With Luffy and Rayleigh arriving on the battlefield, the Buggy Pirates froze in disbelief. Shock flickered across their faces, quickly followed by understanding. One was their captain's nephew. The other had stood beside Gol D. Roger himself. Of course, they would come now. Of course, they would stand with Buggy.
But the true surprise came moments later.
The sky above the Red Line cracked with sound as the great human-powered lift touched down. From it poured dozens, then hundreds, of fighters. Their war cries echoed across the land.
"It's the Red Line! Time to join Buggy and crush the Celestial Dragons!"
"Crush the Celestial Dragons!"
The chants grew louder with each new wave. Pirates leapt from the lift's platform, landing with steel drawn and eyes burning. At the head of the charge stood a man with green rooster-shaped hair, grinning wide and wild.
Bartolomeo.
The Barrier-Barrier Fruit user raised one fist, the other hand flashing a V-sign as he shouted, "Pirate King's orders, yeah?! We tear these fake gods down!"
Behind him, more crews began to appear. Alvida led the remnants of the old Buggy Pirates, her skin shining like polished glass thanks to the Slippery-Slippery Fruit. The Eight Treasures Navy marched close behind, the very same warriors Buggy had saved from Doflamingo's grip in Dressrosa. The Ideo Pirates arrived next, followed by the Handsome Pirates, then the Tontatta warriors with their insect mounts and deadly weapons.
The ground shook with every new arrival.
From the sea came another sound as massive anchors hit rock. Giant ships loomed into view, and out stepped the titanic warriors of Elbaf.
The New Giant Warrior Pirates had come.
Hajrudin raised his hammer high, shouting Buggy's name to the heavens as his crew followed. Their footsteps thundered like cannons. Each blow they landed cracked stone. Each roar they gave echoed through the chaos.
But they were not alone.
Among the ships were civilians. Ordinary men and women. Farmers, smiths, traders. People Buggy had once saved now joined the war not for treasure or fame, but for justice. They lifted makeshift weapons, standing beside pirates as equals.
The balance of power was shattered.
The World Government's forces began to crumble. Vice Admirals gave panicked orders. Rear Admirals broke ranks. Some Marines stared in disbelief as the tide turned so quickly they could barely understand what was happening.
Only three figures stood firm: the remaining Admirals, joined by two Seraphim and the Knights of God.
Even they were being pushed back.
The new arrivals didn't ask for one-on-one duels. There were no prideful declarations or fair fights. Shoulder to shoulder, they fought as one.
No one shouted, "Don't interfere with my battle." That kind of foolishness had no place here.
They had come for one purpose. The Celestial Dragons would be killed today.
A fresh voice rang out from atop the Red Line. "Not too late, huh? Then let's end this farce. Celestial Dragons, it's finally your turn today!"
The war shifted again.
The air rippled with a new presence. A surge of bloodlust flooded the field as more pirates arrived.
The Worst Generation.
Eustass Kid led the way, metal swirling around him like a tornado. Scratchmen Apoo followed with thunderous beats pulsing from his arms, each note shaking the air. Basil Hawkins stepped forward, cold and unreadable, cards slipping through his fingers.
X Drake charged ahead, already in hybrid form, jaws snapping at clone soldiers. Jewelry Bonney moved like a blur, striking fast, eyes fixed on vengeance.
Capone Bege's fortress body opened fire from a distance, launching cannons and smoke at the retreating Knights. Behind him rolled the Fire Tank Pirates, each man trained and armed for siege warfare.
And in the clouds above them came a laugh like thunder.
Urouge descended from the sky with his massive frame and broken wings. He lifted a Marine battleship and hurled it with one arm, laughing all the way.
The battle for the Red Line was no longer a fight.
It was a rout.
In a flash, Zoro and Mihawk took down the remaining Golden Lion clones, blades slicing in perfect rhythm. Hancock and Bonney moved like shadows, overwhelming the Kaido and King replicas in a flurry of Haki and fury.
The Knights of God scattered, struck down from every direction. The few that remained barely held on, bloodied and breathless.
From the top of the Red Line to the battlefield below, the sky was filled with fire, lightning, and flower-born vines. Buggy's army surged forward like a wave.
The gods were drowning.
The high-tier battlefield had become a spectacle of chaos and resignation.
Without warning, both Fujitora and Aokiji raised their hands in silent surrender. Neither of them had any intention of laying down their lives for the World Government. Their message was clear that they would not bleed for tyranny.
But Akainu was another story.
Cornered and outnumbered, Sakazuki still fought on. Bloodied and breathless, he stood alone against Luffy, Ace, and Marco. Refusing to yield, he hurled magma fists at them with reckless fury. Even after Gabban had intervened and both Fujitora and Aokiji had changed sides, or they were on that side from the beginning. Even when his opponents had paused, he charged forward with all the rage he could muster.
He would rather die than surrender to pirates.
For a moment, even his enemies paused. Some felt a sliver of respect for the man's defiance, but far more were filled with disgust. They saw not a proud warrior, but a rabid dog still trying to bite after its leash had snapped.
To them, his loyalty was not courage. It was servitude. A dog barking for gods who had never bled.
And so Sabo joined the fray.
