The battlefield was steeped in deathly silence.
Not a single breath stirred the air.
Even the Marines locked in desperate battle with soul monsters froze in place—all eyes lifted skyward, widened in sheer disbelief at the sight above.
That massive black sphere suspended in the heavens... now weeping blood.
Scarlet liquid seeped from its cracks, trailing like tears down its uneven surface—staining it a gruesome shade of dark red. It looked like something torn from the pages of a nightmare.
"Did it work…?"
"No one could survive that kind of attack…"
"He must've been crushed—down to his bones…"
And it wasn't just the Marines.
Far off on another part of the ruined battlefield, Big Mom and Kaido—locked in combat with Zephyr—stiffened at the sight, a flicker of disbelief flashing across their faces.
Could it really be?
Could those four Marine brats… have pushed the Golden Lion this far?
But then—
Thud. Thud. Thud…
Heavy footsteps echoed across the ruined plain.
All eyes snapped toward the sound.
And then, like a devil rising from hell, a figure drenched head to toe in blood launched upward from the cracked earth.
A brutal, gaping wound slashed across his chest—deep enough to expose bone. Blood soaked his uniform, dripping in thick rivulets. Behind him, his Justice cloak fluttered violently in the burning wind, its scarlet stains soaked deep with iron and rage.
At the center of his chest… a blood-red rose bloomed beneath torn fabric, swaying in the smoke and storm.
Sakazuki.
"Go to hell, Golden Lion Shiki!!"
His roar was like a demon's bellow. Fury blazed in his eyes, enough to freeze any sane man's soul.
His right arm swelled, veins bulging, magma boiling—until a pillar of fire and ash burst outward from his fist.
An erupting volcano—hurled skyward.
A blazing red fist of molten death tore toward the "blood moon" floating overhead.
He didn't care whether Darren's magnetic attack had succeeded or not.
He would reduce it all to ash. Leave nothing behind.
"Great Eruption!!"
The punch tore through the sky.
The air warped and screamed in protest, superheated by the magma's fury.
But just then—
CRACK!!
Black-red lightning erupted from the bleeding sphere, tearing it apart into thousands of fragments.
From within that disintegrating orb—
Two blades. Wreathed in Conqueror's Haki.
They slashed outward, dragging trails of black-red lightning—shattering the metal rain and meeting Sakazuki's fist head-on!
BOOM!!
The collision rocked the heavens.
Magma met steel in midair—blades clashing with a volcanic fist. Shockwaves burst outward in every direction, leveling the land like a tidal wave made of wind.
The earth shattered.
Debris surged like ocean waves, rising in layers.
Only now did everyone finally see him clearly.
Golden Lion.
His skin was torn and mangled. Blood dripped steadily. His face twisted in pain and rage, his eyes like those of a vengeful ghost.
Crackling with black-red lightning, his aura still loomed enormous—but his presence… had waned.
Observation Haki revealed it clearly:
His life force had dropped by half.
He was grievously wounded.
"You little bastards… You dared to force me to this point!?"
His voice dripped with hate. His bloodshot eyes gleamed with murder.
"I won't let you—"
Bzzzz!
A golden laser punched clean through his abdomen—bursting from his back and crashing into the sea, sending up a geyser of foam.
Golden Lion jerked. Blood spewed from his mouth.
He turned, wild eyes locking on Borsalino.
The latter sat slumped against a shattered wall, barely upright, a faint grin on his lips. His index finger still pointed toward the sky.
"Forgive me… I couldn't move anymore," he said weakly. "Had to do it this way…"
"Damn you!!"
Golden Lion howled, rage swallowing his voice.
His twin blades, wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, swept down with a scream of force.
SWOOSH!!
A single, enormous slash—like a crimson whip from the heavens—descended upon Sakazuki, striking him down into the shattered ground.
BOOM!!
Half the harbor cracked open. Earth shook violently. Dozens of buildings collapsed into clouds of dust and debris.
But as the slash fell, Golden Lion stumbled.
His face went pale. Blood gushed from his lips.
His injuries… they were catching up to him.
Darren's attack. Borsalino's laser. Sakazuki's eruption. All of it…
He was falling.
"No… no…"
His vision blurred. Blood dyed his eyelids red. He coughed violently, body shuddering.
But still—his eyes found Darren.
The young Marine stood among the rubble, barely upright. Pale as death. Breath ragged.
At his limit.
"You… It's all because of you…"
Golden Lion sucked in a breath. His eyes glinted with the chill of execution.
"I'll kill you…"
"Shiki!!!!"
A roar shattered the air, echoing across the sea.
Golden Lion froze mid-motion.
The Marines turned—eyes wide—toward the ocean.
A battleship surged toward them at top speed, engines roaring, hull stripped of weight to push it faster.
At the prow, standing tall, his body gleaming with gold…
A giant of a man, surrounded by flickering black-red lightning.
Marine Admiral Sengoku, the Buddha.
And behind him—two silent, masked figures in white silk robes.
CP0.
The World Government's most secretive force.
"You're not escaping!!"
Sengoku's voice crashed like thunder. He unleashed his Haki freely, shaking the air.
Golden Lion's pupils shrank.
If he were caught by Sengoku now…
No—Sengoku had no flight ability.
He could still escape!
But then—
His eyes flicked back to Darren.
The brat stood watching him.
And at the corner of his mouth… a smile.
Faint. Cold.
For some reason, it chilled him to his core.
A bad feeling twisted in his gut.
Did that brat still have another trick?
No. Even if he did—what of it?
He still had three top-tier allies!
Kaido and Linlin were still—
Wait.
Where were they?
He turned.
And his heart nearly burst.
As Sengoku and CP0 appeared—
Kaido and Big Mom had already disengaged.
One became a massive dragon, soaring skyward.
The other rode a thundercloud.
Retreating.
"Those cowardly bastards!!"
Golden Lion roared, teeth grinding in fury.
Too late.
That thought stabbed through his mind.
With a snarl, he rose—his battered body lifting higher into the sky.
From on high, drenched in blood, he looked down at Marineford—reduced to rubble.
With Big Mom's retreat, her soul beasts lost their power. Their spirits vanished, and their bodies—mere stone and steel—crashed to earth.
On the scorched ground below—
Wounded Marines stood with blades dug into the dirt, holding themselves up by sheer will.
One by one, they rose.
Darren. Kuzan. Borsalino. Sakazuki—climbing from the fissures.
All four stood at the front of the formation. Battered. Bleeding. Unbroken.
They stared up at him.
Fire sparked in the space between their gazes.
Golden Lion… smiled.
A cruel, mocking smile.
"You naive little Marines… you think you've won?"
At those words—
Sengoku's eyes widened.
As if he sensed something terrible.
"Jihahahahaha!!"
Golden Lion threw his head back and laughed like a madman.
"Then open your eyes wide—"
He raised his arm high.
"This… is your real hell!!"
And at that instant—
A distant rumble rolled through the clouds.
"No way…"
The Marines looked up—faces freezing in horror.
From behind the clouds—
A vast shadow emerged.
Black. Endless.
It pierced the sky.
The clouds parted—
SHHHHRRRK!!
The heavens split.
The shadow spread.
And the sun vanished.
Half of Marineford fell into darkness.
A sickness of fear swept across the land.
Because looming above them—
Was an island.
---
To be continued…