Sengoku’s Fear! A Crushing Battle!

"Who are the allies you mentioned before?"

Chu Yang asked Tiger on the deck. Tiger had always been responsible for the other forces in the alliance.

The Revolutionary Army was busy liberating nations.

Meanwhile, Chu Yang rarely left the laboratory.

"Besides the enslaved Fish-Man and Merfolk Clan, many other races have also suffered under the oppression of the Celestial Dragons."

"These races are our allies. When the Wall-Breaking Operation began, they had already gathered at Fish-Man Island."

"We also have helpers among humans, such as… the former crew members of Pirate King Roger."

Chu Yang looked at Tiger in surprise. What Tiger had done far exceeded his expectations.

"With Pluton appearing in the World of the Living, some kingdoms may also consider siding with us. We might receive unexpected reinforcements then."

"However, when it comes to war, we can’t think too optimistically. We should consider what we can do with our current forces."

Dragon spoke of the battle plan he had prepared long ago. He had also planted Revolutionary Army personnel in Holy Land Mary Geoise in advance.

Chu Yang waved a hand. "Leave Imu and the Five Elders to me. You only need to gather your strongest forces to deal with the God’s Knights."

"It would be best if you can defeat them outright. If not, buy me some time."

Dragon admitted that Chu Yang was powerful—so powerful that he surpassed Dragon’s understanding—and qualified to challenge the world’s king, the one who bore the name of a god.

But wasn’t it too reckless for one person to face so many powerful enemies?

They had no room to gamble. If they failed, everyone would pay with their lives, and even more people might be dragged into it.

"I’ll go with you!"

Dragon could not help but try to persuade him. He might not be able to defeat the Five Elders, but he could at least share some of Chu Yang’s burden.

"Without you, the others will have a hard time defeating the God’s Knights."

Since the strength of the God’s Knights was unknown, Chu Yang still rejected Dragon’s proposal, even though they might receive help from Pluton Rayleigh.

This was much like when they had decided to take down Kaido. Dragon had also offered to help Chu Yang fight Kaido, only to be rejected without hesitation.

Seeing the atmosphere between them grow awkward, Tiger immediately changed the subject. "What about the Navy? The previous Reward Orders scattered them badly, so we didn’t factor them in."

"But now, the Celestial Dragons will definitely spare no cost to make the Navy defend Mary Geoise."

Tiger spoke worriedly.

"They won’t!"

Chu Yang shook his head firmly. "The Celestial Dragons won’t choose such a passive strategy, and they certainly won’t let the battle take place on their doorstep."

"It’s more likely that the Celestial Dragons will have the Navy mobilize all its forces to encircle and annihilate us at sea."

"So before we reach Mary Geoise, we will definitely encounter the Navy and fight to the death."

There was one more thing Chu Yang did not say aloud: the Secret Treasure controlled by Imu, the weapon capable of instantly destroying an island.

If they got too close to Mary Geoise, Imu should have reservations and would not use it carelessly, since it might affect her as well.

That was the better possibility.

But it was also possible that once Imu confirmed their coordinates, she would immediately activate the Secret Treasure and erase both them and Pluton.

As it turned out, Chu Yang’s prediction was right. The next day’s newspapers reported that the Navy had mobilized in full force.

Not only had the Navy from Headquarters and the New World branches been deployed, even the Navy from the first half of the Grand Line and the Four Seas branches was gathering.

The Four Seas branches had only one purpose: find traces of Pluton, then report them to the World Government.

The World Government had mobilized all its power, intending to search the vast sea for Pluton.

"Are they really this insane?"

"They pulled in the Navy from all over the world. Won’t that turn into a carnival for pirates?"

"The Celestial Dragons truly don’t care about the lives of civilians at all!"

Tiger angrily threw down the newspaper in his hand.

"Revolutionary Army members in other regions have sent word. Some Navy forces did not answer the World Government’s orders and are still maintaining regional stability in their own way."

"We also have people remaining in the Four Seas, so there’s no need to worry too much."

