Chapter 432: Pluton

"Ah... ah... ah..."

Far away, atop the Red Line.

In the Holy Land of Mariejois, within Pangel Castle, inside the Pangaea Castle.

A tall, slender figure wearing a crown and draped in a black cloak suddenly dropped to one knee.

His expression was pained, and he groaned softly.

"This Haki... is it Joy Boy's?"

He gasped for breath.

Imu was drenched in sweat, his pupils dilating in shock.

His face changed abruptly, filled with indescribable alarm and fury, as well as a trace of inexplicable dread and unease. "No... it's not him... Kukulkan El!!!"

"That bastard... he actually reached this level!"

He never would have imagined—

In this era, someone had risen to Joy Boy's heights.

And not by relying on any Devil Fruit power, but purely on their own strength.

It was simply unbelievable.

Meanwhile—

In the Room of Authority,

Amid swirls of smoke, five bedraggled figures suddenly appeared.

Each of them was drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

They dropped to their knees, still in shock.

"How could this be?"

Saint Saturn, drenched in a cold sweat, leaned on his cane with utter astonishment. "Lord Imu's ability was just forcibly canceled like that!"

"That unreasonable Haki... it's the Fallen Angel, El!"

Saint Mars was full of wariness and disbelief. "This is over the top—he actually sealed his Haki in a scroll!"

"That monster has grown to this degree..."

Saint Nasujuro wiped the sweat from his forehead.

With a sudden crack, his glasses shattered, raining fragments to the ground.

"Kong and Saint Garling, and the others..."

Saint Ju Peter took a deep breath. His eyes held indescribable dread and concern.

"There's nothing to be done. We were careless..." Saint Valkyrie spoke in a low tone. "One small slip, and now they're on their own!"

Yet all of them knew—

The fate of those three was sealed.

None had expected the Fallen Angel El's power to be so terrifying.

It was merely the Haki he had sealed away, yet it strongly suppressed them, even forcibly canceling their teleportation and sending the five of them back.

It was truly horrifying.

…

"Huff... huff..."

The New World—

Totto Land Seas—

On a ravaged, artificial island.

The earth was fissured; shockwaves rolled across the land.

"You've got to be kidding me."

Three disheveled figures—Kong, Saint Garling, and Saint Ronnie—knelt on one knee.

Sweat poured from their brows, their faces consumed by shock and disbelief.

There was also fear and confusion.

"What kind of power is this?!"

"Hsss, this is way too much!"

"El-sama is just too strong!"

"Keep in mind, this was his Haki from five years ago!"

"It's impossible to imagine how far he's come by now!"

Witnessing that horrifying scene, Kaido, Wind Calamity, Fire Calamity, Ushimaru, and the others were all deeply shaken.

They felt utter awe toward El-sama's power, bowing to it in mind and spirit, filled with respect and fear.

They all knew that over the years, their own potential had more or less been exhausted.

But that man's potential was boundless—there was no way he would stop here.

They couldn't help wondering what unimaginable heights he had reached by now.

"Hah hah hah... As expected of El-sama!"

Kaido's eyes sparkled.

He bared his teeth, brimming with excitement, utterly worshipful and yearning. "He's just too strong!"

Such power demanded reverence—it was irresistible.

Could he ever reach such heights?

"All right, let's get down to business..."

Oka the Thunder Calamity gave a cold laugh.

Hoisting his massive hammer, he glared at Kong and the other two.

"Let's finish them off quickly!"

"Yes, it's time to end this!"

"Attack—!"

There was no hesitation.

Those who had already gathered charged in unison, weapons in hand, each of them imbued with terrifying Haki.

One wave of powerful auras rose higher and higher, their Observation Haki locking onto the three whose faces had changed drastically—Saint Ronnie, Kong, and Saint Garling.

The next moment—

Killing intent surged among them.

They struck again with a combined assault.

"Hakoku—!!!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

…

"Hmm..."

"That Haki..."

"They've already used it?"

In the Totto Land Seas—

Within a massive underground facility—

El, Linlin, Gerd, and others were preparing to activate Pluton alongside Vegapunk and various scientists, as well as the newly installed "Holy Mother Flame." They all raised their eyebrows.

They sensed that powerful surge of Haki from afar.

"Mamamama, so those guys really showed up?"

Linlin spoke playfully and laughed strangely. "Good thing you kept a trump card, El-Oniichan!"

She knew all too well how frightening El's sealed Haki truly was.

Even though she herself had made remarkable progress over the years—training ceaselessly under her brother El's supervision, never once slacking off—she was still far from El's level five years ago.

"Don't worry about it. If they need help, they'll ask."

El waved a hand dismissively.

He didn't seem concerned.

The Haki sealed within that scroll five years ago was divided among multiple seals and released in the form of shockwaves, mostly to intimidate.

It would do no more than cancel the Elders' transformations and teleportation, giving them some trouble.

Its pure destructive power was limited.

"El-sama, Moss and the others have rallied our forces. They're ready at any time!" Sally, the intelligence chief, relayed a report from Baka, keeping El informed.

"Have Thunder Calamity's group wrap it up as soon as possible. Don't drag it out too long."

El nodded and said, "All right, let's go activate Pluton."

They no longer needed to travel all the way to the old Wano to awaken the ancient weapon, Pluton.

Long ago, the dormant Pluton they discovered was quietly moved from Wano Island by Eden, who had copied the Float-Float Fruit's ability. It had been transported undetected, hidden on a remote, isolated artificial island in the Totto Land Sea.

A subterranean passage from this base led directly there.

"Yes, sir!"