One Piece: I Awakened King Ghidorah At the Start

Hearing those words,

Im couldn't help but recall the last time he had his neck bitten. A chill ran down his spine.

"Don't say such disturbing things!"

Then, with a voice dripping in malice, he continued:

"Since you're so fond of turning Pangaea Castle into a grave, then it's yours."

"Once the 'King of the Underworld' awakens, the Twenty Kings Alliance will come to bring you down again. You'd better enjoy what little peace you have left!"

"We sealed you once before. We can do it again—or even kill you this time…"

Kill me?

King Ghidorah's golden eyes narrowed. He didn't bother to argue with words. Instead, he lifted his wings and slammed them down toward the enemy.

Im had already made up his mind to retreat. Seeing those colossal wings descend like a shadow over the land, he didn't resist and instantly withdrew from the attack range.

His robe flapped wildly in the wind and sand. Facing the storm, he shouted:

"King Ghidorah! What you owe me—I'll reclaim it sooner or later!"

With that, his figure flickered and vanished like a mirage from King Ghidorah's sight.

The storm gradually dispersed, revealing the ruins of Mary Geoise. Most of the remaining Celestial Dragons had already fled. All that remained were civilians and wealthy merchants.

The city resembled a place struck by a cataclysmic earthquake—wails of anguish echoed in all directions.

King Ghidorah ignored the cries, crashing through buildings as he made his way to the central tower.

Boom—!

A thunderous crash rang out. The tower collapsed. From the rubble, his massive head rose, unearthing a giant straw hat.

"This really is the one from back then…"

He turned and looked at the shattered, empty Pangaea Castle. Then, satisfied, he lay down on the rubble beside the collapsed tower to rest.

Ever since breaking out of Impel Down, it had been one ordeal after another. He was tired too!

With the terrifying war finally over, Morgans, ever the dedicated journalist, immediately got to work.

He captured aerial shots of the devastated Mary Geoise from every angle.

He zoomed in and got exclusive close-ups of the terrifying beast resting in the ruins.

He had considered whether to try and interview it, but seeing King Ghidorah's closed eyes, he wisely dismissed the idea.

The firsthand material he now held was more than enough to boost his newspaper's reputation again.

Once the shoot was complete, he quietly left with his crew…

The survivors—those who had endured a doomsday-level catastrophe—looked upon the half-destroyed Mary Geoise with sorrow.

With the World Government evacuated, the people had no choice but to organize relief efforts themselves. Streets and alleys were filled with busy figures.

Everyone instinctively avoided Pangaea Castle. No one dared provoke the creature that now resided there.

Time passed in the flurry of recovery. According to preliminary post-disaster statistics,

this catastrophe had resulted in tens of thousands of deaths in Mary Geoise, with over fifty thousand injured.

But more shocking still, among the Celestial Dragons, nearly a hundred were confirmed dead.

That number might not seem high—

but considering there were barely 200 Celestial Dragons in total, this meant nearly half were wiped out.

One more disaster like this, and they could face extinction.

To the common people, the death of the Celestial Dragons brought no sorrow. Only shock—and a sense of grim satisfaction.

Pity?

Not a chance.

One day later, Morgans returned to his newsroom and published a headline that shook the world.

> The World Government's Capital, the Holy Land Mary Geoise—Destroyed.

Not only that—

The Celestial Dragons and the World Government had been driven out of the Holy Land.

Even more explosive—

The so-called "descendants of the gods," the Celestial Dragons, had suffered near-extinction.

Each of these revelations was enough to overturn the world.

Like a hurricane, this terrifying news swept across the globe…

Bang!

A loud crash echoed in the temporary Marine Headquarters on an island in the New World. The Goat-Bearded Elder of the Five Elders slammed the newspaper onto the table.

"Damn it! Is Morgans trying to go against the World Government now too?!"

"R-Report, sir! A few member nations of the World Government have submitted formal applications to withdraw!"

