Chapter 243: 243: Manifestation
"Vice Admiral Candidate Gion! P-Pirates have appeared behind us!"
"What?"
"It's the Straw Hat Grand Fleet! They've already clashed with our incoming intel and science squads!"
Hearing that the Straw Hat Grand Fleet had suddenly appeared behind enemy lines, Gion's expression shifted in surprise.
"What should we do? Do we need to send backup over there?"
Gion remained calm and decisive. "We can't worry about them right now. Send word to Headquarters and let them handle it."
"Understood!"
The rear admiral in charge of communications rushed off to deliver the message.
Staring at the battlefield before her, Gion's elegant and beautiful face was slightly clouded with unease.
…
Inside the World Government Headquarters.
Upon hearing the report through the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku's expression changed immediately.
"I understand. Dispatch reinforcements immediately."
As he ended the call, the CP0 commander beside him turned with a frown. "What happened?"
Sengoku's voice was low, grave. "The Straw Hat Grand Fleet, led by Monkey D. Luffy, has descended from the sky and engaged our science units en route to the front lines."
"What?!"
Kong, the CP0 commander, and Vice Admiral Tsuru all visibly tensed.
"Send Weevil and Shiryu of the Rain."
Kong stood up sharply, his tone firm as steel. "It's time they earned their keep!"
…
After the orders were given, Kong turned toward Vice Admiral Tsuru. "Has Garp arrived yet?"
"He's… probably still in the prison."
Kong scowled. "At a time like this, and he's still sulking? Bring him here—now!"
"Understood."
Vice Admiral Tsuru had just risen to her feet—
When suddenly, the pressure in the air dropped like a stone.
In the highest chambers of the World Government, the faces of the Five Elders stiffened.
Kong, Sengoku, and the CP0 commander all instinctively looked upward.
Deep within the prison…
Garp, who had been sitting cross-legged in front of Rob Lucci's cell, also stood up. His eyes turned cold as he looked toward the ceiling.
It was as if all of them, at the same time, could see through the countless layers of steel and stone—to the skies above Mary Geoise.
"…They've come."
…
At that very moment—
At the plaza of Mary Geoise, five thousand elite Marine officers and soldiers trained in Haki had assembled, shoulder to shoulder with three thousand of the Government's most elite forces.
Each one wore the cloak of justice, blades drawn, faces grim, eyes burning with determination. The air was thick with killing intent.
At the front stood the three Marine Admirals: Aokiji, Fujitora, and Akainu—cloaks billowing behind them like banners of war.
The atmosphere was tense. Oppressively so. It felt like the calm before a devastating storm, so heavy it even made hardened veterans struggle to breathe.
Then, in the instant the air pressure shifted around them—
The three Admirals looked to the sky in unison.
Aokiji's brows furrowed, his gaze dark and serious.
Fujitora, blind but aware, remained calm as ever.
"…So it's an attack from the sky, after all."
Akainu stared into the heavens with a face like stone, his right arm slowly transforming into seething magma.
Around them, Marines followed the Admirals' gaze skyward—though the skies looked calm and clear, confusion spread like wildfire.
What's going on?
Some of the officers seemed to realize something—eyes wide, pupils contracting in sheer shock.
"Could it be…?!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
As if to confirm their worst fears, the clouds in the sky were suddenly torn apart—revealing a massive shadow looming over Mary Geoise!
"You've got to be kidding!"
"They're attacking like that?!"
"Damn it!"
The Marine officers and World Government members looked up in horror, faces drained of color.
Even those who hadn't yet registered what was happening now stared wide-eyed at the sky, hearts pounding violently.
"It's… it's an entire island!!!"
And this island—wasn't just big.
It was colossal.
Much, much bigger than the one Ron had previously hurled at Mary Geoise. At least ten times larger. Now, under the pull of gravity, it was accelerating downward, picking up terrifying momentum.
And that wasn't even the worst of it.
As the island descended, a thunderous, earth-shaking dragon's roar erupted from above!
Under countless stunned gazes—
The massive form of the dragon Kaido burst through the clouds, roaring as he charged alongside the island, both plummeting toward the Holy Land of Mary Geoise!
The air pressure skyrocketed. Windows across the sacred city exploded from the sheer force of the wind.
The residents of Mary Geoise, including the Celestial Dragons, stared up at what looked like the apocalypse itself—their eyes bulging in disbelief, their bodies frozen in terror.
"NOOOOOO!!!!!"
Kong, Sengoku, and the CP0 Commander had just rushed out of the palace—only to be greeted by this doomsday-level sight. Their faces twisted with shock and dread.
Kaido, in his dragon form, descended at full force toward Mary Geoise, letting out a maniacal, unrestrained roar:
"Let the World Government be destroyed today!"
Some Celestial Dragons fainted on the spot from the roar alone.
Many of the older ones turned as pale as ghosts.
"This… this has to be a dream!"
"How could the World Government ever be destroyed?! Impossible!"
Others were on the verge of a mental breakdown.
"We're Celestial Dragons! The descendants of the gods! Nothing in this sea can destroy us!"
But the island and the dragon kept getting closer—
"Ice Age: Frozen World!!"
Aokiji made the first move.
With a wave of his hand, a blue ripple of cold energy surged toward Kaido, freezing everything in its path.
Kaido responded with a blast of searing heat, his "Heat Breath" clashing violently with the icy wave!
Fujitora drew his blade and swung upward.
A pulse of purple gravity energy shot skyward, embedding into the falling island, slowing its descent.
"Great Eruption!!"
Akainu leaped high into the air. A gigantic magma fist exploded upward like a volcanic eruption, smashing into the underbelly of the falling island.
BOOM!
Magma rained down in all directions. Everything it touched melted—rock included.
As the force of Akainu's attack kept rising, glowing magma cracks began to crawl across the island's surface, winding from its base upward.
And finally—
Sengoku, now transformed into his colossal golden Buddha form, descended from the sky and struck the island with a mighty palm from above!
CRACK!
The island shattered.
"Gravity Domain."
Fujitora's voice echoed as a violet ring formed beneath his feet and quickly expanded outward.
All the falling island fragments suspended midair, frozen in place above Mary Geoise in a gravity-less field.
Before the elite Marine forces could even catch their breath—
FWOOSH! Blinding light and blazing fire lit up the heavens again.
Two fierce, youthful voices echoed from above.
"Great Flame Ring: Flame Emperor!!"
"Radiant Flash: Dragon's Breath!!"
Under countless stunned gazes—
A fireball like a miniature sun streaked toward Akainu, burning with deadly intent!
Meanwhile, a dragon-shaped blast of radiant light, wrapped in Armament Haki, shot straight toward Sengoku like a piercing spear from the heavens!
…
[P.S: Hey everyone, just a heads-up—this One Piece arc is slowly heading toward its finale and will wrap up soon. We're at 243 now, so only a few chapters left!
After that, the story's gonna shift into the Demon Slayer world, especially since the whole Sun Breathing thing has been part of the setup from the start.
Really appreciate you all sticking around—hope you'll enjoy what's coming next too!]