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"The Five Elders…?"
The moment Ayr recognized the visitor, his expression shifted subtly.
He hadn't anticipated that the supreme authority of the World Government would arrive so swiftly—nor that he would meet one face-to-face.
"Is he really from the Rocks Pirates?"
The old man with the long sword—the same elder who had once stood watch over centuries of balance—spoke with quiet authority, standing just behind Ayr.
They had long suspected that the recent mass slave liberation in the Holy Land was the work of remnants of the Rocks Pirates. And now, with Ayr here in person, that suspicion had solidified into truth.
"This is bad," Ayr thought grimly.
Even with the chakra of the Six-Tails unlocked—his own fusion of tailed beast power and Haki—and with a trump card in reserve, a fully manifested tailed beast mode that had yet to be revealed, Ayr knew the odds were heavily stacked against him.
The Five Elders, shrouded in mystery and feared even among the Gorosei themselves, were not ordinary enemies.
Even if he released the full might of the tailed beast within him, facing the Five Elders and the Commander of the CPO—Cipher Pol's strongest shield—was near certain suicide.
Even one of the Five Elders alone... he admitted, would be enough to put me in serious danger.
As the Elder stepped forward, every CPO operative nearby dropped to one knee in unison, their reverence palpable.
"Lord Five Elders!" they greeted.
The Elder with the blade raised his eyes toward Ayr and spoke in a composed, questioning tone.
"What brings a member of the Rocks Pirates to the Holy Land of Mariejois, Ayr?"
"Do you think I'll give you an answer just because you ask?" Ayr shot back, voice sharp.
Damn it. He gritted his teeth. I need to stall until Whitebeard, Kaido, Linlin, and the Golden Lion get here. Otherwise, I'm going to die here today.
There was no hope for victory in a direct confrontation—not against the Five Elders and Cipher Pol's elite—but if he could cause enough of a disturbance, draw the attention of the other former Rocks pirates…
Then maybe...just maybe.
The old man's eyes gleamed as he spoke again, this time more pointedly:
"Is it Uranus you're after?"
Ayr's body tensed at the name.
Uranus.
One of the three Ancient Weapons.
Only a handful in the Rocks Pirates even knew of their goal—tracking down Uranus using the information gathered from the Poneglyphs they'd recently deciphered.
And yet… the Five Elders had called it by name.
"How do they know?" Ayr wondered, heart pounding. Only Rocks' inner circle should be aware of that mission.
Seeing Ayr's hesitation, the Elder pressed again, almost casually:
"So, your presence in Mariejois is indeed tied to Uranus, then?"
Still masking his reaction, Ayr scoffed and responded coolly:
"Uranus is an Ancient Weapon. But I doubt even you would be reckless enough to store it here."
"Correct. Uranus isn't here. But... this place holds something crucial to unlocking it, doesn't it?" the Elder replied, lips curling slightly.
Ayr narrowed his eyes.
"Is there a traitor in Rocks? Or is this another one of your manipulations?"
"Nothing so dramatic," the Elder replied. "Just deduction. Observation. That's all."
Tch... guessed it, huh? Ayr cursed internally. These monsters have ruled for centuries for a reason. Their insight and calculation are inhuman.
"Still, your arrogance is astounding. Marching into our seat of power without fear..." the Elder continued.
"To be honest, I used to wonder how to eliminate you. But today, perhaps fate has handed me the answer."
They had viewed Ayr as a rising threat ever since his duel with Garp—where he nearly overwhelmed the Hero of the Marines. On Hive Island, he'd taken on two top-tier Admirals simultaneously and killed one. That feat had earned him a permanent spot on the Five Elders' execution list.
But Marine incompetence had kept Ayr alive.
Until now.
"Lord Five Elders, allow us to handle him," said the captain of the CPO: Deros, stepping forward with a respectful bow.
"For someone like him, your direct involvement is unnecessary."
The Five Elders, after all, were more than leaders—they were embodiments of the World Government's divine will. If the full Rocks crew had invaded, perhaps their hands would be forced. But for one man?
Deros believed he could handle it.
"Don't let me down, Deros," the Elder replied coolly.
He had yet to confirm whether Ayr could still wield the destructive abilities he'd shown on Hive Island. If Deros could force him to reveal it—good. If Ayr failed to rise to that level—he wasn't worth the Elder's blade.
"Yes, my lord."
Deros stepped forward, killing intent radiating from every inch of his body.
Ayr glanced from the Elder to Deros.
"So you're not going to move... just yet?" he thought. Perfect.
If he had to fight both, it would be hopeless. But with just Deros, he had a chance—not to win, necessarily, but to create chaos. Noise. An opportunity.
If Whitebeard, Linlin, Kaido, and the Golden Lion sensed what was happening, they would come.
And when they did...
Even the Five Elders would have to retreat.
"Let's see what the so-called shield of the Celestial Dragons is made of," Ayr said aloud, drawing his blade—Demon Slayer—infused with his hybrid chakra and Armament Haki.
Deros responded with a cold smile as thick black Haki enveloped his own blade.
"Show me what kind of monster Rocks raised."
With a sharp step, Deros exploded forward, vanishing with incredible speed.
The very air cracked beneath his motion as he closed in.
"CLANG!!!"
Ayr caught the strike with Demon Slayer, the force of the impact sending shockwaves across the plaza.
"Not bad," Deros said, smirking, "but that's the best you've got?"
"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!!!"
The duel intensified. Their blades flashed with killing intent, colliding again and again. Sparks flew. Wind howled. Each strike carried the force of trained warriors with decades of killing behind them.
Deros's attacks were relentless. His mastery of both Armament and Observation Haki made him a monster in close quarters. A true product of World Government combat doctrine.
And yet—Ayr held firm.
He was breathing heavier. Pressure was mounting. But his gaze remained cold, calculating.
He wasn't just fighting to win.
He was fighting to survive... until the real battle began.
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