Chapitre 152: [152] The Last Stand (III)
[2970 words]
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While the Sin Incarnate went toe-to-toe with the likes of the Strange Beast, other such battles were picking up in intensity.
Booom!
A brilliant Buddha was forced to the ground under an earthquake of magnitude ten, and its destruction was almost enough to shatter Sengoku's glasses!
Great stress reflected off the Admiral's golden face; the struggle against a Titan was real!
"Hmm?" Whitebeard's Haki flared, diverting his attention from the divine figure.
Without hesitation, Murakumogiri was picked up and slashed across, shattering the very fabric of space to unleash a cataclysmic earthquake that swept away a horde of enemies who hoped to get the drop on him.
Through the hurling energy came a sole man. He clicked his tongue after seeing his knights being swatted away.
"Stand up, Sengoku. We shall take down this evil pirate together!"
"Gurarara! It doesn't matter how many of you there are!"
It was a battle that could easily dominate the headlines for months: Whitebeard vs Saint Figarland Garling and Sengoku the Buddha!
…
A sudden flash of bright light occurred at another corner of God Valley, four kilometers from the main battlefield.
.
"Silver Radiance!"
.
The bright-silver flash came with howling winds, shattering a swirling mountainous attack.
"The Basara of today is unlike that of the past," the axe-user's tired voice arrived.
"Silver Axe!" The Admiral balled his fists, seeing his attack cut apart. "Do you wish to follow in Wang Zhi's footsteps?"
"Y-You!!" Much to the man's anger, he was ignored!
Silver Axe walked toward a battered Solomon, extending a hand.
The Wendigo took the gesture, reaching its feet. Solomon met the sharp eyes under the chipped armour with speculation.
"The fearsome Mountain has broken spirits," Silver Axe explained. "He is not the threat he once was."
The worn-out Solomon turned to the brown-clothed marine, shame evident in Basara's glare.
A pang of thirst came to the eyes of the man hailing from Extinction Valley. There was something in the air…something the Wendigo was hungry to harvest…
"Kuhuhu, let's do it, Axe-guy! This might just be fun!"
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[Two Days Later]
[God Valley]
Nine days had passed since the event began, two days since Rocks D. Xebec's fall.
A secure fleet of Cipher Pol Agents led by Zephyr had departed yesterday. Around four dozen World Nobles still lived, less than a quarter of how many there should have been!
For once in their lives, the Celestial Dragons didn't point fingers or curse at the world; instead, they just sat blankly as if the world had been turned upside down.
Every time they closed their eyes, a figure of a menacing pirate, one with a savage and feral appearance—Rocks—appeared.
…
"Haaaah, Huuuuuh," heavy breathing rang across the hellish remains of God Valley.
A sole pirate bathed in volatile electricity stood tall. His body covered dark markings that set him apart from others.
"Damn," he muttered, his eyes growing heavy from fatigue.
Though at the drop of his words came a whirling tornado of pure sand, sharper than great-grade swords, dancing in the dusty winds.
Indra looked up, his vision hazy. He felt the razor-sharp grains of sand enclose him. The human-Sphinx Hybrid, scornfully watching from the side—even as a Logia, he couldn't keep going any further.
Xerxes was considered equal to Admiral Kurowashi; he was naturally incredibly well-versed in combat and extended duels.
"You cling to life as stubbornly as your Commander," the Chief Agent muttered, glancing at the apocalyptic fight a kilometer away. "Surviving off sheer will, a key quality of a true Conqueror's Haki user… the Sin Incarnate is true to his title as a Titan."
Xerxes then glared at the panting Indra.
His tone turned sharp and furious. "Once you fall here, I will aid Kong in taking down your Commander, and then the two of you will be thrown into Impel Down to rot for the rest of your lives!"
*Vvoooo!* The sand flowed into a weapon at Xerxes' side, gathering in the trillions in terms of individual grains, forming a sharp spear.
.
"Dóry Ammólofon!" (Sand Dune Spear)
.
*Vvooosh!* It soared across the ruined land and nailed the target. Indra was picked up from the ground, his body shooting back alongside the spear.
"Ugh!" he grunted, feeling the water in his body drain away from the spear in his chest.
The spear continued its advent, grinding the pirate across the earth as the friction and rugged land scorched his body quite literally.
Boom!
A massive storm of dust went up, hiding the downed pirate in a brown dust storm.
"..."
Xerxes spanned his Haki, feeling the enemy's signature dying down. "About time he went down, Logias are a real pain in the ass!"
Logias were naturally in an intangible state. Therefore, they didn't need to waste energy to dodge or materialize around things, nor for basic attacks.
The thick-bearded man growled his frustrations away, turning in the direction of Kong and Damien.
His heavy boots shifted along the sandy region, digging in to launch him ahead.
*Bzzt!* Xerxes' mind began to buzz at the very last second from a headache pulsating through his skull. A sonic boom echoed in the Zoan user's ears right before his vision darkened.
"Huh?" The man looked down at his chest and saw a horizontal gash slowly opening up.
Xerxes absently reached for his chest, feeling the warm blood dripping through the gaps of his fingers and splattering onto the ground.
Boom!
The roar of thunder echoed through the shaken Agent's mind as he staggered.
"You…" Xerxes murmured, his body stunned from the pins and needles all over. He looked up in pain and shock, his eyes falling onto a distant, broken figure.
"...You have Conqueror's Haki too!?"
