"Dad!!!"
"Dad!!!"
Shouts of panic filled the air as countless pirates rushed toward Whitebeard, their faces filled with worry and desperation.
"Don't come any closer!"
Whitebeard let out a roar, then raised his head to the sky and bellowed, "Everyone in the Whitebeard Pirates, listen up! This is my final captain's order!"
"All of you—evacuate this island!"
"Dad!!!"
"We're not leaving!"
"We refuse to listen!"
The members of the Whitebeard Pirates roared in defiance.
Among them, Fire Fist Ace swung his fist, engulfing a group of Nether Pirates in flames and reducing them to ashes.
"Dad!"
Although he had only recently joined the Whitebeard Pirates, Ace had already formed a deep bond with them. He deeply respected Whitebeard, the legendary pirate.
In Ace's heart, Whitebeard's status far surpassed even Roger's.
Whitebeard was his true father.
Whitebeard's powerful voice echoed across the battlefield.
"This is where we part ways. All of you must live!"
"Return to the sea of freedom!"
"I'm just a relic of the old era... There's no place for me in the new world!"
As he finished speaking, Whitebeard unleashed a devastating punch, his Conqueror's Haki surging with unmatched intensity, far surpassing any of his previous attacks.
BOOM!
The earth trembled violently, and the sky seemed to shake from the impact.
A massive crack tore through the entire island, splitting the battlefield in two.
"Go, my sons!!!"
Whitebeard had carved out an escape route for his crew, blocking the Nether Pirates from pursuing them.
Lucifer stood with his arms crossed, silently watching without making a move.
"Already giving up?" he sneered.
"Whitebeard, it seems you're not as strong as I thought."
Whitebeard let out a low chuckle, then pointed his massive naginata at Lucifer.
"It's not up to a snot-nosed brat like you to judge me!"
"Come on! My head is right here!"
"If you want it—come take it yourself!"
Lucifer shook his head with a smirk.
"Clever trick..."
Among pirates, the strongest fought the strongest—captain against captain, general against general.
Whitebeard's challenge was a ploy to make Lucifer focus on him, buying time for his sons to escape.
"Hmph."
Whitebeard grinned but didn't reply.
He knew Lucifer wasn't foolish enough to fall for such a simple trick, but he was certain Lucifer would still accept the challenge.
"What if I refuse?" Lucifer said coldly.
"Without me stopping them, none of your people will escape!"
"And how many attacks can you withstand from me?"
"You're not the only one standing in my way!"
A deep voice cut through the tension.
The Red-Haired Shanks appeared beside Whitebeard, his sharp eyes locked onto Lucifer.
"Don't forget... I'm still here."
Shanks, too, had accepted his fate. He had already ordered his crew to retreat.
After everything they had fought for, after all their efforts—it had all been meaningless.
Against Lucifer's overwhelming abilities, they had never stood a chance.
"Dad!!!"
"Captain Shanks!!!"
Many members of the Whitebeard Pirates and the Red Hair Pirates refused to leave, calling out in desperation.
But Whitebeard and Shanks ignored them.
Their focus was solely on Lucifer.
They were determined to buy as much time as possible for their crew to escape.
To let as many of their comrades survive as possible.
At the same time, the heavily wounded Fleet Admiral Sengoku issued his final order.
"Listen up! All Marines—retreat immediately!"
"Kizaru, Aokiji, Fujitora—you three will hold the line and buy time for the army's retreat!"
"Aokiji..."
Sengoku paused, then spoke with weight in his voice.
"Everything is up to you."
His last words were directed at Aokiji, a clear indication of his decision.
In his mind, Aokiji was the next Marine Fleet Admiral.
"I understand!"
Aokiji glanced at Sengoku from afar, nodding firmly before sending Pizarro flying with a powerful strike.
"Ice Age!"
A freezing aura spread instantly.
At absolute zero, a towering ice mountain formed in an instant, cutting off the Nether Pirates from their pursuit.
"Aokiji... still has some fight left!"
The Evil King, Avalo Pizarro, pursued relentlessly, launching a punch infused with scorching magma.
With Pizarro keeping him occupied, Aokiji was unable to leave the battlefield.
The power of the Magma-Magma Fruit was overwhelming. If Pizarro were to attack recklessly, not only would the Marines fail to retreat, but they would also face a brutal massacre.
Similarly, on the other side, Kizaru was also trying to break free from Enel and escape the battlefield.
Unfortunately, Enel's speed was just as fast as Kizaru's. He persistently hounded Kizaru, preventing him from leaving.
