WHOOSH!
Both men vanished in a blur, reappearing in midair—right at the center between the two split tips of the Precipice Sword.
CLANG!
Steel clashed as Sakazuki and Whitebeard collided, blades meeting in a thunderous impact. Blade aura and black-violet lightning—born from their Conqueror's Haki—crackled and danced madly as they locked together, falling through the sky.
Behind them, the two black magma sword edges began to fracture and crumble, inch by inch. Rocks rained down in a deadly hail from above.
Locked in a stalemate, the two warriors glared at each other, killing intent so thick it nearly became tangible.
Suddenly, Sakazuki drew a deep breath, his chest swelling before he exhaled violently.
WHOOSH!!!
A compressed blast of black smoke and volcanic ash erupted from Sakazuki's mouth like a cannon, exploding outward and expanding in an instant.
From afar, it looked as if a colossal black disk had formed around the solidified Precipice Sword, suspended a thousand meters above the sea.
Within that endless gray mist and black smoke, lightning and blade aura slashed and flashed—a doomsday thundercloud.
Inside the swirling haze, the two combatants lost all line of sight. Only their powerful Observation Haki allowed them to track each other's every move.
Whitebeard swept his left hand, unleashing a shockwave that tore through the air.
Sakazuki stomped the air, detonating it beneath his feet as he flashed aside, dodging the incoming shockwave.
The blast ripped a massive hole in the smoke, but it was quickly filled as swirling air swept in more ash and darkness.
The battle raged on, countless bolts of lightning and explosions bursting within the black cloud layer.
Far away, Sengoku, still in his golden Buddha form and leaping through the sky, watched the black cloud with a deep frown.
In his arms, Quell's breath grew weaker and weaker.
Suddenly, a Den Den Mushi rang out.
Sengoku returned to human form, cradling Quell with one arm while fishing out the Den Den Mushi with the other.
As soon as he connected, Fleet Admiral Kong's voice came through:
"Sengoku, what's your status?"
"Shiki is making moves in the New World. He's gathering his men and heading for G-4."
Sengoku's brows furrowed deeper. His voice was heavy:
"All G-4 soldiers are dead except for Quell. Sakazuki is still fighting Whitebeard. What about the government's special agent? Quell's life is slipping away—he won't last much longer."
In his office, Kong frowned as he listened.
"All right. I'll contact the government. Hold on as long as you can."
A brief silence, then Kong asked, "Sengoku?"
Sengoku's low voice came through the line. "I'm afraid it's not just Shiki. I saw… Roger."
Kong fell silent for a moment.
"The pirate underworld… I understand. Hold fast."
He hung up, then immediately called the government, ordering the special agent to report to HQ. He signaled his adjutant to issue alerts.
Moments later—
BUZZ—BUZZ! BUZZ—BUZZ! BUZZ—!
Urgent alarms blared across Marine Headquarters—Marineford. Everyone dropped what they were doing. Civilians hurried home to await instructions. Every soldier snapped to combat readiness; officers ranked Commodore and above converged at the central fortress.
At Zephyr's home.
After days of despondency, Zephyr leapt to his feet the instant he heard the alarm. Without hesitation, he grabbed his "Justice" cloak and threw it over his shoulders, sprinting out the door.
At the Marine Academy.
Morris immediately ordered the instructors to lead the cadets into battle stations, then rushed toward the Fleet Admiral's office with the department heads.
Nearby, Enel gripped his golden staff tightly, anxiety flickering in his eyes. He couldn't shake the feeling that this was connected to Sengoku and Sakazuki's sudden deployment.
"Uncle Sakazuki…"
At the main harbor.
Dozens of warships lay at anchor. The moment the alarms sounded, everyone sprang into action.
Aboard Sakazuki's ship, Karol, who'd been drilling the crew, whipped around to face the Fleet Admiral's office, then barked out orders:
"Everyone, battle stations! Check supplies and ammo! Prep for combat!"
With a stomp, she vanished, racing toward the central fortress. The crew scrambled, making their final preparations.
From above, the entire base came alive—civilians rushing home, soldiers pouring toward the port, and a few figures sprinting against the flow toward the heart of the fortress.
Half a day earlier.
The New World, Scree Waters.
The G-4 base and neighboring archipelagos—all marked as part of the Scree region on the charts.
At the edge of Scree, aboard the Oro Jackson—
Roger lounged with a bottle, downing it in one gulp. "Whew! Finally shook off that mad dog Garp! Hahahaha!"
