When the Knights of God and the Five Elders arrived at the old research facility, the air was already thick with a nauseating stench of blood.
The ground was covered with torn bodies, and blood had gathered into a small pool, shimmering with a chilling, dark red light.
The mangled remains lay scattered haphazardly, as if discarded by wild beasts after a feeding frenzy.
Each footstep in the blood-soaked ground sounded heavy, as if the earth itself was emitting a low wail for the departed souls.
Of course, they didn't care about the deaths of these guards and Marines.
Their eyes were filled only with rage at this attack.
Because... this act was like tearing off their faces and trampling them underfoot!!!
Saint Izanbaron V. Nasujuro stood in the center of the ruins, his eyes filled with anger and shock.
The sword in his hand was plunged straight into the ground, and with his heavy strike, the ground shook violently, and fine cracks spread along the blade, as if the earth itself felt the fire in his heart.
Everyone felt an unspeakable sense of oppression enveloping the entire scene.
"When did Mary Geoise become a place where these madmen can come and go as they please!"
His voice was low and cold, filled with irrepressible anger, his words carrying deep humiliation and unwillingness.
However, the surrounding guards and Marines were already cold corpses, the remaining blood had not yet dried, but the bodies were already stiff.
No one could answer his question.
Saint Izanbaron V. Nasujuro's gaze swept over each dead guard, the anger in his heart growing even more intense.
The other Five Elders present also had gloomy faces, and no one spoke.
They never imagined that Mary Geoise, this "holy land" that they had touted for hundreds of years, would suffer such humiliating attacks in quick succession.
Although the scale of destruction this time was not as great as last time, they knew that it was definitely not just luck.
The other party had obviously become more cunning and deadly after learning about Mary Geoise's defenses.
And this time, the intruders were not just there for simple destruction.
"What about those Marines and guards?" One of the Five Elders' voices was low and cold, as if still holding a glimmer of hope, wanting to find some survivors or clues from the scene.
"Not a single survivor."
A member of the Knights of God responded in a low voice, his voice filled with grief and helplessness.
His gaze swept over the corpses on the ground, and he gripped the sword in his hand, as if the sword had become his only support.
As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere instantly became more stagnant, and the faces of the Five Elders became even more gloomy, as if shrouded in a cloud that was difficult to dispel.
They found this result unacceptable.
Mary Geoise, symbolizing the absolute authority of the World Government, was repeatedly provoked, and those Marines and guards who should have been loyal to them and protected them were powerless to resist in this conflict.
"Have we underestimated the courage of these people?" Another Five Elder said coldly, a sinister light flashing in his eyes.
He knew that the intruders' goal was far from simple destruction; what they wanted was not just chaos, but to shake the authority of the World Government.
Saint Izanbaron V. Nasujuro gripped the sword in his hand tightly, the anger in his heart had nowhere to vent.
They thought the last attack was an accidental event, but this time, it clearly exposed the World Government's defensive weaknesses and underestimation of the enemy.
"He wasn't here for destruction," one of the Five Elders said calmly, but his eyes were sharp as knives, "What he wanted, he may have already taken."
His eyes swept across the ruins of the research institute, his pupils reflecting the empty vault.
He knew that Blackbeard had obviously achieved his goal.
Everyone's hearts began to be alert; these damned guys were repeatedly provoking the authority of the World Government in such a short period of time, and they had successfully retreated unscathed.
The tacit understanding between the Five Elders was silent and profound.
They understood that this matter was no longer just an "accident," but a crisis that needed to be dealt with quickly.
If they did not take action as soon as possible, this attack was likely to trigger a greater chain reaction, shaking the foundation of the World Government.
However, at this moment, they could only stand in the pool of blood, watching Mary Geoise, which once symbolized absolute security, stained with the color of blood.
This humiliation and anger would burn in their hearts for a long time.
The Five Elders stood at the blood-stained scene, the air filled with the aura of death and the unease gradually rising in their hearts.
The traces and evidence at the scene pieced together an unbelievable conclusion.
"These traces..." A member of the Knights of God squatted down, pointing to the remaining black aura and twisted cracks on the ground, his tone filled with disbelief, "These should be caused by Blackbeard, but wasn't he already dead?"
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's eyes suddenly focused, especially the Five Elders.
Their eyes quickly exchanged glances, and their eyes were no longer just surprised, but gradually revealed a trace of deep unease and incomprehension.
As people standing at the pinnacle of the world, their bodies had surpassed the limits of ordinary life due to Imu's gift, and their recovery power was countless times stronger than that of awakened Zoan fruit ability users.
Even if they suffered serious injuries, they could heal quickly—this was the key to their invincibility.
However, how could a body like Blackbeard's, which had been chopped into pieces and completely lost its vital signs, be resurrected?
A silence spread, and the tense atmosphere made the surrounding air seem to become thin.
Saint Shepherd X. Piet's eyes were deep, and his tone was low but full of vigilance: "The most important thing now is that he took that fruit."
His eyes fell on the surroundings, and the traces of abilities that had not completely dissipated intensified the worry in his heart.
Saint Marcus Mars calmly observed his surroundings, a sharp light flashing in his eyes. He slowly walked to a place where the traces of abilities were most obvious, squatted down and carefully examined it for a moment.
Then he stood up and said uneasily: "It may not have been taken away, but directly eaten by him."
This sentence was like a thunderbolt, shocking the faces of the Knights of God present.
They looked at the remaining traces, so shocked that they could hardly speak.
Blackbeard already possessed the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit, how could he eat a second one?
This phenomenon is absolutely impossible to achieve in conventional cognition.
However, the facts were in front of them and could not be ignored.
"Hasn't he already eaten the Dark-Dark Fruit?" A knight member's voice trembled, his eyes filled with doubt and unease, as if hoping to get a reasonable explanation from the Five Elders.
Saint Shepherd X. Piet among the Five Elders glanced at him, his expression cold: "Although I don't know why, this is the fact."
His tone was extremely cold and decisive, full of unquestionable authority.
The entire scene instantly fell into a strange silence, and the only thought that flashed through everyone's minds was that Blackbeard was not only not dead, but had also gained some kind of more terrifying power.
He resurrected, escaped, and may have mastered the power of a second Devil Fruit—this fact cast a shadow over everyone's hearts.
"If Blackbeard masters the power of two fruits..."
Saint Izanbaron V. Nasujuro murmured in a low voice, his voice filled with suppressed anger and unwillingness.
His hand gripped the hilt of the sword tightly, his knuckles turning white, his eyes full of murderous intent, "Mary Geoise's dignity has been desecrated twice by these madmen, we must not give him a third chance."
But they all knew in their hearts that the current situation had gone beyond their control.
Blackbeard's resurrection and potential dual Devil Fruit abilities would become one of the greatest threats facing the World Government.
"He must die." Saint Marcus Mars's voice did not carry a trace of emotion, cold and resolute.
The other Five Elders nodded silently, their eyes gloomy as water.
At this moment, they had already made up their minds to eliminate this ever-expanding dark force at all costs.
...
