One Piece Thundergod Marine

A brilliant blue halo enveloped the giant lizard, followed by a terrifying force that pressed down on it, forcing the creature to the ground.

Bang!!

The entire Holy Land visibly trembled, causing numerous buildings to collapse and throwing the populace into chaos.

On Ark Maxim, the Celestial Dragons initially remained calm, treating the chaos below as nothing more than an amusing spectacle. After all, as long as their safety wasn't at risk, the pirates' antics were just a rare form of entertainment to them.

However, when the confrontation between Orrick and Rowen appeared on the screens, panic spread among them.

And when Orrick revealed his true heritage, it was as if a bomb had gone off— chaos erupted in the grand hall, with the Celestial Dragons angrily cursing and shaking in their glass-enclosed helmets.

"We should never have allowed such scum to become Celestial Dragons!"

"This is treason! He must be executed by hanging!"

"The Nibelung Family and these rebels are unforgivable!"

"They are unworthy of being descendants of the gods!"

Swoosh!

At that moment, two figures appeared in the center of the hall. Masked Zero bowed respectfully and, in a calm voice, said, "All sirs, Lord Imu has issued an order. Please remain rational and do not leave the premises."

"From now on, your safety will be under the full responsibility of myself and Bald Zero."

But what of the Celestial Dragons' own slaves and attendants? How could they compare to the protection of these two?

A nearby Celestial Dragon raised an eyebrow and then scrunched his face in anger, spitting out, "Filthy slave!"

"Are you here to monitor us?"

"Have you forgotten your place?!"

The CP0 members known as the Two Mountains were indeed the eyes that the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) had placed within CP0, which was directly under the control of the Celestial Dragons. However, unless absolutely necessary, they still answered to the Celestial Dragons— they were the most loyal servants of the Celestial Dragons.

Just like with the matter of Orrick.

For the Nibelung Orrick, the Celestial Dragons themselves had never held him in high regard, so they turned a blind eye and allowed the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) to deal with him.

But this did not change the essence of CP0— their very existence was to protect the Celestial Dragons.

Yet now, these lowly people dared to watch over them? This was a grave insult to the Celestial Dragons!

"I have never forgotten my place; however..."

Bang!

Behind his mask, Zero's left eye slowly filled with blood, and as it swiveled, a horrifying killing intent spread throughout the room, chilling everyone to the bone. "This is a direct order from Lord Imu."

"Until it is determined whether Orrick has colluded with others, please do not make things difficult for me."

Upon hearing this, certain Celestial Dragons who had secretly interacted with Orrick broke into a cold sweat, their legs turning to jelly as they collapsed to the ground.

Just as the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) couldn't change the essence of CP0, neither could they alter another fundamental truth.

And that truth was...

This world belongs to Imu.

This government is Imu's government.

Even CP0 was established with Imu's approval.

It was the reward they received as consolation for giving up their political power in exchange for privilege.

Now, with Orrick's betrayal pushing Imu's world into a crisis, what of the Celestial Dragons? The World Nobles? The descendants of gods?

Sorry, they can only step aside.

Otherwise... whoever stands in the way will die!

Bang!!

Another loud explosion echoed. As the hall quieted down, Bald Zero calmly said, "I'll inform the control room to increase the altitude. That brat's attack range is quite massive, even in the sky."

Masked Zero nodded and casually walked to a corner of the hall, pulling out a chair to sit on.

Feeling a bit thirsty, he picked up a half-drunk glass of wine from the table and took a light sip...

The next moment!

"Puh!!"

"Something's wrong! The wine is poisoned!!"

He spat out a black substance, his eyes wide with terror. As he raised his head and gasped in shock.

Because he noticed that every glass on every table emitted the same wine aroma.

This could only mean...

All the Celestial Dragons present had been poisoned!

"Who did this?!!"

Zero's expression, hidden behind his mask, turned as dark as ink. His cold eyes rapidly scanned the surroundings, trying to identify the audacious culprit.

---

"Human Artillery!"

Rowen's eyes crackled with endless lightning as he remained calm and composed, exuding the inviolable authority of a Thunder God gazing down from the heavens.

With one hand pressed against the shattered scales, Rowen felt the lizard beneath him still struggling. In response, he unleashed another surge of lightning and pressed down harder.

Bang!!

After the third blast of Human Artillery, a massive crater suddenly appeared in the central square of Pangaea City.

The terrain was transformed, with a perfectly circular area about a kilometer in diameter collapsing inward, like a whirlpool forming on the ocean surface, slanting toward the center.

Dust billowed, and electricity crackled through the air.

Rowen reappeared at the edge of the crater. In front of him, the collapsed ground finally gave way under its own weight, and with a loud rumble, the debris flowed like mud, burying the pit and a hint of admiration appeared on his face.

"What incredible vitality!"

Zoan-type Devil Fruit users may not have the powerful combat techniques of Paramecia and Logia types after Awakening, but they compensate those things with extraordinary regenerative abilities and durability.

In fact, Zoan users often have the upper hand.

Unlike the other two types, Awakening doesn't fundamentally change the life force of Paramecia and Logia users. They remain essentially human, susceptible to serious injuries and fatigue.

But Zoan users, as long as an attack isn't fatal, can recover from almost anything!

Their stamina is also astonishing, seemingly endless, allowing them to outlast their enemies through sheer persistence!

Every time Kaido was defeated, the Marines suffered heavy casualties, and even their top fighters were left exhausted, all because of Zoan's terrifying vitality.

Among all Zoan users, those like Lirisk, who have achieved a deep-level fusion in Awakening Stage, are in a league of their own.

After all, it's important to note that Green Iguanas don't naturally grow to be ten meters long!

Otherwise, the Ancient Zoan fruits wouldn't be so highly sought after, second only to the Mythical Zoan fruits in power.

This ability to break through their original form limitations and enter a deeper level of the Awakening Stage is not related to strength but to a state of enlightenment.

As a result, it's exceedingly rare!

Because of this, Lirisk's vitality is immense, making him a terrifying force, even compared to Kaido or the "Drought" Jack, whom Rowen had defeated in the past!

Just as Rowen finished speaking, a massive claw emerged from the ground.

The scales, torn and cracked like deep ravines, exposed raw pink flesh beneath, with blood smeared across the armor-like scales, mixed with dirt and grime.

Yet, within the wounds, new tissue rapidly wove itself together, and a waxy white membrane quickly covered the injury, forming new scale armor and healing the wound.

Lirisk crawled out from the underground, opening his massive jaws and ruthlessly swinging his house-sized head toward Rowen to bite him.

The venom dripping from his teeth splattered onto the stone floor, and with a pungent, acrid stench, the stone began to erode, turning brittle like a biscuit.

Under normal circumstances, the bacteria in a lizard's mouth are meant to aid in hunting, causing infections and weakening prey rather than being outright lethal.

However, under Lirisk's development, this auxiliary hunting method had become a deadly poison attack!

"I think I understand why your father left you behind, Lirisk."

Rowen moved like lightning, dodging the bite, and then struck the lizard's neck with his halberd, forcing it to slide sideways, its limbs scraping deep grooves into the ground.

"Was it because there is only one Bon Kurei so he had to abandon you?"

"I don't think so!"

"No, I think his goal was to use your hard-to-defeat Awakened form to delay for as much time as possible, drawing as much attention as he could, in order to accomplish his other, more secretive objectives."

In the distance, Vic's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Not good, the forbidden area!!"

---

(End of chapter)

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