Dragon soothed Tiger’s emotions.

"With so many Navy forces coming after us, should we change course?"

After calming down, Tiger turned toward Chu Yang.

"Everyone is so used to being chased by the Navy that they may not have realized it yet. Let’s change our way of thinking. Who is the prey now?"

Chu Yang grinned. The warship they possessed was the ancient weapon Pluton.

"That’s right. They should be the ones running." Tiger clenched his fists and said excitedly.

"They want the battlefield outside the Holy Land. As it happens, I have the same idea. First crush the Navy’s top combat forces and weaken the World Government, then attack the Holy Land."

Chu Yang’s idea won Dragon and Tiger’s approval. The Navy was the World Government’s right-hand man; cutting off that arm first was undoubtedly an excellent choice.

The World Government understood Chu Yang’s group as a force that had defeated Kaido and Big Mom, then used natural defenses to block the Navy’s campaign.

In terms of individual strength, Chu Yang’s group had been placed on the same level as Admirals.

Their hysterical deployment of so many people was entirely out of "respect" for Pluton.

As for Chu Yang defeating Garp yesterday, the news might not reach the World Government.

First, the CP0 members responsible for relaying the information had been killed by Dragon. Second, Chu Yang believed Garp would stop the news from reaching the World Government.

Not for the sake of his own pride. Chu Yang felt Garp would use this method to help Dragon once.

The silent farewell between father and son last night had made Chu Yang notice a change in Garp’s attitude.

Perhaps Garp had seen in Chu Yang the possibility of overturning the Celestial Dragons’ rule.

That power beyond comprehension had already left an indelible mark on Garp’s heart.

The World Government had an incorrect understanding of Chu Yang’s strength, and it would make them pay a tremendous price.

Therefore, not only would Chu Yang not avoid them, he would take the initiative to let the Navy know where Pluton was.

Three days later.

More than a thousand warships sped through the New World. Everywhere they passed, there was not a single pirate in sight.

No pirate was bold enough to clash head-on with such a massive Navy fleet.

"Are you certain Pluton has been sighted?"

On the deck of the flagship, the current Fleet Admiral Kong asked Sengoku beside him.

If not for the Revolutionary Army placing Reward Orders on the Celestial Dragons, he would have already handed the position of Fleet Admiral over to Sengoku.

Sengoku nodded. "The information came from the Four Seas branches. Its authenticity has been verified. It really is Pluton."

"Those country bumpkins are at least somewhat useful." Thinking of how empty the Four Seas had become, Kong’s expression turned terrifyingly cold.

"Hmph! A bunch of desperadoes who happened to find an ancient weapon, yet they dared to point it directly at Mary Geoise and cause such chaos."

Kong gritted his teeth. "I’ll lock every last one of them in Impel Down and torture them until the day they die of old age."

Sengoku remained silent. Mobilizing the Navy worldwide had clearly been the Celestial Dragons’ decision, yet Kong was deliberately downplaying that fact.

"Where’s Garp? At such an important time, why can’t I even see a trace of him?" Kong asked with displeasure.

Although Garp often did unreliable things, this time he had clearly crossed Kong’s bottom line.

"I heard he’s still fighting the Red Hair Pirates in Wano Country."

Sengoku found it strange. By all rights, Garp should have encountered Pluton, yet no information had come from him.

"Is the Red Hair Pirates’ crew still important under these circumstances? At his age, can’t he tell what matters most?"

"What would capturing Shanks accomplish?"

"In the end, we’d still have to release him. It’s a complete waste of time!"

"If he hadn’t gone off doing whatever he pleased, we could have blocked these Revolutionary Army people right in Wano Country. Why would we need to pay such a huge price?"

The more Kong thought about it, the angrier he became. In the end, he stopped mentioning Garp altogether.

Something had always felt off to Sengoku. Listening to Kong’s complaints, a shocking thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Based on his movements, Garp had definitely encountered Pluton, yet he had not reported any information…

He was helping those people!