.
Indra, who now stood across from the turbulent Xerxes, wasn't entirely conscious. His breathing was heavy, still at the end of his rope. "This feeling," he muttered, looking down toward his body and noticing the oddity—his tribal marks were pulsating red!
However, his thoughts were broken as his opponent began to speak.
"Those markings, that blood-red colour, I've seen it before…" Xerxes muttered, pressing a hand to his throbbing forehead.
He gritted his teeth, looking at Indra with undisguised anger.
Said swordsman's appearance had considerably changed.
For one, his usual black vest had long been turned to dust, unveiling the toned skin below.
The oddity lay in the fact that the dark skin had turned jet black from a flood of newfound Haki. Meanwhile, the black tribal marks were burning a deep red.
A few arcs of red lightning crackled about, adding a rather fearsome touch.
[Current Indra Image (in Discord)]
.
The CP-Chief clenched his fists and cursed under his breath, "An extinct people, the Warborns, had a tendency of being overwhelmed with their drive to kill and that their own blood would pump a hundred times faster, dyeing their bodily markings in that exact colour."
"First, it was the 'Bloodspawn' Mors over thirty years ago, and now you!"
Indra's expression was of ambivalence. He frowned at the power pumping in his veins.
"There was a time when I cast away these powers, honing myself to never rely on them again… but what's at stake is far greater than the ghost of my past. My mission is solely to stop you. I will fulfill that… even in death!"
Boom!
The declaration came with ghastly winds, bursting out with a reddish-purple hue. Xerxes winced, feeling the tingling sensation across his skin.
His perspective changed, and he almost adopted an air of admiration as he examined the new Indra. "I can see why the Sin Incarnate would give you such a priceless Devil Fruit," the agent muttered. Such undying loyalty is exceptionally rare."
"Roar!" Xerxe growled like a beast, his body exploding with refined and sharp grains of sand. His deep wounds were plugged up, the sand absorbing the blood and effectively cauterizing the injury.
The Sphinx-man appeared once more, whirling with sand.
Indra saw the towering enemy and raised a hand.
*Crackle* The lightning burst out, crackling into the distance. Interestingly enough, all his lightning had also turned blood-red!
With a blinding light, the bolts of electricity burned away the sand in the air, all the while returning the swordsman to his blade.
Shing!
Tenmei was released once more, imposing the world with its sacred divinity.
The uncontrolled release of lightning created quite the spectacle. The crimson lightning sparked from one side while pure-white bolts appeared from the other, credit to Tenmei.
.
"Rumbling Sword Style: Cosmic Storm!"
.
Xerxes' eyes shot to the previously clear sky. Within seconds, a giant storm had arrived, rumbling with electricity.
Yet it was no ordinary storm with dark clouds; these clouds were a mix of black, purple, blue, and white. The lightning that fell was of many shades, carrying far more intensity and electric current.
[Cosmic Storm Image (in Discord)]
"Damn!" Xerxes retreated, his body whirled with sand in an attempt to shield him from the storm.
Boom!
The lightning crashed hard onto the barrier, exploding into crystals and glass.
Xerxes grunted, fueling even more sand to cover the sky. But in his roar against the storm, he missed the follow-up attack from Indra.
The storm was a smokescreen, hiding a more devastating monster behind it. It arrived with a red flash and fell with the grace of Indra's sword.
The creation was a hand pointing a finger at Xerxes, thundering onto the sole enemy.
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"Rumbling Sword Style: Hand of God!"
.
BOOM!
"Aughh!" The attack hit the CP-Chief hard, his entire body digging deep into the ground.
By the time Xerxes regained control of his spamming body, Indra had disappeared into a blue flash.
.
"Rumbling Sword Style: Godspeed!"
.
Boom!
*Rumble!*
Bang!
*Whizzz*
Blood exploded from Xerxes, and giant gashes slowly formed across his entire body. The pain came in waves, each followed by the roar of thunder. The flashes of white and red left his mind overwhelmed, slowly eating away at his concentration.
A blade soon appeared by the man's throat, slashing without mercy.
*Swish*
"Guhh!" Xerxes grabbed at his throat, his mind racing to stop the bleeding. All he saw was the colour hue, failing to track.
But under such struggle was still a battle-hardened veteran.
*BAM!* The fist shot out, raging to meet a flash of light. The brute strength sent the attacker soaring through the air, crashing into a pile of earth.
Xerxes fell to a knee, hastily cauterizing his dripping throat and other large cuts with sand. "Almost got me… can't use Observation Haki when you're panicked. He really almost got me!"
The beast gnashed its maw together, releasing a growl. "He's much faster than ever before. Is it from the increased blood flow?"
*Swish*
A jet of blood shot out from the man's nape, leaving a deep cut below his neck.
"Auuugh!" Xerxes stumbled forward, aches spreading across his body.
*Gruuuu* The whirling sand began to slow down, slowly collapsing from its previous virility.
Dunes of sand appeared across the ruined land. Every so often, a few glints would go off from the shards of glass mixed in the sea of sand.
Xerxes' transformation began to break apart, losing its fearsome nature as he fell to his knees.
His weathered face appeared, covered in fresh cuts.
The previous golden mane surrounding his head had been burnt to ashes, blackened from the heat.
"Why is a failed experiment so powerful…" he gazed up at the figure that had appeared in front of him. "You're supposed to be dead; all of the Warborns were supposed to be dead!"
