The Marijois of the early morning, as if a city in the sky above the clouds, was shrouded in dense fog.
And the stairs above, and below the stairs, seemed to be divinely opposed.
One was a god living in the clouds, the other an ant fallen into the mud.
And today, the ant also had the strength to step into the clouds and unleash his god-slaying power.
The Five Elders looked down at the youth with silver hair who was leisurely strolling up the stairs as if on a tour, without a trace of tension from battle, but instead full of laziness. They all clenched their fists and weapons tightly.
"Silver Hair, Red Hair, Dragon."
"Pirates who call themselves adventuring groups, Emperors, Revolutionary Army."
"Good, good, good, very good..."
It was Saint Jaygarcia Saturn who stepped forward. His aged body instantly straightened, and the body beneath his suit bulged as he took a step.
Then, an aura like an ancient beast surged to the sky from him, and in the void behind him, dense red lightning flickered.
Haoshoku Haki, unparalleled Haoshoku Haki, more terrifying than that of an Emperor.
Kong Tai's steps paused, and he looked with interest at Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, who resembled Popeye.
He had known the Five Elders were not simple, but he had not expected them to be so strong.
Although he didn't know their exact strength, just the manifestation of Haoshoku Haki through sheer will indicated that these five old men were not puppets, but true powerhouses.
Indeed, after staying at the peak of this world for so many years, even a pig would have turned into a prehistoric beast, let alone the Five Elders who were not pigs but the strongest of their respective Celestial Dragons families. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been chosen by Imu to execute her rights.
"A mere ant actually dares to attempt to slay a god. Since you have come here today, none of you will leave."
The power Saint Jaygarcia Saturn displayed at this moment brought instant silence to the scene. Even the Marines, upon sensing his strength, could not help but look serious.
Of course, Garp remained as he was, even pulling out another bag of senbei from his pocket, tearing it open, taking out a senbei, and crunching on it.
Perhaps stimulated by Garp's unreliability, or for some other reason, Sengoku glanced sideways at Garp, and his body inexplicably relaxed.
"God?"
"You are nothing more than thieves who stole other people's countries and occupied their homes."
Dragon stepped forward, looking up at Saint Jaygarcia Saturn. His black pupils dilated sharply, and he lunged forward.
Crack!
The same Haoshoku Haki surged forward.
Bang!
The clash of Haoshoku Haki was like two giant balls, except these balls were so powerful that they generated countless lightning bolts.
"You bunch of idiotic pigs who treat people as less than human, and you call yourselves gods? Then I am indeed here to slay gods today."
"You court death."
Saint Jaygarcia Saturn stared at Dragon, stomped on the ground, and leaped into the air. He then retracted his fist, clenched his right hand with jet-black Haoshoku Haki crackling with lightning, and slammed it down.
Gazing at the rapidly descending, meteor-like, overwhelmingly powerful fist, Kong Tai shook his head. He showed no intention of dodging or resisting, but instead, with his hands still in his pockets, he continued to slowly ascend the stairs, as if the fist attacking from above didn't exist.
Just as Saint Jaygarcia Saturn's fist was about to land, a figure appeared before him. The figure was enveloped in a whirlwind, and his dark green cloak fluttered in the wind.
His hand, constantly imbued with Haki and flickering with red arcs of electricity, formed a dragon claw and fiercely met Saint Jaygarcia Saturn's fist.
Crack!
The dragon claw and the fist did not physically touch but collided in mid-air, then exploded violently, creating a tremendous shockwave that swept outwards in all directions across the sky.
"Retreat, retreat, retreat..."
The onlookers, gazing at the two figures on the stairs locked in battle like gods, all wore grave expressions and were forced to retreat.
The deterrence carried by the Haoshoku Haki, even though they were not weak, made them feel breathless and on the verge of fainting.
This was merely the aftermath of a two-person battle. If they didn't retreat during a full-scale engagement, they might be caught in the backlash, endangering their lives.
However, with Sengoku and Garp present, the Marines had it much easier.
After all, Haoshoku Haki was merely the deterrence of one's will, and it could be resisted.
And the Marines happened to have two users of Haoshoku Haki, neither of whom were of low caliber.
"Hahaha!! Old man, is this all you've got?"
Dragon looked at Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, whose face was red with effort under his dragon claw, and said mockingly, "With this little strength, you can't stop us!"
As the words fell, he suddenly thrust forward, grabbed Saint Jaygarcia Saturn's fist, and pulled. Simultaneously, he raised his right leg, his knee like an indestructible sharp blade, darting rapidly towards Saint Jaygarcia Saturn's chest.
If this fierce attack landed, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn might be instantly pierced through.
But would he be?
Clearly not.
The fighting techniques of the Five Elders might not be as refined as Dragon's, who had years of battlefield experience, but they possessed considerable raw power.
"Tekkai."
The instantaneous surge of blood flow made Saint Jaygarcia Saturn's chest as hard as steel, and a dense layer of Busoshoku Haki also covered the surface of his body at this moment.
Dong!
A sound like a bell instantly reverberated throughout the clouds.
"My turn!"
Close combat was also something Saint Jaygarcia Saturn desired. After blocking Dragon's attack, he reached with his free left hand from behind towards Dragon's throat.
The fingers, wrapped in black Haki, became true daggers at this moment, emitting a chilling sharpness.
With red light flashing in his eyes, Dragon did not dodge but allowed Saint Jaygarcia Saturn's fingers to penetrate his throat.
"Goro Goro no Mi."
Saint Jaygarcia Saturn stared at Dragon, who had been pierced through by him, without any surprise.
After all, Dragon had been active for quite some time, and with the World Government's intelligence, how could they not know Dragon's abilities?
"So what if it's the Goro Goro no Mi? In this world, only one power can truly reign supreme."
As he spoke, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn clenched his left hand forcefully.
With this grip, a large amount of red lightning appeared in his palm. As this lightning appeared and permeated Dragon's elementalized body, Dragon's body showed signs of reverting from its elementalized state.
"Haki is the true ultimate power in this world!"