently recovering!
"Are you... truly Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit Awakeners?!" Luffy's eyes were full of doubt.
Mythical Zoans inherently embody the will of legendary or even mythical creatures.
As the Devil Fruit user continuously develops their ability, they can even gain greater power from this "will."
Yet the Gorosei's mythical beasts were pathetically weak! They couldn't even compare to Kaido's unawakened Azure Dragon.
"Forget it, I should just deal with you quickly!" A trace of killing intent flashed in Luffy's eyes.
After testing, a small amount of Haoshoku couldn't kill the Gorosei, but if all his Haoshoku was concentrated into one move, the Gorosei would surely die!
"Let me show you the true power of nika!"
As his voice fell, Luffy closed his eyes. A mysterious aura emanated from him, and the power surrounding his body was as scorching as the sun.
Simultaneously, the Gorosei's hearts jolted, and the suffocating sensation of death enveloped their entire bodies!
"— What a joke!" The Gorosei instantly broke down.
The word [Death] had been removed from their minds eight hundred years ago.
They did not fear [Death], which was why they stood high above all others!
Their previous anger was merely indignation at being humiliated by an ant; their fear was only directed toward Imu!
But now, as [Death] descended upon them... it was absolute terror.
"Damn it! Stop him!" The Wild Boar acted decisively, charging toward Luffy, his eyes filled with a desperate craving for life.
However, boom! Silver lightning forcefully suppressed the Gorosei, and the ground surged like a tide, tightly enclosing the five behemoths!
Simultaneously, overwhelming Haoshoku lightning surged out of Luffy's body all at once.
The silver lightning coiled tightly around Luffy's arm, which was covered in silver-white "armor," like swimming dragons!
At that moment, it was as if heaven and earth were roaring, and the world gradually twisted.
"Boom!" Luffy took a step forward with his left foot, sinking his body low, and pulled his right arm tight against his waist!
Despair appeared in the eyes of the Gorosei.
They saw the ultimate power contained within Luffy's fist—a power capable of destroying all things!
"Quickly, use that move!" Saint Varcolica shook the other four awake.
"— Yes, we still have a chance!" The five of them simultaneously unleashed powerful Conqueror's Haki.
The purplish-black Haki intertwined, forming a massive barrier that enveloped the Gorosei.
[Fist Principle: Collapse of All Things] Luffy threw his punch.
— Crackle — Crackle — Space instantly collapsed.
A silver shockwave, over a hundred meters in diameter and carrying transparent spatial fragments, violently smashed into the barrier...
Simultaneously, Luffy's aura was rapidly fading. Suddenly, his body trembled violently.
His heart, located beneath his chest cavity, seemed to suffer a heavy blow.
The moment it shook, his consciousness gradually became blurred.
Gradually, he saw... within that Small Garden filled with birdsong and flowers, he could vaguely make out a tall, slender figure wearing a high crown, gazing at him with cold, arrogant eyes.
Its eyes were utterly bizarre, possessing some mysterious, indescribable noble pattern that involuntarily made people feel the urge to worship.
It was as if, before those circular patterned eyes, all secrets and abilities had nowhere to hide, being seen through perfectly!
Cannot be looked at directly, cannot be provoked, cannot be defeated!
It seemed to be... the world itself!
A tremendous pressure squeezed Luffy's spine, heavy as if he were bearing the entire world.
Kneel, submit!
Even though It said nothing, Luffy understood Its meaning.
"— Haha! Since you can't kill me, are you planning to use this method to crush my spirit?!" Luffy clenched his teeth tightly, his eyes suddenly turning blood-red.
"Too bad. What I pursue is freedom, and you... cannot restrain me!!"
Boom! Unyielding Haoshoku burst from his chest, struggling to resist Imu's Haoshoku!
Simultaneously, Haoshoku + 0.1, Haoshoku + 0.1...
Black-red lightning instantly tore apart the illusion, pulling Luffy out of danger!
[Haoshoku: 90.0 → 91.2]
... Marineford.
— Crackle — Crackle — In just an instant, the purplish-black barrier shattered like glass.
The white shockwave, carrying the aura of the scorching sun, slammed into the Gorosei without hindrance!
"— Ah!" The purplish-black demonic aura was rapidly annihilated, and the Gorosei were in extreme pain.
But the next second, a gigantic five-pointed star array appeared beneath the Gorosei's feet, instantly teleporting them away.
"— Whoosh!" The white shockwave tore straight along a line, flying over land, slicing across the sea, extending for miles...
Thud.
Luffy fell heavily to the ground, his aura utterly depleted, unable to move even a single finger!
'Damn it, why does the Awakening have side effects?! System?!' However, the System was silent, as if dead!
'This is Marineford! Don't scare me, System!' After finally achieving Awakening, dying now would be a massive loss!!
After a long time, Luffy looked toward the System space, sighed helplessly, and muttered: "It seems this is the only way!"