The messenger entered the office, clearly nervous under the intense atmosphere.

"What?!" the three elders inside exclaimed in unison.

The Navy had suffered devastating losses. The World Government had taken a massive blow. And now, in this critical moment, countries were choosing to withdraw?

This was nothing less than a death knell.

"Who's leading this?" asked the Black-Hatted Elder.

Withdrawals like these wouldn't happen unless someone took the lead.

"It's the Kingdom of Arabasta."

"Arabasta?!"

"Damn it!"

At the name, the three elders' expressions grew grave. If it were any other nation, they might have had room to maneuver.

But the Kingdom of Arabasta was not like the others.

"…Understood. You may leave."

The Goat-Bearded Elder rubbed his temples and waved the messenger away.

"Our current priority is to rebuild the Navy."

"With Sengoku retired, we need someone to take the role of Fleet Admiral."

"We had originally planned to promote Akainu to the position…"

"But now that Akainu is dead, the best candidate would be Aokiji. But that bastard disappeared without a word!"

"We have no choice. Only one Admiral remains—Kizaru will have to become Fleet Admiral!"

…

On a certain island, under the sun, Kizaru—wearing his usual Hawaiian shirt—lay on a beach chair sunbathing, calling it "recovering from injuries."

Buru buru…

"Moshi moshi…" Kizaru slowly answered the Den Den Mushi and said lazily,

"How's that transfer request of mine going?"

"If they don't process it soon, I might just become the next Fleet Admiral~"

"Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps~"

"The situation has changed. Your request was unanimously denied. You are to remain undercover for three more years."

Click.

With that simple statement, the call was ended.

Kizaru's forehead creased with deep wrinkles. After a long sigh, he muttered to himself:

"Three more years… again?"

"Do they want me to sit on the Five Elders' council before they're satisfied?"

…

A terrifying storm swept across the New World.

On the Moby Dick, in an unknown sea, Whitebeard crumpled the newspaper in his grip.

After a long silence, he suddenly burst into loud laughter.

"Kurarararara… What terrifying news!"

"Looks like… the world is about to plunge into chaos…"

On Onigashima, the island next to Wano Country, inside a dark chamber, a giant man gulped down sake from an enormous gourd.

Ton ton ton… He drank deeply, then smashed the gourd to the ground.

With a drunken, savage grin, he growled:

"A terrifying monster? …I wonder if it can kill me!"

On Whole Cake Island, Big Mom's heavily made-up face began to smear as she read the news.

"Mamamamamama… My Totto Land could use a monster like that!"

Time passed.

A few days later…

Despite the destruction, the civilians had not evacuated Mary Geoise.

Because they had nowhere else to go.

That beast, as if making the place its new home, had remained sprawled atop Pangaea Castle without leaving.

Occasionally, a few survivors would glance toward the ruined city walls, hoping for a glimpse of the monster—or tempted by treasures rumored to lie in the Celestial Dragons' vaults.

But the terrifying creature now resting there was like a dragon guarding its hoard.

And they were not heroes destined to slay it.

Still, some were willing to take the risk.

"Think the monster's dead?"

"It hasn't moved in days."

A group of homeless refugees peered through the broken walls toward Pangaea Castle.

"No way. Didn't you see its belly? It's still breathing."

"It's probably just sleeping!" someone offered.

"What if we sneak in while it sleeps? I mean, that place was the Celestial Dragons'—"

"Are you nuts? That thing could kill you with a sneeze!"

"But my home…" The man was interrupted.

"I suggest you forget about it. If you've got a death wish, go ahead—but don't drag us down with you."

"If you're going to try it, wait until we're long gone."

Faced with their warnings, the man hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly followed the group away—though not without casting one last glance toward the creature lying within Pangaea Castle.

At dawn, as the first light crept over the horizon,

a lone shadow slipped out of the refugee camp—sneaking toward Pangaea Castle…

Unbeknownst to him, hidden in the morning fog, other shadows were also silently approaching the ruins…

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