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85% One Piece: Path to Power / Chapter 149: [149] Cradle of the Gods (VI)

Chapter 149: [149] Cradle of the Gods (VI)

[5300 words]

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The chaos of God Valley continued. With every passing day, the world became disorderly, ringing alarms through the seas.

The first day, February 1st, was slowly meeting its end; the sun had long bid farewell and allowed night to arrive.

BOOM!

A 20-foot-tall Wendigo was thrown a dozen steps back; its right arm pounded red.

"Dammit, his Armament is even higher than the Boss'!" Solomon remarked, gnashing his teeth from the throbbing of his dominant arm.

The cow-skulled beast huffed an annoyed breath, its rotten eyes looking to the sides and seeing its two companions.

"Kaen, Hensō. Look alive! It's only the first day!"

The envy-faced mask user returned a quick nod, raising both arms.

*Crackle* With a growl, his limbs exploded with blue lightning, conveying his glare of avarice.

Meanwhile, Kaen snapped his fingers, spawning two fireballs in both palms. 

The three of them faced down the slowly walking marine. With his short purple hair, metal arm, and burly body, he was a walking tank.

"You do realize your body will grow immune to those stamina shots you keep pumping yourselves with," Zephyr remarked, his eyes narrowing at the trio.

"Kuhuhu!" Solomon howled, but his laugh was broken and distorted past the eeriness of his fruit form. "Worry 'bout yourself, Black Arm! Plus, aren't you purposefully going easy on us so you don't have to save those pigs with your own hands?"

The Admiral Candidate froze in his steps. 

A breeze of hesitation whirled around his muscular frame but was quickly replaced with firmness. "I have no idea what you speak of, pirate."

Solomon grinned, his skull-head stretching in frightening ways. "It's okay. The Boss told me the day you still regret…"

Zephyr's fists clenched hard as he heard the enemy's reference to the stain in his heart: "...Naufragium Island."

Kaen raised an eyebrow, recalling a previous headline: "Oh, yeah! Weren't you the guy who led the Buster Call to sink that island? The one that built the Titanic?"

The reminders forced the burly man to look to the floor with shame. He remembered the face of the hulking Quentin Hammer.

And before he knew it, the black fog hissing from Solomon had already surrounded him…

"Follow behind me like the loyal dog you are. Hehe, that's right. With the mighty Marine Supernova by my side, no one will stop me from building a ship fit for a God!"

"What!? What do you mean you won't do it?"

"Like I said, Saint Equínox. Naufragium Island won't do as you ask…but I can direct you to a more luxurious shipbuilder instead."

"You damn brute! How dare you refuse a God! Cipher Pol…enslave this brute's son for me, hehe, now you'll know the price of disrespecting a Celestial Dragon! Your entire island will have my fury!"

The mighty marine grunted, his hand cupping his aching head. The memory of his first significant mission going awry. Hammer's refusal led to an Island Bounty, and the next day, Naufragium was in ruins with all but a few survivors.

Twenty years later, Zephyr was tasked to obliterate Hammer's home…

"Hammer, it seems you've made your choice."

"Hamu-Hamu-Hamu! Zephyr, you're a good guy amongst the top dogs of the Marines. You helped many of our residents out before the bounty hunters arrived; you don't owe me anything."

With a reluctant sigh, the Black Arm raised his head, his sharp eyes cutting through the nefarious mist like a blade.

His gaze fell on the enormous Titanic. Although it was a shell of its former self due to the abuse, it remained true to its name.

"Was that ship worth it?"

"That ship will be the spark that will light the fire that will burn the World Government down!"

BOOM!

Crimson energy burst out from the oppressive marine, his eyes locking onto the grinning Solomon.

"I hope you three can remain standing for the next few days. It'll spare further shame on my Justice."

By the second day, things had gotten redundant. Battles continued while time slipped by. The sun rose and arrived at its peak, sighing at the lakes of blood and piles of corpses. 

The stench of slaughter had long made itself known. A school of Sea Kings had also arrived under the shrieking island—so much death leaking into the shores was food for them!

Before anyone knew it, two days had already passed…

Clang!

Think metal of famed blades quivered under the brutal assault they faced.

Each shiny blade reflected the smirks of their opponents. Both men had similar golden hair, but the dual-wielding Shiki seemed far more relaxed than Rayleigh.

"Good grief. You are relentless!" 

With a roar of great strength, the Dark King tore through the twin blades, sending the Golden Lion ten meters back.

"Jihahaha! I hope your friend gets up soon. You can't hold me down alone, Rayleigh!"

Shiki slashed his swords hundreds of times with a proud Haki roar, mixing in his fruit powers.

Grim reality flashed through Rayleigh's eyes—a vision of the future. He saw the Golden Lion holding the blade attacks in thin air, only to send them out together in the thousands.

"Cheh, he's relying on endless attacks to overwhelm the future I see."

Shiki heard his adversary's conclusion, cackling at its authenticity. "Why don't you ever try not spoiling the fun with that Future Sight of yours."

Rayleigh scoffed. He wrapped his blade with dense Haki in preparation to defend. "I'm afraid I will never reach the same level of admiration as you have for your Captain…"

"Jihahaha! Then I'll just sharpen my Haki against yours until I can Kill the Future!!!"

BOOOOM!

A burst of silver and gold lit up the ashy skies of God Valley. The tremors ran through the land, even reaching the battle at the core.

Lava bubbled at the surface, popping with heat and smoke—a dull haze of despair had come to welcome the third day of the duel between Rocks and Garp & Roger.

"Xahaha! Looks like Shiki is lighting this place up."

Roger spat out a wad of blood, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his coat. "Wahahaha! It'll take more to bring down my Partner and Gaban!"

His eyes narrowed at the bloodied figure of Rocks. The man had been through hell and back in the past few days. 

"Just like him, you're draining your Haki twice as fast battling two enemies."

Garp hummed at Roger's words, raising his bruised fist. He hid his frustration with the team-up and slowly spoke, "You should drop dead now, Xebec. Every day this war continues, more and more innocents are thrown into panic."

"You disgust me with your stubbornness to save them, Garp!" Rocks' roar fuelled his seemingly endless spirit. However, under the sharp eyes of his opponents, the bursting Haki had thinned.

Garp appeared before the Abyssal Sin in a white streak, landing a lava-orange fist into the man's liver.

The Vice Admiral's thunderous eyes were unbecoming of his usual lax spirit. He glared straight into Rocks' dark pupils and boomed, "Just fall dead already, Xebec!!!"

The third day and third night came and went—it was the fourth day already.

