Chapter 415: Five Years, Time Skip...

Time flies like an arrow.

In the blink of an eye, five years have passed.

Five years ago, when the true events of God Valley—plus the revelations that the Celestial Dragons held a massive human-hunting event every three years—swept across the entire world, it caused an unprecedented stir.

Countless people were outraged, and the Navy's image of "justice" instantly crumbled under heated controversy and suspicion. The World Government's and Navy's prestige plummeted; in addition to Admiral "Black Arm" Zephyr resigning, not a small number of other officers also quit.

Many young folks who once aspired to enlist in the Navy, determined to uphold justice and protect the seas, felt their faith collapse after learning the truth and similarly quit in anger. Still others who had been contemplating enlistment lost all desire to join.

Meanwhile, the Totto Land Kingdom officially formed the NEO Navy, NEO Army, and NEO Air Force, completing their organization and reformation one step at a time.

The NEO Navy dispatched fleets across the sea to seize all territories once held by the now-vanished Rocks Pirates, truly becoming the hegemon of the New World.

They also publicly announced they would hunt down any pirate who tried to enter the New World, shocking the globe. Countless pirates, intimidated, dared only skulk about in the first half of the Grand Line or stir up trouble in the Four Blues, leaving Steel Bone Kong's Navy vexed and overwhelmed.

But in these five years, aside from gradually pushing out via the lawless sea routes to the West and North Blue—absorbing various non-Government factions—Totto Land showed no sign of launching an all-out offensive. While the Navy and NEO Navy did have occasional skirmishes, both sides carefully controlled themselves, which came as a relief to a constantly on-edge World Government. Yet faced with the ever-growing power of Totto Land Kingdom, even the Five Elders could only feel deep unease and apprehension, unable to do much.

…

"Roooar—!"

At this moment, deep in the New World's windless belt bordering the North Blue, on a battered and desolate island, one enormous azure dragon after another roared skyward. Each beast bristled with horns, possessed scaly hide, and exuded a fearsome presence. Their colossal bodies—hundreds of meters in length—blotted out the sky as if they could overshadow everything, striking terror into the beholder.

"Heat Breath!!"

An azure giant dragon swooped down, opening its massive jaws wide.

Bright flames gathered there, locking onto a tall, imposing figure crackling with electricity. Then, with a roar, the dragon unleashed:

"Fwoooosh—!"

A blazing ball of heat distortion tore apart the air in a terrifying rush, surging toward its foe with unstoppable impact and scorching temperatures.

"Zzzt-zzzt…"

"Judgment of the Gods!!"

Amid blinding arcs of lightning, Thor—the eldest son of the Kukulkan family—stood unmoving. His broad right arm instantly became surging electricity, coalescing into a massive lightning column brilliant enough to overshadow the sun, piercing forward.

"BOOOM…!"

Scorching firelight clashed violently with dazzling lightning. Sparks flew, both sides refusing to give ground. Tremendous blasts of flame and electricity erupted outward, blowing the terrain apart, leaving scorched, ragged ground behind.

Yet this display of power was but a signal of battle. The azure dragon soared aloft, its form swiftly shrinking. It became a ten-meter-high young man—like a small giant—bearing a countenance about seventy percent similar to El's and thirty percent similar to Charlotte Linlin's. Gray-white hair, obsidian wings, a blaze fluttering behind him. Using incredible speed, he flapped and darted forward.

"Heh, Ares, little brother—don't expect me to hold back!"

Thor, towering at nearly twenty-two meters, had grown noticeably more mature over these five years, brimming with heroic energy. His aura continued to mount, hefting the massive "Hammer of Thunder" into position.

"Thor, my dear brother, it should be me saying that to you!"

His keen gaze fixed upon Thor ahead. In each hand he gripped a sinister, gleaming sabre, muscles taut, veins bulging with stored power. All at once, he lunged:

"Elbaf Spear—'Weiguo'!!!"

Almost in that same instant, Thor's mighty warhammer swung:

"Whoosh—whoosh—!"

The atmosphere collapsed under the dreadful might, two gargantuan shockwaves roared from both sides, smashing together mid-air.

"KABOOM…!"

Thunderous booms tore at the sky, radiant lights blinding all sight. Two mighty surges collided, shaping an expanding sphere of brilliance.

"Crack…crack…"

The ground underneath split open in great fissures; a ferocious gust battered stone and dirt across the landscape. Farther away, the sea churned with monstrous waves. The magnitude of the collision prickled one's scalp.

"Tap!"

"Tap!"

Amid the fading dust, those two towering figures faced each other, their gazes locked. Both pressed their feet down, shattering the ground beneath them, then dashed forth again. Their weapons, already coated in pitch-black Haki and laced with tendrils of black-red "lightning," struck home.

Thor's Hammer carried immeasurable force, smashing forward in an instant. Meanwhile, the sabre refused to relent, slashing upward:

"Lightning Shock!!!"

"Divine Avoidance!!!"

In that spark of time, the thunder hammer and large sabre crashed. A sharp metallic note reverberated:

"Clang—!"

"Crackle…zap…"

Bolts of heavy black-and-red lightning danced, zigzagging like furious serpents expanding outward. Each protagonist's overwhelming Conqueror's Haki raged fiercely, refusing to concede an inch.

"Ka-crack…ka-crack…"

Meanwhile, as though suffering an unbearable strain, the space between warhammer and sabre quivered. A massive invisible barrier rumbled under that dreadful might.

"Whoosh…whoosh…"

"Rumble…rumble…"

A gale whipped all around, and the sea far off roiled with waves. Above, the sky itself thundered, thick clouds churning ominously. The swirling cloud-mass parted straight down the middle. Two distinct flows of storm clouds contended overhead, as though the entire sky had been slit open by their duel, a spectacle beyond words to behold.