Rayleigh stood nearby, a faint smile on his lips. "Looks that way."
Roger laughed again, but suddenly both men looked skyward.
"That's one of Newgate's boys, isn't it?" Roger mused.
Rayleigh nodded. "Yeah, but his aura's a mess—looks like he's badly hurt."
Roger chuckled. "Let's call him down and ask."
He unleashed a burst of Conqueror's Haki at Marco. Already gravely wounded, Marco plummeted from the sky.
Rayleigh shook his head—typical. A step and he was in the air, catching the falling phoenix.
Marco was unconscious. The ship's doctor patched him up and gave him water—perhaps a bit too roughly, as Marco woke up coughing.
"Cough, cough… you guys… cough…"
Roger pushed through the crowd. "Relax, Newgate's boy—it's me."
Marco's eyes widened with relief. He knew Roger and Whitebeard were old friends.
He climbed off the cot, bowed deeply. "Mr. Roger, please—help my Pops!"
Roger's gaze sharpened. "Tell me everything."
After hearing the story, Roger gave the order: turn around, head for G-4.
On deck, he dialed a Den Den Mushi.
The call connected—on the other end, Shiki's wild laughter rang out. "Jihahaha! Roger! Changed your mind? Ready to be my right hand?"
Roger grinned. "Hahaha! Not a chance, Shiki. This is about Newgate."
A pause, then—
On a massive floating ship, "Golden Lion" Shiki hung up and burst out laughing. "Jihahaha! This is getting interesting! Let's shake the world up!"
He summoned his crew and issued a rallying call. Dozens of pirate ships began converging on his location—the title of Pirate Admiral well deserved.
In his cabin, Shiki pulled out a pink Den Den Mushi. The instant it connected, a hearty female voice answered. Shiki bellowed:
"Jihahahaha! Linlin!"
On the Big Mom Pirates' ship, Charlotte Linlin hung up, eyes narrowing. "That brat…" She remembered the magma bomb at God Valley. With a wave, she ordered her crew to set course for Scree.
Back on the Oro Jackson, Roger ended his call with Shiki—
WHOOSH!
BOOM!
A shell exploded in the sea nearby, sending water shooting skyward.
Roger's face fell. "He's caught up again, that mad dog…"
He turned to the navigator. "Set course for the Marine G-4 base—full speed ahead! Hahahaha!"
Aboard the pursuing warship, Garp watched as Roger's ship veered left, baffled—but whatever. He ordered his men to follow, grabbed two cannonballs, coated them in Armament Haki, and hurled them like meteors.
"Roger! Time to die!"
Half a day later.
The Roger Pirates arrived—not at G-4, but at a thousand-meter-high broken peak. A ring of black clouds circled the summit, lightning and sword aura flashing within.
Roger sensed a familiar presence and grinned, a glint of murderous intent in his eyes.
"Magma brat…"
In the distance, Sengoku hovered, Den Den Mushi in hand, brow furrowed.
After a moment: "It's not just Shiki. I see… Roger."
Kong's voice, heavy: "The pirates' web of favors… I understand. Hold on."
He hung up.
Suddenly, Sengoku sensed Garp's presence behind the Roger Pirates. His frown eased; he glanced at Quell, then shot toward Garp's warship.
Both Roger and Garp sensed Sengoku's arrival.
On the Oro Jackson, Roger smiled, sensing a fading presence beside Sengoku.
He drew his Supreme Grade Sword, Ace.
BUZZ—!
In an instant, the blade was sheathed in Armament Haki, Conqueror's Haki crackling along its length. Both hands on the hilt, he stepped forward and unleashed a slash hundreds of meters long at Sengoku.
In the distance, Garp saw it coming. He grabbed a chain, jammed it into a cannonball, and hurled it—then followed, riding the shell like a comet.
BANG!
A sonic boom split the air as Garp intercepted the slash just before it struck Sengoku.
"HAAAA!!!!"
Garp roared, his right arm ballooning with muscle. Coated in Armament Haki, his fist smashed into the sword aura.
SZZZ—! SZZZ—! SZZZ—!
Lightning crackled as ultimate Armament Haki clashed with Conqueror's Haki-infused sword energy.
CRACK!
The slash shattered under Garp's relentless force.
He stomped, sonic booms echoing as he flashed through the air, charging straight at Roger.
At the same time, Sengoku landed on Garp's ship, handed Quell to the medics, and leapt back into the sky—rushing for the battlefield.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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