"Lord Im."
The Five Elders all knelt on the ground behind Im's back, showing their respect.
"What is it?"
Im, completely shrouded in a black robe, extended his right hand and caught a colorful butterfly that flew before him. He did not turn around, but his voice, indistinguishable in gender and devoid of any emotion, clearly echoed in the minds of the Five Elders.
The Five Elder with a long beard, dressed in a dark blue suit, respectfully spoke, "Reporting to Lord Im, the coordinates of the Silver-Haired Pirates have been obtained."
"The Silver-Haired Pirates?"
Im's narrow eyes slightly narrowed, and a murderous intent appeared in his blood-red pupils.
He lightly flicked his hand, releasing the butterfly, then turned to face the long-bearded Five Elder who was holding a map high.
At his feet, several wanted posters were haphazardly placed, featuring the likenesses of Kouta, Kuina, and Robin.
Without any visible action from him, the map automatically flew to his front. He reached out and took it, then calmly said, "Alright, I know. You may leave."
The Five Elders quickly shifted their bodies, taking a few steps back before standing up. They dared not look directly at Im, but kept their heads lowered, turned, and quickly exited the room.
Im waited until the Five Elders had left the room and their figures had completely disappeared in the dim corridor before looking down at the map.
On the map, at the starting point of the New World, near the Calm Belt, an island was marked with a large red dot. The name written on it was Cocodoro.
"Cocodoro."
Im stared at the map, his eyes devoid of any emotion. Then, from somewhere, he produced a pen, raised his hand, and drew a large 'X' over the island of Cocodoro on the map.
"Those who dare to challenge the authority of the World Government, those who dare to uncover history, those who dare to covet me, will all be ruthlessly annihilated and disappear from history."
A cold, murderous voice echoed throughout the room.
...
Time returned to Cocodoro.
Although there were many pirates, they had all fallen to the ground. Charles and the soldiers who came down from the city walls numbered dozens.
They simply went to finish them off, one by one, and within ten minutes, they had quickly sent all the pirates to hell.
After killing the pirates, they glanced at Ah Hua and the other two who were still fighting. They did not linger and, under Charles's command, quickly entered the city to announce the victory.
After all, those within the city, blocked by the city walls, were completely unaware of the situation outside and were cowering in their homes.
A moment later, thunderous cheers erupted from the city.
Civilians close to the city walls even rushed out, casting looks of unparalleled admiration towards the Freedom.
And at this moment.
Onboard the Freedom.
Kouta suddenly raised his head sharply, his pupils rapidly constricting as he gazed towards the end of the sky.
He felt a pang of unease, as if a colossal danger was about to descend.
"What is it?"
His heart was filled with confusion.
This feeling, he had never experienced since arriving in this world. It wasn't that he felt he was in danger, but he felt...
That the people around him were in danger.
Just then, Kuina also seemed to have noticed something unusual.
She also looked up at the sky, her smile disappearing, replaced by a look of solemnity.
Kouta and Kuina exchanged glances.
Kuina spoke first.
"Kouta, there's something strange in the sky."
Although she didn't know what it was, the sharp, heart-clenching unease she felt was something she had never experienced before.
Even when she was very young and faced the meteor shower of the Golden Lion that seemed to be destroying the world for the first time, she had not felt this way.
Even though the entity in the sky had not yet revealed itself, she knew it could threaten her life.
"I'm here."
Seeing Kuina's worry, Kouta reached out and stroked her head.
Just then.
The previously clear sky suddenly became turbulent with wind and clouds. At the end of the sky, a small red spot was rapidly descending towards Cocodoro.
As the distance shortened, a pressure that made everyone on the island feel a pang of unease washed over them, causing the cheers on the island to instantly vanish.
Countless people stopped what they were doing and collectively looked up at the sky.
Above, the sky was now covered by thick clouds.
The clouds churned and swirled, with fiery red light flashing in the center, casting the entire cloud layer into the hues of a sunset.
It was beautiful, spectacular, but it was filled with killing intent.
Before anyone could appreciate it, a colossal entity in the center of the clouds seemed to open its mouth towards the ground below.
Blinding white light replaced the sun in the sky, and then the white light rapidly contracted into a small ball of light.
From the falling fireball, to the clouds covering the sky, to this ball of light, it had all happened in a mere dozen seconds.
In such a short time, even if Kouta had sensed the danger, there was nothing he could do.
A dozen seconds ago.
Upon discovering the fireball, Kouta immediately took out a necklace from his pocket.
The necklace itself was unremarkable, but the gem at its tip was extraordinary.
It was a Devil Fruit weapon that Kouta had developed.
He held the necklace and lightly drew it forward.
*Crack!*
In the blank space, a door opened.
"Quick, get inside."
Kouta turned to look at Kuina, Robin, and the others, his expression unusually grim.
By now, everyone could feel the world-ending aura from above. Without hesitation, they quickly rushed into the spatial door.
Only Kuina remained outside.
Kouta glanced at Kuina, and without further ado, he vanished from his spot, appearing where Ah Hua and the other two were fighting. They too had sensed the danger and were looking up at the sky.
Kouta appeared, also holding the necklace, and opened a door in front of them. Ah Hua and the other two, along with Brook, who had been watching from the sidelines, also rushed into the door without hesitation.
In the next few seconds, Kouta flickered through the battlefield, taking Charles and the others into the extra-dimensional space opened by the Door-Door Fruit.
When he reappeared on the Freedom, the ball of light above had already taken shape.
In this short span of time, he couldn't possibly save everyone from Brettes. As for their survival...
Kouta looked up at the ball of light above, sensing the world-destroying energy within it.
"Is this the hidden power of the World Government, the power controlled by that fellow Im?"
The feeling from this ball of light was such that even Admirals and Emperors, with bad luck, would absolutely not be able to withstand it.
Not to mention death, but they would definitely be severely injured.
Kouta narrowed his eyes, nebulae rapidly swirling within his azure pupils.
He could see a faint, silver behemoth above the clouds through the gaps.
A monster even larger than a sea creature.