Rays of orange pierced the thick cloud of ash over God Valley, shedding some warmth to every corner of the damned island.

But the peaceful setting didn't last…

BOOOM! 

The air itself exploded into giant shards of glass, birthing a colossal wave of shock that rang the Cradle of the Gods to its roots!

Five miserable cries broke out, each from an exalted God's Knight.

"Edward Newgate! How dare you strike down a Sentinel of Mariejois!" 

The white-mustached pirate showed his disdain as his giant foot slammed into the fresh corpse of a Knight. He glared down at Garling while crunching the enemy with his boot. 

The problem was that the Knight who fell was actually a Celestial Dragon, much like Garling! The same was true for all the figures surrounding the world shaker.

"Gurarara! You point your fancy swords at me and think I won't break you in half?" he questioned with a grin fit for a pirate.

Whitebeard was in a festive mood. His qualms with sailing alongside a fleet of scum had settled for every Saint he killed.

The spanning Murakumogiri was raised in the air, bubbling with white energy. And with a violent roar, Newgate tore open space itself, summoning a flurry of natural disasters onto the dozens of knights.

Garling gnashed his teeth, hopping around the collapsing earth, dodging the ravine being born.

"This Sacred Land in such disarray…it's a sin worthy of a thousand deaths!!!"

The fifth day went by just as fast. The Marines had impressively switched between a reserve force and an active force every passing day, fifty thousand at a time.

They stayed on the shores, tackling the eight thousand pirates that remained. It was slow, tedious, and tiring, but the enemy numbers were falling fast!

And finally, one fateful evening, a significant change occurred at God Valley's center.

Moments ago, the battlefield quaked under the roar of a mighty pirate, Gol D. Roger…

.

"God's Demise!"

.

BOOOOOM!

The blade roared through the air like the scream of a god. A brilliant, blinding arc of energy erupted from the sword, shimmering with the golden light of Roger's Conqueror's Haki. The ground beneath his feet cracked and shattered, unable to bear the weight of the unleashed force.

The slash tore through the air, its edges rippling with black lightning. The energy wave shot forward from the center of God Valley, cutting through the earth like a divine judgment. It cleaved the massive mountains of God Valley as though they were made of parchment, their towering peaks crumbling under the sheer might of the slash.

CRASH!

The mountains split apart, sending colossal chunks of rock tumbling into the sea, and the very island seemed to groan under the weight of Roger's power. The slash did not stop there—no, it surged forward, cutting through the clouds above, its radiant energy carving a path through the sky.

Roger's legs recoiled into a crouch as he fell from above, his eyes glued to the hell he had just unleashed.

Then it came, a very audible thump of flesh hitting the barren earth…

An arm.

"..."

Roger's firm eyes wavered as he heard a burst of laughter: "Xahahahahahaha!"

*Thump* *Thump* *Thump* 

The dust clouds were withered aside to welcome the evil presence of death itself.

The gloom behind his footsteps was as loud as the dripping blood splattering on the floor. A track of dull steps alongside a trail of endless blood.

"It's really a pity you weren't born a decade ago, Roger." Rocks' stroll softened; his disappointing voice seemed to ignore the pain of having your right arm cut off.

Xebec turned toward a crater not too far away, embedding into the remaining mountain of God Valley.

"That mad dog Garp actually took the full brunt of my attack to give you an open shot… Xahahaha! He trusts you with his life!"

"And I have no intention of failing him," Roger quaintly declared, cladding his Ace with Haki most could only dream of.

"Now, you better protect him until he gets up again, or it'll ruin our little dance!"

With his left arm severed and his body battered, Rocks D. Xebec charged forward like a crazed beast, blood and death clinging to his aura. His eyes, burning with sheer malice, glowed with the fury of a man who refused to fall, his face twisted into a snarl of hatred and raw desire for destruction. 

Every step sent tremors through the ground as he lunged at the lonesome Roger, intent on tearing him apart with whatever strength he had left.

[A/N: God's Demise and Divine Departure are different attacks in the fanfic. I just couldn't be bothered to think up more ability names.]

The Cradle of the Gods became a shell of its former self by the time the seventh day came to an end.

The once mountainous terrain had been chipped and hammered into a flat plain of wasted rock and debris. The holiness that pervaded its woods had been replaced with carnage and massacre; every few steps lay a body, a few dozen, and you would run into a river of blood.

"When I first stepped on this island, I felt an excess of life. A life that goes beyond what is natural…" a young man commented, his senses stretching across the land.

His hand held up a fistful of dirt. Before, it was incredibly fertile and filled with nutrients; now, it had turned red from the endless blood that seeped in, robbing it of its life.

"Although the home of the people who would bring great pain to the seas, you have to admit they picked a nice island to be their Cradle, don't you think so, Sengoku?"

The young man speaking was naturally Damien the Undying. His bruised and blistered skin did little to hide the snarkiness in his tone.

"Hmph, is that your attempt to make me feel ashamed?" Sengoku questioned. The Admiral remained in his Buddha form, dwarfing the Sin Incarnate. Unfortunately, the clash throughout the days had left him with patches in his afro.

He glared at the tattered pirate, seeing blotches of dried blood and purple bruises lining his torso. 

"The Celestial Dragons, although with a history of causing pain for entire civilizations, are the controllers of the World Government." The Buddha crossed its arms, showing no shame: "I lack the power to change that, so I must do what I can to limit the pain they cause."

Damien hummed as he retrieved Ryushi which had been embedded into the ground from a recent collision.

With a tremor, he shot ahead with a crimson glow all over, stabbing the Supreme Blade at the marine.

.

"Impact Wave!"

.

The pulsating energy washed the lifeless region with golden heat, shoving entire hills from the shockwaves produced.

"So you accept that this world, under their rule, is forever stuck with inequality," Damien asked, his left arm holding Ryushi, still pushing against the drumming energy.

The Admiral's eyes narrowed in momentary thought. There was a flash of ambition in the man's eyes, but it disappeared quickly. "That is how it is!"

Sengoku felt a pang of anger in his own words as he doubled the output of his ability.

BOOOM!

The Sin Incarnate was shot back, his body ringing like a bell from the mix of Emission, Infusion and shockwaves.

'Not only did he adapt to my Observation, but he's also concentrating his shockwaves with Haki to find ways around my thick skin,' Damien annoyingly thought, his feet digging into the soil to a stop. 

At the same time, he pulled up the stats he had personally been hit with for the past seven days.

