The Eternal God… acknowledged me!
That was the only thought thundering in Dragon's mind.
At last—he understood.
He understood the fervor of Orochimaru, the loyalty of Li Shimin.
Now, he too had been recognized.
Granted the title of a Two-Star Priest—
a sacred, glorious identity that marked him as a true envoy of divinity.
Dragon stood, his body trembling slightly from awe.
He didn't dare to look directly into the sky, where the torn heavens revealed an endless, divine realm shimmering beyond mortal reach.
Instead, he gazed upward with deep longing.
Is that the God Realm...?
Amidst the celestial rift, he saw fleeting glimpses:
A world of endless beauty, vast and pure beyond imagination.
A massive, coiling figure slithered lazily across the divine clouds—
the Purple Sky Python, Orochimaru's pet.
And beyond that—
The God Realm itself… it's growing...
It seemed to pulse, expanding ever larger.
———
Meanwhile, atop the altar, Shirahoshi was lifted into the air, wrapped in soft, golden light.
Half-conscious, her body floated upward.
She slowly awoke mid-ascent.
At first, she panicked—but then her wide eyes caught sight of the divine world overhead.
It was breathtaking.
Beautiful beyond any dream she had ever dared to dream.
A strange peace washed over her heart.
She remembered what Mr. Dragon had told her:
"As long as you serve the Eternal God, humans and merfolk alike will know true peace."
Her trembling stopped.
Her fear melted away.
She closed her eyes—and willingly let herself be carried into the God Realm.
Beside her, the tray containing twenty Devil Fruits floated alongside her into the golden rift.
———
Suddenly—
Ding!
[System Notification: Your followers have sacrificed the Mermaid Princess Shirahoshi to you.]
[A thousand-fold increase has been triggered—Shirahoshi has evolved into a Sixth-Rank Rare Race: Sea King Empress.]
Ding!
[Your followers have sacrificed 20 Devil Fruits to you.]
[A five-thousand-fold increase has been triggered.]
[Congratulations: You have received 20,000 Rule Fragments.]
Note:
All law fragments were originally incomplete.
The System has automatically repaired and optimized them.
You have obtained:
Law of Gravity Fragment ×1000
Law of Thunder Fragment ×1000
Law of Fire Fragment ×1000
———
Lucian Carter—paused, slightly stunned.
Wait… there's this kind of bonus too?
It wasn't just law fragments he was receiving from the sacrifice.
Mixed among the rewards were animal gene fragments as well.
Creatures that could be fused with divine power—
and birthed into life inside his God's Domain.
This is awesome...! I don't even need to spend resources to populate my world!
Lucian's grin widened.
He glanced at the swirling Devil Fruits drifting upward.
So in the One Piece world, Devil Fruits are actually broken fragments of the laws of reality...
What a jackpot!
Excitement bubbled inside him.
Each 100 minor fragments could be fused into one full Rule Fragment.
Even though he had previously purchased thousands of fragments—
compared to the scale needed to fully evolve his God Realm—
it wasn't nearly enough.
The more law fragments he fused, the stronger the elemental forces of his domain would become.
For example:
If he gathered 100,000 Fire Law Fragments, he could forge a Fire Godhead.
And with a true godhead?
All fire magic cast in his domain would be ten times stronger.
He could even grant Fire Godheads to his high-ranking believers—
turning them into real gods.
The possibilities were endless.
Lucian's ambition burned brighter than ever.
———
Back in the mortal world...
The space-freeze over the One Piece world finally lifted.
Whitebeard, frozen mid-air, thudded heavily onto the ground.
He gasped for breath, his mighty body trembling.
Looking up at the divine figure hanging in the sky—
for the first time in his life—
Whitebeard felt true fear.
Not fear of death.
Not fear of defeat.
Fear of the unknowable.
This was no longer a matter of strength or will.
This was an entirely different dimension of existence.
All around, the seas fell into eerie calm.
The skies remained dark—
except for the island bathed under the Eternal God's radiance.
Even the distant ships of the Red-Haired Pirates couldn't resist.
Shanks, Beckman, and the entire crew collapsed to their knees, pressed down by overwhelming divine pressure.
It wasn't by choice.
Their strongest wills, their finest haki—
All crumbled under the endless weight of divinity.
Compared to the Eternal God, their Conqueror's Haki wasn't even a spark.
From high above, the Eternal God's voice rolled out across the sea.
"Monkey D. Dragon."
"You, my devout believer, have pleased me greatly."
"I bestow upon you the body of a Dragon, allowing you to transform into the Eastern Azure Dragon."
"I grant you the Thunder of Judgment—
to punish those who defy civilization and peace."
Dragon, trembling with excitement, knelt in the golden light.
The divine power surged through him—
His body lifted into the sky, green energy coiling around him like a storm.
He roared—
and his human form stretched and twisted—
Transforming into a majestic Azure Dragon, over a kilometer long, scales shimmering like jade in the sun.
From his claws crackled golden bolts of divine thunder.
Meanwhile, the Eternal God's gaze shifted—
toward the Navy.
A cold snort echoed across the heavens.
"A group of dogs serving false gods.
Blindly loyal to corruption and decay.
Not worthy to live as men."
"Very well.
From today forth, you will serve your penance.
Until your sins are cleansed—you shall wear the mark of shame."
Speak and it is so.
A golden ripple expanded across the waters.
Except for Garp, Sengoku, and Aokiji—
every single navy soldier was instantly transformed.
Dog heads replaced human heads.
Still standing, still breathing.
But unable to speak.
They could only bark and whimper, trapped in disgrace.
When the divine clouds finally faded—
the once-mighty Navy forces looked pitiful.
Garp, Sengoku, and Aokiji collapsed to their knees, exhausted.
They looked around—
and saw their comrades now barking like helpless beasts.
Their faces twisted in complicated emotions—
shame, rage, helplessness.
In the sky above, Dragon hovered in his new Azure Dragon form, gripping the divine Thunder of Judgment in one claw.
His voice boomed out:
"From this day forward—
the Revolutionary Army shall be known as the Eternal God Cult!"
"We shall spread peace and civilization across all beings!
All who resist—shall be purged without mercy."
"The Celestial Dragons are the cancer of the world—
parasites that drained humanity for centuries.
Their era is over."
"Today, by the will of the Eternal God,
their guardians have been turned into dogs—
a small price for their endless sins."
Among the stunned Navy officers—
Garp closed his eyes tightly.
He clenched his fists so hard his knuckles bled.
He had fought to uphold "justice" his whole life.
But what kind of justice protected the cancerous Celestial Dragons?
What kind of justice betrayed the innocent?
Maybe...
Maybe Dragon had been right all along.
Opening his eyes, Garp looked at his old comrades with sorrow.
Then he turned to Sengoku and whispered:
"I'm sorry, old friend.
From today onward—
I too shall walk under the Eternal God's light."