Chapter 123: This Strike, Piercing the Stars!
"...Who is that? A new Zodiac member here for support?"
Looking at the figure appearing inside the spatial door, Akainu's pupils constricted sharply.
On that mask, the flowing starlight manifested a detached mystery and grandeur.
More importantly, looking closely, one would notice...
Not just the mask—the figure seemed shrouded in a thin layer of mist-like light.
Within that light, constellations shifted constantly.
Standing beneath the night sky, the figure looked like the Master of the Stars.
In that instant, a terrifying guess instinctively formed in Akainu's mind.
"Faster! Speed up the ship!"
He roared with unprecedented urgency.
Because he understood, if the identity of that person was truly what he suspected...
"We must catch him here!"
Speaking, he looked at Saint Kiringolm in the sky. As an Admiral who visited Mary Geoise annually, he didn't know the specific details of the God's Knights, but he knew of their existence.
He knew that the members of the God's Knights, representing 'God's Force', each possessed extremely powerful abilities and combat prowess.
At least stalling him shouldn't be a prob—
"Hm!?"
But the next moment, Akainu froze.
Because he clearly saw—the God's Knight named 'Saint Kiringolm' was... trembling all over.
His flame-like beard bristled.
His widened pupils were filled with unprecedented shock.
"You are..."
He stared at the figure, gripping his trident tightly.
Too similar—that posture was too similar.
Although there were differences in details from the legends, there was no doubt...
"It is 'That Person', or at least someone related to him..."
Kiringolm knew what 'That Person' represented.
It was God Valley, thirty-three years ago. That unprecedented 'Hunting Competition'.
As a relatively young member of the God's Knights, he didn't participate in that hunt.
But he heard about the unexpected variable that appeared—the massive chaos caused by the arrival of pirates, and the person who appeared unexpectedly afterward.
A name intentionally erased and hidden even among Celestial Dragons, known only to the God's Knights, the Five Elders, and That Lord.
Even Kiringolm, who joined later, wasn't sure what exactly happened back then.
He only knew that after that great battle, only one member of the previous generation of God's Knights remained, along with a special God's Retainer.
And that name surpassed the cursed 'Davy Clan' and the 'Clan of D', jumping to the top of the God's Knights' hunt list.
His name was...
"Enemy of God, Star Lord!"
Behind Kiringolm, Flame Clouds transformed into a pair of pure white wings. On those wings, a group of small fantasy creatures surrounded by wind seemed to tow him.
Simultaneously...
The Leviathan in the sea below, and massive Dream Creatures flew out from behind him, charging toward the figure in the spatial dimension.
[Dream Creation · Angel Wings]
[Dream Creature · Wind Sylph]
[Dream Creature · Sphinx]
[Dream Creature · Twin-Headed Dragon]
Countless powerful dream creatures proved the depth of his fruit development.
Of course—these dream creatures didn't come from himself, but from the 'Dream Slaves' he kept in Mary Geoise.
Although Kiringolm knew such massive dream creation would weaken or even kill those slaves.
But...
So what?
"Dream Slaves... I can have as many as I want."
Kiringolm stepped on the Flame Clouds, flapping his wings.
His sleepiness was gone, replaced by excitement.
Because he was thinking about the reward within the God's Knights for intel on 'Star Lord'.
"If he is related to Star Lord, capturing him makes me the Commander of the God's Knights."
"If he is Star Lord, and I capture or kill him... I will become one of the 'Five Elders'!"
The Five Elders represented eternal life and infinite power.
Even within the God's Knights who possessed everything, that was an absolutely rule-breaking and tempting reward.
So, even knowing the enemy was powerful and dangerous.
Kiringolm chose to attack without hesitation.
Meanwhile...
"Made it."
Looking at the incoming dream creatures.
Under the mask of flowing stars, Roy felt no panic, only relief.
Although the appearance of Akainu and this God's Knight exceeded his initial estimates.
At least he made it in time.
And...
"God's Knight... looks like he recognizes me."
From Kiringolm's reaction, Roy confirmed his previous guess about God Valley.
Besides that...
"..."
Roy could see frost spreading on the sea behind Sabaody.
And on the horizon toward Marineford, a warship was flashing with light.
'Aokiji' Kuzan and 'Kizaru' Borsalino were arriving.
But clearly, to Roy now, none of this mattered.
Because as Yuji said earlier—this was a 'Retreat'.
"Unnecessary fighting is meaningless. What I need to do... is only one thing."
With a thought, Roy moved.
Facing the countless fantasy creatures attacking from the sky and sea, he simply raised... one finger.
Seven-colored Flame Clouds flowed around him, like the reflection of stars.
At the tip of that finger.
VMMM!
Infinite starlight began to gather.
This was the fruit he currently equipped.
[Fusion Fruit · Sovereign King Buddha]
[Fusion Materials: Human-Human Fruit, Model: Giant LV5 + Human-Human Fruit, Model: Buddha LV5 + Human-Human Fruit (Base) LV5]
[Fruit Effect: Combines abilities of three fruits. Grants powerful Giant physique, shockwaves from any body part, body shrouded in Buddha Light, and human limit intellect, learning ability, and physical stamina.]
[Extra Fusion Effect - Sovereign Buddha Body]
[Effect 1: Can freely change body size and form. Freely alter the external appearance of the 'Buddha Body', 'Buddha Light', and 'Shockwaves'.]
This was the reason for the starlight, seven-colored Flame Clouds, and the flowing star mask on Roy.
And now, Roy was using the second effect of this fruit.
[Effect 2: Simultaneously activate Awakening of 'Giant Fruit' and 'Buddha Fruit', entering 'Manifested Sovereign Tathagata' state. In this form, gain physique and strength comparable to 'Ancient Giants'. Emitted shockwaves can accommodate the properties of any other energy to enhance power.]
[This form consumes massive stamina. The more/stronger energy the shockwave holds, the greater the stamina consumption.]
At this moment...
[Magma-Magma Fruit LV3]
[Ice-Ice Fruit LV3]
[Glint-Glint Fruit LV4]
[Dice-Dice Fruit LV4]
[Bomb-Bomb Fruit LV4]
In an instant, switching fruits rapidly, all their energies converged into the starlight at his fingertip.
Scorching heat, freezing cold, explosive force, sharpness—all phenomena and natures gathered within that starlight.
Every attribute and energy was but a corner of the stars.
Then...
"!!!"
Kiringolm and the countless dream creatures froze instantly, pressured by the mere leakage of the starlight from Star Lord's fingertip.
"What is this..."
Kiringolm looked at the fingertip—he could feel the unimaginable power contained within that wisp of starlight.
VMMM!
Just the leakage caused the sea below to depress significantly.
At this moment, Kiringolm felt he could see the cold eyes beneath that mask of flowing stars.
"...Limit reached."
Roy sensed it too.
Even with the Ancient Giant physique, bearing this wisp of starlight on his fingertip was strenuous.
This was his current 'Max Output'.
"One strike, and my stamina will be empty."
"But for the current situation... it's perfect."
He looked at Kiringolm and the myriad fantasy creatures.
"More-More Fruit · 50x Speed."
"Mark-Mark Fruit · Target."
Silently, the target was locked.
He flicked his finger gently.
The starlight at his fingertip collapsed instantly—as if the entire galaxy was compressed into a square inch.
"Secret Technique · Star Piercer!"
Then...
VMMM!
Destruction descended.
Akainu, approaching rapidly on the distant sea, saw the scene clearly.
From the fingertip of that sudden Zodiac member—a seemingly casual flick released an unbelievably massive beam of starlight.
The starlight seemed to pierce through space, appearing instantly beside Saint Kiringolm.
"!!!"
The God's Knight didn't even have time to react before vanishing into the starlight—his Awakened Mythical Zoan physique evaporated without leaving a drop of blood.
Along with him, the countless dream creatures vanished.
The Leviathan, over a thousand meters long, was hit inevitably. Its scales, flesh, and bones turned to dust the moment they touched the starlight.
The so-called God's Knight and his years of accumulated dream army ceased to exist in a fraction of a second.
But this was just the beginning.
After instantly erasing Kiringolm and the creatures, the vast starlight didn't slow down.
BOOM!
Where it passed, the ocean was split as if by a god's blade!
The sea surface cracked instantly, a bottomless 'Marine Canyon' extending to the end of vision.
And this was still not the end.
Because the starlight continued further.
Akainu knew what lay in that direction.
A massive object existed there.
Something known to everyone in this world.
Existing since recorded history, sitting there immovably.
It divided the four seas and cut the world apart.
The symbol of the 'World'.
It was...
"The Red Line!"
In an instant.
The starlight, blinding in the night, struck the Red Line.
Then...
"..."
Aokiji, stepping on ice, just arriving at Sabaody, stopped.
RUMBLE!
The massive roar and the tremors shaking Sabaody didn't sway him.
But the scene on the distant Red Line shook him to his core.
At the same time...
"Ooh~ Are you kidding me?"
On the distant warship, Kizaru took off his sunglasses.
His usual lazy tone was now extremely solemn.
Yes.
At this moment, the three Admirals, the people of Sabaody, and everyone in the nearby seas could see.
In the far distance.
On the red continent that had stood unchanged since ancient times... there was a hole.
It... had been pierced through.
Although the hole was insignificant compared to the Red Line's massive size.
People could see through the massive 'Puncture Wound' to the sea on the other side.
The sea of the 'New World'.
Coincidentally.
"..."
Akainu, closest to the scene, could see.
At the end of the New World's horizon—the sun was rising.
The last second of the night had passed.
Dawn had arrived.
The morning sun, not yet blinding, shone through the hole in the Red Line... falling perfectly onto that figure.
The figure with the mask of flowing stars stood there.
Watching this, even Akainu felt indescribable shock.
"Star Lord..."
He clenched his fists, whispering the name—he had heard Kiringolm's growl earlier.
But after witnessing this strike that seemed to truly pierce the stars.
He understood the weight of this name.
Even for him, that strike was beyond comprehension.
Just then...
He saw the existence named 'Star Lord' slowly turn around.
VMMM!
He raised his hand gently, moving slowly.
The spatial door closed slowly.
But Akainu knew—it was because no one could stop him anymore.
VMMM!
Meanwhile, at the position where Kiringolm existed.
The God's Knight, whose body had turned to dust, began to slowly reassemble.
"Haa... haa... haa..."
He gasped heavily, heart palpitating from the impossible strike.
He understood—if he weren't a God's Knight, granted the 'Gift' by the World's Ruler...
He would have been dead without a trace.
At this moment, he saw Star Lord's slowly fading figure.
And in his ears, he heard the calm, indifferent whisper left by the other party.
"This strike was just a greeting."
"Say hello to Imu for me."
☆☆☆
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