Chương 31: Chapter 31: The Devil’s Fall
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The storm still raged over the battlefield, but its fury seemed to pale in comparison to the destruction left in the wake of Kaido's defeat. The once-mighty Onigashima, Kaido's flagship, now burned in the distance, its hulking form collapsing into the sea, consumed by flames and wreckage. The Yonko's lifeless body had long since sunk beneath the waves, dragged down into the abyss he had sought to dominate for so long.
Yet, victory felt hollow.
Davy Jones stood alone on the deck of the Flying Dutchman, his trident held loosely at his side. His body ached with every movement, the toll of the battle with Kaido leaving him drained and battered. He had won, but at what cost? His ship, his crew, his very soul felt fractured, pieces of him lost to the storm and violence of the day.
The waters were filled with the wreckage of war, broken ships, and fallen men. The sea, once his domain, now felt like a graveyard.
"Captain!" Zorik's voice broke through the thunder of the storm as he stumbled toward Davy Jones, his face streaked with blood and soot. "We... we've lost half the crew. The others... they're abandoning ship. There's nothing left for us here."
Jones's eyes, dull and tired, shifted to the horizon where more enemy ships approached—Shanks's forces, drawn by the power vacuum Kaido's death had created, and Big Mom's fleet, always hungry for more territory. The battle wasn't over. Not yet.
Jones's grip on the trident tightened. He had given everything to reach this point. Years of planning, conquering, and building an empire. But now, with the seas filled with enemies and his crew scattered or dead, it all seemed to slip through his fingers like water.
"Let them go, Zorik," Jones said quietly. His voice carried none of the command it once held. "They've earned their freedom."
Zorik hesitated, his eyes wide in disbelief. "Captain, what are you saying? We can still fight! We can—"
"No." Jones cut him off, shaking his head. "There's no more fight left. Not today." He turned his gaze to the approaching fleets. They were close now, too close to outrun. The Flying Dutchman was damaged beyond repair, its once-mighty sails hanging in tattered shreds. It would be a miracle if the ship stayed afloat for much longer.
"We've lost," Jones said, the words heavy with finality. "Take the men and go. I'll hold them off as long as I can."
Zorik's face twisted in frustration, his fists clenched at his sides. "You can't ask us to leave you here to die!"
Jones gave him a weary smile. "You're not leaving me, Zorik. This was always my fate." He looked out at the sea, at the swirling storm clouds and the endless expanse of water that had been both his home and his prison. "Go. Live your life. There's no place for you here."
For a long moment, Zorik stood there, his face a mixture of defiance and despair. Then, finally, he nodded, his voice low and filled with sorrow. "Aye, Captain."
He turned and began shouting orders to the few remaining crew members, guiding them to the lifeboats as Jones watched in silence. The sound of the storm, the creaking of the ship, and the distant cries of battle were the only noises that filled the air as his crew, his family, abandoned ship one by one.
As the last lifeboat was lowered into the water, Davy Jones stood alone on the deck of the Flying Dutchman. The enemy fleets were nearly upon him now, their cannons aimed and ready to fire. In the distance, he could see the flagship of Shanks's fleet, the Red Force, its crimson sails billowing in the wind. Behind it, Big Mom's fleet loomed, her monstrous ship like a floating fortress.
They had come to claim the spoils of war.
But they would find no easy victory here.
Jones raised his trident, the familiar hum of its power vibrating through his hand. The sea responded to his call, the water rising up in great waves, crashing against the approaching ships. He could still feel the ocean's power, but it was fading. With each battle, each use of the trident, the cost had grown greater. The bond between him and the sea was fraying, slipping through his grasp like the shifting tides.
Still, he would fight. Not for victory, not for power, but for the sake of the sea itself. If he was to fall, he would fall as he had always lived—defying the gods and the world alike.
The first cannon fire rang out, the booming sound reverberating through the air. Jones braced himself as the enemy fleet began their assault, the sea around him erupting in chaos. He thrust the trident into the air, commanding the waves to rise higher, to shield the Flying Dutchman from the barrage of cannon fire.
But it was not enough.
One after another, the enemy cannonballs struck the ship, ripping through the hull, splintering wood and iron alike. The Flying Dutchman groaned under the assault, its ancient bones creaking as the ship began to list to one side.
Jones staggered but held his ground, his eyes blazing with defiance as he unleashed the full fury of the ocean. Massive whirlpools formed in the sea, swallowing enemy ships whole, dragging them down into the abyss. But for every ship he destroyed, more appeared on the horizon, relentless in their pursuit.
As the battle raged on, Jones could feel his strength waning. His connection to the sea, once so strong, was fading fast. The power of the trident had drained him, leaving him a hollow shell of the man he once was.
A cannonball struck the deck near his feet, sending splinters flying through the air. Jones stumbled, his vision swimming as blood trickled down his face. He could barely stand now, his legs shaking under the weight of his exhaustion. But still, he fought.
Another barrage of cannon fire struck the ship, and this time, the Flying Dutchman could take no more. With a deafening crack, the mast snapped in half, crashing down onto the deck as the ship began to break apart. The sea, his once-loyal companion, now turned against him, dragging the Flying Dutchman into its depths.
Jones collapsed to his knees, the trident slipping from his grasp as the water rose around him. He could hear the distant cries of victory from the enemy ships, but they sounded hollow, meaningless. The world seemed to blur around him, the edges of reality fading as the cold embrace of the sea began to pull him under.
For a moment, he closed his eyes, letting the water wash over him. He had always known it would end like this, beneath the waves, swallowed by the very thing he had sought to control. And yet, as the darkness closed in, there was a strange sense of peace. The war was over. The battle was done.
And Davy Jones, the devil of the sea, would finally rest.
As the Flying Dutchman sank into the depths, the ocean closed over him, and the storm began to die down, as if the sea itself mourned the loss of its greatest son. The water grew still, and in the silence that followed, Davy Jones disappeared into the abyss, his fate uncertain, his legend eternal.
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