Sengoku’s body suddenly trembled!

"What’s wrong?"

Noticing Sengoku’s abnormality, Kong frowned and asked.

"N-Nothing. I think I ate something bad today."

Cold sweat streamed down Sengoku’s face as he hurriedly answered.

Kong’s expression softened. "Go rest first. Remember to take care of yourself."

Sengoku left with a pale face. If things were truly as he guessed, Garp’s actions were equivalent to betraying both the World Government and the Navy.

"That’s impossible. How could the justice he upheld for his entire life waver at a time like this?"

Sengoku kept reassuring himself, but his heart continued sinking. Unable to endure the torment any longer, he went somewhere deserted and dialed a Den Den Mushi.

"Moship mosh~ Vice Admiral Garp is currently fighting pirates and has no time to answer. If there’s something you need, you can…"

"Shut up! Bogart! Put Garp on the Den Den Mushi!"

Sengoku roared in a low voice, and the other end immediately fell silent.

"Forget it, Bogart. You can’t fool him. Give me the Den Den Mushi."

Garp’s voice came from the other end, hoarse and heavy, without the slightest trace of his usual vigor. He sounded as if he had suffered severe injuries.

Sengoku’s hand trembled. Suppressing his shock, he asked, "You’re injured? How bad is it?"

Garp spoke casually. "I almost didn’t get the chance to answer your Den Den Mushi."

Sengoku snapped, "Why didn’t you report something this important? Were you injured by an attack from Pluton?"

Garp sighed. "Attack my ass. I didn’t even get a clear look at what Pluton looked like. Someone beat me into this state."

Sengoku was stunned. He had thought Garp had been hit by Pluton’s cannon fire. Otherwise, who in the world could beat Garp so badly?

Yet Garp’s next words plunged Sengoku into endless fear.

"He only used one punch!"

After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku stood where he was in a daze. What he had just heard was too shocking.

How could there possibly be someone in this world capable of defeating Garp with one punch?

That was Garp, the Hero of the Navy!

He was the Navy’s answer to Pirate King Roger!

How many young Marines considered him their faith?

"This is too important. I must immediately…"

Just as Sengoku was about to go find Kong, he suddenly stopped. He finally realized why Garp had chosen to conceal the matter.

"If one person can truly be this powerful…"

"Could he really overturn the Celestial Dragons’ rule?"

Sengoku was not a diehard supporter of the Celestial Dragons. Like Garp, he had not joined the Navy to protect the Celestial Dragons’ authority and power.

He had only wanted to fulfill his own justice.

"Whether it’s true or not, I’ll test it myself…"

Once he calmed down, Sengoku made the same decision as Garp. If that group was not strong enough, they would die at the Navy’s hands. But if they were strong enough…

What was wrong with stepping over their corpses and advancing toward Mary Geoise?

After receiving the intelligence, Kong ordered the fleet to head for its destination at full speed. He intended to gather all their strength and wipe out the Revolutionary Army in one stroke.

"Let this be the celebration for my promotion to commander-in-chief!"

Kong clenched his fist and revealed a savage smile.

By nightfall.

The fleet arrived near a section of the Calm Belt. The waters were littered with the wreckage of Navy warships.

Sengoku’s expression turned grave. The Navy force that had previously provided the intelligence had clearly been wiped out.

"Damn it! We were too late! Those bastards got away!"

"Those useless fools couldn’t even buy us a little time!"

Kong flew into a rage and smashed his fist into the console in the command room. Alarms immediately began blaring.

"They may not have left…"

Sengoku’s mouth was bitter. If the other side intended what he thought they did, that group of Revolutionary Army members might be lurking in the darkness, watching them like tigers eyeing prey.

"They aren’t idiots. Why would they stay instead of leaving? Do they plan to remain and fight us head-on?"

"No matter how strong Pluton is, can it deal with over a thousand warships at once?"

Kong looked at Sengoku unhappily. "What’s wrong with you today? You’ve been distracted all day. Still not over that bad stomach?"

