The whole world had its eyes on the Sabaody Archipelago, waiting for further developments.
Meanwhile, on the archipelago, Hui sat with his eyes closed, resting.
Beside him, Saint Mosankro's hand had been severed halfway.
Just now, while Hui was deep in thought with his eyes closed, someone couldn't hold back and attacked him.
The outcome was predictable.
The person who had dared to strike at Hui had already become a corpse, lying not far from him.
As for Saint Mosankro, due to that person's reckless action, he had lost half of his arm.
Now, no one else dared to act rashly.
All they could do was wait in silence.
They watched as Hui remained seated, eyes closed, resting.
The scene appeared calm on the surface.
But in truth, under this façade of tranquility, turbulent undercurrents surged.
More and more powerful figures arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago, converging in District 13.
Every single one of them was someone worthy of the title "strong."
Half an hour passed, Kong arrived.
Fifty minutes passed as one of the Five Elders arrived.
An hour later, Hui finally opened his eyes.
"Did you gather everything?"
He looked at the pale-faced man and asked.
"Y-Yes! We gathered the agreed amount!"
The man was so nervous that he stammered. He quickly commanded his subordinates to bring the Devil Fruits over and place them on the ground.
Hui swept his gaze over them and immediately confirmed that there were exactly thirty Devil Fruits, not one more, not one less.
This made him nod in satisfaction.
"The Devil Fruits are here. Can you release Lord Mosankro now?"
The man asked, his eyes locked on Hui.
Hui had no intention of going back on his word, his goal had only been the Devil Fruits. Obtaining thirty at once was an absolute gain.
With a light wave of his hand, the thirty Devil Fruits on the ground instantly vanished.
This action immediately confirmed to everyone that Hui possessed space-related abilities.
It also explained why he had been so confident all along.
After securing the Devil Fruits, Saint Mosankro, who had been floating beside Hui, was swiftly released and sent flying toward the man.
Hui kept his promise, he returned the hostage.
Catching Mosankro, the man immediately retreated at full speed, putting as much distance as possible between himself and Hui.
And at that very moment, countless bullets, dazzling multi-colored energy blasts, radiant attacks of various forms, all sorts of offensive techniques were unleashed at Hui in an overwhelming barrage.
BOOM!!!
A deafening explosion erupted, completely engulfing the spot where Hui had been standing, transforming it into a blinding spot of light.
As the explosion raged, countless figures emerged from the shadows, surrounding the blast zone in multiple layers.
In truth, most of them knew that their efforts were futile.
That man had undoubtedly used his spatial abilities to escape.
But regardless of the reality, whether it was out of frustration or a desperate gamble, in that brief instant, everyone had unleashed their full power against Hui's position.
As the light from the explosion gradually faded, people looked over and their pupils shrank.
Then, their eyes widened in shock.
In the midst of the deep crater left by the explosion, Mochizuki Hui stood in midair, completely unharmed.
He was in the exact same position he had been standing in before, as if all their attacks had only managed to destroy the ground beneath him.
"There's no point in attaking me."
Hui finally spoke.
Then, shaking his head slightly, he continued, "This world is truly rotten to the core. Not just its society, its very way of thinking."
"I have traversed countless years, from the distant past to the far future."
"You are the worst generation I have ever seen."
The moment those words fell, silence blanketed the entire battlefield.
No one knew how to respond.
"Forget it. There's no point in wasting my breath."
"Since this era is already decayed, then let it be destroyed."
"And in its place, let a new era rise."
Hui's voice resounded, sending waves through everyone's hearts.
"What an arrogant claim. Create a new era? Just by yourself?
"You think that having spatial abilities makes you invincible?
"Such a naive idea."
A voice rang out.
Hui turned to look.
The speaker was a strong, broad-chested old man with tanned skin and a white beard and hair shaped like the spikes.
A stitched scar ran beneath his left eye. He wore a sleeveless black shirt adorned with medals, exposing his muscular arms.
A dark green armband wrapped around his bicep, and a pale yellow scarf draped around his neck. Over his shoulders hung a white and dark gray coat, standard attire for a high-ranking marine officer.
This man was none other than the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, Kong.
"My naivety is not something you can judge," Hui responded.
"A summer insect cannot talk about snow. A frog in a well knows nothing of the vast sky."
His words sent an invisible pressure rippling through the gathered crowd.
What bold words.
He was probably the first person in history to speak to Kong in such a way.
Even Kong himself was momentarily stunned by Hui's response.
But his expression soon darkened as he stared at Hui and said, "Where did this insolent brat come from? To dare speak to me like this."
"Kidnapping a Celestial Dragon and extorting the government, you won't escape here today. Accept your fate."
Upon hearing this, Hui merely laughed.
"Insolent brat? I can't even remember how many years it's been since someone last called me that."
"Alright,
"Your name is Kong, correct? The Fleet Admiral of this world's Marines?
"I've always been curious, what is the true purpose of the Marines?
"To uphold justice?
Hui's tone turned mocking.
"How laughable.
"What you uphold is the so-called 'justice' of the Celestial Dragons, isn't it?
"A force that protects the very cancer of this world, yet calls itself the guardians of justice, what a ridiculous joke.
"When the Celestial Dragons oppress and violate the weak, you aid and abet their crimes.
"When the Celestial Dragons slaughter innocents at will, you turn a blind eye.
"The Celestial Dragons, those creatures who commit every sin imaginable, are your so-called masters, the ones you serve under the banner of justice?
"What exactly are you protecting? What exactly are you upholding?
"You all already know the truth, yet you refuse to face it.
"That's why the so-called 'righteous' Marines are nothing more than a bunch of sanctimonious hypocrites.
"You stand on a false moral high ground, flaunting the banner of justice while ruthlessly crushing anyone who threatens your interests.
"You parade under the guise of righteousness, yet you act as the enforcers of darkness.
"And still, you consider yourselves noble and honorable?
"You are nothing more than executioners of darkness, yet you shamelessly claim to be emissaries of the light.
"In the name of justice, you recruit new soldiers, fabricating false hope.
"But in truth, you strangle true hope in its cradle before it even has a chance to bloom.
"How pathetic. How detestable.
"Do you know how history will remember you a hundred years from now?
"The Marines, the enforcers of darkness, the fiercest hunting dogs of the Celestial Dragons, the enemies of revolution, the executioners of hope, the most wretched remnants of the old era."
Hui's words struck like thunder, causing Kong's breathing to grow erratic.
"Utter nonsense!"
Kong bellowed, his voice filled with rage.
But before he could say more, Hui interrupted him.
"Celestial Dragon Saint Mosankro, twenty-eight years old.
"At the age of eight, he killed two servant girls, who were ordinary civilians.
"At nine, while walking down the street, he shot an elderly man dead because the old man failed to kneel in time.
"At twelve, during an auction, he publicly murdered a nobleman, all because that noble refused to hand over his daughter to be Mosankro's personal slave.
"At sixteen, while out on a whim, Mosankro rampaged through the streets, slaughtering more than a hundred people simply because he was in a bad mood. To cover it up, the Marines executed every last person on that island.
"At eighteen…
"At twenty…
"At twenty-eight…
Hui listed each and every one of Mosankro's crimes, revealing them in a chillingly calm manner.
"Such a deranged, depraved monster, and yet, he is one of the Marines' top-priority protectees."
"This?! this is your so-called justice?"
Hui's piercing gaze locked onto Kong's eyes, his words filled with biting mockery.
Kong's entire body trembled, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
He opened his mouth as if to speak, but no words came out.
join my patreon for 150+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/HyppoTL