Hoo—
Blazing flames spread like a curtain, instantly staining the entire sky.
Transformed into his Itsumade form, the long-bearded Five Elders member Saint Marcus Mars abruptly arrived at the edge of Mary Geoise.
Seeing Saint Saturn standing there in a daze, Mars let out a hoarse voice from his enormous beak:
"I'll pursue them!"
"You go check the castle area!"
"…Understood." Saturn replied in a deep voice.
In the next moment, lacking the ability to fight in the air, he cast one last intense glance in the direction where the Straw Hats had vanished—his gaze piercing through the drifting clouds, as if seeing those figures that had filled him with rage.
...
...
"Hey, hey, Luffy—about that huge thing just now… that wouldn't happen to be what Red mentioned before, would it…?"
Elsewhere.
Inside the psychic barrier, Usopp stared at the terrifying monster that had flashed past them, his face instantly turning deathly pale, as though his mind had suffered a violent shock.
He wasn't the only one—many of the Supernovas, as well as Chopper and the others, wore the exact same expression.
"Huh?" Luffy scratched his head, then grinned before nodding in sudden realization. "You mean that giant spider!?"
"Exactly!"
"That guy was one of the Five Elders Red told us about! What a shame—really wanted to fight them for a bit…"
"Huh? Why do you all look so awful!?"
Hands clasped behind his head, Luffy glanced at Usopp in confusion, only then noticing the expressions of the others as well.
"I—I don't know…" Usopp's teeth chattered, his pupils rapidly dilating and shrinking, as if he'd glimpsed something utterly horrifying.
"It's that Five Elder's ability," Red said at that moment, suddenly turning around mid-escape to look at Usopp and the others.
"Jaygarcia Saturn—one of the Five Elders, the Warrior God of Science and Defense of the World Government. He possesses a Mythical Zoan ability that allows him to transform into a Ushi-Oni."
"One of his powers—Evil Eye—inflicts severe mental shock on anyone who meets his gaze. In extreme cases, it can even cause their head to explode on the spot!!!"
"W-What!?"
Usopp and the others, who had only been feeling dizzy moments ago, instantly turned even paler after hearing Red's explanation.
At the same time, they felt an overwhelming sense of relief—thankfully, they'd only briefly met Saturn's eyes, and Red's psychic barrier had isolated the power of Evil Eye…
Otherwise, they would've just taken a stroll right past the gates of death.
But just then—
The sky, which had only just welcomed the dawn, suddenly turned crimson, like a blazing sunset.
Robin, who had been organizing the Poneglyphs, sensed something and abruptly looked up, her expression changing instantly.
"Red!" she called out at once. "There's a creature—likely one of the Five Elders—pursuing us!"
"What!?"
Her words sent a jolt through everyone inside the barrier.
All heads turned immediately toward the sky behind them.
From within the dense clouds, dazzling black lightning erupted outward, writhing like serpents as it tore across the heavens. In an instant, it expanded like a massive black net, spreading in all directions as if to envelop the entire world.
"Intruders! You cannot escape!!!"
A golden beak suddenly pierced through the lightning-filled clouds, revealing a pair of eerie, vicious eyes.
Boom!!!
The colossal bird opened its beak wide, unleashing a fireball—orange-yellow like a miniature sun at its core, rimmed with crimson flames—that shot downward at terrifying speed!
"It's the Five Elder who can transform into the Mythical Zoan Itsumade!"
Red immediately shared the information he knew.
"His abilities involve flames, lightning, and extremely high-speed flight."
Beside him, Nami quickly asked, "High-speed flight!? Don't tell me he can actually catch up to us!?"
"Of course not."
Even while fleeing, Red answered decisively.
No matter how fast flight was, it couldn't possibly compare to spatial movement.
Yet in the next instant, Red frowned slightly.
"However…"
He spared another glance backward at the fireball still chasing them—growing more distant, yet relentless.
Red was absolutely confident in their spatial speed.
But their destination was fixed—meaning they would eventually have to stop.
And with the terrifying speed of the yokai bird Itsumade, it wasn't impossible for him to catch up.
If the Five Elder arrived together with them at Sabaody Archipelago… and activated that strange summoning magic circle again…
Then the ones in danger would be the Straw Hats and the Supernovas.
"No—we can't let him keep chasing us."
Red spoke decisively.
Zoro and Sanji, who also understood the threat posed by the Five Elders, immediately realized the same thing.
Sanji turned around, his eyes sharp. "Yeah. If this continues, things could get even worse."
"So we stop him here!?"
Clang!
A sharp blade gleamed.
Zoro grinned confidently, calm and unrestrained.
After drinking several Super Potions and Ether, he had not only returned to peak condition from before the Emilagon battle—his strength had further increased thanks to his awakened Steel attribute.
Right now, he was itching to test his brand-new power against a true powerhouse.
"Hehehe—so we finally get to fight!?"
Luffy grinned wide, excitement flashing in his eyes.
If Red hadn't insisted on prioritizing the bigger picture and protecting everyone's lives, he would've charged the strongest Five Elder back in the Flower Room!
Hearing their exchange, Red thought briefly—then nodded.
"Alright. I'll leave it to you."
"Got it!" Luffy laughed, his expression suddenly turning serious. "Zoro, Sanji—let's go!"
"Yeah!"
The two immediately responded, stepping to Luffy's left and right.
The psychic barrier spanning the void abruptly halted, hovering midair.
The sudden change made the Supernovas' faces tighten in shock.
Law, who possessed far more knowledge than the others, stared at the Straw Hat trio in disbelief.
"Hey—what are you planning to do?"
"You're not seriously…?"
Feeling the searing heat descending from above, Law raised his hand, trying to stop their madness.
