Chapter 303: The Curtain Falls
Louis traversed thousands of kilometers, arriving at a devastated, fractured battlefield. He landed beside a massive, deep crater and bent down, picking up the smoking, bisected torso of an Ex-Machina.
The unit was still sparking, leaking coolant, its synthetic skin melted away. Its body was riddled with deep cuts, puncture wounds, and severe burns. Louis knew instantly who was responsible for intercepting the units that were supposed to guard the Red Line.
"Kizaru."
"It makes sense. At his speed, he should have reached Mary Geoise long ago. I didn't expect the Ex-Machina to be the ones to hold him up."
Louis focused on the dormant unit in his hand. Though it was nearly destroyed, its Life Fixation Device was still preserving it. The Ex-Machina were the ultimate weapons, combining his own puppet techniques with Germa's science. Infused with life, they could survive dismemberment and enter a state of stasis for a very long time—far longer than any organic being.
A golden light shone from Louis's palm, pouring life energy into the unit, recharging its core and rebooting its systems.
"..."
The unit twitched. The sparking intensified, and a cloud of smoke, a clear sign of a malfunction, billowed from its chassis. It looked like it was about to explode.
"You've got to be kidding me—" Louis's eye twitched.
Fortunately, it didn't explode. The unit's ocular camera lit up with a red glow and focused on him.
"Unit 137... online. It is... good to see you again, my Lord."
The Ex-Machina tried to sit up, but with only half a torso, it failed. It lay still in Louis's palm, its red light flickering.
Louis sighed, and the golden light from his hand intensified, healing the unit. This time, it didn't spark, but a new problem arose.
"My Lord..."
The unit's internal diagnostics were flashing red. A strange sensation was spreading through its remaining body. It focused its camera on the damaged area.
The melted, torn synthetic skin was healing at a visible rate. But then... flesh... began to sprout from the severed metal torso.
The unit, and even Louis, stared in awkward silence.
"I... made steel grow flesh?"
Louis had never seen that happen before. He quickly withdrew his power. This was a job for Judge.
"Contact all units," Louis ordered. "Tell them to converge."
The prisoners from Impel Down were either dead or transformed into demons. The Ex-Machina had no reason to stay.
"Yes, my Lord."
Unit 137 sent the command to the entire combat group.
On the Paradise side of the Red Line, the Ex-Machina units stopped their bombardment of the Marines, calculated the casualties, opened portals, and left.
In the other battle, Kizaru watched as the remaining 200 units disengaged. A dozen of them collected their fallen comrades, opened portals, and vanished.
Kizaru didn't try to stop them. He wiped a bead of sweat and a trickle of blood from his face, then dissolved into light, streaking for Mary Geoise. He had to know what had happened at the Holy Land.
Unit 137 delivered its report.
"Paradise detachment... intercepted Marine officers, no casualties. New World detachment... 230 units engaged Admiral Kizaru. 37 units damaged. 9 units completely destroyed."
"I see. Return to Terra for repairs."
Louis was satisfied. His investment had paid off. He opened a portal and stepped through, carrying the damaged unit.
He reappeared in Avant Heim's garden and sat on the crystal throne. He squeezed out just enough energy for one more mass-teleport, then let Avant Heim take over, pulling the scattered Ex-Machina units back from the Red Line and sending them straight to Judge's lab.
As he was about to leave, a new portal opened. Katakuri, looking unharmed, stepped out. He looked back at the rippling, closing gate, his killing intent fading, replaced by a strange look.
"This ability... it's just like Brûlée's..."
At the same moment, on the other side of the portal, Shamrock, who had been one step from following Katakuri through, froze. He scrambled backward. He had seen the god-like battle and knew he stood no chance against the being on the other side.
"..."
On Terra, Katakuri noticed Louis watching him. "Was that guy... trying to follow me?"
"No. He's not that impulsive." Louis looked at Katakuri. "You, however, surprised me. Shamrock is much stronger than your mother, yet you fought him to a standstill."
Katakuri, in Louis's perception, was slightly weaker than Big Mom in most aspects, save for his Observation Haki. Yet he had achieved something his mother never could.
Katakuri pulled out the now-dim golden feather. "Perhaps it's because I'm calmer than Mama. Better at analyzing my opponent. And... your Life Fixation Device was a great help."
"Perhaps," Louis said. He hadn't factored the device out of his praise. He pushed Katakuri's hand back, recharging the feather with a pulse of golden light. "Keep it. As long as I have the energy, I can make as many of those as I want."
"..." Katakuri hesitated, then nodded. "Then I will accept it." Against a monster like the World Government, he needed every advantage he could get.
Louis smiled and turned to leave.
"Wait," Katakuri said. "Could you send—"
The world twisted, and he was gone.
He reappeared in the cake shop, surrounded by the familiar, sweet smells.
"Katakuri-niisan!"
"Welcome back!"
Pudding, wiping her hands on her apron, ran over, a playful smile on her face. "You're not leaving again this time, are you, niisan?"
Katakuri saw the hope in her eyes. He crouched down, stroking her hair. "I'm sorry, Pudding. I have to leave again in a little while."
"Where to?" Chiffon asked, her face falling.
"Years ago, Kaido came to Totto Land and saved our lives from the Celestial Dragons. I must repay that debt," Katakuri said. "After I've repaid it... I'll come back."
"A promise, then!" Pudding said, linking her pinky with his. "We'll be waiting for you!"
Grand Line, Marineford.
The fortress was a ruin. The buildings, once strong enough to withstand cannon fire, were collapsed and melted, as if a sun had fallen from the sky. The island itself was fractured, large parts of it having sunk into the sea.
In the wreckage, a nearly thousand-meter-long blue dragon, its body impaled, one horn broken, and its scales nearly all burned off, struggled to its feet. It weakly summoned its Flame Clouds and flew unsteadily away.
Nearby, Akainu, also covered in wounds, watched it go, his eyes burning with helpless rage.
"Admiral Akainu! Are you alright?!"
"Medic! Where are the medics?!"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku is covered in burns! He's in critical condition!"
"Master Garp is unconscious! He's bleeding out!"
Just then, a giant warship fell from the sky, crashing into the ruins.
"ENEMY ATTACK!!"
The last alarm blared.
"You've got to be kidding me..."
"Again?!"
"The Admirals, the Fleet Admiral, and Master Garp are all down! If this is another attack..."
The remaining Marines grabbed their weapons and charged the smoke.
"Are we... too late?" a familiar, deep voice rumbled from the dust.
"!!"
"Is that... Admiral Fujitora?!"
The Marines' eyes lit up.
The smoke cleared, revealing Fujitora in his purple kimono. He "looked" around at the battlefield, at the lingering, terrifying auras, and felt a wave of helplessness.
"How... in such a short time... could it have escalated to this?" He had rushed back from Water 7 at full speed, but he was still too late.
The Marines with him stared, speechless.
One of them, a white-haired man with a jitte on his back (Smoker), looked at the plaza. In the center of countless Marine and pirate corpses, one figure still stood.
A towering, seven-meter-tall man, gripping his bisento. His body was covered in wounds. Half his head was melted, and his chest was punched through with gaping magma-holes.
He stood, alone, blocking the massive canyon that split the island.
Dead, but unconquered.
❃❃❃
⤑ Show your support with Power Stones!
⤑ Unlock a Bonus Chapter every time we hit 400 Power Stones!
❃❃❃
♕ Get early access to 30+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
🔗 https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to open the link!)
💬 Enjoying the story? Drop a review!
Your support really helps the series grow—thank you!