One Piece: Rising to Fleet Admiral Through a Coup

As core members of Marine Headquarters, Sengoku, Zephyr, and others naturally had an in-depth understanding of various aspects of the World Government.

Especially the Empty Throne in this palace hall. Not only did they know it was jointly crafted 800 years ago by twenty kings, but they were also aware that after the world's power structure stabilized, the original twenty kings collectively vowed that no one would ever sit on the throne—no one could claim absolute authority.

Yet now, the throne that had remained unoccupied for 800 years had an owner, and they didn't even know what this figure looked like.

As if sensing their thoughts, Imu spoke again, "Since you've chosen to follow Xayuki, whether or not I sit on the Empty Throne is meaningless to you."

After a brief pause, Imu shifted her gaze to Xayuki. "I'm curious about you. The first time I detected your Conqueror's Haki, I thought that man had returned."

"But clearly, you're neither that man nor Nika."

At this point, Imu's tone suddenly sharpened, her voice rising by two decibels. "So, who are you? Where do you come from, and where are you headed?"

Hearing this, Xayuki's brows furrowed slightly. He then raised his head to look at the figure seated on the throne. "Before asking someone who they are, shouldn't you remove that mysterious veil and let us see your true face? After all, we're supposed to be having a fair conversation—"

Before he could finish, two beams of tangible black and red light shot from Xayuki's pupils, instantly enveloping Imu.

The next moment—

Xayuki appeared mid-air in front of Imu, lightning-fast, reaching for the veil obscuring Imu's face.

"How dare you!"

Though Xayuki's sudden attack was swift and unexpected, Imu reacted with astonishing speed. As Xayuki's hand reached for the veil, Imu let out an angry shout.

Simultaneously, an arrow radiating terrifying energy materialized and shot straight toward Xayuki's forehead.

Faced with the arrow rapidly enlarging in his pupils, Xayuki had no choice but to abandon his attempt on the veil. Instead, he grabbed the arrow just before it could pierce his brow.

Buzz—

The moment Xayuki caught the arrow, the clash produced a deafening sound, followed by a shockwave visible to the naked eye. The wave spread outward from Xayuki and Imu, instantly engulfing the entire palace hall.

Before anyone could react, a massive shadow suddenly appeared, flashing onto the wall behind the throne. The shadow loomed over Xayuki, who was still gripping the arrow. The other end of the arrow was connected to this enormous, monstrous silhouette.

The Five Elders, standing opposite the three admirals, Sengoku, Zephyr, and Gion, were the first to react to Xayuki's sudden assault on Imu.

In an instant, waves of terrifying energy surged out from within the Five Elders, one after another.

Within moments, the Five Elders simultaneously transformed.

"Damn it, what is this?"

Seeing the Five Elders morph into horrifying monsters, Sengoku's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Gion and Zephyr immediately assumed combat stances, treating the situation as a dire threat.

Likewise, the three admirals were caught off guard. They, too, were stunned to see the Five Elders—figures they had long regarded as the highest authorities of the World Government—turn into grotesque and fearsome creatures.

The first to complete his transformation was Izambaro, the God of Finance. Shrouded in fiery clouds, Izambaro's lower body transformed into the skeletal legs of a horse, while his upper body remained mostly unchanged, resembling a fearsome centaur.

Standing beside him, Shepherd Ju Peter, the God of Agriculture, morphed into a massive sandworm-like creature, its body coiled with black fiery clouds, resembling a demon straight out of hell.

Topman Warcury, the God of Law, turned into a massive boar-like beast, its sharp tusks glinting ominously in the dimly lit hall.

Marcus Mars, the God of Environment, underwent the most dramatic transformation, becoming a hybrid of a bird and a snake, resembling the mythical Itzpapalotl. He hovered above the other four, his talons and wings poised threateningly as he glared at Xayuki.

The most unsettling transformation, however, belonged to Jaygarcia Saturn, the God of Science and Defense. His lower body became that of a massive black spider, while his upper body retained a humanoid form crowned with enormous horns.

The invisible pressure emanating from the Five Elders' transformed states filled the palace hall, deeply unsettling Sengoku, Zephyr, the admirals, and Gion—all of whom had once served the World Government with unwavering loyalty. For a moment, they felt as if they had descended into hell.

Meanwhile, Xayuki, still gripping the arrow, abruptly turned his head. A torrent of unparalleled Conqueror's Haki erupted from him, enveloping the newly transformed Five Elders.

Buzz—

The air vibrated at a low frequency, creating a disorienting hum that echoed in everyone's ears. The overwhelming Conqueror's Haki surged like a raging sea, crashing against the monstrous forms of the Five Elders.

"Arghhh!!"

Unable to withstand the sudden onslaught of Conqueror's Haki, Saturn, now a massive spider-like creature, let out an uncontrollable scream.

In the next moment, his body reverted to its original form, and he collapsed to the ground, seemingly drained of all energy.

Thud—

Thud, thud—

The other four Elders, likewise unable to resist the overwhelming force, reverted to their original forms one after another, collapsing in succession.

"!!!!!!"

The sight before them was nothing short of astounding. The three admirals, Sengoku, and Zephyr all widened their eyes in shock. Sengoku, in particular, couldn't help but swallow hard. As a fellow wielder of Conqueror's Haki, he had never seen it wielded with such mastery—not in all his years, from his days as a rookie to his tenure as Fleet Admiral. It was nothing short of divine.

Though the three admirals had previously witnessed Xayuki's display of Conqueror's Haki on the rooftop of Marine Headquarters, where he had repelled the God's Knights, they were once again left speechless.

This time, Xayuki wasn't facing the God's Knights but the Five Elders, the highest authorities of the World Government.

To knock the Five Elders back to their original forms using only Conqueror's Haki—if this escalated into a full-scale war—

The admirals dared not entertain the thought.

In that moment, they finally understood the true meaning behind Xayuki's words at the World Government headquarters: "A wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall."

Suddenly, a terrifying sword aura erupted.

As the Five Elders reverted to their original forms, Garling, who had been standing alongside them, made his move.

However, just as Garling drew his sword and unleashed a deadly aura, Sakazuki stepped forward. His magma-clad fist clenched tightly, and his killing intent surged as he declared:

"Garling, if you dare swing that sword, I'll stop at nothing to destroy you!"

As Sakazuki's words fell, Borsalino, Kuzan, and Gion immediately moved to support him.

This time, Sengoku no longer stood on the sidelines. Imu's act of sitting on the Empty Throne had shattered his faith in the World Government. Without hesitation, he joined Zephyr, standing shoulder to shoulder with his old comrade.

Meanwhile, the God's Knights, including Shamrock and Gunshi, all assumed battle stances.

"Enough!"

Just as the tension reached its peak, Imu's voice rang out from the throne. "Garling, stand down!"

Before Garling could respond, Imu turned her gaze to Xayuki, who had just unleashed his Conqueror's Haki to knock the Five Elders back to their original forms.

"Let the mutual probing end here. Without a doubt, you have earned the right to speak to me as an equal!"

After a brief pause, Imu added, "Gunshi, prepare a seat for Fleet Admiral Xayuki."

"Wait."

Xayuki's voice cut through the air. He flung the arrow aside, descended the steps, and stood alongside Sakazuki and the others.

Turning to face the figure on the throne, he spoke firmly, "So-called fair dialogue means sitting here and continuing to look up at you, perched high above us?"

~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~

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