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<

[Sengoku]

[Age: 40 years, 8 months, 29 days] 

[Height: 9' 1"] (2.78 m)

[Devil Fruit: Mythical Model Buddha (Grandmastery (I))]

[Fruit Rating: 6.5 Stars]

[Skills: Beacon of Justice, Rokushiki, Resourceful General, Exalted Emission]

[Haki: Intermediate Mastery of Observation Haki, Grandmastery (I) of Armament Haki, Grandmastery (I) of Conqueror's Haki]

[Strength: Top Tier Yonko]

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[Beacon of Justice: Release strands of Haki that raise the spirits of the user's subordinates.]

[Resourceful General: See through enemy strategies; make the best out of the worst situation.]

[Exalted Emission: Perfect harmony between Emission Haki, Infusion Haki and Buddha's shockwaves.]

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<

Sengoku stood tall, his eyes firm. Damien matched his demeanour with Ryushi in hand.

"The Navy's mission is to maintain the authority of the World Government. Even if the Celestial Dragons bring suffering to some, their wealth and resources are the only things that stand in the way of anarchy that pirates beget!"

The standoff was on the brink of collapsing before an island-shaking rumble resounded.

Their eyes shot across the regions where other duels were taking place to reach the core.

BOOOM!

Three spanning bubbles of pure Haki—black, red and orange—turned midnight into dawn!

Damien felt the waves of Haki drilling into his skin like pins and needles. "Those three… But the black Haki, it's shrinking!"

The wrinkles over Sengoku's golden visage eased as he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Looks like Rocks has finally reached his end. I thought it would never happen." The Buddha shook his head in memory of the past week.

He suddenly turned to Damien: "You ought to be satisfied by this, too."

The pirate's brows furrowed. "Whatever do you mean?" His voice was both curious and snarky, bringing a frown to the marine's face.

"Please. Do you think I'll buy both Zephyr and Basara just barely surviving with the skin of their teeth after their battle with you?" Sengoku scoffed, spitting out his findings, "You want Xebec dead as much as we do."

"..." Damien narrowed his eyes at the towering enemy. He surveilled the confident expression, the unshaken eyes. 

"Rahaha! As expected of the Resourceful General," he smilingly admitted, no longer putting up a front. "But I'm not going to lower myself to stab Rocks in the back; his failure today will be from his own weakness."

There were still doubts in the Admiral's heart. 'What does he hope to achieve from Xebec's death?' 

It only gave Sengoku more reasons to take the young pirate down once and for all. 

"Much like your Captain, I will ensure your death or capture! Your subordinate's energy drugs are already waning away; let's see if you can outlast Rocks!!!"

With a thunderous roar, the giant Buddha exploded from his position, covering dozens of meters in a fraction of a second.

His gaze through the unbreakable glasses was relentless—the annihilation of the Rocks Pirates was as crucial as the death of their captain.

While the Beacon of Justice was picking up the pace against the man of atoms, a more pivotal stage was playing out at God Valley's heart, one of a battle that had lasted seven days and seven nights.

...

"Even you can't go on forever, Rocks."

It was a scene of deja vu: Rocks stood tall in front of the Garp and Roger duo. Bated breathing echoed the corroded lands, and the three clawed onto life. 

The one-armed man breathed hard. Every breath he took was like a low growl from the six-inch long and half-as-wide gash across his throat.

"Xahahahaha!" The laugh alone was grizzly and broken, with little care for the plethora of injuries. It came alongside crimson spit dribbling down his cracked and shattered jaw. Each infernal breath expanded his torn-up chest, with a few ribs peeking out.

"A full week. He really is a monster," Garp muttered, breathing just as heavily. The marine was tattered as well; cracked knuckles and broken arm bones, deep wounds which sizzled with black smoke. 

His make-shift partner, Roger, also stood tall. "Every journey has an end. This is yours, Rocks." The pirate was bloodied up—cuts and broken bones, about the same as Garp. 

.

Xebec's grinning face froze as his hand reached to his chest.

The drumming heartbeat was still there but unstable, low and quiet. Even with his might, the man couldn't hold up against a combined team of Garp and Roger for so long.

"You two both belong to the D," he roared. "Why get in my way?"

"If I let you leave here alive, then it'll throw the world into bloodshed. I won't allow that!" Garp responded with equal enthusiasm. 

Yet his words earned a sneer from Rocks: "You're willing to do as the Celestial Dragons tell you? Garp, you've become their dog!"

The marine scoffed, his body bursting with burning Haki. "As long as you die, the pirates will fall apart, and the Navy can usher in a time of peace; that is enough for me!"

Roger found the argument quite intriguing. He threw aside his ripped coat and laughed, "Wahahahaha! Although I've decided to end my pirate adventure, I can't just walk away knowing a man like you will dominate the New World; you're getting in the way of people's dreams!"

"Their dreams?" Xebec echoed in frustration. Just the thought of the word "dream" brought deep anger to his face.

He gnashed his teeth so hard that bits of white fell, followed by blood. A growl leaked through maw, alongside hate-ridden words: "This damning world has been screaming in my head since I was a boy. Do you think I didn't have 'dreams?' Do you think I didn't want to leave behind a legacy?"

Every word deepened his fury. His chest convulsed with the abuse of his organs. "This world, its false veil… It cursed me young. The Sworn Enemy of the Gods? All three of us are damned to live in this fake world! The two of you relent to it… but I refuse!"

Bubbling black Haki pulsed out with every syllable, cutting apart the skies as if to enrage the heavens. "The screams damn my existence, so I'll beat it into submission and sit on its throne! It is my destiny!!!"

The duo quieted down under the blasphemous words. 

Roger sighed, shaking his head. "You have become everything the World Government was centuries ago. No matter the blood to be shed, you won't stop until either they fall or you do."

Garp slowly nodded. He felt something profound within—being in the Marines with the middle initial "D" had long shown him the true colours of those on top.

"It's an endless cycle… Pirates rise and fall while the Government does everything possible to uphold balance."

He grabbed his forehead, sighing through the gaps of his fingers. "But no one gives a damn about the innocent people, their lives." His eyes sharpened, and his words grew resolute: "Which is all the more reason for me to take you down, Rocks! With your death comes peace!"

Boom!

The duo continued their assault, raging on ahead. 

Clang!

Mokushiroku and Ace collided hard, releasing powerful torrents and unimaginable tremors. The powerful Haki was strong enough to leave scars along God Valley. 

.

"Galaxy Impact!"

.

The overpowering fist fell onto Xebec's shoulders, slowly craving him into the ground. 

He struggled with holding both the sword and fist, but he managed. Roger gnashed his teeth and bashed his skull to the enemy's forehead.

Rocks faltered momentarily, allowing Roger to slash his sword without mercy.

