The battlefield fell into utter silence.
Not a single sound.
Even the Marines locked in combat with the soul monsters froze at once, eyes wide with shock as they stared up at the massive black sphere in the sky, which was steadily oozing blood. Their faces were filled with disbelief.
Blood continued seeping from the tiny cracks webbing the sphere's surface, quickly staining it a deep, dark red. The sight was beyond terrifying.
"Did it work?"
"That attack was insane… there's no way anything survived that."
"Even his bones must've been crushed to dust…"
And it wasn't just them.
Far off in the distance, Big Mom and Kaidou—who had been working together to suppress Zephyr—also paused, stunned. A wave of shock rippled through their hearts.
Those Navy brats... they really managed to go head-to-head with Shiki!?
But then—
Thud... thud... thud...
Heavy footsteps echoed across the ruins. In the eyes of everyone whose pupils were drawn tight with tension, a blood-soaked figure suddenly launched upward from the ground.
A deep wound, slashed clean to the bone, stretched across his chest. Blood poured freely, staining his uniform crimson. The Justice cloak at his back billowed, soaked in iron and blood.
A single blood-red rose bloomed over his heart, swaying with the wind and smoke—a grim, chilling beauty.
Sakazuki!
"Go to hell, Shiki the Golden Lion!!"
His roar was sharp, like a demon's curse. Murderous intent exploded from his eyes, and in a blink, his entire right arm swelled with black smoke. A blazing magma fist surged forth, ready to incinerate everything!
A volcanic eruption unleashed in full force!
Blazing red magma shot up like a massive fireball, driving straight through the "blood moon" suspended in midair!
Sakazuki didn't need to confirm whether Daren's technique had finished the job.
He'd burn it all to ashes—just to be sure!
"Great Eruption!!"
His fist came crashing down!
A crimson shockwave burst forth, distorting the air around it under its intense heat.
But just then—black and red lightning suddenly ripped through the sphere, shattering the compressed mass of metal into countless fragments that scattered across the sky.
Two Meito swords, each wrapped in Haki, slashed upward with brutal force. They tore through the metallic debris like twin thunderbolts, meeting Sakazuki's magma fist head-on!
BOOM!!
The magma punch and the twin blades collided in midair. Waves of violent force exploded outward, spreading in all directions from their clash.
The shattered ground rose in layers, rippling like a storm-tossed sea.
Only now did everyone finally get a clear look at Shiki's condition!
His skin was torn in multiple places, blood dripping freely. His expression was twisted in pain and rage, eyes wild with fury like a beast from hell.
Black and red lightning crackled around his body. His Haki still surged, overwhelming—but through Observation Haki, it was clear.
His aura had dropped by at least half.
He was seriously wounded.
"You damn brats... You actually pushed me this far!!"
Shiki's voice was filled with hatred and cold fury. Blood vessels lined his eyes like spiderwebs.
"I swear—I won't let a single one of you—"
Biu!
A golden laser beam suddenly pierced his abdomen, tearing straight through his body and blasting into the distant sea, sending water geysering into the sky.
Shiki froze, his entire body locking up as blood gushed from his mouth.
He whipped his head around, eyes blazing with fury—locking onto Borsalino.
The latter sat slumped on the ground, leaning against a wall. He gave a weak, lopsided grin, his index finger still raised.
"I'm really sorry... I'm too exhausted to move. This was the only option left..."
"Damn it!!!"
With a pained roar, Shiki surged forward. His twin swords, wreathed in Conqueror's Haki, came crashing down in a ferocious arc!
Swish!
Like a blood-red whip slashing from the heavens, a colossal black-and-red blade light tore through the air, stretching a hundred meters—driving Sakazuki's entire body straight into the ground!
BOOM!!
The blade cleaved half the military port in two, the earth shuddered violently, and dozens of buildings collapsed in a chain reaction, sending up clouds of dust and debris.
But after delivering that devastating blow, Shiki's face turned pale. He stumbled back several steps, blood pouring uncontrollably from his mouth.
