Chapter 539: The Blaze Above the Red Line

“Oh? Im, are you finally losing your composure?”

This attack felt all too familiar to Karl—it was the cleansing ray from the Heavenly King Uranus.

Its power hadn’t diminished at all. One shot could wipe out an ordinary admiral on the spot.

Even a veteran powerhouse like Garp might only last a dozen hits if he just stood there and took it.

“Vegapunk, it’s time to try out that new weapon.”

Vegapunk, his oversized head bobbing, received the message. He looked up and pressed the red button in his hand.

Whoosh!

A massive object, nearly ten meters long, launched from Skypiea, streaking straight for the descending beam of light.

“What’s that?”

“Something just shot out from the clouds!”

“Wait—is Karl up there?”

Marcus caught on quickly. He realized Karl might not even be somewhere on the plaza right now, but high above, hidden under the watchful eyes of the heavens, just waiting to deal a fatal blow to the World Government.

He rushed to relay the intel and coordinates to Im.

But as he reached for his transponder snail, the huge object marked with a bold number one collided with the beam—at the speed of light. The explosion started in strange, utter silence. Two and a half seconds later—

Boom!

A gigantic fireball appeared in the sky, out of nowhere, instantly blanketing one percent of the Red Line.

The fireball swelled bigger and bigger by the second. The shockwave followed, flattening the battered ruins below and flinging anyone standing unsteady on their feet through the air.

Ripples of white gas spread outward, wave after wave, bringing searing heat that melted everything around—including the Celestial Dragons. Fortunately, the explosion’s center landed right at the Celestial Dragons’ heart.

There weren’t any Revolutionary Army soldiers or giants nearby, but everyone present was floored by this attack.

The transponder snail shorted out instantly from the intense radiation. It wouldn’t turn on at all.

Back at Navy Headquarters, Whitebeard, Kaido and the others were locked in fierce combat, being held down by Garp, Sengoku and Kong.

Luffy and Jozu swapped out, stepping back to devour roast meat and regain their strength.

“Luffy, Ye Fan, he…”

Chopper clutched shreds of a shirt in his tiny hands, sobbing his heart out.

He had no idea what had happened on the battlefield. All he knew was that the next time he saw Ye Fan, he was dead—killed by a navy admiral. Someone with a devil fruit power had apparently melted his body, leaving just a few scraps of clothing floating through the air.

“Chopper, don’t worry about it! Ahahaha!”

Dang!

Luffy yanked his head out of the roast, still laughing, only to get a big lump whacked onto his head by Nami.

“Ye Fan’s dead, Luffy! How can you still be laughing?”

“Looks like the captain’s been hiding something from us.”

“Yohohoho, I think I’ve figured it out.”

“Phew, Luffy handed out a vivre card to everyone, didn’t he?”

Sanji’s reminder jogged their memories. They all suddenly recalled those three days spent in Water 7, when Luffy mysteriously started collecting nail clippings, hair and other odd bits from everyone.

Sanji, ever observant, had caught him in the act. Later, they’d found Luffy standing outside a workshop for making vivre cards.

Even Karl had to admire him. After all, Ye Fan was just a doppelganger Karl had conjured with energy—no real body, no identifying traits.

But somehow, in the split second before his energy faded away, a master craftsman turned the remaining essence into a vivre card.

So when Ye Fan died, his energy became a liquid stream and darted straight into Karl’s body, way up in the sky.

The dying vivre card instantly restored itself—making it clear to Luffy that Ye Fan hadn’t truly died but was hiding himself somewhere.

“Aha! Yup, that’s right! I made some vivre cards for everybody! Look!”

Luffy tore into his roast and, with his free hand, dug out a neat stack of vivre cards. All their names were written out clearly.

At the very top was Ye Fan’s—but the name was starting to fade.

“Jeez, you nearly gave me a heart attack, Luffy.”

“Wahaha, so Ye Fan’s actually okay!” Chopper, delighted, stuffed the scraps of clothing into his little bag and grinned in relief.

Everyone in the Straw Hat Pirates—except Zoro, who was still in a heated duel with Hawk Eyes—was thrilled by the news.

RUMBLE!

Suddenly, a deafening roar ripped through the sky. When they looked up, blinding light flashed in everyone’s eyes.

“Look up there! What’s that?”

“A giant fireball—right in the sky!”

“That spot… it has to be over the Red Line!”

“Skuu-ii!”

“No way, what could be that powerful?”

While everyone else gawked at the fireball, Ace alone was filled with fear.

Even at this distance, he could sense the heat pouring from it in a way he’d never felt before. He controlled fire himself, but this was a power he’d never imagined.

Even separated by kilometers, the air itself twisted from the burning.

The fights paused, if only for a moment.

“Look, something’s coming down from the sky!”

“It’s golden—so blinding!”

“Huh?”

That familiar silhouette made Garp, exhausted at the sidelines, freeze in disbelief.

“Dragon?!”

The golden figure streaked down, arriving at Navy Headquarters in a blink and landing on an intact stretch of wall.

“Whitebeard, Kaido, you both know why I’m here. The real war has started. Stop wasting time on the navy.”

“Hmph. Easy for you to say.”

Kaido spat on the ground, hoisting his kanabo over his shoulder with a grunt.

He wanted to leave, but the navy wouldn’t let him go. He’d hoped they could break through the navy’s defenses together and join the battle above with Whitebeard.

But stubborn old Garp was totally unfazed. These legends from the previous era were stronger than ever, holding Kaido and Whitebeard in place with no room to break free.

Dragon clearly saw Kaido’s scorn, but ignored it, instead turning to the navy on his right.

“I’m Monkey D. Dragon, the current leader of the Revolutionary Army. I’m sure most of you know my name.”

“Let me be clear—I’m not here for more fighting between the navy and Whitebeard or the Kaido Pirates.”

“The Revolutionary Army is attacking the World Government head-on. The freedom of the sea is right within our grasp. Some of you have already been in contact with us.”

“I don’t think I need to explain how much better life is under the Revolutionary Army’s rule.”