Indra's blood-red eyes fell upon the distraught Cipher Pol Agent, examining his expression.
"Do you know our purpose?" he suddenly asked.
Xerxes sighed, relenting to his fate. "The Warborns were created in the picture of a near-extinct supreme race—the Lunarians. Their sole purpose was to become the greatest weapon for their master…the World Government."
Indra hummed while Tenmei graced the land once more, bringing about a bright dawn.
*Cough* *Cough* Xerxes coughed out a bloody mess, his teeth dripping with the fresh crimson liquid.
"Xa-Xa-Xa! That is what you want to be… the greatest weapon for your master, the Sin Incarnate?"
The Agent glanced at Temei, closing his eyes.
Indra's blood-red eyes showed strong determination. Waves of Haki expelled from his body, sending tremors through the air and ground.
"It is my purpose, after all."
Shing!
The sacred blade slashed forth without hesitation, without mercy.
…
[Nearby]
A tired Damien backed up. Half of his body was in the fluid shape of crimson particles, reforming once more.
It was apparent that the pirate was about to lose energy at that moment.
A scuffed-up Kong in his Ape form stood towering over the pirate. He had quite a few purple bruises across his chest, dried blood on top, and a few broken bones were evident from the protrusions.
"!!!" Kong's eyes zoomed into the distance, trying to confirm his guess.
"Xerxes, you…!"
A look of pure disbelief fell onto the Fleet Admiral's face, swamped with shock.
Damien smirked from the side. "Rahahaha! It looks like Indra was a little tougher than your friend."
Kong gnashed teeth, clenching his hand.
Seeing a 50-foot-tall Ape present such fury was maddening. It came in thick pulses of visible anger that quaked the land.
"Xerxes, we started as brothers in arms. You actually fell here…"
Meanwhile, Damien sighed, trying to dig up some energy.
Boom!
A giant man landed near him, showcasing an equally giant glaive.
"Gurararara! You really got an impressive sword by your side, Damien."
On cue, another few persons arrived, this time at Kong's side: a Buddha and a swordsman.
"Kong-san…" the blooded Buddha muttered.
While the other man, Garling, was shocked by something else: "Admiral Basara, what on earth has befell you?"
His words were for the final man who had arrived. Basara's glorious brown marine attire was in tatters, ripped up.
The man looked at the Saint, his face carrying a mix of shame and anger.
…
"Kuhuhuhu! *Cough* that may have been me…"
Damien looked to the side and saw a limping Solomon at Silver Axe's side.
"I never thought to see Basara's face with such despair. What did you do to him?"
Solomon smirked, exposing a few broken teeth and bloody lips. "His will is broken!"
The Spirit of Fear recounted the emotions he felt hidden within The Mountain, "I could see pieces of what left him like this... His heart wavered when he failed at G-2. Then again, when the Navy lost at Superbia. Finally, returning to see his home island destroyed by Rocks was the last straw…"
Solomon licked his lips at the delicious fright of the Admiral he had harvested, "His greatest fear is failing in the Absolute Justice that defined his life. He's no longer the man he once was!"
'The spirit of The Mountain has collapsed?' Damien echoed with surprise etched on his face.
"All the more reason to strike when the iron is hot!"
"Newgate-san," Damien called for the other Titan.
Whitebeard's chest was covered in deep cuts from Garling's blade, backed with Sengoku's shockwaves, though his face betrayed no signs of pain. "Hmm?" he grunted in question.
Damien gave a cheeky grin. "Let's thin the crowd."
The words made the man smile, but it hid a worry: "Can you still do that in your condition?"
Damien chuckled, spitting out a wad of blood. "As long as you don't drag me down, old man."
Whitebeard laughed, agreeing to the following path of action...
.
Meanwhile, Silver Axe heard their exchange and immediately moved, grabbing the fallen Solomon and pulling him back.
Pablo, the caretaker of the downed Kaen and Hensō, followed suit.
"Hehe…" Damien stood by Whitebeard's side, the two separated by a small distance.
A sharp hissing wind began to build up, flooding in an ominous front.
Ryushi appeared in the undying pirate's hand. He held up like a bat, reeling it to his left shoulder. Whitebeard, with his Murakumogiri, mirrored the motion.
The ground began to shake, trembling hard enough to create cracks around the duo.
"!!!" Kong, Sengoku and Garling felt the budding threat, their survival instincts firing through the roof.
*Purrup* They saw Whitebeard's glaive covered in a white bubble with enough power to sink the island.
*Krrrrr* Next up was Damien's Ryushi which began to quake with volatile crimson energy, turning nearby air currents to void.
The sheer collection of brute strength and dense Haki had sent pulses of danger out, effectively graying the atmosphere and plunging it with a deathly cold wind.
"That will sink the island!" Kong roared.
Garling gnashed his teeth, subconsciously taking a step back. "It'll create an opening for them to flee. We have to stop it!"
Sengoku sucked in a cold breath, shaking his head. "There's no way to stop that!"
All of them were fully aware of the chaos about to arrive but could do nothing about it.
The island seemed to hold its breath as Whitebeard's towering frame shifted beside Damien's. Black lightning crackled, the sky itself warping under the weight of their combined power. Murakumogiri hummed with cataclysmic energy while Ryushi swirled with volatile crimson force, distorting the very air. Together, their auras grew—an unstoppable storm of brute strength and unfathomable destruction.
What followed was hell itself.
