Chapter 537: Thunderclap Unleashed: The Siege Begins

Thunder crashed down like a relentless storm, swallowing up the members who tried to charge forward. The air filled with snap and crackle as lightning tore through the void.

“Ah!”

“Damn it, we’re still a step too late!”

“Lightning’s just too fast. Before it even gets close it’s already drained my strength. This isn’t working.”

But the roar of thunder drowned out their words. No matter how they tried, they couldn’t hear each other, let alone come up with a plan to fight back.

The barrage went on for over ten seconds before it finally stopped. Only when the scorched bodies of several Holy Knights crashed to the ground did the lightning relent.

Even the ground was blackened, a burnt smell lingering in the air.

“Damn it, how are we supposed to fight an ability like this?”

“But he’s standing right there blocking our way. Somebody think of something!”

Even Opera couldn’t help but admire them. These Holy Knights were tough—normal folks would’ve died ten times over, yet these guys were still standing.

They even had the nerve to talk tactics in the middle of all this, acting like he was no threat at all.

Did they really not know the Rumble-Rumble Fruit grants a mind-sensing skill?

No matter how softly they spoke, as long as a single word left their lips, he could hear it.

“The only way out is if you kill me, or I kill you.”

“Heavenly Thunder!”

Opera had no time for small talk. He thrust both hands skyward, summoning a torrent of lightning that crashed down in waves.

Thunder roared all around him. Even Celestial Dragons and their guards hundreds of meters away cried out in pain as the shock tore through them.

Not far off, Oven and Daifuku watched Opera’s devastating attack with open envy.

“There’s nothing like having the power of a Logia-type Devil Fruit!”

“Haha, well, that’s what happens when we eat our fruits too early.”

Oven shrugged. “Guess so. Still, Opera’s hits are way too strong—if he keeps this up, the Celestial Dragon security is bound to rush our way. Looks like a tough fight ahead.”

The words had barely left his mouth when a dozen Celestial Dragon guardians appeared at the passage—they were all at admiral or pseudo-admiral level.

“Speak of the devil—there they are.”

“Next time, keep that mouth of yours shut,” Daifuku grumbled.

Daifuku tightened his grip on the Ten Yama Halls, clearly annoyed.

“Relax, relax! These guys won’t even give you a workout. You go first, I’ll watch your back.”

Oven eyed the Ten Yama Halls in Daifuku’s hands, nearly drooling. Who wouldn’t want ten admiral-class guardian spirits fighting for them?

Daifuku didn’t argue any further.

He stripped off the bandages wrapped around his arms. “Come on out and stretch your legs—the show’s about to start!”

Ten thin slits on the Ten Yama Halls suddenly snapped open, revealing crimson eyes beneath the surface. Ten streams of red mist drifted out, neatly lining up in front of Daifuku.

“Master!”

“Well, there are the enemies. Let’s go stir up some chaos.”

Xu Chu, Dian Wei, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Xu Huang, Zhang He, Zhang Liao, Yu Jin, Cao Chun, Cao Cao! (If I’m wrong, blame the author!)

Their wills had long been reshaped by the System—they were utterly loyal to Lux-Daifuku.

Daifuku raced forward with the Ten Yama Halls in hand, the ten guardian spirits at his heels. The sight left the enemy utterly stunned.

Wait, they’d come for a tough fight, but this was something else entirely.

Were their eyes playing tricks? Just a moment ago, there were only two opponents—now there were twelve?

Looks like the table had turned, and now they were the ones about to be overwhelmed.

Bang! Clang! Crash!

The guardian spirits surged in with perfect coordination—flanking attacks, disciplined formations, every move straight out of a strategy manual. In no time, the guardians forced the dozen enemies back step by step.

Several pseudo-admiral opponents were even cut down before they knew what hit them.

Just like that, every corridor leading out from the central plaza was blocked by Karl’s men—making sure no one could escape to sabotage the battle between the Giants and Revolutionaries.

The Five Elders watched in agony. If they couldn’t deal with most of the Giants soon, they’d never fulfill Lord Im’s orders.

They all knew what failure meant for themselves. They’d imagined their own demise a hundred times, but losing? That possibility had never even crossed their minds—the World Government never lost. At least not in their world.

“Borg, Derlin, it’s come to this. The Five Elders must enter the fray too. You two go first.”

“Open up the passage at the main boulevard.”

“The three of us will back you up.”

Marcus, normally the one calling the shots, now gave the order himself. The other two had no choice but to nod.

They knew full well this could be a scheme to remove them from power, but at their rank, refusing wasn’t an option.

Standing guard at the main gate was the White-Tailed Eagle Fruit user—the strongest of Karl’s second generation, Katakuri!

Katakuri towered at six meters tall. Just standing there was enough to make the crowd tremble.

He lounged on a throne made of glutinous rice, directing his rice soldiers against waves of vice admirals and even admirals.

His orders were simple: don’t let anyone on the plaza escape to ruin Karl’s plan.

If it came to it, he was to drag the Five Elders into the fight. Once they were exposed, the World Government would be down to just Im.

He wanted to strip the Government of every last trump card, layer by layer, until victory was theirs.

“Oh? Getting impatient already? It’s barely been ten minutes.”

Yes, less than ten minutes had passed since they’d started blocking the passageways—so much for the Five Elders’ nerves.

The more anxious the Five Elders grew, the more pleased Katakuri became.

As long as the World Government didn’t make a mistake, he couldn’t execute the next step. A frontal assault would cost too many lives. Better to chip away slowly, like boiling a frog in warm water.

The Five Elders probably didn’t even know about the chaos overtaking the Four Seas and the first half of the Grand Line.

By now, the World Government might control nothing but the Red Line.

The moment the war broke out, Navy spies embedded across the Four Seas led the Revolutionaries to swiftly wipe out all Navy bases—without a signal getting out.

The same happened in the first half of the Grand Line, thanks in large part to Sengoku. If he hadn’t recalled those hundred thousand elite marines to headquarters, the revolution would’ve stalled.

And as for the allied nations? Just send in the assassins, push them into chaos. Once the war’s over, reclaiming them won’t be difficult.

Now, aside from a few peaceful islands in the New World, the only people watching the Navy Headquarters broadcast are on islands already taken by the Revolutionaries or on some lonely, far-off rocks.

By now, every real allied nation was deep in civil war.