219 With the Justice System

"Utter evil… shall be purged!!!"

A cold, mechanical voice echoed across the ice field, painted red by war and blood, amplified through loudspeakers that carried it for miles.

"Buzz—!"

The hundred-meter-tall mecha named "New Era" fixed its massive crimson mono-eye dead on Saint Garling.

"..."

"You wretched contraption, stop your blasphemy!"

Saint Garling snapped out of his initial shock, fury distorting his noble features.

He was a Celestial Dragon—one of the World Nobles!

The Supreme Commander of the God's Knights!

The sovereign of God Valley!

And now, a mere slave, piloting a heap of scrap metal, dared to defy him?!

"Destroy it!"

He waved his hand sharply, issuing the order.

"Yes, sir!"

The members of the God's Knights became streaks of light, charging from all directions toward the colossal mecha.

...

One knight's body twisted midair into a pool of flowing black shadow, gliding silently along the icy ground toward the mecha's ankle.

"Roar—!"

Another knight opened his mouth wide, unleashing a shrill, invisible scream. The air rippled as visible soundwaves spread outward.

A third knight's body sprouted sharp bone spikes, transforming himself into a spinning, bone-covered gear that slammed into the mecha's knee with brutal force.

Each of these elite Celestial Dragons possessed bizarre and deadly Devil Fruit abilities—combined with their masterful martial arts and Haki, they were monsters in combat.

Ordinary foes could not withstand even a single strike.

However—

Their opponent was the ultimate war weapon, crafted through Vegapunk's countless experiments and infused with the powers of the three Marine Admirals!

"..."

Inside the cockpit, Bartholomew Kuma's eyes remained calm, unfazed.

He slowly raised his left arm.

The massive limb—composed of thirty PX-Magma units—blazed with molten fury. Its five fingers spread, then clenched down toward the frozen ground.

"Lava Spikes!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The frozen sea cracked open instantly!

Countless magma spikes burst from below, forming a dense, fiery forest of death!

"Splurt!"

The shadow-like knight barely had time to react before a molten spike shot up from beneath him, impaling him from below.

His shadowy form twisted violently in the infernal heat, then evaporated into a scream that echoed and vanished completely.

"What?!"

The other knights' attacks all failed.

The invisible soundwaves were absorbed and neutralized the moment they touched the golden light particles flowing across the mecha's armor.

The spinning bone-gear knight crashed into the mecha's knee—

"Crack!"

A sharp, brittle sound followed. His prized bone spikes shattered on impact, and he was sent hurtling backward as though he'd struck an immovable mountain.

"Ka—!"

The mecha's right arm—wielding the PX-Ice's frigid blade—swung gracefully through the air, tracing a beautiful blue arc.

A crescent-shaped slash of ice swept outward!

"White Mist Judgment!"

Everything the frost touched froze solid—the very air crystallized.

The knights who'd just been flung away didn't even have time to recover before the freezing wave engulfed them, turning them into glittering ice sculptures that shattered upon impact with the ice below.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!"

At the same time, the countless laser ports embedded in the mecha's body all lit up!

"Judgment of Light!"

Hundreds—no, thousands—of golden laser beams poured down like a torrential storm!

The ice field erupted in chaos—light and shadow interlaced, explosions roared one after another.

The members of the God's Knights, besieged by the combined might of light, ice, and fire, could barely endure.

Their so-called immortality seemed laughable before this overwhelming, all-encompassing onslaught.

A freshly regenerated arm was pierced again the next second by laser fire.

A knight who'd just extinguished his flames was instantly frozen solid by the invading frost seeping into his bones.

"Damned machine!!!"

Saint Garling's eyes blazed with fury as he watched his subordinates fall one by one.

He finally understood—this mecha was no "scrap metal."

Without hesitation, he drew his ornate sword, his whole body transforming into a streak of golden lightning that shot into the sky!

The blade shone with golden Conqueror's Haki—an aura of divine supremacy belonging only to the Supreme Commander of the God's Knights!

He swung his sword—

"Whoosh—!"

A hundred-meter-long golden slash ripped through the air toward the "New Era's" cockpit!

"Hmm…?"

Inside the cockpit, Kuma's eyes flickered slightly.

Such power!

"Light Barrier!"

The mecha's chest—formed of thirty PX-Light units—flared brilliantly!

A massive hexagonal energy shield of pure light particles unfolded before the cockpit, meters thick and dazzlingly bright.

"Boom—!!!"

The golden slash struck the shield with devastating force!

Its destructive might—capable of slicing islands in half—caused only ripples across the light barrier's surface.

"Buzz—"

The barrier trembled once—then reflected the golden slash right back!

"!!!"

Caught off guard, Saint Garling had no choice but to cross his sword in defense.

"Clang—!"

The rebound struck with colossal power, slamming him out of the sky and into the frozen ground below!

"Spurt—!"

Blood spilled from his mouth, staining the pristine ice beneath him with vivid red.

"Utter evil…"

The cold electronic voice rang out once again from above.

Saint Garling raised his head to see the hundred-meter-tall war machine lifting its magma-burning left arm—

The gaping cannon aimed directly at him.

"Shall be… purged!!!"

"Purgatory: End!"

Kuma's emotionless voice declared the verdict. But instead of firing a projectile, the entire arm detached from the shoulder and exploded—

Transforming into a sea of molten crimson lava that cascaded downward!

The magma didn't scatter—it gathered, controlled by an unseen force, swirling into a massive vortex centered on Saint Garling.

"Szzzz—!"

The unbearable heat vaporized the thick ice, exposing the black sea beneath.

"I am… Figarland Garling!!!"

He roared defiantly, preparing to break through the molten sea by force.

But the next instant—

The vortex's deepest red surged upward!

A colossal white-hot magma pillar, over a hundred meters wide, shot toward the heavens!

Like a volcanic eruption from the depths of hell, it consumed Saint Garling's figure entirely!

"Rumble—!!!"

The magma pillar twisted midair, slamming back down into the sea with Saint Garling trapped within it!

"Thud—!"

The Supreme Commander of the God's Knights was buried beneath the abyssal depths of the ocean!

"..."

"Crack... crack..."

A harsh metallic groan echoed from within the towering mecha.

After unleashing that devastating strike, the "New Era's" golden glow dimmed rapidly, then went completely dark.

Without the light particles' energy support, the colossal steel frame began to disassemble.

Its left arm detached first, breaking apart midair into thirty dark-red PX-Magma units. Their internal flames flickered weakly before fading away.

Next, the right arm separated—thirty PX-Ice units floated silently in place, covered in frost.

Finally, the golden armor coating its entire body disassembled into thirty PX-Light units.

Ninety next-generation Pacifistas descended quietly, lifeless like soulless puppets, landing neatly upon the pale-blue ice field.

That single strike had drained every ounce of power— but it had flawlessly executed its mission: to slay the Supreme Commander of the God's Knights in the depths of the sea.

"Garling!!!"

High above, Saint Saturn—locked in battle with Kizaru—let out a furious, grief-stricken roar!

For the first time in eight hundred years, the calm, indifferent expressions of the other Elders cracked.

Was the balance of war… already tipping this fast?!!!