.

"God's Demise!"

.

It was a simple horizontal slash, but the energy and Haki it unleashed could cut up entire mountains. 

Boom!

Rocks slashed his blade at the last second, willing the strength of titans to hold back the attack.

He felt his own life escaping his hands—it earned his ire.

"Guawhh!" The evil pirate roared a guttural cry, summoning strength beyond what a man should have. The veins along his only arms popped with black blood, and the cracked skin tore open, with the elbow popping straight out from the back. But it was enough to send Roger flying, skipping across the ground like a stone across a river. 

Thud!

Garp landed, taking Roger's place and began raining in fists. 

The Vice Admiral effortlessly ducked under a savage kick and landed a titanic punch to the liver.

Boom!

Rocks coughed out the air in his lungs. The pain only doubled as Garp's left fist hooked across and caved the pirate's cheekbones into his throat.

Bam!

Then came the right fist, arcing up from below and delivering an uppercut without mercy.

Bang!

Each fist broke the sound barrier, wrapped in thick Haki. It was lava-orange in colour, glowing with a red hue and crackling with black lightning. 

Boom!

Bam!

The deathly energy was quickly pushed back with the Haki. Garp's brute strength shoved Xebec into the ground, his boots digging deeper and deeper into the earth.

Spanning cracks opened, slowly birthing a ravine where Tnaryt's Castle once stood.

'His Haki is ignoring my defenses!' Rocks grumbled. If there was one man alive who continuously impressed the Abyssal Sin with his Armament Haki, it was Garp.

"!!!" The evil pirate was knee-deep into the earth when he felt a sharp burst of energy screeching toward him from a kilometer away. He ignored the punch to his stomach and opened his broken jaw toward the coming attack.

.

"Infernal Ward."

.

In a stream of black energy, Rocks breathed a black shield to life! 

*Grrr!* The slash was forced to a stop momentarily while the Vice Admiral continued his assault. He had focussed his senses at the buzzing strike…

'Now!' Garp's right arm locked around Xebec's wrist and yanked as hard as he could. Meanwhile, Roger's ranged attack ripped through the black wall and rushed ahead.

*Swish!*

Xebec's eyes widened as the pain came instantly. 

*Sphhhh* The blood exploded out like a geyser, followed by the sound of a piece of rotten flesh landing far away. 

Garp narrowed his eyes, blessing his right arm with intense Haki. Veins popped alongside his bruised arm as he brought down a mountain-shattering assault at the Abyssal Sin's core.

.

"Galaxy Divide!"

.

"Guuhh!" The pirate was sent soaring across God Valley, soon being nailed into a newly-formed mountain through Whitebeard's quakes.

Boom!

The landmass collapsed, exploding into bits.

"…"

Roger and Garp watched, trying to stabilize their breathing. 

"Gruahh!" It was like a broken record; Rocks just kept getting back up. Xebec's roar came with a tornado of black winds whirling into the crater he was in. 

The duo watched as they saw the black energy stretched from the center of God Valley to its coast and returned to Rocks. 

"He's siphoning the deaths of the ones on the other side of the island to fuel his power," Roger commented. 

Garp grinned, cracking his knuckles together. "Can't let that happen."

.

"Galaxy Nova!"

.

"Wailing Heavens!"

.

The long-range attacks whizzed through the air, colliding with the two streams of death energy. 

Like a river being hit with an earthquake, the twin currents of black energy exploded into loose shards and particles, disappearing into the darkness of the night. 

"Masters of Haki, what a pain in the ass!"

The broken figure of Rocks slowly emerged from the fallen mountains. His entire body was seething with raging Haki.

Black blood dripped from both his stumps, lacking either arm now. Mokushiroku was sent to god knows where, leaving its master weaponless.

"You two really think just this can take me down!? I cannot be killed!"

Xebec's pupils disappeared, leaving his eyes white. The walking corpse began to release god-like Haki that rippled like electromagnetic rays. Every pulse was that of a heartbeat drumming across the land. Every beat corroded away bits of land, turning them from their ruined shape into nothingness.

Roger narrowed his eyes, seeing nothing but darkness swell around Rocks.

"He has perfectly paired his Conqueror's Haki with his death powers. It really is incredible."

"That's not all…" Garp grunted, feeling the pain in his arms. Even his fists that were Layered in Armament Haki began to ache, his Haki falling apart.

"Armament Killing…" the Vice Admiral muttered.

Not only did his Haki wither away, but the skin underneath followed suit. Liquid flesh and dead skin dripped from Garp's signature fist, but what was underneath left Roger gobsmacked.

"Garp… Your knuckles!" He pointed out, seeing a dark gleam. "They're black!"

The Vice Admiral, a true king of Armament, returned a proud grin. "That little demon Damien likes to sharpen his Haki from his opponents… Why can't I do the same!?"

It was incredible—Garp the Fist had applied a degree of Black Bones to his fists!

With a burst of orange, the marine revitalized his failing Haki, wrapping it in layers. "I feel bad for any fruit user who'd have to go up against Rocks' damnable fruit!"

Roger grinned from the side, flashing defiance to he who personified death. "Unfortunately for him, the two of us don't rely on such things. If anything, it gives us an unquestionable advantage!"

The pirate's grasp on Ace deepened, fueling it with dense Haki. "Let's end this, Garp!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

On the other hand, Rocks felt a conclusive twist in his story and was naturally opposed. The limbless pirate shot ahead, caring little about his well-being. "Xahahahaha! Let me see if you're worthy of being of the same clan as I!"

Garp took action first, unveiling his incredible Haki as he went to the skies.

.

"Galaxy…"

The air swelled into bits of blue, purple and green, forming the endless marvels of what existed beyond the planet. 

With a mighty roar, he wrapped his right hand not once, not twice, but thrice with his Colour of Arms! 

.

"…Meteora!"

.

BOOOOOOM!

A single fist. Its range covered half of God Valley.

The blanket of mountainous ruins was instantly turned to dust. The pulsing Haki shoved aside all signs of defense, seeking to sink the island.

Naturally, it engulfed Rocks, forcing him to be embedded into the ground.

"Damn!" he roared, exercising every ounce of his strength to stand up, but Garp's Haki kept coming, streaming out from his fist like powerful tides. They crashed onto Rocks, cutting apart his body.

"I didn't allow you to die!" He cursed his left leg, which had begun to necrose from the lack of blood flow. The black energy granted it life, only for the incoming surge from Garp to eradicate it again.

The man's skin cracked and melted off, leaving him in a skeletal state. Corrupted blood fell from every bit of his body as his own skull was now exposed.

