The Final Storm
After hours of fierce fighting, I regained my consciousness, only to realize that much had changed during my unconscious state. The battle had reached its peak, and the major turning point was that I had successfully defeated and knocked out Renji. The soldiers quickly took him away, bound for Impel Down. On Kong's side, he had eliminated Yami, and Monica had been slain by Garp.
The battlefield was littered with the casualties of war. We had lost around 3,000 soldiers, with another 300 seriously injured. However, despite the heavy toll, we had emerged victorious, at least in the grand scheme of things.
As the battle winds down, we were called to help others. Kong set off to fight Fujin, while Garp and I were tasked with facing Sakura, the formidable wind user from the Niraula Pirates. The journey to their base took us 20 hours, with no rest.
Upon our arrival, we immediately joined the battle alongside Sengoku and the other admirals. I could sense the dangerous atmosphere in the air, as we were each assigned to deal with one of the Niraula Pirates' powerful members.
My opponent was Sakura, known as "The Savage," and she was a Logia-type Devil Fruit user—specifically, the Wind-Wind no Mi. Her power was formidable, and her control over the wind made her almost impossible to land a solid hit on. Her fighting style was graceful but deadly, almost like an unstoppable storm. I knew that this battle would take everything I had.
Meanwhile, Garp and Sengoku went head-to-head with Monica, the vice-captain of the Niraula Pirates. Her strength was comparable to Emma, making her a tough adversary to contend with.
Days passed in a blur of intense fighting. Monica and Sakura were slowly starting to show signs of wear. On my side, the battle with Sakura was drawing near its climax. I had already pushed her to the limits of her powers, but she was still dangerous, her wind attacks coming at me in a torrent. I could feel the pressure mounting as my body started to tire, but I wasn't about to give up.
Finally, both of us had exhausted our reserves, and we were both preparing our final moves. The battlefield seemed to still as the two of us locked eyes, sensing that this was the moment that would decide it all.
Sakura sneered. "Let's see how you deal with this—Death Storm!"
In an instant, her body transformed into a cyclone, tearing through the landscape, the winds howling with fury. She launched herself at me, but I had already prepared my response.
With a shout, I activated my most powerful ability, the one I had been saving for this moment. "Same to you—Death Assistance!"
I summoned the full force of my Steal ability, draining her energy, and, using my mastery of Swordsman, I sent out a concentrated wave of spiritual energy, cutting through the storm like a hot knife through butter. Sakura's wind-based attacks were no match for my counterstrike. The storm she summoned dissipated, and she was knocked out cold.
On the other side of the battlefield, Monica and Garp were near their breaking points. Finally, like Sakura, Monica fell, defeated by the relentless power of our combined assault.
The war was coming to a close, and the Niraula Pirates were on the verge of collapse. However, in her final breath, Sakura unleashed her ultimate move—a final, desperate attack. With what little energy she had left, she attempted to steal the life force of the admiral. It was too late to stop her, and she succeeded in draining the life from the admiral, killing him in the process.
On Kong's side, we still didn't know what had transpired. His fight with Fujin continued, but at least we had completed our battle.
The Marine had emerged victorious after the long struggle, but the price had been high. The aftermath would be remembered forever, and with it, the certainty that the future of the seas would be forever changed.