Sengoku stared blankly ahead. A colossal object was slowly approaching, tearing through the curtain of darkness!

His speculation had become reality, yet Sengoku felt no joy at all.

"Huh, what is that…"

Kong’s eyes widened as he gradually made out the steel beast in the darkness. Shocked, he said, "Those people really didn’t run. They actually stayed here and waited for us to come to them…"

Sengoku’s gaze hardened. "Prepare for battle, Fleet Admiral."

"Let me take the lead!"

On the other side, Pluton rode the wind and waves. Chu Yang stood on the deck, his eyes fixed on the Navy’s flagship.

"Against so many warships, most of Pluton’s energy will have to be used for defense. We won’t be able to fire its cannons many times."

"We need to find another way to break through."

Tom said worriedly.

As the saying went, two fists could not defeat four hands. There were too many enemies. Even Pluton could not eliminate them all.

Pluton’s greatest purpose was to counter the Secret Treasure in Imu’s hands and blast open the Red Line beneath the Holy Land.

"I never planned on breaking through in the first place, Mr. Tom. This is a battle of annihilation!"

Chu Yang shook his head.

Tom froze. "Yang, I just explained it to you…"

Before he could finish, he saw Chu Yang shoot into the sky, soar over the fleet, and fly toward the flagship.

Reaching the target overhead, Chu Yang suddenly dove, crashing down onto the warship.

The immense force sent the hundred-meter-long flagship tilting upward before it slammed heavily back down, Marines on the deck tumbling in all directions.

Amid the chaos, a figure emerged and walked straight toward Chu Yang.

"Were you the one who fought Garp?"

Sengoku took off his shirt and asked with a grave expression.

Chu Yang nodded.

"Then I’ll have to trouble you to convince me with your fists as well. Otherwise, this old man cannot rest easy."

Sengoku’s entire body blazed with golden light as he entered his Great Buddha form, transforming into a massive golden Buddha and smashing a fist down at Chu Yang.

A terrifying Conqueror’s Haki wrapped around his fist.

"As you wish!"

"Domain Expansion!"

"Malevolent Shrine!"

A huge, bizarre shrine emerged behind Chu Yang.

At that moment, in everyone’s eyes, even the moon in the sky seemed to turn blood-red.

It carried an indescribable beauty amid its eerie strangeness.

Sengoku, glittering all over with golden light, looked like a Buddha about to vanquish evil and defend the righteous path!

Chu Yang, commanding the shrine, resembled a demon of chaos, radiating a terrifying aura.

The righteous may rise a foot, but evil rises ten.

Beneath the blood moon, violent slashes fell like a torrential downpour, washing away the filth of the world.

Crack!

Cracks appeared first on the arm of the gleaming golden Buddha.

They rapidly spread like a shattered mirror!

Sengoku’s expression changed abruptly.

As more and more slashes erupted in concentrated bursts, the cracks covering the golden Buddha’s surface multiplied.

Sengoku raised both arms to block slashes that came from nowhere.

In the blink of an eye, half his body had gone numb.

Sengoku suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

He could no longer maintain his Great Buddha form. Once the golden light faded, half his body was covered in dense wounds, blood constantly seeping out.

Then he collapsed headfirst onto the ground.

"Admiral Sengoku!"

A blazing streak of fire shot across the horizon and landed before Chu Yang. Sakazuki’s veiny face emerged from the burning magma.

"You despicable bastard! You actually dared to sneak-attack Admiral Sengoku!"

Sakazuki believed that the pirate before him could not possibly have defeated Sengoku head-on. The only possibility was that he had used some underhanded method to ambush him.

Sakazuki’s hands turned into magma and blasted toward Chu Yang. He intended to melt this shameless wretch into ashes.

A black ancient sword flew from the void and circled around Chu Yang. Streams of Yomi Water slowly flowed along the sword’s flight path.