It was a mix of blue and red, an attack born from the combined force of absolute destruction and atomic dismantling—a forbidden union, one that had the strength to shred an island.
The winds screamed and thrashed, bowing to the relentless storm of energy, twisting the very fabric of the battlefield into chaos. Amidst the rising cacophony, the two titans roared in unison:
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""Judgement Day!""
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And then—
BOOOOOOM!
The world detonated with an unimaginable force, sending shockwaves ripping through what remained of the Cradle of the Gods, swallowing everything in its path.
[Attack Image (in Discord)]
To Be Continued...
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Author's Corner.
Indra's Warborn lineage has been mentioned a few times now. Made in the image of the Lunarians, but according to Kong, they are a "failed experiment." You may also remember Bloodspawn Mors being mentioned in Chapter 139.
Meanwhile, a tired Damien unleashed hell alongside Whitebeard… With Xerxes dead, how do you think the Navy will survive this?
Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q
Chapitre 153: [153] The Last Stand (IV)
[4680 words]
Note: This chapter was altered from its original version. It has the same conclusion as before but gets there differently.
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[Six Years Ago]
"Gambino Family in ruins?" a powerful voice boomed in a spacious office within the core of marine supremacy.
An Admiral's office!
"Admiral, should we send men to settle the carnage?" a Rear Admiral respectfully questioned.
"Never mind that, let those vultures fight it out; it doesn't concern us," the man in the full-brown suit waved his hand.
He then glanced at the picture of a young man that had been faxed to his office.
"This boy was responsible for it? Where'd he come from?" the overpowering man questioned.
The marine in front of him shook a little and responded, "He turned in a bounty of around fifty million berries not too long ago; the name recorded by regulation was 'Einar D. Damien.'"
The Admiral's eyes widened as his hand clenched into a fist. "Release out a bounty immediately!"
The Rear Admiral was caught off-guard, waving his hands in confusion. "A bounty? Should we not try and recruit such a powerful young lad? All he did was kill some scum of the Underworld…"
The Admiral scoffed, banging his fist onto his desk. "The D. are an unruly people. There's no point; rather, it's best to nip them in the bud!"
…
Basara looked past the gap between both sides, seeing the two Titans moments from unleashing hell on earth. Six years ago, it was he who slapped a bounty on the youngster from West Blue. Six years later, his thoughts were proved true…
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""Judgement Day!""
.
The torrent of pure destruction howled forward, showing no chance of stopping or slowing down.
The mellow night that had arrived had just as quickly disappeared—the combination of blue and red lit up the island and the nearby seas in its catastrophic delight. Incessant shockwaves raged out from the attack, leaving a trail of annihilation in its wake. The atmosphere nearby cracked, shattered and was turned to nothingness.
It was an attack beyond anything God Valley had seen and was enough to sink the island. But even under such mayhem, there was a sense of clarity in the Admiral's eyes…
His weathered hand was raised to his chest, the same area that was carved with the Thirteenth Blade at G-2, taking down the invincible Mountain.
'The man deemed as the successor to Xebec… letting an Admiral live?' Basara echoed a thought that had been in his mind since he was defeated a year back.
His single eye looked beyond the whirling destruction headed their way—such unbridled, unstoppable chaos. But the glint in the Admiral's eye was thoughtful, almost as if he was looking past the torrent and narrowing down onto the bold Sin Incarnate.
Basara began connecting the dots, piecing together what he had accomplished in the life he should have lost by now. If not for him, the Rocks Pirates would have flanked God Valley from every angle—his mountainous channel forced them into a tiny area, allowing the Navy to easily take out tens of thousands in the first hour.
'You wanted me to spearhead the marine defense… to take out the tens of thousands at the Scorched Sea War, and the thirty thousand here… he wants Xebec and his crew dead!'
Anger flooded the Mountain's heart. The rage he felt, a proud Admiral, being used by a pirate like a borrowed knife…
…
The Marines were shaken as the attack spanned nearly 50 meters in diameter and eclipsed the evening sun into oblivion—it was inescapable.
"Damn!" Kong cursed, feeling the boiling heat of the attack barely a hundred meters away. The tips of his hair were already burning away!
His battle-hardened mind was firing, devising the best way to resolve this. Ultimately, even Mythical Zoans couldn't walk free from such a cacophony of devastation.
"Phantom! Portal me out!" Garling roared with fear stuck to his tongue.
Upon his command, a dark entity shrouded in gloom appeared, opening a portal to retreat—Garling was an ambitious man vying for the spot of an Elder; he had no intention of dying here!
Surprisingly enough, a sole marine made a move even before anyone could go further… an action that shocked everyone.
*Thump* *Thump* *Thump* Calm and collected footsteps.
"I've been an Admiral for a decade now," a voice resounded, somehow overshadowing the approaching hell. I've seen great pirates rise and fall…"
Its calm yet disappointed tone didn't fit in the current context. "My personal Justice has been stained. I disgraced my position as an Admiral and brought shame upon the Navy." The voice grew firmer, becoming more resolute the closer the attack got. "This war represents the future of the Marines… If I can no longer live for justice, I'll die for it!"
The tattered man walked forward, utterly unfazed by the destructive force before him. An ant facing down the boot that would surely crush it.
"Basara…" Kong muttered.
The Mountain did not respond to the others and faced off against what would surely end him.
Without hesitation, he extended both arms out. With tears appearing over his body and face from the howling winds, he declared, "I failed once before… I will not fail again!"