*Lub* *Dub* Xebec's blackened heart was visibly beating, his lungs still pumping air.

The maw widened in denial, releasing its deathly whispers.

*Vvooo* The air whistled as a dark silhouette appeared directly above the pirate. A bright flash went off as Ace was raised above Roger's shoulder, preparing to end the conflict.

Meanwhile, Garp recoiled his right arm, only to redo the exact attack, this time with his left fist.

The ravine grew deeper, longer and broader, with Rocks at its middle.

Watching the climax of an era, Roger couldn't help but utter, "The ocean saw the beginning of the world, and the ocean knows its end…"

His eyes sharpened as Haki flooded across his body, flowing to his blade. The air around Ace was warping and distorting, an effect born from the obscene Conqueror's Haki buzzing within.

"Get swallowed by the sea, Xebec!"

The blade swung forth without mercy.

.

"Divine Divide!"

.

BOOOM! *Rumble!*

The island trembled as a giant gash stretched further. It burst out from the center of God Valley to its edges—the ravine had covered a perfect, straight line through the island, opening up an abyss! A single slash and God Valley had parted in half!

"Gougghh!" broken wails echoed out from the skeletonized Rocks, his bones cracking from the cut.

*Creak* The ground separated with Rocks slowly drilling through the earth. God Valley split in two, with Xebec at the center of the division.

The body shattered, leaving behind a collection of black energy that swirled in denial, unable to voice its fury.

The evil pirate, or what remained of him, was slowly eaten by gravity, pulling him through the parted island and into the sea.

Water, the universal liquid, quickly swallowed the broken skeleton without mercy, pulling it to its deathly embrace. Black bubbles splashed about as the darkness disappeared—Mother Ocean had swallowed every remnant of the Abyssal Sin.

God Valley was opened between where its twin peaks once stood, splitting into two landmasses.

What had occurred would go down in history as a day that decided the fate of the eras to come, choosing between an era of pain and suffering and an era of peace and serenity.

After seven days and seven nights, Rocks D. Xebec, the infamous and fearsome pirate that had terrorized the world for decades, had fallen!

[Halved God Valley Image (in Discord)]

To Be Continued…

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Author's Corner.

Aside from the perspectives revealed by Zephyr and Sengoku, there was also of Garp, Roger and Rocks. And finally, Xebec has fallen! Even amongst all the fantastical lands of One Piece, the endless seas dominate the world—I thought it poetic for Rocks, the incarnation of evil, to be swallowed up in by the abyss of Mother Ocean.

Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q


Chapter 150: [150] The Last Stand (I)

[4300 words]

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Such a cataclysmic change was quickly noted by all other top entities still present. Seven days and seven nights had passed, but these monsters were still standing.

"Gurararara, it's only been a week, show me more of your strength, Celestial Dragon!"

Whitebeard slammed his glaive onto Garling's body, shaking him with earthquakes.

"Ugh!" the Noble cried out.

"Garling!" a senior Knight roared. He glared at the titanic Whitebeard with fear. "No matter how many Knights we cycle from the reserves unit… His strength is unscientific!"

Newgate grinned away the moniker of being a "monster" or a "devil." The man just wanted to cement his strength so no one would annoy the family he envisioned some years from now!

"!!!" The pirate paused in his actions, inhaling a cold breath.

As a man of earthquakes, Newgate knew when the earth was cut up. Naturally, he felt the island being slashed in half.

"Roger, Garp," he muttered while offhandedly swatting aside three Knights. "Can that crazy Rocks actually be beaten?"

"Jihahahahaha! Rayleigh, Gaban! You guys work well together!" 

Shiki cackled away, holding down the Dark King and the Twin Axe with one sword each. But he knew that at that moment, the tides had changed.

"!!!" Haki flared across the three as they peered to the far-flat lands, shaking the Golden Lion: "Rocks… no way!"

"You don't have much fuel left, Hellspawn. Logia are considered the most sustainable Devil Fruits, but they have a limit."

The man-faced lion unleashed a paw swirling with sand shaped like giant knives. They fell onto the collection of electricity and swatted it off.

Boom!

Indra landed hard; his body flickered between intangible and tangible forms. Blood dripped from his face and arms, coughing it out, too. "I told you, I will not let you pass through me," he muttered, breathing heavily.

Xerxes scoffed, opting to attack once more.

"Hmm?" He looked to the side and saw the halved God Valley. "Garp and Roger, those two monsters actually did it!?"

Zephyr polished his metal arm, glaring at the pirate before him. "You can stay up for an entire week of battle. I am impressed," he applauded.

Solomon chuckled, his body encased in Haki while in the form of the Wendigo.

"You use fear as fuel, perhaps even storing it in that black fog; it really is quite the ability. Though I can't say the same for your compatriots."

The Admiral Candidate looked to the fallen Hensō and Kaen, then back at Solomon. Zephyr was about to unleash another punch until he felt a disturbance.

His eyes shook while taking in the reality of the situation. "...The world will tremble once this war ends."

"You don't have the stamina to keep equalling me in strength for so long, Sin Incarnate," Sengoku's calculative voice broke out. He was incessantly thrusting his palms out, releasing concentrated shock to wear down his adversary.

"This is what happens when you challenge someone with three decades more experience!"

Damien dodged and flickered away from each consecutive attack with incredible agility, only for Sengoku to continue.

"Hey, hey, Sengoku! Do you really want me to go all out? I thought we agreed to chill until Rocks was dead!"

The Admiral audibly scoffed, still showing no mercy in his strikes.

BOOM!

Bam!

*Rumble*

Explosion after explosion, miss after miss.

"...Here, I thought Garp was the unreasonable one."

Damien sighed past the chain of explosions, his eyes tracking each strike with his Observation.

Then he felt it.

"!!!"

Damien made a "T" gesture with his hands, directing it at the relentless Sengoku: "Timeout!"

With little care for the Admiral's response, he turned to see God Valley being sliced in half. The sudden surge of salty sea air brought some flavour to the ruined land and the smell of fresh death… 

Sengoku paused as well, his heartbeat spiking at the result.

Damien narrowed his tired eyes and absently spoke, "Did he die just like that?"

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While the top dogs felt the tides shift as it happened, things were a little slower at the Eastern Shore, where the war between armies remained alive.

"Vice Admiral, I'm afraid we no longer have the troops to continue cycling our forces."

The lead Marine nodded, "It's alright. We've cycled the 50,000 stationed in reserve to ensure our forces in combat are well-rested. Even though our numbers are a quarter of what we started with, it wasn't for naught!"

