"Hiss—"
"Where did such a massive boulder e from?"
"Red rocks... it must be from the Red Liself."
"Damn it, stop staring! Attack with everything you've got!"
"We have to stop it before it hits the Holy Land!"
"Damn it, who could have dohis?"
"Do you eveo ask? It's defihose reckless fools from the Fallen Angel Pirates!"
"That bastard El..."
"We won't let him get away with this!"
At this moment, just a few kilometers from the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, on the Red Liself, the entire sky seemed to darken.
The boulder was colossal—as rge as an isnd, over ten kilometers in diameter, and crimson in color.
Whether it was Admiral Kong, the CPO agents, or the Holy Knights who had rushed to respond, all of them were left stunned.
Their pupils shrank, their faces turned pale, and cold sweat dripped down their brows.
Eveired anders ay anders of the previous geion of the Holy Knights had arrived at the se. Despite their experiehey too were visibly shaken by the sheer scale of the threat.
If such a massive object were to strike the Holy Land, the sequences would be catastrophic.
Even if it were merely an isnd of this size, few individuals could reduce it to rubble in a short amount of time.
To destroy this boulder entirely—down to its bedrock—would require an immense amount of effort, far surpassing the ordinary means of evero individuals.
This wasn't an ordinary rock. It was posed of the near-imperable stone of the Red Line, making it even more difficult to handle.
It wasn't something that one or two people could easily stop.
"Roar... roar..."
A series of figures, varying in size and aura, leaped into a.
Admiral Kong, Saint Denis, and several others didn't hesitate. They unleashed their Devil Fruit powers and charged at the ining boulder with everything they had.
"King Kong Chariot!"
"Ember Kick: Thurike!"
"One Sword Style: Water Severance!"
"Dual Bde Style: S Dragon Fsh!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The sound of their attacks echoed like thuhe air filled with shockwaves as they desperately worked to ter the approag threat.
Meanwhile, ba the Holy Land, the Five Elders—Saint Mars, Saint Ju Peter, Saint Saturn, and Saint Nasjuro—had left the Chamber of Authority.
They ehe iation chamber, their faces dark and grim as the thunderous sounds of battle reverberated through the walls.
Their expressions were as hard as stone as they stared daggers at the representative of the Fallen Angel Pirates sitting across from them.
"Hahaha, what an honor to meet such distinguished figures," the pirate said, feigning calm as he smiled nervously.
Even though he had been specifically chosen for this mission and believed himself to have nerves of steel, the oppressive atmosphere created by these powerful figures made him break into a cold sweat.
He forced a grin and said, "But, esteemed elders, if you keep gring at me like that, I might start to feel scared... Is it because the gift I brought is too... overwhelming?"
"Yift, indeed, is full of surprises," Saint Mars said through gritted teeth, his face livid.
Though angry, there was also a flicker of fear in their eyes.
What if the boulder had been hurled at night, unnoticed until it was too te? The potential disaster would have been unimaginable.
It took so many powerful individuals w together just to intercept this one boulder.
If they could une, who's to say they couldn't unch several at once?
This was clearly the work of a special Devil Fruit power, and just the thought of it was enough to send chills down their spines.
"I only say this... your mission is aplished," Saint Ju Peter finally growled, his voice id filled with menace. "tact El. We will iate directly with him."
The pirate chuckled, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. "Of course, I was only here to open the door."
The member of the Fallen Angel Pirates smiled as he took a Den Den Mushi out of his pocket and dialed a number.
"El-sama—"
As the line ected, he respectfully reported, "The gift has been delivered!"
"Good work," the Den Den Mushi, mimig El's features, replied. "Hand the Den Den Mushi to them and head back."
"Uood."
As one of the CPO agents stepped forward to take the Den Den Mushi and prese to the Five Elders, the pirate stood up.
Uhe cold stares of the CPO agents, he swaggered out, saying, "Honored elders, my mission is plete. I'll take my leave now!"
Oher end of the call, atop jagged, mist-shrouded red cliffs, El sat casually. A smile pyed on his lips as he spoke into the Den Den Mushi:
"Five Elders, did you like the gift?"
In front of him stood an enormous rock giant, t so high it seemed to block out the sky. Its sheer size exuded an oppressive aura.
Standing nearby was a blue-skinned, eight-armed Fish-Man with a menag appearance.
"If you'd like, I send you each a personal gift," El added with a pyful tone. "Just to show my siy."
"You i Lunarian brat!" Saint Nasjuro growled, his voice full of mery it, and you'll find out what it means to ahe Wover!"
The Five Elders had already ected the dots.
They knew El wasn't just expanding Cake Isnd and raising its foundations on a whim. The reports about his knowledge of their abilities—including the fact that they could teleport—suggested he was well-informed about their secrets.
El hadn't been surprised when he saw their so-called "immortality." That, bined with his calcuted defenses against possible terattacks, hi his knowledge of a certain "national treasure."
He might even know about the side effects of activating a ons, such as the rising sea levels that could engulf isnds. His defenses seemed carefully desigo mitigate those risks.
Adding to their frustration, the Fallen Angel Pirates had avoided keeping all their forces trated in one pce; the group's embers were scattered, with meetings held only aboard their floating isnd, Atntis, which could not be easily located.
The Five Elders had beeing whether to use "Uranus" to unch a surprise night assault on Totto Land but had hesitated due to these plications.
Now, El had given them a new "surprise," hurling a colossal rock at Mary Geoise.
"Hahaha, of course I uand," El ughed.
With a rexed smile, he tinued, "So, let's get along peacefully for the few years, shall we?"
"State your terms!" Saint Mars demanded coldly.
"To ehere's no funny business from your side, the Celestial Dragons we've taken will be released gradually over five years," El said nontly, crossing his legs as he addressed the tiny Den Den Mushi. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of them during their stay—feed them, keep them healthy, and maybe even fatten them up a little!
"As for the ransom, let's cut it in half—one billion berries per Celestial Dragon. And I'll give you time to gather one Devil Fruit per person."
"Impossible!"
"One Devil Fruit per person? Don't even think about it!"
The Five Elders immediately rejected his demands without hesitation.
El's terms were staggering. With over 200 Celestial Dragons abducted, the cost in Devil Fruits alone was unimaginable.
Even if they collected the fruits over several years, the sheer number would be a logistiightmare.
Moreover, the Five Elders couldn't ighe danger of handing so many Devil Fruits to their enemies, especially when the Fallen Angel Pirates had shown the ability to steal Devil Fruit powers.
With the Fallen Angel Pirates already capable of threatening the Wover, giving them 200 more Devil Fruits was unthinkable.
The thought of El bestowing these powers upon giant warriors, magnifying their already formidable strength and size, sent chills down the Elders' spines.
The potential for a hundred or more Devil Fruit-enhanced giants in El's ranks was a sario too dangerous to eain.
Even if they somehow mao gather the fruits, the Wover couldn't afford to keep g to such eous demands.
This time, they had to draw the line.
Bleam