Chapter 294: The World Government's Heritage

Though he found it difficult to swallow, Sabo couldn't conjure any alternate explanation for the phenomenon before his eyes.

"Hmph! These four individuals represent the true accumulated foundation of our World Government across eight hundred years," the Five Elders remarked, watching the engagement with deep satisfaction. "They are the absolute perfect instruments to liquidate you so-called 'Legendary Four Brothers.'"

Their manner suggested that ultimate victory had already been locked firmly within their palms.

SWISH!

A figure blurred through the air, re-emerging directly before Sabo's coordinates.

So fast!

"Sabo, I've got your back!" Luffy activated Gear Second, vaulting into open airspace as high-density Armament Haki surged through his right fist.

He drove a long-range air punch straight forward.

KABOOM!

The strike connected flush against the face of one of the high-speed masked figures, forcing a faint crack across the surface of the golden porcelain.

"Luffy! Stay sharp—these guys might actually be immortals!" Sabo called out in warning.

"What?!" Before Luffy could process the caution, the masked figure materialized directly before his chest.

"Tempest Kick!"

"That technique is..." Before Luffy could reset his stance, the flying razor-blade shockwave tore through his guard.

A dense plume of white steam erupted, revealing a massive, spherical silhouette expanding within the smoke.

Gear Fourth: Boundman!

Using his boots to strike the air currents as thrusters, Luffy accelerated forward to close the gap instantly.

"Kong Gun!!"

Luffy's fist slammed flush into the masked man's midsection without a microsecond of warning. Filaments of deep crimson, crackling lightning stretched across his arm—a sight recognizable to every veteran on the field.

Advanced Conqueror's Haki infusion!

"T-That... that's...!" Old man Garp's eyes snapped wide in absolute, flabbergasted disbelief.

Garp was intimately familiar with Conqueror's Haki infusion; it was the elite domain reserved exclusively for absolute titans of the sea like Gol D. Roger and Whitebeard.

Could it be... Luffy has already reached that tier?!

Garp—who had previously harbored lingering doubts regarding Luffy's absolute standing—was genuinely shaken to his core. While others might not decode the full gravity of Conqueror's infusion, he understood its subtext with crystal clarity.

It was the definitive mark of a true sovereign.

Among those who attained the title of Yonko, every individual was a monster among monsters, and only figures of that caliber were worthy of wielding true Conqueror's infusion.

Luffy's compressed rubber fist expanded, driving the kinetic energy deep into the masked man's torso and blasting him straight into the bedrock below.

BOOM!

Noticing Sabo falling back under a coordinated assault on the other flank, Luffy yelled out: "ZORO!"

A shadow swept across the ground like a predatory tiger. His three blades drawn and ready, Zoro drove his boot into the stone, vaulting high into the air as he initiated a rapid rotational spin.

"Black Rope: Dragon Twister!"

Yet the swirling tempest of slashes seemed to yield zero kinetic deterrence against the masked attacker.

As the tornado of razor-sharp arcs tore through the air, a faint purple glint flickered in Zoro's eyes, and the Meito Enma in his right hand released a dark, eerie aura.

"Three Blades Style: Purgatory Onigiri!"

Zoro recognized beyond doubt that this adversary was a threat that could not be taken lightly; his absolute combat mass was exceptionally high—easily matching the tier of an Admiral!

The masked figure strode carelessly through the vacuum of the slashing twister, completely unhindered by the surrounding pressure.

Yet just as he was about to breach the storm, a bone-chilling, lethal presence locked firmly onto his signature.

What is this...? Who is that?!

It was only when Zoro materialized before his eyes that the masked man realized the terrifying killing intent originated from the swordsman himself.

Impossible! He struggled to believe an aura of this sheer density could emanate from Zoro.

In that microsecond of hesitation, the slash connected.

"Moonwalk!" The masked figure vanished into thin air.

"WHAT?! That speed was generated by Moonwalk?!" The CP agents watching from below stood dumbfounded.

Movement velocity that practically matched the burst speed of Shave was actually achieved via Moonwalk—how was that physically possible?

Having mastered the Six Powers themselves, the CP operatives understood the mechanics intimately, which made the feat even more incomprehensible.