The Vice Admiral raised his scimitar and declared, "Only 2,000 left. Kill them all!"

The nearby marines exploded into a boisterous yell. As of now, they still have 25,000 men.

Though the battle-hardened Marine seemed jovial, deep down, he was shaken. When he saw the two thousand pirates, he realized they weren't human!

'They've fought for seven days straight now. They're even using their allies' bodies as shields while drinking their blood to sustain themselves…'

"Damn monsters, they really needed to be purged from existence!" he exclaimed.

.

A one-armed Rear Admiral ran to the crowd of marines that were taking on the pirates. His furry face was stained with dried blood and fresh cuts, but under the mask of fatigue and pain was a bright smile from the deepest parts of his soul.

Still, in his Zoan form of a koala, he loudly and proudly remarked, "Rocks D. Xebec, the Captain of the Rocks Pirates...has been killed by Vice Admiral Garp!"

The intel silenced the crowd, letting the thought sink in. It momentarily sucked the words out of everyone's mouths.

For the first time in seven days, God Valley was utterly quiet.

"..."

And then came the wave of worship…

"L-Long live Vice Admiral Garp!"

"Three cheers for The Fist!"

"Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah! Justice has prevailed!"

Even the officers at death's door mumbled out with a dying grin; whether they had lost limbs, loved ones or companions, they all shared the joy.

"Vice Admiral Garp… he's a Hero!"

Like a push of a button, the marines raged on, their morale touching the sky. 

"Kill them all!"

"They killed my brothers. Take no prisoners!"

"End the damned war and this pirate era!"

They found strength they didn't know they had. Plunging into the horde of pirates without care for themselves, cutting and slashing them apart.

Bodies fell one by one, hundreds by the minute; the battle strongly fell in the Navy's favour. 

"Rocks… I can't believe you fell here!" a Pillar of the crew who ate the armadillo fruit muttered.

The thought was universal, even echoing in the minds of the Tragedies and the Titans. The turn of events forced all major battles to halt, and both sides returned to their respective areas to regroup.

Government Side: Sengoku, Basara, Zephyr, Xerxes, Saint Garling, God's Knights and 25,000 elite marines.

Pirate Side: Shiki, Whitebeard, Damien, Indra, Solomon, Silver Axe, Wang Zhi and the Fourth Division.

To say the least, it was obvious which side had the most forces.

"Rocks, why, how could you fall in this pathetic place? It's unforgivable!" 

The furious cry came from a most surprising person—Golden Lion Shiki!

White flakes floated out from his mouth from his teeth being gnashed too hard. His fingers dug into his palms, leaking streaks of blood. "You said you would conquer the seas, put the World Government onto its knees, so why, why are you dead!?"

"Shiki…" Newgate muttered, thinking it was the first time he'd seen the man so frantic.

Damien narrowed his eyes at the erratic pirate and thought aloud, "Looks like the Golden Lion and Rocks' connection was deeper than we thought."

.

"Dammit," Shiki breathed, ignoring the questioning eyes from nearby. He instead glared daggers at the marines, his eyes twitching with mania.

BOOOOOOM!

The settled air and dust erupted like a volcano, stretching from the ruined lands to the ashy skies and tearing them open. Black lightning crackled through the shaken air while a spanning golden bubble covered the quivering island. 

The Elite Marines all took a few steps back, their hands reaching to cover their ears from the thunderous roar. The past week of hell had made them reasonably resistant to such outbursts, but it still left them stunned.

"..." Shiki's eyes grew somber. He growled one last time before exhaling his frustrations. And like any pirate, he laughed to clear his troubles: "Jihahahaha!" 

Shiki grabbed his face with a violent grip, cackling to himself and shaking his head.

Finally, he returned to normal, leaving only one sentence to explain himself: "I have no reason to stay here any longer."

With another streak of gold, he shot away into the open skies. His body disappeared alongside the rays of the evening sun.

"..."

"That bastard actually ran off," Whitebeard grumbled, slamming his glaive on the ground.

The towering pirate felt the atmosphere turn sharp as he glanced to the side.

His eyes landed on Damien and his people. Bloodied up, tired beyond belief, bruised and broken—that was the state of the Fourth Division.

Their Commander was visibly tired, though his eyes remained calm. However, that couldn't be said for the likes of Indra and Solomon. Naturally, others saw this, too.

'The weakest link will break the chain,' Sengoku mused, his eyes narrowing in on the band of young pirates. 'I can finally finish this.'

The battered Admiral's thoughts were suddenly blown aside as he sensed the state of his colleague.

"Basara!" he called out, seeing the one-eyed man staring on the ground. 

Admiral Basara's dominating aura, merciless outlook, and relentless pursuit of Absolute Justice usually made him a loud presence. Only now, he seemed but a mere spark in what should be an inferno.

'He's been different since Sol… Did seeing his home in flames break his spirit?' Sengoku thought to himself.

A bold and prideful voice broke the Admiral's thought: "Though you've left God Valley in shambles, it is rather poetic to see the fearsome Rocks Pirates fall apart here!"

All eyes fell on the walking, talking God—Saint Figarland Garling, the man who had, impressively enough, stood tall for seven days. Even with the assistance of God's Knights, it was still a feat worth noting.

The air picked up once more, blowing an ominous breeze to welcome the second half of the war.

But a dull boom from an unexpected party stole the spotlight…

"Wahahaha! Looks like we have a standoff."

A beat-up, broken, dying-yet-still-breathing Gol D. Roger, alongside Silvers Rayleigh and Scopper Gaban, had arrived.

All eyes fell on the small band of outlaws.

"Hmm?" Damien mumbled, seeing Roger grasping something. It was a relatively small, inconspicuous treasure chest with an intricate red design.

Garling's eyes widened at the sight, anger flooding into his tone: "You insufferable pirate, where did you find that!?"

"Oh?" Roger glared at Garling, forcing the Saint to waver. "It's just a little thing I found lying around," he answered, waving the box like a carrot in front of a pig. "What, you want it?"

*Shing!* The mighty Ace was unsheathed, silencing the others. 

"Hehe, come get it!" 

Garling gnashed his teeth together, his eyes filled with rage.

"Where's Garp?" Sengoku questioned, his arms crossed—the Resourceful General had long expected Roger to come here.

The pirate returned a giddy thumb's up: "He's napping; I think I'll go hit the hay, too… I'm about to die here, Wahahaha!"

The bruised Rayleigh smacked his Captain upside the head. "Don't give away your dire conditions, you idiot!"

Roger felt no shame, leaving Rayleigh to shake his head. 