*Rumble* Boom!
Tremors tore through God Valley, splitting the earth into jagged shards of rock. Basara let out a thunderous roar, every ounce of his power pouring from his body. The island quaked under his command, tipping the balance as the destructive force summoned by Whitebeard and Damien closed in, now only ten meters away.
His power reached deep into the island's core, transforming magma, metal, and minerals into pure earth. Mountains erupted from the seafloor, merging with the shattered land at his will.
"I leave the fate of the world in your hands!" he bellowed to his comrades before standing alone against the island-sinking onslaught.
…
Damien's eyes narrowed as he watched the towering Admiral stand defiantly against the attack. The attack wasn't meant for this. The power of Judgment Day was supposed to wipe out the Marines and carve an escape route for his crew.
He looked right through the mayhem, seeing the resolve in Basara's lone eye. The same man who was all but a gamble to cut down the monsters of the Rocks Pirates.
'You rolled the dice, using my power to keep those pirates in check. But there are consequences to such a gamble!' Basara roared in his heart, glaring back at the pirate. 'I am that consequence!'
.
"Trembling Earth: Absolute Justice!"
.
A massive shield, sixty meters tall, rose from the ground, forged from the very essence of God Valley. It weighed over a dozen mountains, and every rock fused together under Basara's control. The front of the shield shimmered with Haki, his last reserves spent fortifying its defense.
For a brief moment, the world stood still. Basara closed his eyes and took a deep breath, bracing himself.
Then, hell arrived.
BOOOOOOM!
The shield met the full force of the attack, and Basara's eyes flew open. His muscles bulged, veins bursting from the immense pressure.
"Auuugghh!" he howled, pushing back with sheer will.
*Crack!* His left forearm snapped, bones ripping through skin. His right knee buckled, forcing him to one knee as blood streamed from his eyes, ears, and mouth.
Boom! *Krrrr* The earth wall groaned under the strain, fractures spreading like lightning. It slowly but inevitably gave way—an earthquake clashing with pure Pulverization.
Boom!
The shield exploded, the attack drilling through its core and slamming into Basara. His body was torn apart, bones shattering, muscles ripping as the force broke him down to the atomic level.
His skin boiled away, exposing raw muscle, but still, the attack continued. He was falling, his body giving out.
But in one final act of defiance, his left foot slammed down, steadying him. His eye, the only one left, burned with unyielding determination.
'The Rocks Pirates will end today!'
Basara locked his body in place with a final burst of willpower, activating Iron Body to face the onslaught head-on—sealing his fate.
Black lightning sparked through the air from the attack while a blue sphere stretched for kilometers. The ball of destruction further contained violent crimson energy, some even tearing through the sphere and piercing the broken clouds. The tides born from the shockwave would carry on for hundreds of kilometers, washing West Blue without end.
Every ounce of the hell concentrated on the lone Marine.
[Spectacle Image (in Discord)]
…
It took a good two minutes for the spectacle to die out.
In a single attack, God Valley had been assaulted by twin natural disasters. One look and it would leave people frightened.
The Pirates stood a good 150 meters from the Marines' side.
A direct line spanning 50 meters in width connected the two like a road. Only this passage was bubbling with molten metal and lava!
It was reduced to pure devastation, almost as if every natural disaster known to man had passed by.
Yet after 140 meters, the molten road of death abruptly ended, and all that remained beyond it was a piece of dusty fabric with the word "Justice" written in bold ink.
A heavy-hearted Kong stepped ahead, absently staring at the ashes decorating around the scorched cape. "...Basara," he breathed with a shaky voice.
…
The situation on the other side, too, was unexpected.
"Ugh!" Damien collapsed to one knee, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
His hand trembled uncontrollably, a violent shudder that refused to stop. Sweat poured from his brow, dripping down his gaunt cheeks as his vision blurred at the edges. He glanced down at his arm, the veins beneath his skin pulsing unnaturally, darkening as if his blood had turned corrosive.
"Not now!" His heart pounded painfully in his chest, so fast it felt like it might burst, and a sharp pain shot through his side. He wiped his nose absentmindedly, only to see streaks of crimson on the back of his hand.
"He actually died to spite me for using him?" Damien complained, feeling his body falling apart.
Whitebeard huffed but remained standing. He placed his trusty glaive to the side, acting as support. "Stamina to fight this long has to be built over decades, Damien. You're shortening your life."
But his words were met with deaf ears.
"Pablo."
The Drug Lord, who had been caretaking after the unconscious Hensō and Kaen, jumped to attention.
Pablo saw the look in Damien's eyes and shook his head. "Patrón, any more of my shots, and you'll put too much pressure on your heart!"
Damien didn't take no for an answer: "Just do it."
Pablo gulped and slowly took out his gun. With a sigh, he unloaded some shots.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Only for the result to leave him speechless. "How come?" Pablo wondered, seeing no change in his Commander's condition.
…
Meanwhile, the dust had now settled, unveiling a sight of utter dismay.
"Basara is dead. His sacrifice will not be for nothing!" Kong roared. He was not the only one furious about The Mountain's fate either.
A giant Buddha whizzed across the battlefield, regret etched on his face. To his side was a handsome Celestial Dragon, his fury directed at the state of the Cradle of the Gods.
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"Impact Wave!"
.
"Saintly Surge!"
.
Whitebeard clicked his tongue. With a light sigh, he slashed the Supreme Blade, amplified with quake energy.
