At that moment, time seemed to stop across the entire world. In Marineford, papers fell from the hands of Marine officers. In Mary Geoise, Celestial Dragons screamed in terror. And in Egghead, the blood froze in Saint Saturn's veins as he looked at the shattered screen that showed—for a single second—Rayle's features engraved behind the Sacred Throne.
"This broadcast... must end now!" Saturn screamed in a non-human voice, and a black aura exploded from him, destroying all remaining transmission devices around him.
But it was too late. The world had seen the "Sin."
Teach (Blackbeard) looked at Rayle with eyes full of suspicion. "Zehahahaha! Young man... who are you really? Are you the true King hiding behind the curtain? Or are you the Demon that 'Imu' fears?"
Rayle did not answer. He was looking at the Ancient Giant Robot, Emeth, who knelt before him. He placed his hand on the cold metallic head of the robot, and purple threads glowed from his palm, permeating the joints of the ancient giant.
"Emeth... you're tired of waiting, aren't you?" Rayle whispered. "I left you to guard the 'Gate of Dawn' for centuries, and now it's time to finish what we started with Joy Boy."
Suddenly, the giant robot stood to its full height and released a metallic roar that tore through the clouds. Its energy didn't stem from the "Eternal Flame" that Vegapunk sought, but was fed by the "Void Energy" emanating from Rayle's body.
"Dragon!" Rayle called out without turning. "If you want to protect your son's crew, you must get them off the island now. Because I am about to erase this place from the map."
Dragon, who had been watching in silence, felt the pressure of the Haki coming from Rayle. It was a pressure unlike any usual Conqueror's Haki; it didn't try to subjugate opponents, but made them feel as if their very existence was fading.
"Who are you, Rayle?" Dragon asked sharply. "Are you an ally of freedom... or are you seeking a greater destruction?"
Rayle smiled a bitter smile. "Freedom is a beautiful word, Dragon... but the Void is the only thing that doesn't need freedom, because it has no shackles to begin with. Go... now!"
At that moment, Saturn's eyes turned crimson, and he launched a suicidal attack. His body transformed into a massive mass of demonic flesh and black toxins, rushing toward Rayle like a falling meteor. "You won't leave here alive! I will annihilate your very atoms!"
Calmly, Rayle raised only his index finger.
"Void: Absolute Horizon!"
A transparent, purple-tinged circular wave erupted from Rayle's finger. When it collided with Saturn's massive body, there was no explosion. What happened was far more terrifying. The front part of Saturn's body began to "melt" into the air. There was no pain, only the disappearance of matter.
Saturn screamed in terror as he saw half of himself vanishing into nothingness. "Imu-sama!! Save me!!"
Suddenly, something happened that made Dragon and Teach instinctively recoil.
From the middle of the sky, the clouds split and a cold "beam of light" appeared—not from the sun, but a beam resembling the weapon that destroyed the Lulusia Kingdom. But this time, it wasn't aimed at the entire island; it was aimed with pinpoint accuracy toward Rayle.
"Imu has awakened..." Dragon whispered, looking at the sky.
Rayle looked up and didn't blink. "You've taken a long time to notice me, Imu. Do you still fear facing me face-to-face?"
As the beam of destruction approached with lightning speed, Rayle grabbed the shoulder of the giant robot and, with a swift movement, opened a "rift" in space behind him.
"Teach... Dragon... we will meet in Elbaf. There, where history is buried, I will reveal to you why your family was named with the letter 'D'."
The moment the beam struck the earth, a white explosion occurred that swallowed all vision. When the dust settled, the laboratory area had disappeared, and no trace of Rayle or the giant robot remained.
However, in a place very far away... in the Green Room at the heart of Mary Geoise, a figure sat in the darkness, holding a torn picture of Rayle. A hand trembled—not with fear, but with a long-suppressed ancient rage.
And with a voice trembling with truth, the person sitting on the Throne uttered a single word that echoed throughout the sacred palace:
"Traitor... he has returned."