Yomi Water could extinguish Ryujin Jakka, whose heat approached that of the sun. Before it, Sakazuki’s Magma-Magma Fruit was even less worth mentioning.

Before it could touch Chu Yang, the magma had already gone out, turning into chunks of utterly ordinary black stone.

Chu Yang wrapped Conqueror’s Haki around Fengdu’s blade, then the flying sword shot out, aimed directly at Sakazuki’s heart.

"My Haki isn’t just for show!"

Sakazuki wrapped his arms in Armament Haki, preparing to take Chu Yang’s flying sword head-on.

The next moment.

Fengdu effortlessly broke through his Armament Haki, pierced through his heart, and sent Sakazuki flying, nailing him alive to the mast.

"That’s impossible!"

Sakazuki lowered his head in disbelief and looked at the long sword piercing his heart.

He reached out, trying to pull it free, but he could not summon any strength. As his life force rapidly drained away, despair filled him.

In the end.

Sakazuki was nailed alive to the mast by Chu Yang.

With a wave of Chu Yang’s hand, Fengdu swiftly flew back. Sakazuki’s corpse fell from above and hit the deck with a heavy thud.

The Marines who witnessed the scene wore expressions of indescribable despair.

A Marine Admiral!

A Marine Vice Admiral about to become an Admiral!

They had all lost!

"Is he a demon… or a god?"

The battle had ended so quickly that even Kong, the Fleet Admiral, had no time to react.

He had still been gathering forces when he turned around to find Sengoku severely wounded on the ground and Sakazuki dead on the spot.

Kong’s eyes went bloodshot as he instantly flew into a rage, smashing through the control room window and jumping down.

"I’ll kill you!"

Kong let out an enraged roar and charged at Chu Yang like a beast.

Borsalino appeared alongside Kong.

The instant he saw Chu Yang’s face clearly, Borsalino abruptly stopped, looking as though he still had lingering fears.

His crushing defeat in Wano Country was still fresh in his mind.

This was a monster who could never be defeated.

He vaguely remembered reporting the situation to Kong after returning to Marine Headquarters, but Kong had paid it no heed and even scolded him.

"Kuzan and Sakazuki are about to take over as Admirals. Look at you—you got beaten senseless by some brat!"

Thinking of this, Borsalino muttered, "I told you long ago, but you wouldn’t listen. Now bear the consequences yourself."

Kong was not even as strong as Sengoku. Under the Malevolent Shrine’s coverage, he was slashed into a bloody mess in just a few moves.

Kong gave everything he had, yet he did not even touch Chu Yang before collapsing at his feet.

"What kind of monster are you?"

In his final moments, Kong’s eyes were filled with confusion and unwillingness.

Chu Yang looked up at Borsalino in the sky.

The latter immediately fled, utterly lacking the courage to fight Chu Yang.

Of the future three Admirals, only Aokiji was not here.

He was one of the few Marines who had not followed the World Government’s orders, instead leading his subordinates around to suppress chaos.

The soon-to-retire Zephyr was the same.

The remaining Marines were no longer a cause for concern.

Once the warships that were unaware of the situation gradually closed in, Chu Yang expanded the domain range of Malevolent Shrine at the cost of reducing its power.

Slashes erupted. Over a thousand warships were damaged simultaneously, and countless Marine soldiers were wounded.

Chu Yang alone had defeated the Marines, who had mobilized in full force.

Just as he was preparing to leave, Chu Yang suddenly heard Sengoku’s weak voice.

"Can we win?"

Sengoku struggled to open his eyes, wanting an answer.

"Of course!"

Chu Yang answered without hesitation, then flew toward Pluton.

Pluton was packed with people. They had watched the Marines’ downfall and deeply felt Chu Yang’s terror.

Some even regarded him as a god and silently knelt in worship.

"He really can do it all by himself…"

Dragon was too shocked to speak.

Tiger patted him on the shoulder and comforted him. "We have our own responsibilities. Even if we cannot fight at his side, we must make sure he has no worries."

