The ground battlefield.
Boom!
A hundred-meter-tall golden giant Buddha flew backward, hurtling towards the two Gorosei who had just stepped onto the ground. The robust Gorosei saw this, stomped his feet, and leaped into the air.
"Hah!"
He pressed a palm onto a spot on Sengoku's back, like an angry Vajra, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace. With a shout, he pushed with his arm, correcting Sengoku's backward trajectory.
The golden Buddha landed, dragging a long gash in its wake.
"Sengoku, go guard the perimeter," the sword-wielding Gorosei said to Sengoku while wrapping his demon blade with Haki. The robust Gorosei also grabbed his collar, and with a flick,
His black suit flew off. His fists, wrapped in Haki, were ready to fight.
"Yes."
Sengoku dispelled his Great Buddha form, let out a long sigh, and responded. He then walked towards his previously assigned position.
Just now, after Roger and the two Gorosei departed, Kong and Garp were quickly at a disadvantage, forcing Sengoku to join the fray. However, the situation only slightly improved.
If the two of them didn't show up soon, they might truly be broken through by Rocks and forced underground.
It had to be said, Rocks was truly strong, which solidified the Gorosei's resolve to eliminate him.
Pirates fighting independently not only did not affect the World Government's rule but also somewhat facilitated their management.
Only when pirates ran rampant would the affiliated nations of the world rely more on the Navy and the World Government. After all, there were no inherently powerful nations, only a small fraction.
And the pirates who possessed Conqueror's Haki were one in a million, all possessing the qualifications and spirit to rule. To make these pirates obey, they could only be suppressed by force.
Rocks had achieved this. Shiki, Whitebeard, Charlotte Linlin, John, Wang Zhi, and many other great pirates all obeyed Rocks.
This was quite terrifying, equivalent to eighty percent of the top-tier pirate forces in the world obeying Rocks, a ticking time bomb that could detonate at any moment.
Rather than it exploding suddenly and causing significant damage, it was better to detonate it proactively.
As for whether it would overthrow the World Government, the Gorosei had never considered it. Pirates were, after all, self-taught, with limited vision.
They only knew a bit of information recorded subjectively from historical texts scattered somewhere, believing they had grasped the truth of the world, unaware of the World Government's foundation.
News of a damaged Ancient Weapon had made a overlord like Rocks so reckless.
And Rocks had not disappointed them. With just a piece of news, he had gathered all his forces, and everything was proceeding according to plan.
For eight hundred years since the establishment of the World Government, heroes and ambitious figures had emerged endlessly on this sea, cycle after cycle.
Every few decades, such an overlord would appear. They would unite most of the pirates and impede the World Government's rule.
Some were heroic, some were insane, some were insidious, and some were tyrannical, but ultimately, they would all become... dead!
Rocks was not the first, nor would he be the last.
Decades later, his name would only be mentioned in the memories of some old pirates in their twilight years. Decades after that, his traces would be completely erased, and no one would know that such a great pirate who ruled the world had ever existed.
And after some more years, another great pirate who ruled the world would appear, repeatedly doing the same thing...
"Die."
"Rocks."
The Gorosei, wielding the demon blade, spoke with an emotionless voice, uttering calm words.
It was as if he was speaking of Rocks's end, or perhaps passing judgment. He swung his sword towards Rocks, cleaving heaven and earth in two!