He launched forward with his fists, his voice ringing through the battlefield like a war drum.
"You want to die, Akainu? Then I'll be the one to grant it!"
Sabo's eyes burned with fury as he landed blow after blow. "The fleet admiral's already dead. What difference does your death make? Follow him to the underworld and keep licking Celestial boots there!"
His words struck deeper than his fists.
Akainu faltered. His blood-soaked face twisted with pain, not just physical, but something worse. He gritted his teeth as Sabo's accusations echoed in his mind.
Loyalty to the Celestial Dragons.
He had never believed in their divinity. Never respected their filth. But in his relentless pursuit of "Absolute Justice," he had followed every command. Every purge and massacre.
The Ohara scholars. The pirates of the new age. The innocents caught between.
He had obeyed. He had killed. He had carried out their will without question.
And now he could not deny it. He had been their dog. No amount of self-righteous justification would change that.
The flames of Sabo's rage were not alone.
Luffy drove his fists into Sakazuki's ribs with Gear Fourth force. Marco slashed forward with talons ablaze in blue fire. Ace summoned white-hot flames that cut through magma with ease. Their attacks struck in tandem, relentless and unyielding.
Akainu was overwhelmed.
Battered from every side, he collapsed to his knees, barely breathing, his body a wreck of scorched muscle and broken will.
Sabo stepped forward, ready to end it.
He raised his fist, eyes locked on the man who had scarred his brothers and served the monsters he despised. His flames coiled tighter.
He was going to finish it.
But then flash.
A golden beam tore through the sky.
In the blink of an eye, someone appeared in front of them, bathing the scorched earth in radiant light.
Kizaru.
His golden form solidified, and with a casual tilt of the head, he offered a tired smirk.
"Well now… four-on-one, that's not very fair, is it?"
He looked at them with that same detached grin.
"How about this… I surrender. In exchange, would you be willing to spare Sakazuki?"
The battlefield stilled again.
Behind them, Aokiji stepped forward, his voice calm. "We'll take responsibility for him. He'll be watched."
Fujitora gave a slow nod. "If you're still concerned, you can put seastone cuffs on him. I won't stop you."
Luffy, Ace, Marco, and Sabo exchanged looks. None spoke. Their eyes drifted to Gabban.
The old pirate stood still, considering. Then he gave a small nod.
"So be it. But don't think we're doing this for him."
Gabban turned away. "Hurry and deal with it," he added gruffly.
From nearby, Bullet's voice cut in like thunder.
"We don't have time to stand around! I can feel several powerful auras have disappeared on the other side of the battlefield." His eyes blazed. "We need to move. Now."
Just as Bullet finished speaking, a sharp burst of blue lightning tore through the sky, streaking toward Pangaea Castle at a blinding speed. Enel's voice echoed overhead, crackling through the clouds like thunder. "I'll head first. Something's wrong with the battle up ahead!"
Without hesitation, he vanished in a flash of electric energy.
Gabban nodded sharply. "Let's go."
He launched into the air, wings of aura shimmering around him as he rocketed toward the Holy Land.
Behind him, the three Admirals exchanged a brief, unreadable glance. Then Fujitora summoned a floating stone platform with a wave of his hand, gently lifting the unconscious Akainu onto it before taking off toward the rear.
One by one, the reinforcements began to move. Curiosity and unease pushed them forward. Whatever was happening in Pangaea Castle demanded their presence.
But they hadn't gotten far when the sky ahead detonated.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The air tore open. A colossal eruption of energy surged from the direction of the Red Line, far more violent than anything that had come before. Even at a distance of several dozen kilometers, the force of the blast hurled many of the approaching warriors through the air, flinging them hundreds of meters back like leaves in a storm.
The shockwave burned against their skin. Faces turned pale as waves of heat and pressure washed over them. Many stumbled, unable to comprehend the power that had just been unleashed.
And then they saw it.
A white glow lit up the sky like the descent of a second sun. It blanketed the horizon, swallowing cloud and mountain alike. The light surged outward, touching both land and sea, bright enough to bleach the world for an instant.
Gasps echoed through the formation. "What... what is happening out there?"
Most couldn't see it clearly. The smoke and distance were too great.
But high above, Gabban and his group pressed forward, soaring at top speed. Luffy, Marco, Bullet, Enel, and even the Marine Admirals now accompanying them braced against the wind as they pushed toward the light.
It took minutes before the brilliance began to fade.
When it did, the silence that followed was louder than the explosion itself.
And then they saw it.
Stretching across the Red Line was a chasm. A monstrous crater, hundreds of kilometers wide, had been carved into the heart of the continent. The earth itself had been shattered, leaving a hollow scar where a fortress had once stood.
Everyone froze.
Even battle-hardened legends like Gabban, Marco, and Bullet were stunned speechless.
The Marine Admirals, their expressions grave, scanned the horizon until one of them stepped forward, his voice hoarse with disbelief.
"Pangaea Castle... it's gone."
Gasps rippled through the sky. The statement felt impossible. And yet, the truth lay before them, a gaping wound in the world's foundation.
The throne of the Celestial Dragons had vanished.
And with it, the symbol of the World Government's absolute rule had been erased.
...
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