There's an old saying:

Fear doesn't always come from a lack of courage—

Sometimes, it's born from a lack of judgment.

At this moment, Morgans embodied that perfectly…

When you watch monsters clash in a movie, it's entertaining.

But when that same destruction unfolds in reality, no one can possibly stay calm.

---

Staring up at the beast bursting through the clouds, dragging a giant like a ragdoll, Morgans and his two companions were completely frozen.

All their thoughts vanished into raw fear.

Their only instinct was:

Get away. Get away from here—now.

And then…

One of the monster's terrifying heads glanced their way.

Just a single golden eye—

And it felt like the world had gone dark, like they were being swallowed into an abyss.

---

But in the midst of that terror, Morgans' hand brushed against the camera hanging around his neck.

His memories flashed back—

And somehow, he managed to suppress the fear bubbling inside him.

Trembling, he raised the camera.

Click. Click.

He didn't stop to think if he'd be attacked next.

He only had one thought:

This story will make the World Economic News the most powerful name on the planet!

---

High in the sky, Ghidorah noticed him.

That ridiculous outfit—that bird-man form—it immediately told him who it was:

Morgans, one of the "Four Emperors of the Underground World."

But he didn't care.

He had no time to waste.

Still clutching the struggling Saki, he continued to ascend.

---

"Bastard…" Saki growled, voice hoarse from the chokehold.

"Bastard?"

"Not quite… You're the dead one."

Ghidorah's voice was mocking, cold.

Then—at several thousand meters above sea level—he suddenly released his grip.

---

"And so, a dead man's final resting place… should be buried deep beneath the earth."

"Marineford makes a fine grave for you."

He let go.

And the giant plummeted.

---

"You monster…! The Giant Titan Corps will never forgive you…"

"And the Ancient Kings even less!"

Even as he fell, Saki's face showed no fear of death.

Calm as ever, he roared up at Ghidorah.

---

Gravity took over.

He fell faster than he rose.

Friction ignited his body—

Flames engulfed him.

Skin and muscle burned away, exposing blackened metal bones.

The flames intensified—

His skeleton glowed red-hot.

---

BOOOOOOOM!!!

The impact shook the entire world.

Like a meteor striking Earth, Marineford split apart.

A shockwave radiated outward in rings—

Sand and stone soared toward the coastline, and within seconds, a tsunami dozens of meters high surged across the sea.

Gigantic warships were instantly ripped to pieces.

High above, Ghidorah looked down at the devastation below, completely satisfied.

---

Titan Corps?

Ancient Kings?

"Perfect."

"If you're all alive… then revenge is going to be so much more fun."

Muttering to himself, Ghidorah dove back down toward the earth.

---

On the back of a giant white bird, Morgans and his two assistants stared down at the monstrous crater now replacing what was once Marineford.

No one could believe it—

That this was the same naval headquarters that once stood as the symbol of absolute justice across the seas.

---

Just as they stood dumbstruck, the monstrous figure descended once more.

All three of them tensed.

He didn't even glance at them—just continued falling.

---

Morgans' eyes gleamed.

He hesitated, then slapped the bird's side:

"Jasher (OC). We're going down too!"

---

"EH?!?!!"

∑(ﾟДﾟノ)ノ

His two assistants froze in panic.

---

"P-President, are you sure we should go down there?!"

One of them stammered, drenched in cold sweat.

---

"Hehehe… I believe that guy is, well, probably friendly."

Morgans said this with the confidence of a liar who didn't even believe himself.

Still, the giant bird hesitantly flapped downward to follow Ghidorah's path.

If it could talk, the bird would definitely have cursed:

"This is suicide, damn it!"

---

---

Ghidorah hovered above what had once been Marineford, now just a giant crater slowly being filled by seawater.

He looked down.

"You could've been human… and yet you became a monster."

He muttered to himself, quietly.

The mission was complete.

This was victory.

The next step?

Find the rest of his old subordinates.

He was sure they were still alive—somewhere in the world.

---

Whoosh! Whoosh!

A voice suddenly called out from nearby.

---

"G-Greetings, Lord Ghidorah! I'm Morgans, president of the World Economic News Paper!"

"I was wondering… would you mind giving me a quick interview?"

---

A giant white bird landed nearby.

Atop it stood the tall bird-man himself, doffing his top hat nervously.

---

Oh my God—he actually asked!

He actually asked! We're gonna die!

His two assistants were trembling behind him, on the verge of collapse.

Ghidorah's golden eyes shifted toward them.

Then—after a long pause—he grinned:

"Sure."

That grin—like a demon's—sent a shiver down all three of their spines.

Morgans paused for a second, then bowed politely.

---

"Hehehe, Lord Ghidorah, apologies for interrupting your time."

"I'm… very curious about your identity. I have some information, but I'd love a direct confirmation."

---

"Oh?"

"Then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."

Ghidorah smirked.

"Even if I told you—

you wouldn't dare publish it."

"Unless you're ready to lose everything you own."

---

The three of them inhaled sharply.

He wasn't bluffing.

Morgans knew: with the kind of power Ghidorah held, if he published the wrong thing…

The World Economic News could very well become the next Marineford.

He laughed awkwardly.

---

"Haha… truly a shame, then."

"Well, may I ask—now that Marineford is gone—what's your next move?"

---

"Next move?"

Ghidorah paused, then grinned:

"Why, to go home, of course."

---

"Go… home?"

"Could you tell us where exactly that is?"

"The Red Line. Mary Geoise."

He said it coldly.

---

"Nanii?!?!?"

∑(O_O;)

The three froze. They couldn't believe what they heard.

---

Mary Geoise?

The Holy Land?!

The center of global power?!

Was this monster's home... there?

That could only mean—another devastating war was coming.

---

This is it. The biggest scoop in history.

---

"Alright then."

"Time for me to go."

With that, Ghidorah spread his wings—

And soared toward the Red Line.

---

"P-P-President, h-he's gone!"

One assistant stammered, still stunned.

---

Morgans snapped out of it—then screamed in excitement.

---

"Quick! Get ready to fly to Mary Geoise!"

"This is it—ANCIENT MONSTER SLAUGHTERS MARY GEOISE—that'll be the headline of the century!"

---

"Ahhh, President! C-Can we just go back and write the story from here?!"

Both assistants shouted in unison.

---

But Morgans was completely possessed—

Eyes locked on the Red Line, he yelled:

"Fly faster, Jasher! To the Holy Land!"

---

The clouds cleared. The smoke faded.

Sunlight returned to Marineford's skies.

But on the blue sea…

The island was gone.

In its place was a crater, filling with seawater—

And jagged rocks protruding from the depths.

---

On the calm sea nearby, a pirate ship slowly approached.

---

"Eh?!"

"Captain, did we come to the wrong place?"

A fat pirate gnawed on a drumstick, his beady eyes staring at the empty ocean.

---

"Ahh—CRAP! Guys! We messed up!"

At the bow, a tall red-haired man in a black cloak—with three scars over his left eye—looked horrified.

---

"No… we're not late."

"We're just… too late."

A gray-haired man with a cigarette in his mouth and a flintlock at his waist spoke grimly.

---

"Too late?"

"But where's the island?!"

"Where's the Navy HQ?!"

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