BOOOM!
The titan gnashed his teeth, feeling his boots dig deep into the barren land.
"You can't save him, Newgate!"
Sengoku's right palm quivered with vast energy. The howling shockwaves pulsed with a heartbeat, getting smaller and thinner—he was concentrating the attack into a thin stream!
Boom!
Whitebeard was quickly sent back, his towering body grinding his feet into the ground to stay up, his glaive acting like a break. With an annoyed grunt, he glared up to see the combined might of Sengoku and Garling continuing the assault.
The last thing he saw before being shot away was the Fleet Admiral folding Basara's cape neatly and walking toward the downed Damien.
"I will bury Basara later, but first…" Kong glared at the fallen pirate.
'He can no longer enter his Logia-like state. Now, to finally finish what should have ended a long time ago!' With resolve burning in his heart, the top Marine exploded into his 50-foot-tall frame, growling out his frustrations.
.
"Drums of Justice!"
.
Boom!
Kaboom!
Bang!
BOOM!
The fireball was nearly 10,000 Celsius in temperature, quickly obliterating everything in its path. Every beat created a dozen such explosions, chaining through the land and covering the pirate side with hell itself.
"..."
Kong raised a furry eyebrow, momentarily pausing his assault.
Damien was still down, yet his Haki signature was as bright as before—someone had gotten in the way!
Kong recognized the obstacle as the smoke cleared up.
The man had cracked armour all around. Some metal shards fell every so often, exposing the man from within. Blood dribbled out from the visor of the mask, yet the axe in the man's hand was just as sharp as before.
"Silver Axe. Do you really want to die for a pirate under Rocks?"
The silver eyes locked onto that of the Ape's, showing determination as he slammed the butt of his weapon into the ground. "If he was just another pirate, then you would not be so adamant in taking him down."
"I was there when this young man faced off against Sengoku. It would be a shame for him to die now, don't you agree, Fleet Admiral?"
Kong scoffed, returning to his previous attack. "Then I will extinguish you!"
BOOM!
Kaboom!
BAM!
The drums played their devastating tune once more, forcing Silver Axe to his knees and his armour to dust.
A huffing Damien absently watched as he saw the man's weathered face under the broken armour.
The golden pupils hid a smirk even under fireballs. "I've seen you thrive since that day at Borealis' Auction. Avenge us, Damien."
Those were the final words before the knight was scorched into oblivion, right before the Sin Incarnate's eyes.
BOOM!
Kaboom!
BAM!
The Fleet Admiral continued his bombardment to vanquish the younger threat, only to arrive at the same outcome—more nuisances in the way.
Kong growled past his giant fangs, this time seeing two giant silhouettes that could be made out.
"The fools of the Fourth Division…not enough!" He recognized them: two Ancient Zoans tanking the hits while a rested-up Kaen and Hensō behind them.
"Kuhuhuhu! How about you add the toughness of a Mythical Zoan in the mix!"
A proud Solomon in his Wendigo appeared alongside the others, his body bursting into black smoke. "Indra's out cold from that annoying sand kitty… It's my turn to help the Boss!"
Kong leaned his savage face at the line of threats; a particular one required careful thinking: "It would be problematic for another Mythical Zoan to enter reincarnation. Phantom, move him aside while I end the others."
"Wai–" Solomon couldn't even finish his defiant roar before the shrouded agent opened a portal under his feet and portalled him kilometers away.
"I give you four the choice to lay down your weapons and surrender for a shorter sentence," the overwhelming Fleet Admiral offered, his body smoking with black vapour.
Yet no reply came.
"Cheh. So you will die for a man who schemed for his own Captain's death?"
Kaen chuckled, shaking his head. He raised his right hand, sparkling with flame, "Oye, oye, you overgrown gorilla! Perhaps you didn't know… but we're the Fodders of the Fourth Division! Dying was part of the job description!"
Hensō nodded and threw on a fiery mask. "I've already lost everything at Superbia. Dying here doesn't sound so bad." Flames ignited along his arms, conveying the rage in his heart.
"Then fulfill your destiny in fire and blood!"
Boom!
Kaboom!
Bang!
BAM!
The colossal Ape continued the bombardment, raining hell onto the extinct creatures.
"Ugh, Majajaja! I-It doesn't hurt one bit!"
"Arai body crumbling… Sweating many tiny rocks…"
Kaen roared through the hellfire that exploded around him, snapping his fingers to fight fire with fire. Hensō unleashed similar firepower hoping to cancel out the incoming explosions.
The Ankylosaurus and Titanoboa were spaced out as much as possible, hoping to protect the recovering Damien. Spurts and geysers of blood poured from the tough skin, painting the rugged ground a fresh red.
…
"Patrón, your body has created an immunity for the drug to work!" the short man remarked. His face was a sweaty mess from being so close to hell.
Damien placed his hand over his chest, feeling the unstable heartbeat.
He looked up at the scene of red and orange that dominated the darkening skies of God Valley. The grunts and wails of the four fodder found their way to the Commander.
"Give me ten times the dosage."
Pablo gawked, his jaw dropping to the floor. "T-That will shave off at least ten years of your life!"
But all he got in return were cold and firm eyes.
…
Kong roared out, releasing the attacks without mercy. The fallen Basara had left him furious; an Admiral, a beacon of Marine supremacy, died. Furthermore, it was right after his oldest brother-in-arms, Xerxes, had been killed.