To their knowledge, even Rob Lucci—who had mastered the Six Powers to a legendary degree—could never produce mobility of that caliber.

The four newly emerged masked figures all operated within that exact, impossible movement tier. When had the World Government produced such an array of supreme powerhouses?

The four Elders watched the display with deep satisfaction. These masked figures were none other than the absolute elite talents harvested from the CP agencies across the past eight centuries.

Whenever an extraordinary prodigy emerged throughout history, Lord Im would personally claim them, subjecting them to secret, specialized cultivation.

Over eight hundred years, merely four individuals had successfully survived the process.

Under normal circumstances, a fifth member would have joined their ranks—Rob Lucci. Had Lucci survived his recent campaigns, he would have eventually been elevated into this squad.

Yet there were no hypothetical scenarios in reality; Lucci was dead.

The Government would never waste cognitive resources clinging to the memory of a deceased asset.

While alive, one was an elite asset; once dead, who would bother remembering your existence?

Furthermore... these four possessed immortal bodies!

The vanished masked figure reappeared directly behind Zoro's back. Detecting the sudden displacement, Zoro spun around, swinging his long blade in a heavy arc.

BANG!

Sparks showered the air as the weapons clashed. Lacking a physical leverage point mid-air, Zoro was forcefully repelled by the kinetic impact.

Landing heavily on his feet, sweat beaded along Zoro's forehead—this opponent's baseline output was formidable!

Gazing up at the masked figure hovering effortlessly in open airspace, Zoro's expression contorted in annoyance, and he barked out: "If you've got the guts, get down here and settle this face-to-face!"

Yet the masked man maintained his cold, aloof posture. Though his features remained hidden behind the golden porcelain, Zoro instinctively filled in the arrogant expression beneath the mask in his mind.

Under Zoro's intense glare, the masked figure slowly raised his hand, extending a single digit.

His middle finger.

"YOU BASTARD?!" Zoro's rage flared instantly, his eyes contorting into fierce, bloodshot circles.

"You think hanging up there keeps you safe from me?!" Zoro focused his energy across his three blades. "One Thousand and Eighty Pound Phoenix!"

A massive flying slash cut through the sky toward the airborne target.

Hm? The masked figure was visibly startled by the density of the slash. Extending his index finger, he fired a rapid sequence of compressed air bullets.

Flying Finger Pistol!

The high-density air bullets detonated against the flying slash, neutralizing the flying attack right before it reached his body.

"Tch, stubborn bastard!" Zoro's face darkened. If he failed to devise a countermeasure, defeating an opponent holding total spatial mobility in open airspace was mathematically impossible.

"Hey, Zoro!" Sanji called out from the plaza floor.

Glancing down at Sanji, Zoro instantly decoded the tactical subtext. "Alright, let's do it!"

Zoro sprinted directly toward Sanji's coordinate.

With a high-velocity propulsion kick from Sanji acting as a launching pad, Zoro surged straight back into the clouds, the Haki across his three blades condensing to its absolute limit.

"Three Blades Style..."

This time, the masked figure chose not to evade, drawing a sleek long sword that had materialized at his waist.

"One Blade Style: Quick Draw!"

As the blade cleared its scabbard, the Armament Haki-infused steel radiated a razor-sharp, lethal pressure.

Zoro's eye snapped wide—this guy was... a fellow swordsman!

"Purgatory Onigiri!!"

Since the opponent was a swordsman, losing was an option that did not exist!

Armament Haki poured frantically into the two blades in his hands, as filaments of deep crimson, crackling lightning began stretching through the surrounding spatial fabric.

Advanced Conqueror's Haki infusion!

Driven by an absolute, unyielding desire for victory, Zoro unconsciously tapped into Conqueror's infusion, exponentially multiplying the destructive energy of his signature technique.

KABOOM!

The collision of steel echoed across the plateau as a massive kinetic shockwave blasted both combatants backward through the air.

The shockwave from their mid-air clash rippled all the way down to the central plaza below.

"WHAT?! ANOTHER Conqueror's infusion?! Since when did Conqueror's infusion become this common?!" Garp yelled, staring in absolute, jaw-dropping shock at the crackling red lightning wrapping around Zoro's blades.