"Predicting the future!?"

The Five Elders' pupils contracted simultaneously at that moment, their minds unconsciously surging with this unbelievable thought.

In that instant, they immediately grasped the situation.

Especially Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro himself, who had launched the attack, clearly saw the flickering crimson light within Daren's dark eyes. Without the perceptive Observation Haki of the future-foreseeing realm, there was no way he could have dodged that slash just now!

But how could this be possible!?

How much time had passed since their last encounter with this brat, Daren? Not even half a year!

In such a short span, he had not only successfully developed his Devil Fruit to the Awakening stage, mastering a terrifying ability to stimulate his body into an overload of explosive strength, but he had even cultivated his Observation Haki to the point of predicting the future!?

If they hadn't witnessed it themselves, the Five Elders wouldn't have dared to believe this was real.

"Don't look so shocked. Many representatives from Member Nations are watching, and there's even a video transmission via Den Den Mushi."

Ice crystals shattered and crumbled under the impact of his military boots' Haki, scattering like starlight across Daren's cheeks. His black hair whipped wildly in the gale, his eyes blazing crimson like blood-red stars. Daren lifted his head with a smile.

"After all, you are the Five Elders. Together, you possess four thousand years of accumulated wisdom. What haven't you seen? Predicting the future isn't exactly a rare ability..."

Hearing this, Nusjuro Shō instinctively froze, his eyes instantly filling with bloodshot veins.

"You—!"

An endless surge of rage erupted from his chest, but before his furious growl could finish, a fist wrapped in crimson-black lightning closed in on his face at an impossible speed. In the reflection of his pupils, it magnified to extreme proportions.

So fast!

When did this happen?

This kind of speed!!

Nusjuro's heart pounded wildly as an unfamiliar, overwhelming sense of pressure washed over him. The overwhelming Haki forged from crimson-black lightning, the terrifying strength and speed driven by blue-purple arcs... This single black fist erupted like an electromagnetically propelled rocket, reaching its absolute limit.

Nusjuro even saw the very air before him shatter under the fist's strength, blurring his vision.

"Unlike you old fossils who've lived centuries, this punch has less than half a year's worth of cultivation behind it."

The fist descended!

The next second.

Boom!

Under the gaze of a Doflamingo whose eyes blazed with excitement and fervor, under the stunned expression of Stussy, her red lips slightly parted, under the frozen stares of dozens of Member Nations representatives and hundreds of spectators, the fist, trailing lightning, slammed viciously into Nusjuro Shōsei's face!

BOOM!

Like a nuclear explosion, lightning, shockwaves, and a hurricane, compressed to their absolute limit, erupted outward in all directions.

Snap! Crack!

A continuous series of bone-shattering sounds echoed. The sheer force of the punch blew Nusjuro Shōsei's entire face apart into countless fragments of flesh and bone. The transmitted and diffused power caused the "Bakotsu" form of his lower body to shatter, its skeletal structure cracking and developing countless dense, intricate fissures.

"Magnetic Field Rotation · Honesty Impact!"

Boom!!

White shockwaves rippled outward as Daren stepped forward, a savage grin spreading across his face. With a fierce snarl, he unleashed a devastating punch!

"Bakotsu" Nusjuro, along with his skeletal horse, was sent flying through the air. The explosive force pressed the Celestial Stairway into a deep groove before he crashed like a cannonball into the vast plaza's center.

An earth-shattering roar echoed through the air, shaking the entire plaza violently. The ground erupted, creating a massive crater, with countless cracks radiating outward.

The representatives of the Member Nations, already scrambling for cover under the protection of their guards, stared in stunned disbelief at Nusjuro—one of the Five Elders, the Warrior God of Finance—now deeply "embedded" in the colossal pit.

"The... the Five Elders... just got knocked flying like that?"

"One punch... he couldn't even block that guy's punch?"

"This is terrifying…"

"So Morgans' report wasn't exaggerated... That villain Rogers Daren really has the strength to 'tear apart' a Five Elder!"

"No, this isn't just not exaggerated—I think Morgans was being too conservative in his writing!"

"…"

The horrified kings of the Member Nations gawked at the bloodied, mangled form of Saint Nusjuro. His skeletal horse body was nearly shattered, the bones and flesh disintegrating. The gruesome sight made them gasp in shock.

"Too powerful... That single punch... Even the attack of King Elizabeth II of the Prodence Kingdom couldn't match it, could it?"

King Riku murmured blankly from the crowd.

King Elizabeth II of the Kingdom of Prodence possessed overwhelming strength by birthright. Using his naturally powerful physique, he could unleash a devastating heavy punch called the "King Punch," capable of instantly breaching enemy fortresses with a single blow.

Legend had it that even legendary pirates like Whitebeard or Big Mom would die on the spot if struck by it, earning the punch the title of "The Weapon of Destruction."

However, because the punch required immense physical energy, it needed at least one hour of warm-up before it could be executed properly. That was why it was called the "family heirloom sword"—a technique that could only be used once per battle.

As a royal family that revered strength and competition, King Riku had always admired and been fascinated by the "King Punch."

Cobra's mouth twitched as he snapped, irritated:

"Stop spacing out! We can't stay here any longer!"

He lifted his head, his eyes full of worry as he looked at the towering figure standing atop the shattered Celestial Stairway. That figure was twisting its neck and cracking its knuckles.

That bastard Daren clearly intended to cause something catastrophic!

With the terrifying power he had just shown, the outcome of this "war" was no longer something the Five Elders could decide!

The others began to realize this too, growing more frantic and tense as they fled the plaza like madmen.

"Wait! Nusjuro's body... it's regenerating!"

"What kind of power is that!?"

"Can injuries like that really heal?"

"Could immortality really exist?"

A wave of gasps erupted from the crowd.

Under their stunned gazes, black flames enveloped Nusjuro's body. A few seconds later, the massive Bakotsu walked slowly out of the pit once again, this time with even more vigor and pride.

Utterly unscathed!

"This brat's strength... something's off."

Nusjuro adjusted his glasses, his eyes flickering with apprehension.

The other Five Elders stood frozen in place, their expressions dark and foreboding.

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