"Blood is repaid with blood is something you pirates should understand…so die!"
Boom!
Kaboom!
BAM!
"Hmm!?" Kong calmed his thoughts, glaring at the giant plume of smoke that spanned nearly half of God Valley.
The two giant Zoans had disappeared, and their human forms collapsed to the ground. Two other collections of ashes were nearby.
With a sniff of the ashy air, the Fleet Admiral said, "Einar D. Damien. Here I thought you'd use their sacrifice to escap—hmm?"
His eyes turned to examine the standing threat—something was afoot.
"The life force within you has shrunk… You gave up so much of your life," Kong growled, ignoring the crackling Haki seething from the undying pirate's body. His voice oozed venom, pressing the wound deeper. "And still, you failed to save them."
Damien exhaled lightly, his face an emotionless mask.
"They may have signed their lives away the moment they joined the Fourth Division," he began, his voice calm, almost detached. But there was a weight in his words—a weight Kong had yet to understand. "But that's the thing, Kong. They're my fodder. Their deaths… are mine to decide, not yours."
He cast his gaze over the ashes scattered across the dusty grounds—remnants of Silver Axe, Kaen, Majin, Arai, and Hensō.
"They knew they would die... but their life wasn't yours to take." His eyes darkened as he continued, the rage simmering beneath his stoic exterior threatening to surface.
"Ravager," he whispered, and with a slow, deliberate breath, he materialized Ryushi in hand, the once smooth blade now trembling with violent intent.
"Blood is repaid with blood, isn't that what you said?" Damien's voice sharpened, cold and piercing. He snapped his fingers, and a crimson glow flickered across the remains of the fallen men.
Their ashes began to swirl around Ryushi, fusing with the sword, each particle a reminder of the lives lost, of the sacrifices made.
*Vvooo!*
The streams of ash twisted around the Supreme Blade, imbuing it with a ruinous edge, radiating with the fury of the fallen. Damien's grip tightened on Ryushi as he prepared to deliver the justice stolen from him.
His left boot sank into the ground, gathering his energy. And with a sudden bang, he launched forward, a single dauntless charge, Ryushi quaking with vengeance.
Kong scoffed at the reckless attack, raising his massive head in disdain. "Your helplessness has made you lose your mind, Sin Incarnate! You're a fool!"
.
"Drums of Justice!"
.
The Zoan-like monster bashed both his chests, unleashing a fireball blessed with flowing Haki.
Damien's midair assault was engulfed in a ten-meter-wide explosion that bubbled with enough heat to melt rock into lava!
It was the same attack that had kept the Sin Incarnate at bay for the past two days.
Kong expected the same result, confident that the scorching sea of hellfire would engulf his enemy again. Only this time, through the thick, fiery haze, he saw something that froze him in his tracks—a pair of razor-sharp eyes cutting through the flames, locked onto him with terrifying precision.
"Ryushi Combat Arts…"
A shiver ran down Kong's spine as realization dawned too late. The hair all over his colossal body stood on end in cold fright. 'H-His internal Haki… has evolved!'
Damien's Black Body had taken a final step forward, too far advanced for Kong to react in time. The Fleet Admiral could only raise his thick right arm in a desperate attempt to defend his throat.
.
"...Requiem."
.
The Supreme Blade cleaved through the air with savage intent, the power to atomize anything in its path.
*Grrrr!* Ryushi crashed into Kong's arm with brutal force, sparks of crimson energy exploding from the impact. The blade sliced deep through fur, muscle, and bone, severing the limb in one swift, merciless strike.
Within moments, a hairy arm was sent hurtling through the air, severed clean. And Damien, eyes blazing with resolve, powered through the narrow opening he had created, closing in on Kong's exposed throat.
He was there, the tip of Ryushi sinking into the Fleet Admiral's skin, moments from ending him…
But then something else came—something fast, something powerful—narrowing in on the bloodthirsty pirate from the side.
*BAM!*
Without warning, Damien's world spun into chaos. His view of Kong's frightened eyes and the ruins of God Valley blurred into a tunnel of dust and debris as an unseen force collided with him, smashing him from midair. The impact was jarring and violent, sending him careening through the air with unrelenting force.
He grunted in pain as his body was sent flying, hurtling through dozens of meters of dense earth, the momentum drilling him through the ground with the force of a warship ramming into a cliffside.
…
"Haaah, huuuh," Kong breathed, his eyes absently looking to the distance.
He gulped away the fear of death coursing through his mind. The pain from his missing right arm was secondary; he was more focused on memory from years ago…
"Ruhahaha! So the Navy sent a fresh Admiral to test me out? Show me what ya got!"
A shameful stain on Kong's name.
"Hehe, that's some tough skin you'd find on a Zoan!"
He then remembered the bone-chilling cold when faced with death.
"Dammit, Endou! I almost took the head of your precious successor!"
Kong growled, gnashing his fangs together with such anger that bits of enamel flew out. He slammed the ground in a rage, furious at the two similar faces coinciding decades apart.
"Ares…Damien…"
The enraged Fleet Admiral gave out a venomous roar, shaking the Cradle of the Gods with his might.
It was only when the other person present spoke did Kong calm down: "I've never seen you so pissed, Kong-san."
A heavy breath escaped the beast's maw as he looked down to acknowledge the man who saved him.