"Hehe, I've had my fun here; we'll be leaving early. It was a fun, final act for the Roger Pirates." Then Roger turned around and walked away, his fatigued crew following suit.

"..."

No one else made a move while Roger and his men hopped on the Oro Jackson and began sailing off. The Dark King Rayleigh gave a last look at Damien with a side-smirk, "I'm sure we'll kick back and laugh at today's spectacle one day. Good luck, young pirate!"

Damien gave him a simple nod as the Roger Pirates exited the group chat.

"Wawawawa! It doesn't look that good for us without the Golden Lion!" Wang Zhi laughed, raising his front legs and slamming down with a dull tremor.

"It's not getting any better, either."

The elephantine Ochoku looked at Damien with confusion but also picked up the flash of red in the latter's eyes. He saw Damien turn to the far East and heard an ever-so-slight tremor—a mighty ship had docked!

"The overwhelming force of the Navy Headquarters," the red-painted Silver Axe recognized the sole man at the helm of the warship.

A mighty aura, stern face and brimming with endless strength. The man proudly boasted a mountainous hairstyle, a simple gray shirt and blue trousers. Draped over his shoulders was the classic Navy coat.

The undying pirate shook his head with a smile, scratching the back of his head. "The invincible Fleet Admiral deigns to grace us with his presence!"

The others were equally stunned.

Sengoku, Zephyr and Basara felt great hope swell in their chest, almost as if a great difficulty had been lifted off his shoulder.

Naturally, the man who had arrived was the Fleet Admiral of the Navy Headquarters: 'Strange Beast' Kong!

"Kong!?" Xerxes exclaimed, balling his bruised fists. "How can you leave your post at Marineford!?" 

The Fleet Admiral scoffed, not paying much mind to his 'colleague' disagreement. 

"Commander-in-Chief Endou climbed down from Mariejois to man my post at Marineford, granting me free movement."

The Cipher Pol Chief clicked his tongue, irritated. "You aren't needed here."

Kong's eyes left his old friend, scrolling past the war-torn battlefield—the lakes of lava, mountains of corpses, and blanket of ruins—and to the short line of notorious pirates.

Few in numbers but endless in threat; the top Marine huffed a heavy breath, his eyes sharp like a blade. "There is no room for mistakes. Surround them!"

*Rumble*

It was like a divine mandate to the 25,000 officers. They rushed like hordes of undead, quickly spanning across the pirate forces. All but ten seconds and the boisterous troopers were prepared to die!

Shing!

*Click*

Clang!

Guns, bullets, cannons, rockets, swords; all weapons were ready.

Kong hummed in satisfaction. These men were the finest soldiers under his Navy Headquarters. "I miss leading you all into battle in person… Charge!"

"Oughhh!" The men gave a war cry, rushing at the dozen or so pirates.

Their eyes were filled with glory to be under the command of the legendary Fleet Admiral! Let alone being under the grace of two Admirals, an Admiral Candidate and even a Saint. 

The lifeless land drummed with the thousands of footsteps, singing the end for the remaining pirates.

"Kill them all!"

"For Justice!"

"Extinguish every last trace of the demonic Rocks Pirates!"

The morale reached space, resounding across the ruined God Valley. The march alone sent a thick plume of dust from the weight of 25,000 men charging forward.

.

"Rahahahaha!" Damien cracked up. He shook his head at the incoming horde, his Empathy feeling their endless spirit.

"Can you believe it, Newgate-san? These guys are really putting together a circus for us."

Whitebeard smirked, bursting in similar joy: "Gurararara! They actually think that throwing marines at us makes any difference…"

Newgate placed his Murakumogiri to the side, wedging it into the ground. 

*Thump* *Thump*

The towering pirate's weight sunk into the earth as he took a few steps forward, covered with an ominous aura.

He bid one look at the 25,000 men all but ten meters away from him.

With a titanic roar, the fearsome Whitebeard's giant hands dug into the air before him, his fingers tearing space open like plastic!

"Kong's arrival made you forget who we are!!!" 

*Vurrup* The fabric of space was wrapped around his digits, flooding the area with turbulence. "Hah!" Newgate roared once more, yanking at what kept reality and space together!

*Rumble!* Suddenly, the entire world began to shake.

The very land below twisted and turned as per Whitebeard's command, shaking as if it was made of jelly. Torrents of hellish winds spun out from the epicenter while giant shards of earth were dislodged from below.

The skies churned with vibrations, and the distant waters folded and shook as new land burst from the seafloor. God Valley broke into pieces, slowly tilting and cracking at its core. Not only that, he had shaken up the tectonic plates beyond the shores, too!

Boom!

The sideways earth cracked and crashed, sending powerful tremors and tsunamis out.

The marines cried in pain, falling to their knees; a hefty fraction found themselves grasping at the very ground as their bodies slid across the torn earth, falling into chasms and bottomless pits.

"This monster! He's tilting the region!" Sengoku crouched down, his hand held before his face. Abject shock reflected on his glasses as he felt the howling winds leaving cuts and gashes over his burly torso.

A single move was all it took to obliterate any form of cohesion the army had—not even the Fleet Admiral could save them from this!

'This is the soon-to-be Strongest Man in the World!' Damien exclaimed, marvelling at the power of Whitebeard.

He shook his head with a wry smile, watching the Cradle of the Gods rip itself open, swallowing up tens of thousands of men and corpses.

A good five minutes passed before some sense of sanity returned to those still living.

*Cough* *Cough* Sengoku spat out black smoke, his hands reaching for his ashy glasses. 

He glared at the two Titans responsible for the mess with hateful eyes.

He looked to the side, seeing Zephyr slamming through boulders to save as many marines as possible. Basara was busy shaping the earth to God Valley so the entire island wouldn't sink straight up.

Garling slammed with a small hill due to the crazy winds while Xerxes had Phantom open a portal to shield him.

As for Kong, the Fleet Admiral had protected his Navy warship from damage, but he needed a way out in case of an emergency.

"!!!" The hair on the Buddha's arms shot up like an arrow—more hell was to come!

Sengoku's eyes shot to Damien. He saw Indra, the Sin Incarnate's right-hand man, bursting out a stream of lightning to shield the others. The Navy was already down to at most ten thousand soldiers, and that number may be about to drop!

"I guess it's my turn to show off," he heard the insufferable young pirate's voice.

*Snap* With the snap of Damien's finger, a flash of red went off.

It was like a pulse washing through the blanket of ruin, stretching past the gorges and chasms, highlighting an endless sea of rubble and debris in a red checkered pattern.

Damien then raised his left hand, sparking with red lightning.

"I take it no one is using these…"

The top marines tore their eyes from their tasks, seeing the Sin Incarnate clench his open hand with a dramatic twist.

*Krrr* *Zap* Sounds of pixelation broke out, resounding across the island. They bellowed from the countless tons of loose rocks, turning into thick streams of dense crimson energy. 

They swirled through the dusty skies and into Damien's other hand.

*Purrup* All in under ten seconds, practically all of God Valley's loose debris was in a small cube within the hands of the undying pirate—there was no number you could put on the island-spanning debris. Yet, somehow, it filled the ten cubic centimeter entity. 

It pulsed with chaotic energy, a small yet dense collection of countless elements swirling within its confines. Its surface shimmered as the atoms inside twisted and shifted, ready to be unleashed.

[Cube Image (in Discord)]

Sengoku grunted, shooting forward with great resolve, his body burning brighter than the sun!

"I won't allow you to kill more of my men!!!"

The Buddha, a divine entity, was moments from washing the battlefield with his sacred presence until a sharp, emotionless voice forced him to think twice.

"Admiral Sengoku. We lack critical intel on the Sin Incarnate's Awakening… This shall be a worthwhile experiment."

The monotone yet elegant voice came from Saint Garling, caring little for the Navy's losses.

The Admiral slammed into the ground, his eyes quaking with anger. "Experiment!? You want to use the lives of my men to test his attack power?!"

Golden strands of Conqueror's Haki swirled from the Resourceful General, yet it was hit hard with Garling's equally arrogant spirit.

"Don't forget your position, Sengoku," the Saint scoffed, looking down at the livid Marine. "Admirals are nothing but the Celestial Dragons' dogs; stand down."

The words were not only for the Buddha but also for Basara and Zephyr, who were just as prepared to move. 

Fury leaked from Sengoku's gnashed teeth. He turned to his Fleet Admiral… The silence was loud.

Some Vice Admirals and older Rear Admirals looked at Sengoku with pleading eyes. But the cold touch of reality brought them nothing but despair—it was an edict from a God!

"…Dammit!" The Admiral cursed. 

.

On the pirate stood a casual Damien.

He scoffed at the Justice-emblazoned veterans and fulfilled their wishes to watch at the sidelines. 

*Crack* The cube waiting patiently was finally allowed to unleash its fury. With the sound of glass breaking, the tesseract exploded into specks of red energy warping into different substances.

*Whurr* *Shrrrk* It was a scene beyond scientific understanding as all types of loose atoms from the ruins were forced to interact: oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, hydrogen, carbon, sulphur, phosphorus, titanium, manganese, and even gold—dozens of elements forming unscientific compounds and molecules beyond human comprehension.

The temperature around the substance was, in some places, as cold as ice and, in others, as hot as magma—an abstract piece under the brush of a master painter.

.

"Atomic Remodeling: Magnum Opus."

.

The attack created a variety of beautifully frightening colours, each presenting some form of disastrous beauty. From afar, it may have looked like an artist's grand masterpiece, but close up, it was the emissary of death.

*Fwoo!* *Vvooosh!* BOOM!

The whirling torrent devoured everything before Damien's open palm as it continued its advent, swallowing the earth below to amplify itself further.

The ground beneath the advancing onslaught twisted and buckled in unnatural ways, warping as though the very fabric of reality was being unravelled. 

Cracks snaked across the surface, and jagged chunks of earth were pulled upward, only to be shredded and reshaped into bizarre formations. Stone turned fluid for moments before hardening into grotesque, crystalline structures. Some sections of the earth twisted and compressed as if squeezed by an invisible hand, while others stretched into impossible, elongated forms, all caught in the chaotic storm of Damien's attack.

There was no escape, let alone for the likes of elite marines.

"Auuu-"

"Hel-"

"Euug-"

Their wails were interrupted as their bodies were eaten up and converted to atoms, adding a somewhat human element to the increasingly beautiful piece of art.

[Attack Image (in Discord)]

"That should keep them occupied for a bit," Damien blandly said. He didn't find pleasure in such bloodshed, but their death was guaranteed for the incoming fight—if anything, he gave the soldiers a painless way out.

Whitebeard watched with arms crossed, nodding at the show of power. "Rocks is dead, and his Rocks Pirates are gone. Good riddance."

He turned away from the ever-blossoming attack; his sigh of relief was light but heard by others. "There's no reason to stay here." 

Newgate's were meant for his fellow Titan of the soon-to-be-extinct crew. "Oh, I agree," Damien nodded, but his eyes hid some internal thoughts.

"What are you planning?" Whitebeard questioned, seeing Damien clearly plotting something.

The Sin Incarnate grinned and laughed it off, "Rahaha! Well, just know I didn't come all the way here to see Rocks' death." The crimson flash of ambition was evident in his voice and eyes. "But things are getting a little hectic."

He turned to his allies, hoping the next few moments would give Indra and Solomon the energy to keep fighting a bit longer. The others from the Fourth Division were just as worn out—Pablo's energy drugs could only go so far!

'I need to get them out of here first,' he thought. But Damien couldn't help but frown as he felt his own stamina reserves hitting rock bottom.

"Looks like we have to fight our way out first."

Silver Axe picked up his chipped weapon, breathing out a dull huff. "We are at the final stretch. Just a few more obstacles to surmount."

"Wawawa! Let's end this!" Wang Zhi declared, slamming his humongous legs.

Indra stood up, too, nodding at his Commander with firm eyes. Although his dark skin did well to hide most of his injuries, it couldn't mask the dried blood and torn clothes. Yet his words left none the wiser: "I can still swing Tenmei against Xerxes for some time." 

"C-Count me in, too!" Solomon forced himself to get up, ignoring the aching pain shooting down his arms and legs. One look at Indra, and it was enough to stand up!

A man of fear fuelled by his desire to appear stronger than he was—but as the saying went, fake it till you make it.

Solomon looked to his Boss with resolve and balled his fists. "I'll scrape the fear from these corpses to keep me standing if I have to!"

Damien chuckled, his gaze returning to the battlefield. Through the rusty air, the collapsing island and shrieking winds, the Sin Incarnate locked onto a fearsome figure standing tens of meters away, tearing his masterpiece with his bare hands.

The undying pirate gave a tired sigh, slightly smiling at the troubles ahead, "I have a feeling that they won't just let us leave all that easily."

"This may very well be our last stand!"

To Be Continued…

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Author's Corner.

Whitebeard's world-tilt finally debuted in combat, and I tried to give it as much spotlight as Damien's first big-named Awakening attack. What do you think Damien is up to in all this chaos?

Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q


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