With his unparalleled mobility, Enel bombarded Kizaru with endless lightning strikes while simultaneously targeting the evacuating Marines, forcing Kizaru into battle.
"Attack the enemy where they must defend."
This was a strategy Enel had learned from Lucifer.
Kizaru knew that if he left Enel unchecked, the retreating Marines would suffer even greater casualties.
If he wanted to save them—he couldn't escape.
On another battlefield, the third front—
Under the relentless assault of Wolf and the Golden Emperor, Admiral Fujitora was unable to break free.
All three Marine Admirals were trapped on the battlefield.
The responsibility of organizing the evacuation had fallen to the numerous Marine Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals.
However, despite Aokiji erecting an iceberg to block the pursuers, the elite forces of the Nether Pirates continued their relentless chase.
Among them, Cavendish, wielding the power of the Lion-Lion Fruit, led an army of pirates from the sky, bypassing the icy barrier with ease.
The ice mountains created by Aokiji couldn't stop him at all.
"Damn it!"
From a distance, Marshal Sengoku observed the battlefield with a grim expression.
Rage surged within him, aggravating his wounds—
Cough!
Another mouthful of blood spewed from his lips.
"Your Excellency Sengoku, we must retreat together!"
Beside him, a military doctor pleaded anxiously.
Although Sengoku was gravely wounded, his life could still be saved if he evacuated in time.
"No! I'm not leaving!"
Sengoku's gaze swept across the battlefield, filled with corpses and the thick stench of gunpowder. His eyes were resolute.
"I said it before—unless I defeat Lucifer and return victorious, I will die on this battlefield!"
"The Forbidden Island of Death... The battlefield of the century's decisive battle... this is a fitting place for my grave!"
"Go! Leave this place! I will hold them here!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Sengoku activated his Devil Fruit ability once more, transforming into a massive golden Buddha.
BOOM!
A powerful shockwave erupted from his palm, blasting through the ranks of the Nether Pirates, reducing hundreds to blood mist. The sheer force of the attack even deterred the pursuers for a moment.
The very next second—
Sengoku charged directly into the Conqueror's Haki domain that Lucifer had unleashed.
He knew—
Keeping Lucifer occupied was the only way to ensure the Marines' survival.
If Lucifer joined the pursuit, then every single Marine soldier would be slaughtered in an instant.
"Lucifer!!!"
Upon seeing Lucifer, Sengoku wasted no words and immediately launched his strongest attack.
A terrifying golden light exploded outward as a massive shockwave surged toward Lucifer like a tidal wave, threatening to crush everything in its path.
However—
Clang!
Lucifer calmly activated his Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki armor, effortlessly withstanding Sengoku's devastating strike.
Then, he raised his hand—
"Shinra Tensei!"
CLANG!!!!
A deafening metallic impact echoed across the battlefield.
All eyes turned toward the scene—
Sengoku's massive golden Buddha form had been pierced through, and the shockwave that was meant to destroy Lucifer instead blasted straight into the heavens, shattering the clouds above.
A gaping hole had appeared in Sengoku's chest.
Golden fragments scattered everywhere.
But even with such severe injuries, Sengoku did not fall.
His fruit ability remained active.
His consciousness was unwavering.
His eyes were locked onto Lucifer, refusing to waver even for a second.
"The greatest sin of this world… must be buried here!"
The golden Buddha radiated an even more dazzling golden light, and an overwhelming surge of Conqueror's Haki erupted from Sengoku.
With both palms raised, he slammed them down with all his might.
At the same time—
Whitebeard and Shanks had joined forces!
The three legendary figures unleashed their Conqueror's Haki simultaneously, their combined willpower shattering Lucifer's Haki domain.
"Good... Good... GOOD!!!"
Lucifer threw his head back and laughed wildly, his excitement reaching its peak.
"That's it! Well done!"
He suddenly raised his hand toward the sky.
A golden giant sword materialized out of thin air, exuding a murderous aura so strong that it seemed to pierce the heavens.
"Supreme Domination!"
CLANG!!!
A single sword strike—
Lucifer's golden blade sliced through the combined Conqueror's impact as if it were nothing.
With just one attack—
Sengoku's massive golden Buddha form was cleaved in two.
The cut was clean—his body split right down the middle.
Whitebeard and Shanks were also sent flying by the impact, their bodies crashing into two nearby mountains, reducing them to rubble.
Ding!
"Host has killed Marine Marshal Sengoku. Reward: 480,000 kill points."
Lucifer ignored the system prompt.
He reached out his hand—
A golden Devil Fruit materialized in his palm.
This was Sengoku's Zoan—Mythical Type—Human-Human Fruit, Model: Buddha.
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