A tattered white sailor shirt with black pants. The sleeves were up to his elbows, unveiling two thick arms that hid the strength to flatten entire mountains. He had short black hair, a burly body and a small scar around his left eye.
"Garp…" Kong lightly spoke, his mind calmer. "You saved me from certain death."
The Marine known as The Fist shrugged, but his eyes betrayed great surprise at the turn of events.
When Garp fell asleep after Xebec's death, he thought he would wake up to a complete victory on the Navy's end. Still, he wasn't even remotely close—Kong losing his right arm to Damien was even crazier!
"It's time to end this war, old man," Garp sighed, breathing in all the death and suffering that befell the sacred land of God Valley in the past nine days.
…
The scene of Damien being swatted aside after the death of nearly the entire Fourth Division was seen by all.
An annoyed Whitebeard roared, sinking his unstoppable fist into the fabric of space. "You Marines are really getting carried away!"
Thick cracks spread across the air, spreading through and beyond as the creaking howled from the pressure. They kept branching and went all the way from the surface to the scarred skies above!
BOOM!
A single punch and God Valley was shaking, crying out in pain. Sengoku held a golden arm across his face, squinting at the island-ratting power. His feet dug into the weeping ground while torrents opened up countless cuts across his golden frame.
"W-What ridiculous power!"
Saint Garling shrank behind the Buddha, his shaken eyes concealed behind the sweaty hair that had scattered across his forehead. "Looks like we overlooked the Titans a bit too much," Garling huffed out his frustrations.
"Huh?"
The two looked to the side, looking at a Cipher Pol Agent appearing from the darkness.
"Admiral Sengoku, Saint Garling. Urgent news!" Phantom's voice was sharp, and his urgency was clear.
"Then speak, Phantom," Garling snapped, his patience thin.
Phantom bowed quickly before delivering the bombshell. "The fleet escorting the surviving Celestial Dragons… it's been attacked by pirates!"
Sengoku's eyes widened, shock rippling through him. "Pirates? Who has the guts to pull that off? Who is it?!"
Phantom gulped, visibly shaken. "The Kuja Pirates… led by the Black Death!"
"Kuja Pirates?" Sengoku muttered in disbelief. "Shakuyaku? She should be retired by now…"
Phantom shook his head. "It's not just her… Silvers Rayleigh is with her!"
Garling's fists clenched tight, his knuckles white. The image of Roger flashed in his mind. "Damn them! Filthy pirate scum!"
Sengoku's voice was tinged with concern. "Is Roger involved, too?"
"No," Phantom replied quickly, shaking his head. "It seems to be Rayleigh acting on his own. But that's not all—tsunamis and storms have been battering nearby nations for days, and they're demanding Navy aid. The West Blue Mafia is also stirring, sensing our resources are stretched thin."
Garling's grip tightened on his saber. "There's more, isn't there? Spit it out!"
Phantom took a deep breath. "Golden Lion Shiki attacked G-1. There's… nothing left."
Boom!
Sengoku slammed his fist into the ground, cracks spidering from the impact. He shot a look toward Newgate, a grim realization setting in. "Maybe we weren't ready to wipe out the Rocks Pirates after all…"
.
Meanwhile, Whitebeard, who had used the past few moments to catch his breath and confirm the safety of Damien, Indra, Solomon and Pablo with his Observation.
The main problem was a rested Garp, but naturally, Newgate's expression revealed no such worry. "What? Having second thoughts now, Gurarara!"
*Thwack!* But it was then a loud slam that broke the turbulent situation up even more.
Whitebeard, Sengoku, Garling and Phantom were all left staring blankly at the older man who had arrived.
Amid a pirate of earthquakes, a mythical Daibutsu, a mysterious phantom and World Noble was now an elderly man, standing tall and proud. His esteemed presence was unexpected from either side.
His voice carried with it an unnerving authority as he approached with a cane, unflinching in the face of the destruction around him. "Rocks has already been dealt with," he said softly, yet his words cut through the chaos like a blade. "We are satisfied with the results."
"S-Saint Saturn, I thought you had taken your leave…!" Phantom shakingly saluted, quickly moving aside.
The Overseer of the World then turned to a fellow Noble, "Figarland Garling, your actions have left us most surprised, and you will be granted appropriate accolades. However, your services are needed to safely transport the surviving Celestial Dragons; the God's Knights will accompany you."
Garling bowed his head, but his voice wasn't as subservient as his actions, "Many thanks."
Finally, the Elder turned to the Sengoku and gave a surprising order, "Whitebeard shall be allowed to retreat."
There was a beat of stunned silence before Saturn's eyes narrowed, his voice hardening. "Your remaining mission is to ensure the immediate capture of Einar D. Damien."
The words hung in the air like a noose tightening around the Sin Incarnate's neck. Even amidst the devastation, a chill settled over the battlefield.
To Be Continued…
----------------------------------------------
Author's Corner.
In the end, Damien's decision to spare Zephyr and Basara was a gamble to control the chaos. Basara played a crucial role in containing the Rocks Pirates' forces, channelling them into a small area. Without this, thirty thousand pirates would have swarmed in from all directions, potentially endangering Nobles and distracting Garp and Roger, the only ones capable of defeating Rocks. Any disruption could have led to an unchecked Xebec and chaos among other powerhouses, giving the Rocks Pirates a much higher chance of survival. Damien's gamble paid off but came at a steep cost—so many lives lost.
Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
200+ Classement
Power Stone 
51 Power
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