"This material's insane," Vane muttered.

The kick he had launched moments ago carried the full might of his Shock Fruit. By condensing its destructive power into a single point, he had struck the Void Throne with devastating force. Yet even after that colossal impact, the throne wasn't fully destroyed—it was only heavily dented. Still, its symbolic power had been shattered.

Eight hundred years of dominance, undone by a single godlike strike.

Cracks spiderwebbed across the palace walls, groaning under the strain. The whole structure looked ready to collapse at any moment.

Vane descended from the air and dispelled the golden magic circle surrounding him. No sooner had his boots touched the ground than an enraged old man with long, flowing hair appeared before him, fists clenched tight.

Without a word, the old man launched a punch. It wasn't massive, but Vane immediately sensed the strength packed into it.

"So, you're a hand-to-hand fighter?" Vane asked with a calm smirk.

He met the strike with one of his own. The moment their fists collided, the resulting shockwave tore through the air. Dust exploded outward as their clothes and hair whipped violently.

"Nice punch," Vane admitted, "but you're not as strong as I expected, old man."

"And your punch isn't worth much either!" the elder barked. "I don't care what kind of pirate emperor you think you are—you're not leaving here alive!"

But before he could react, Vane launched a second strike, sending him flying. Seizing the moment, Vane darted forward and landed a clean hit right across the man's face.

CRACK!

The sound of bones snapping echoed. The elder's nose collapsed under the blow, blood spraying across the scorched marble floor.

"Enjoy the terror of my rise, Five Elders," Vane growled. "I'll take my time killing each one of you."

He launched the man backward, sending him crashing into the wall and shattering the floor beneath him.

Three more remained.

"What a troublesome brat!" one of them muttered.

Fear flashed in their eyes as they regrouped. Vane landed beside Kaido, who was already enjoying the carnage.

"Tonight," Vane said, grinning as the battle-worn palace quaked, "Mariejois will fall."

Between them and the remaining Elders lay a massive crater. In the center, the old swordsman lay slumped after taking a brutal punch from Kaido. He groaned, clearly concussed, as blood trickled from his temple.

These Celestial Dragons may have reigned for centuries, but it had been far too long since they tasted real combat. They'd grown soft, insulated by their power, surrounded by lapdogs who fought on their behalf.

"It'll be dawn soon," Kaido rumbled, glancing toward the dimming sky. "We've got a few hours before the world wakes up."

"You two have committed a grave sin today!" barked the short-haired Elder. He extended his palm toward Vane, unleashing an invisible force.

Vane reacted instantly, punching toward the source. His strike met the invisible wave and exploded against the far wall, blasting a clean one-meter hole into it.

"Some kind of shockwave?" Kaido muttered. "That wasn't bad."

Vane dropped into a stance, knees bent.

"You planning to breathe fire again?" Kaido asked curiously.

"He's preparing something," one Elder warned.

"I know," said another. "Don't underestimate him."

Their voices were tense now.

"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"

Vane inhaled sharply and spewed a colossal fireball from his mouth. The meteor-sized flame hurtled toward the Elders and exploded, engulfing the area in a blazing sea of fire.

"Retreat!"

"It's too hot!"

"There's nowhere to run!"

The Elders scrambled, but it was already too late. The heat singed their robes and forced them back. Even the old swordsman, semi-conscious, jolted upright from the intensity.

"You dare let such filthy flames touch the holy land?!" the swordsman yelled.

"You're getting on my nerves," Kaido growled, his voice like a thunderclap. The flames trembled as he stepped forward and delivered another punch.

"Fists like yours won't hurt me!" the swordsman sneered, raising his blade—Shodai Kitetsu, the cursed sword—to block the strike.

But just as the clash seemed balanced, Vane appeared beside him and smashed a punch into his face.

"Don't flatter yourself."

The swordsman's glasses shattered as he was launched backward, crashing through the sea of flames and slamming into his fellow Elders.

"Damn you… I haven't felt pain like this in centuries," he growled.

The fire raged around them, dividing the room with a searing wall of heat and smoke. The Elders could barely keep their eyes open.

"This arrogance… what power is this?"

The fear in their voices was evident.

"This?" Vane smirked. "This is the power of a god."

He raised his fist again, channeling the might of the Shock Fruit.

"Kaido, let's blow this place wide open."

With a thunderous strike, Vane smashed his fist into the ground. The floor quaked, the palace cracked, and massive chunks of stone began collapsing from above.

He launched into the air through the cave-in, Kaido leaping after him. As they rose, Kaido morphed mid-air, shifting into his massive dragon form and circling the sky.

The gods had ascended. The palace burned below.

"Don't you run, damn you!" the Elders shouted from within the ruins.

Vane looked down with a calm smile, his Rinnegan gleaming.

"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"

He formed the hand seals in mid-air. From the collapsing ruins, titanic trees began to erupt skyward, tearing apart what remained of the once-untouchable Holy Land.

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