That was one of the Five Elders!!!
A being even the Four Emperors wouldn't dare provoke lightly!
Just from how Donquixote Doflamingo—his lifelong enemy—didn't even dare breathe loudly in front of the Five Elders, it was clear how terrifying they were.
The Straw Hats were strong—no doubt about it.
But no matter how strong, they couldn't possibly rival a Yonko!
Why not take advantage of this gap and escape instead of provoking such a monster!?
Yet—
Before Law could finish speaking, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji were already standing at the edge of the psychic barrier.
Red raised a hand, opening a small hole above them.
Seeing this, the other Supernovas turned even paler than when facing Saturn himself.
But the three Straw Hats stepped forward without hesitation—walking straight out of the barrier.
The blazing fireball slammed waves of scorching heat into their faces, whipping their clothes violently in the turbulent air.
Watching the Five Elder diving down behind the fireball, Luffy suddenly grinned.
"This feels really familiar!"
"Didn't we do something like this before…?"
"Before?" Zoro drew all three swords in one fluid motion, assuming his Three Sword Style, then realized it. "You mean back in the East Blue!?"
Sanji lit a cigarette with his flames and looked up—the swirl of his eyebrow had already switched sides.
"Now that you mention it… after that, we entered the Grand Line."
"And after today, we'll be heading into the New World. Could this be some kind of ritual for us?"
"Hehe—doesn't feel bad at all!"
"No wonder Red keeps talking about 'having a sense of ceremony in life'!"
Luffy reached up and flipped his straw hat back, revealing eyes filled with resolve.
His body suddenly began to swell and ripple like an inflatable festival mascot.
A sacred evolutionary light enveloped him.
In the blink of an eye, Luffy entered his current strongest form—
Gear Fourth · Black War God!
Beside him, Sanji and Zoro were also engulfed in evolutionary light.
Lacking a Dragon-type awakening, Sanji transformed—like Luffy—into the Flame Demon Armor form he had displayed during the Champion Challenge.
Zoro, however, did not assume a giant dragon form like before.
As he had told Sanji earlier—if Steel awakening enhanced his swordsmanship, and Ghost awakening empowered his demonic aura…
Then the strongest Dragon attribute shouldn't be wasted on merely granting him a Pokémon-style dragon body.
So this time, Zoro took a different path—splitting the Dragon attribute into three parts.
One part reinforced his body as usual, manifesting massive black dragon wings behind him—fierce and tyrannical.
Another portion merged with his Ghost attribute, infused directly into his demonic aura.
In an instant, a low dragon's roar echoed alongside the surging ghostly energy, coiling around Zoro's body.
The once intangible demonic aura grew denser—almost solidifying into a dragon that spiraled around him.
The final portion of Dragon energy combined with his Steel attribute, enhancing his comprehension of sword intent.
For someone long accustomed to Dragon-based sword techniques, this was effortless.
Black dragon wings spread wide behind him. Crimson demonic aura coiled around his body. Three swords gleamed with powerful metallic luster, roaring with deep, ancient dragon cries…
In that moment, Zoro shed his usual domineering presence—replaced by something sinister and uncanny, like a demon lord stepping out of hell itself.
"Whoa—Zoro! Did you create a brand-new form again!?"
Luffy hovered in midair, shouting excitedly.
Zoro smirked confidently. "Wanna learn? I'll teach you next time."
"Hey, hey, hey—"
Sanji immediately cut him off.
"We're here to eliminate threats for our comrades, not to watch you strut like a runway model!"
"Stop messing around! He'll be here any second!"
"Oh—right!"
Luffy snapped back to attention.
Clenching his fist into his palm, a mocking grin spread across his face.
"Alright, guys!"
"Three!!!"
Luffy thrust his massive, lead-weight-like palms forward. Torrential Armament Haki flickered like flames, flowing into his hands.
"Two!!!"
Zoro bent slightly, crimson light flashing in his eyes as his blades erupted with dazzling brilliance.
"One!!!"
Flames roared violently, engulfing Sanji's body before condensing into a blazing vortex that guarded him completely.
"Gum-Gum · Destruction Impact Cannon!!!"
"Three Sword Style Secret Technique · Azure Dragon Roar · Annihilation!!!"
"Flame Demon Wind Leg · Fully Cooked Burst Kick!!!"
BOOOOOM!!! ×3
The moment Luffy's countdown ended, an explosive surge of familiar yet alien energy erupted from all three of them—
The Pokémon move they had once unleashed at Loguetown, obliterating dozens of Marine warships:
Hyper Beam!
But this time, they were no longer rookie pirates who couldn't control their power.
They were the Three Great Combat Forces of the Straw Hat Pirates—capable of clashing with the strongest beings in the world!
Three devastating shockwaves tore through the sky—
A black storm dense with Armament Haki, a razor-sharp green slash like a dragon's wings ripping through space, and a blazing rainbow of annihilating flames…
Three attacks. Three colors.
All converging at a single point before the massive fireball—fusing together as they surged toward the Five Elder!
The entire sequence happened in an instant.
The diving Five Elder froze in shock.
The next moment—
A terrifying aura erupted from the center of the fireball he had launched.
Before he could react, the enormous fireball shattered violently, exploding outward in every direction.
The clouds were instantly blown apart, revealing a clear blue sky.
Only then did Saint Mars, still in his Itsumade form, realize the danger—
But it was already too late!!!
BOOM!!!
Using Hyper Beam as a medium, the fully fused torrent of destruction pierced straight through Mars' body, shooting onward into the heavens—
Until it slammed into the Red Line, unleashing a thunderous roar.
In an instant, blinding light filled the entire world…
And illuminated it as well!
(End of Chapter)