After taking so many brutal hits—and with Borsalino's laser having pierced through his abdomen—he could feel his body failing fast.
"How... could this be..."
His vision blurred. Blood clouded his eyes. He doubled over, coughing violently.
Yet even then, his glare locked onto Daren, who stood swaying in the center of the ruined battlefield.
Daren's face was ghostly pale, clearly at his limit. A bowstring pulled to its breaking point.
"It's all your fault..."
Shiki inhaled deeply, eyes flashing with icy resolve.
"I have to kill you... right now!!"
"Shiki!!!!"
Just then, an explosive roar thundered across the sea.
Shiki froze mid-motion.
The force of that voice jolted the Marines back to their senses—they turned toward the ocean.
A massive warship was tearing across the water at full speed, crashing through waves like a force of nature.
All its cannons, supplies—even sections of the railings—had been stripped away. The engines roared at full throttle, pushed to the max for speed alone!
At the bow stood a towering figure radiating golden light, his furious gaze locked onto the ruins of Marineford. Black and red lightning crackled faintly around him.
Admiral Sengoku, the Buddha of the Marine Headquarters!
Behind him stood two eerie figures, silent and still. Dressed in pale silk robes and wearing strange white masks.
Members of CP0—the World Government's top intelligence agency.
"You're not going anywhere!"
Sengoku's voice roared across the sea as he unleashed his full presence without restraint.
Shiki's pupils contracted. His mind raced.
In his current state, if Sengoku got close...
No. Sengoku couldn't fly.
He could still escape anytime he wanted!
But just as that thought surfaced, Shiki's gaze landed on Daren.
The Marine Commodore stood firm, his lips curling into the faintest, mocking smirk.
For some reason...
Seeing that smirk sent a jolt of unease through Shiki's chest.
Could it be... that brat still had something left up his sleeve?
No. Even if he did—it wouldn't matter!
He still had three top-tier forces on his side!
Kaidou and Linlin were both near full strength. Even if things got messy—
Wait...
Where were they?
A chill crept down his spine. Shiki turned his head—and what he saw nearly made his eyes explode from their sockets.
With Sengoku and CP0's arrival, Kaidou and Big Mom, who had been fiercely battling Zephyr, suddenly pulled away without hesitation. Kaidou soared skyward in dragon form, and Linlin rode off on thunderclouds...
They were retreating. Without a word.
"Those two damn cowards!!"
Shiki nearly shattered his own teeth in fury.
Too late...
The realization struck hard.
With a bitter snarl, he shot up into the sky.
If that's how it is...
From high above, covered in blood, Shiki gazed down on the devastated Marineford below.
With Big Mom's retreat, her soul monsters had lost control—one by one, they crumbled into piles of lifeless steel and stone as their souls vanished.
Down on the smoke-choked ground, Marines stood battered and bloodied, propping themselves up on their blades as they gasped for breath.
One by one, they rose again.
Daren. Kuzan. Borsalino. And Sakazuki, climbing from a split in the ground...
The four of them stood at the front of the Marine lines, bloodied but unyielding, shoulder to shoulder, eyes blazing as they glared back at Shiki.
Their gazes clashed in the air. Sparks flew in the silence.
A cruel, mocking grin curled on Shiki's lips.
"You naive little Marines... You think this means you've won?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Sengoku's expression shifted sharply—he sensed something.
"Jihahahahaha!!!"
Shiki threw his head back in manic laughter.
"Open your eyes and look!!"
He raised one hand and swung it down with force.
"This... is your true... hell!!"
As his voice rang out, a low rumble echoed from behind the thick clouds.
"No way..."
The Marines froze.
Then their eyes went wide in horror, as if staring at something out of a nightmare.
A massive, pitch-black shadow slowly spread from behind the clouds.
And then—
Whoosh!!
The cloud sea split apart, layer by layer, rolling back like retreating tides.
A towering shadow blotted out the sky, casting darkness over half of Marineford.
Terror surged across the battlefield like a virus.
It was...
An island.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake