At the holy land of Mary Geoise.

Palatial buildings constructed of precious jade, golden and silver-trimmed mansions—this was the residence of the most exalted beings on the seas, the Celestial Dragons, and the home of the most powerful institution, the World Government.

It was the center of the world.

Every day, countless ships sailed through the river alongside Mary Geoise.

Among them were unimaginably wealthy merchants, nobles from various nations, and strong travelers.

Even those of considerable status had no right to set foot on Mary Geoise’s shores.

On their ships, they would instinctively lower their heads before the towering grandeur of the holy land, unable to directly gaze upon the center of the world.

“Is this the holy land?” A curious little girl, standing on an enormous and beautifully adorned ship, gazed at Mary Geoise with wide eyes.

“Princess Vivi, be careful! Don’t fall into the river,” her guards warned, their concern palpable as they surrounded her.

“Vivi, remember that Mary Geoise isn’t Alabasta. Don’t act recklessly, understand?” Cobra, the king of Alabasta, approached his daughter from behind, speaking sternly.

“I know,” replied six- or seven-year-old Princess Vivi, nodding her head.

She had already been reminded of Mary Geoise’s significance countless times during their journey. Being a clever child, she understood well the gravity of the holy land’s rules. Even kings of allied nations faced severe punishment for any misconduct at Mary Geoise.

Vivi withdrew her curious gaze and stood quietly.

As their ship approached the dock, the sight of vigilant naval forces was ever-present.

A heavy military presence protected Mary Geoise at all times.

Recently, the Navy’s forces had grown even more concentrated. Nearly all the veteran vice admirals, such as Doberman and Tsuru, had been summoned here.

Vice Admiral Strawberry led the naval forces to the port to greet the delegation from Alabasta. His sharp eyes scrutinized everyone in the group.

There was no room for relaxation, even for an allied nation.

Satisfied there were no threats, Strawberry noted the visible tension among Alabasta’s delegation. The guards were on edge, maintaining a constant state of alert.

With a smile, he reassured them, “There’s no need to remain so vigilant here. Mary Geoise is absolutely secure, and no threats—”

“ROAR!”

Suddenly, the sky erupted in flames, revealing a blazing fire, a dark silhouette, and a thundercloud.

“Mama… Mary Geoise, not so impressive after all.” Charlotte Linlin’s mocking laughter echoed from the thundercloud above.

Accompanied by Smoothie, she leapt from the cloud, landing heavily. The ground beneath her cracked and shattered.

“BIG MOM?!”

“No way—why is Big Mom at Mary Geoise?”

Shock rippled through the holy land. Marines stationed there, travelers on passing ships, and people throughout the port were struck with fear at the sight of Charlotte Linlin.

“The Emperor of the Sea, Charlotte Linlin, has come to Mary Geoise?”

“What Emperor? Linlin is part of the Sun and Moon Pirates now. If she’s here, then that means…”

All eyes turned skyward in alarm.

What they saw left them frozen in place.

A phoenix wreathed in flames descended, and standing atop it was none other than Kuke.

“Kuke!”

“Kuke is here?!”

Screams of terror and disbelief spread across Mary Geoise.

At that moment, in an office within the holy land, two of the Five Elders were discussing matters when the commotion outside drew their attention. Rushing to the window, they looked toward the distant river port.

They caught sight of Kuke’s dramatic arrival.

They froze for half a second before erupting into fury, grabbing the Den Den Mushi to shout at their absent comrades, “You idiots! Kuke is here!”

Alarms blared immediately, echoing throughout Mary Geoise.

“What the hell are those fools doing? What’s going on now?”

“Could it be another lowly group attempting to steal our slaves?”

The Celestial Dragons, their afternoon naps interrupted, were irate.

“The Five Elders are useless! First, they told us not to leave Mary Geoise, and now this happens?”

Their anger dissipated instantly when they stepped outside and saw Kuke.

On the entire sea, only one person inspired true terror in the Celestial Dragons.

Kuke.

It was Kuke who had killed them before, openly and with great fanfare.

The Celestial Dragons were filled with both fear and fury at the sight of him.

Meanwhile, on the river, countless ships filled with people from all over the world looked on in stunned silence.

Most were not filled with fear but rather astonishment. Kuke rarely slaughtered ordinary people or even pirates indiscriminately. Despite his infamous reputation, he was not seen as a monstrous figure like Kaido or even Charlotte Linlin.

“The Sun and Moon Pirates are openly challenging the World Government?”

“Is this the start of a global war?”

“But I just heard that the World Government’s three Five Elders and their forces clashed with the Sun and Moon Pirates at Water Star Island in the New World. So why are the Sun and Moon Pirates here?”

“Who cares why! Let’s get out of here! Staying here is dangerous!”

“Quick, leave!”

All the ships on the river fled at full speed, racing away from Mary Geoise while spreading the shocking news across the seas.

“Father, didn’t you say that at Mary Geoise, no one dares to break the rules? Then how can they act like this?” Princess Vivi asked her father, her gaze fixed on Kuke.

Cobra didn’t respond.

Looking up at him, Vivi saw her normally composed father staring blankly in shock.

The guards around them were in a similar state of disbelief.

“We need to leave immediately! Inform the Five Elders that Alabasta will visit another time!” Cobra hastily pulled Vivi back onto their ship.

“Set sail now!”

Despite having traveled for months to reach Mary Geoise, the Alabasta delegation departed as quickly as they had arrived.

“But why?” Vivi asked, confused.

She had been so excited to see Mary Geoise, the place she had eagerly anticipated visiting.

“We must leave because Mary Geoise is about to face the greatest crisis in its history,” Cobra replied grimly.

“???”

Vivi looked at the guards, still puzzled. Why?

She had always believed Mary Geoise to be invincible.

“Because the one who has arrived is Kuke!”

“Kuke? Who is Kuke?” Vivi asked, her curiosity piqued.

“Kuke… he is a legend of the sea.”

As ships fled the scene, only the terrified Marines and residents of Mary Geoise remained.

“This is impossible…” Vice Admiral Strawberry and his men could hardly believe their eyes as they stared at Kuke.

They had only recently been discussing the Sun and Moon Pirates’ elusiveness and power, and now Kuke himself had appeared.

“This isn’t good.”

Strawberry and the others turned pale.

“Go ahead. Cause chaos. Let the World Government feel pain,” Kuke said, addressing the women behind him.

“ROAR!”

Charlotte Linlin let out an excited roar, her monstrous voice spreading like a tidal wave. The ground trembled, and explosions erupted in every direction.

——

DONT FORGET POWER STONE

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep