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An Admiral, a veteran powerhouse with the ability to crush any resistance, the three pirates knew firsthand how terrifying Zephyr was. Releasing him?
Suicide. That was simply not an option.
The Jasper Gourd fell into a heavy, drawn-out silence as it continued its slow, inexorable journey forward.
Marine Headquarters, Above the Fray
From his perch on his floating island, Golden Lion Shiki stared toward the northeast.
"A fierce surge of dominance is rising from that direction… Haoshoku Haki!" he boomed, his voice deep and resonant. Below him, his crews were slaughtering Marines, but the legendary pirate showed no emotional reaction to the carnage.
"It seems another power is trying to fish in these troubled waters. Which force from the New World is bold enough to challenge the World Government here?" Doubt flickered in his eyes as he turned to his officers.
The answer was useless. Their intelligence network here was nonexistent.
"No matter who it is, they are drawing the Marines' main force away for us! Their distraction is a gift." Shiki grinned, then swept his gaze across the battlefield below and raised a hand.
"Second Fleet, execute! Now!"
Behind him, the countless pirate ships were deployed. Long, wicked wings extended from the hulls, and as they pumped up and down, rows of dark cannon barrels stretched out. The mouths of the cannons whirred, rapidly locking onto targets below.
"Target confirmed. Requesting permission to fire!"
Voices echoed through the sky. These airborne vessels were loaded with devastating firepower.
"Fire!"
The command rang out repeatedly. Cannon rounds were loaded, and the sharp, metallic tang of gunpowder filled the air.
Below, the Marines' expressions changed drastically. They looked up at the seemingly endless black mass of ships blotting out the sky. They tried to scatter and dodge, but it was already too late.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
From beneath the ships, countless cannon barrels spewed fire. Black shells plunged downward, tearing into the densely packed Marine ranks.
"Aaargh!"
Explosions bloomed everywhere. Buildings collapsed one after another. Marines who couldn't dive for cover were struck by the devastating rain of fire, their formations instantly shattered into chaos.
On the high command platform, Fleet Admiral Kong's face was dark as thunder.
"Where are Kizaru and the others?"
"They're nearly in range!" Sengoku answered quickly.
At the same time, he frantically tried Garp's Den Den Mushi, but received no reply. Sengoku's expression tightened. Golden Lion was a world-class monster. Even with both him and Kong working together, subduing Shiki alone would be a difficult task, and escaping was his specialty.
"Is Kuzan still not here?" Kong pressed.
The situation was dire. The Marines' top-tier combat strength was frighteningly thin. The enemy had Shiki, a force surpassing the level of an Admiral, alongside his high-ranking officers, some potentially Admiral-level themselves, and Rojen's crew lurking nearby like apex predators.
This was a disaster. Kong's fists clenched, his expression grim.
Below the northeastern wall, Rojen advanced with long, deliberate strides. His face was grave, and the domineering aura around him surged, a palpable, overwhelming force.
The few Marines still standing watched him approach. At this range, the sheer, crushing pressure of his presence shattered their morale and crippled their will to fight.
A sharp, piercing sound cut through the noise of the battle. Someone had blown an emergency whistle, calling for reinforcements from the furthest corners of the base.
Rojen's gaze turned cold at the sound. The hand he had placed behind his back tightened sharply.
Crack.
Seven Stars, his long blade, slid out of its sheath.
He moved forward, his speed suddenly exploding to its absolute maximum.
"Blade Draw!"
Swoosh!
A blinding streak of silver flashed. He shot past five Rear Admirals. Blood erupted in plumes. The officers crumpled. Rojen's sword trailed toward the ground as he continued his devastating charge.
Ahead, a hundred elite Marines stomped forward, weapons raised, launching their disciplined assault.
It was a brutally unfair fight, one man against a hundred, with untold waves of support streaming in behind them. Through the gaps in the Marines' advancing forms, Rojen could see more troops rushing toward him like a flood, countless in number. Even colossal war robots were stomping into position.
But war had never been fair.
Facing the wave, Rojen's sword gave a faint tremble. Seven Stars erupted again.
Ripples spread through the air as the blade spun, transforming into a coiling, golden dragon that circled rapidly around Rojen.
In a single explosive step, he launched himself into the air, reaching a height far above the battlefield in three quick bursts. His right palm struck down with terrifying force.
Wong…!
The void chanted with deep resonance as a colossal golden Buddhist palm manifested, descending like a hammer blow toward the earth.
"Tathagata Divine Palm!"
Boom!
A wide swath of Marines was instantly vaporized or hurled away, screams swallowed by the impact. Yet, even more Marines bent their knees and vaulted into the air, swords raised, slashing at him from above.
"Manipulating Sword Arts!"
Seven Stars vibrated with a sharp hum and shot forward, carving a swift, deadly arc.
Pfft!
Four Marines instantly had their throats sliced open, tumbling lifelessly from the sky. But the rest blocked the independent blade and continued their rush.
"Subduing Dragons Eighteen Palms!"
Roar!
Golden dragons howled into existence. Eighteen swirling forms materialized around Rojen, coiling and soaring, triggering a chain of violent explosions in the air. Countless more Marines were thrown backward, crashing hard onto the ground.
Seven Stars spun in a circle before smoothly returning to Rojen's side.
His eyes were burning, sharp as glass as he swept his gaze down at the broken ranks.
Forming swift hand seals, he poured his focus into the blade.
"Myriad Sword Secrets!"
Before him, Seven Stars violently fractured, splitting into thousands of shimmering sword shadows. They instantly unfolded into a massive, terrifying curtain of blades suspended in the air.
Seeing the colossal curtain loom above them, the Marines' faces went pale with terror.
"Evade!"
At the frantic shout, the surviving Marines scrambled for cover.
At that exact moment, the Myriad Sword Secrets plunged down. Each sword shadow fell like an artillery shell, detonating upon impact.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions ripped through the ground without pause. Marines fled in panic, the slow were instantly shredded by the cascading blade energy; others were struck and left crippled.
Rojen hovered in the air, his breathing steady.
Facing the entire Marine force alone, he suppressed them completely with the dizzying array of skills he had mastered.
He extended his right hand. Seven Stars returned to his waiting grip.
One step forward, Soru activated, and Rojen slammed down onto the ground.
He gave the Marines no time to regroup. He launched his next assault, charging into the heart of their ranks.
"Kuzuryūsen!"
"Dugu Nine Swords!"
"Blade Draw!"
"…"
Every fighting technique and martial art he had absorbed erupted at once, unleashed without restraint. Seven Stars was sometimes an extension of his arm, sometimes an autonomous, deadly projectile, cutting through the air, tracing strange and lethal arcs.
Man and sword were one. Within a kilometer radius, Rojen was a storm, sweeping through the lines like a peerless warrior from an ancient, blood-soaked age, unmatched across the entire battlefield.
With every step, blood blossomed. Marines fell in stacks.
Thirty seconds later, of the original hundred elite Marines, only fifty remained, he had cut them down by half.
His fierce, savage techniques horrified the Marines, but also ignited a desperate, vengeful fury.
"Kill him! Charge!"
With a shout, the remaining Marines charged again.
The air was thick with murderous intent. Both sides fought with bloodshot eyes, their killing intent boiling over. The ground ran red with their sacrifice.
(End Of This Chapter)
PS- Hey Guys I have picked up 2 new fanfictions
New Fanfiction— 1. One Piece—Maxed Out Conqueror's Haki!
2. One Piece—Master Of Devil Fruits