Dragon had weathered great storms before. This setback was not enough to bring him down, and he quickly regained his calm composure.

"The Marines have already been defeated. Without that force, the scales of victory are tipping toward us."

"Next, we’ll need to trouble Mr. Tiger to contact our allies on Fish-Man Island and have them prepare to attack Mary Geoise at any time."

Chu Yang walked over to the two of them.

Tiger nodded. "All right, no problem. Are we heading directly to the Holy Land now?"

Chu Yang shook his head. "Not yet. We need to land in an unexpected way to achieve our goal, so I asked Mr. Tom to modify Pluton."

"Let’s rest for now. Without the Marines, it will be difficult for the World Government to track us. There is no need to worry."

After this battle, Pluton completely vanished from public sight.

The impact it left behind swept across the world like a tsunami.

News of the Marines’ destruction spread swiftly through News Coo birds, and even the World Government could not stop it.

Fleet Admiral Kong had died in battle!

Admiral Sengoku had been severely wounded!

Sakazuki, who was about to assume the position of Admiral, had died in battle!

Vice Admiral Borsalino’s whereabouts were unknown.

The remaining Headquarters Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals, along with large numbers of Marine soldiers, had all been wounded and completely lost their combat capability.

The Marine system had fallen into a complete state of paralysis.

Such a devastating outcome had never occurred in Marine history.

The World Government, which had stood for eight hundred years, had its position profoundly shaken as a result.

Rebellion flags rose one after another across different regions.

Even places the Revolutionary Army had never visited sent news of resistance against the World Government.

Terrifying uprisings were erupting with increasing frequency.

Pangea Castle.

Flower Room.

The Five Elders lay prostrate on the lush grass, trembling, while a mysterious figure stood before them.

A tall body was hidden beneath robes, and only the towering crown revealed the figure’s identity.

The king of the world, or perhaps the king of the Celestial Dragons.

Imu.

Imu seemed not to notice the frightened Five Elders. Her gaze remained fixed on the lilies in the corner of the room, as though she were reminiscing. Her expression was somewhat absent.

"Lily…"

At the mention of that name, the Five Elders trembled even more violently and lowered their heads further.

That name represented a certain taboo.

"Where is Pluton now?"

Imu finally spoke, easing the fear in the Five Elders’ hearts.

"Pluton’s whereabouts are currently unknown, but there are no signs of it approaching the Holy Land. We have already arranged guards to keep watch."

Jaygarcia Saturn Saint rushed to answer first.

The others glared at him from the corners of their eyes.

In this atmosphere, whoever spoke first was the least likely to be scolded.

"Who is that person?"

Imu’s voice suddenly rose several degrees.

The Five Elders looked at one another, unsure whom Imu was asking about.

Topman Warcury Saint hesitated before answering cautiously, "The one who defeated the Marines is called Yang. He was originally a slave and escaped when the Fish-Man Tiger attacked the Holy Land."

"Later, he joined the Red Hair Pirates and gradually became a well-known pirate on the seas."

"After that, we do not know how he came into contact with the Revolutionary Army and became what he is today."

After answering, Topman Warcury Saint’s heart pounded. He did not know whether the person Imu was asking about was actually Chu Yang.

The Flower Room fell silent.

Cold sweat streamed down Topman Warcury Saint’s face.

"Red Hair? Is he the one the Figarland Family once lost?"

"Yes."

Having received the answer, Imu said coldly, "Whoever caused the problem will deal with it."

Topman Warcury Saint hurriedly nodded. "I will relay this to Figarland Garling Saint."

Marcus Mars Saint asked respectfully, "Lord Imu, should we deploy that weapon?"

The Flower Room became utterly silent.

"Not yet. Send the God’s Knights to kill that slave."

Imu’s voice became ethereal, echoing throughout the entire room.

The Five Elders nodded and slowly withdrew.

Once again, only one person remained in the Flower Room. Imu walked toward the lilies, crouched down, touched the butterfly resting on a flower, and murmured, "Lily, why did you do that?"