Chapter 407: Weapon affecting the Whole World!

"Hmph—"

"This is… God Valley?"

"Smack! So this is the true power of an Ancient Weapon?"

"No wonder it's said capable of destroying the world…"

…

God Valley Ruins

Leading a fleet that advanced slowly came "Thunder Calamity" Cyril Oka and "Fire Calamity" Afar, along with others.

Facing the colossal abyss before them, they all involuntarily widened their eyes and sucked in a cold breath. Some gaped openly, their minds reeling from a shock indescribable in words.

Several of them had visited God Valley before. In the past, the Hell Trading Company and God Valley had frequent business dealings, enjoying a good partnership. People like Shimotsuki Ushimaru, Shimotsuki Kouzaburou, and so on often served as guards for the Hell Trading Company's fleet—traveling the seas to broaden their horizons, witness the vast world, and appreciate local customs.

Yet now such a large island had left not a trace behind, wiped cleanly from this stretch of ocean. The visual impact was overwhelming, causing sweat to break out on their foreheads.

"Mm, and this is only the direct damage."

Arms folded, El glanced down at the enormous abyss, observing seawater endlessly pouring in.

"In the next days, the entire ocean will be affected—sea levels are going to rise dramatically…"

"Some nations and islands might end up directly submerged!"

"Notify the Hell Trading Company. Make preparations and countermeasures. Help whoever you can!"

As for Totto Land, El was unworried—each island's foundations, along with the enormous bridges linking them, were intentionally built far above sea level to avoid being impacted too severely. The main concern lay with the other islands under his domain, and all the countries and islands elsewhere in the world.

"Yes, El-sama—"

Thunder Calamity, Fire Calamity, Shimotsuki Ushimaru, and others all stiffened. Though it sounded difficult to believe, they found it neither shocking nor alarmist. El had already explained how extreme an Ancient Weapon's destructive force could be. Without witnessing it firsthand, though, it was impossible to imagine. Like the bottomless pit before them: if you didn't comprehend Ancient Weapons, you might think they simply sank an island into the seafloor. Who'd guess it would leave such a vast chasm that even the flooding ocean couldn't fill, reshaping the entire world?

"But don't worry too much— that so-called 'national treasure' of the Celestial Dragons has already been destroyed by me…"

El smiled:

"They can no longer launch an attack like that!"

The biggest payoff from this operation wasn't those Devil Fruits, but rather obliterating the Celestial Dragons' "national treasure"—the sword hanging over their head all along.

With that gone, the World Government was just a turtle in a jar, skeleton in its closet, doomed to be unable to make any real waves. All they had to do was boil the frog slowly, building up strength at leisure, maintaining order on the seas to prevent further chaos. Then, once the time was ripe—seize the entire world in one stroke.

"Have somebody salvage those wrecks; I'm sure the research team needs them."

"Yes—"

Hearing El's command, Fire Calamity Afar gave orders for the Fish-Man forces that had come along to salvage the Ancient Weapon's debris at sea.

"My apologies, El-sama…"

Thunder Calamity Oka approached, looking uneasy:

"We failed to trap the Roger Pirates—they slipped away!"

"No worries. They're not weak, but they can't stir up any big trouble; it won't affect our plans…"

El sounded unconcerned.

He never regarded the Roger Pirates as a major threat; wiping them out, if he so chose, would be trivial. After all, they already had informants planted in Roger's crew. Keeping them alive was more valuable than killing them outright, especially since Roger's crew lacked any unusual ability-users. Plus they often traded the treasure and Devil Fruits they gathered with the Fallen Angel Pirates in exchange for Poneglyph rubbings—one day that might yield something interesting.

"Hoohoohoo…"

Not half an hour later, Dal returned to the fleet with Wang Zhi—unconscious, bleeding from head to toe—and rejoined El, Eden, and the others.

"Hoho! Dap, your prowess keeps growing…"

Thunder Calamity, Fire Calamity, and the rest were amazed:

"You even captured Wang Zhi?"

Of those three (John, Silver Axe, Wang Zhi), Wang Zhi was the strongest. His Teleport Fruit was also the trickiest power—hard to guard against, near impossible to stop if he chose to flee—yet Dal subdued him with ease.

"Well done!"

El nodded, satisfied, seeing his second son had effortlessly subdued Wang Zhi. This youth, inheriting Three-Eyed and Lunarian lineage—and even some Giant blood—though lacking the colossal brute strength of his elder siblings (Thor, Sif, or Ares), possessed a body surpassing that of Kaido in raw fortitude. In terms of talent and insight, he was arguably the most brilliant in the Kukulkan family, with no limits to his future potential.

"A fellow destined for nothing, that's all…"

Dal joked lightly. He then cast a worshipful gaze at El:

"Compared to you, Father, I still have a long way to go!"

He yearned for that invincible power. Just a few days prior, Dal had dared challenge his father. In an instant, his future-sight Haki was negated, his prized swordsmanship easily overwhelmed. Despite his present strength and reflexes, he was hammered the moment he tried attacking, even failing to activate his Transfer Fruit in time—simply terrifying. Unless he teleported away at first sight, there was no hope of survival against the world's strongest creature.

"By the way, Father—did we overlook the strongholds of Silver Axe, Wang Zhi, and John?"

Dal pointed at Wang Zhi, who lay shackled in seastone, awaiting imprisonment, curiosity evident.

"Certainly not…" El laughed:

"Aside from their treasure, each of them left behind at least a thousand-man corps of artificial Devil Fruit users, plus those remnants on Hachinosu from the Rocks Pirates—enough for a sizable new regiment of ability-users!"

Though some details had changed from the original plan, the overall course remained the same. From the beginning, the demise of the Rocks Pirates was written in stone. El wouldn't pass up a chance like this and let other pirates or the Government snatch these spoils. Even if those artificial Fruit users were flawed, they'd serve well enough as "cannon fodder."