[The One Piece World, At the Peak of the Red Line]
Buzz!
A beam of golden light so dense it seemed solid exploded across the sky without any warning, ignoring the clouds and mist that surrounded the Holy Land of Mary Geoise all year round.
At the highest point above the center of the world, it tore open a spectacle unlike anything ever seen before.
At first, the golden light was only a blinding point deep within the heavens.
But in just a few breaths, it expanded out like an upside-down tsunami. In an instant, it swallowed tens of thousands of meters of sky.
The entire sky was covered by that almost sacred golden radiance. A vast and imposing pressure poured down like a waterfall, pressing down on all of Mary Geoise until even the wind stopped moving.
Looking up at this scene that resembled a divine miracle at the end of the world, many people in Mary Geoise did not show much shock at first.
They simply and mechanically turned their eyes toward the direction of the Jaygarcia family.
Over the past few years, Saint Rosse had caused some kind of commotion every so often.
As time passed, they had long since gotten used to it.
In their limited understanding, the only person in the world capable of creating such a disturbance was the uncrowned king of the world.
But this time, things developed beyond their expectations.
The phenomenon in the sky did not flash briefly before returning to normal as it usually did.
Instead, the golden light continued to boil and compress, eventually condensing into a physical form in midair.
As the pupils of all the Celestial Dragons suddenly shrank, the sea of clouds more than ten thousand meters above was forcibly pushed aside, and a breathtaking sight was shoved into this world.
It was a vast complex of palaces in the sky, stretching so far that its end could not be seen.
Its golden material gave off an ancient aura. Every palace stood tall and imposing, as if forged from fragments of stars.
Layer upon layer of wide white steps extended through the rolling clouds like a road leading to heaven.
Rows of grand halls stood side by side. Their upturned eaves spread out like dragons extending their claws, while the pillars were as thick and sturdy as columns supporting the sky.
Sunlight fell across the buildings, making them shine with golden light. Solemn and magnificent.
This was a wonder far beyond the architectural style of Mary Geoise, as though the Heavenly Court from legend had descended directly onto the Red Line.
That immense pressure rushed down, causing countless people below to feel their knees weaken, nearly unable to breathe.
———
"What the hell is that thing? What's Rosse doing this time?"
At the top floor of the Figarland family's tower, Saint Garling had been reclining on a luxurious lounge sofa with his eyes closed, resting.
When that terrifying pressure descended, he suddenly opened his eyes and saw the Heavenly Court in the sky through the massive floor-to-ceiling window.
His wrist jerked, and he sprang up from the sofa. A trace of surprise appeared on his aged face.
To be honest, he truly could not understand what Rosse was doing.
But there was one thing he had to admit.
Under Rosse's extremely forceful and overbearing leadership, the World Government had not declined because of internal conflict. Instead, it had become more energized than ever, and its overall strength had increased by more than ten times compared to the past.
Faced with such unreasonable growth in national power, even if Garling had ten thousand objections in his heart, he could not find any reason to oppose it.
After all, the meat was still in the same pot. Everyone was a Celestial Dragon. Since Saint Rosse had that ability, then so be it if he was stronger.
As long as they were patient and waited several decades or even a hundred years, when the Jaygarcia family eventually failed to produce another exceptional successor, it would naturally be time for the Figarland family to make their move again and reclaim their influence.
Compared to crashing into an iron wall that could not be shaken, living longer and being able to wait was the Figarland family's philosophy of survival.
As things stood now, Saint Garling was not anxious at all.
"Father!"
At that moment, accompanied by a sharp sound cutting through the air, Saint Shamrock rushed to Garling's side.
He also stared at the Heavenly Court bathed in golden light, his face full of shock. Anxiety filled his voice as he said, "With such a huge change happening, should we do something?"
"Has seawater gotten into your brain?"
Garling turned around and immediately scolded Shamrock.
"With the strength Rosse's branch of the family is showing now, how could our Figarland family possibly shake them in the slightest?"
"The only thing we need to do right now is stay quietly in this tower and act blind and deaf."
"As long as we don't move, he'll spare us for the sake of us all being Celestial Dragons and won't deliberately find an excuse to deal with us."
"But if we dare make a move at a time like this, we'd be handing him evidence to wipe out our family."
After harshly lecturing his son, Garling took a deep breath and forcibly calmed his pounding heart.
He stepped back, lay down on his comfortable recliner again, closed his eyes, and forced himself into the appearance of a carefree retired old man.
To be honest, he truly did not want to struggle anymore.
More than ten years ago, he might still have had the ambition to continue competing with Rosse.
But over these years, the World Government had fallen completely under Rosse's control. The Five Elders had practically been sidelined, and Imu had shown no objections.
From that point on, he had understood clearly.
They couldn't win.
There was simply no way to win.
Rosse and people like them were probably no longer on the same level.
Trying to engage in power struggles against someone who could not be defeated was not ambition. It was seeking death.
Garling understood this very clearly. Since they could not win, then they should join him.
As long as they lived long enough, there would always be opportunities in the future.
If the family was destroyed now, then there would be no opportunities at all.
Even Imu had chosen not to resist, so why should the Figarland family be in such a hurry?
If there were ever signs that Rosse might be overthrown, they could take action then.
That would not be too late.