The battle between three Admiral-level powerhouses had shattered one-third of Sphinx Island, causing seawater to flood in. The extreme weather formed by Devil Fruit abilities covered the entire Sphinx Island, and even the surrounding sea level had risen considerably.
Sebastes was in a very bad mood right now.
Because after so much time had passed, he still had not been able to take down Roya and Lily, these two original White Wolf Pirates crew members. Instead, his own breathing had become erratic due to the intense battle.
"Huff, huff..."
Sebastes tried to control his breathing, not wanting the three White Wolf Pirates to see his fatigue. But his lungs were like bellows, constantly rising and falling, trying to draw oxygen from the outside to relieve his body's exhaustion.
"Haha, Sebastes, you are really old!"
Half a day of fighting had left Silas covered in blood, with large patches of muscle turned purple and blue. Even the powerful recovery ability of his Zoan fruit could not completely heal him.
But Silas was still smiling.
In the past half day, while fighting Kong, he had often taken Kong's attacks head-on to strike at Sebastes, relieving pressure on Roya and Lily. The result was that most of his stamina was consumed and his body was severely injured.
But Kong and Sebastes were not doing well either.
Kong need not be mentioned. He was already Silas's primary target. Although Silas sometimes had to face attacks from both him and Sebastes due to having to account for Sebastes, once Silas confirmed that Roya and Lily were temporarily safe, he would prioritize attacking Kong. Kong, who had just reached Admiral level, would immediately fall into disadvantage.
"Admiral Crimson Horse, are you alright?"
"Still holding on!"
Even though blood was already flowing from the corner of his mouth, having reached this point, Sebastes could not possibly retreat. His pride as a Marine Admiral would not allow him to back down.
Originally, because he was about to retire, most of Sebastes's fighting spirit had already dissipated.
If he lost to Silas again, even without Silas making a move, his Conqueror's Haki would completely collapse.
He could still fight!
He absolutely would not lose to a mere pirate!
"Captain, can you still hold on?"
"Haha, fighting for another half day should be fine. If it really does not work, we will just have to run."
"Being able to fight a Marine Admiral and Admiral candidate to this extent, even if we escape, it would not be shameful, right?"
The three White Wolf Pirates were laughing and joking. Though they were clearly in worse condition, they acted as if they did not take Kong and Sebastes seriously at all.
Silas saw Lily make a subtle gesture and immediately understood. The battle had reached its final stage, about to determine victory or defeat.
Standing in front of Sniper Lily was White Wolf Pirates' Vice Captain Roya.
Zoan Devil Fruit: Dog-Dog Fruit, Wolf Pack form.
In his current half-beast transformation, he looked somewhat similar to the beast-form Silas. Both had wolf heads with bodies covered in animal fur, standing upright like werewolves from movies.
However, Silas's Dog-Dog Fruit was a Mythical Zoan, while Roya's fruit was just an ordinary Zoan.
To outsiders, both were White Wolf Pirates.
Using the phrase "wolves in alliance" to describe them was perfectly apt.
In the past half day, Sebastes's attacks had mainly been blocked by him, so his current appearance was quite miserable. Most of the fur on his body was burned, one arm was irregularly twisted, and half his face was bloody and mangled, still bleeding even now.
Neither Silas nor Roya had mentioned it, but while Sebastes was an aging old Marine, Roya was equally an aging old pirate.
In half a day, not only was Sebastes reaching his limit, but Roya had long since reached his breaking point, held up only by sheer willpower.
This was a Marine Admiral!
Roya's remaining good eye burned with longing. This was a Marine Admiral who had never been defeated by any of them, not even Silas!
So he wanted to win once.
He did not care how Silas had become stronger or how he had transformed from a decrepit old man like himself back to his youth.
Miracles on these seas were countless. Silas had probably just encountered one of them.
If this miracle could be replicated, Silas definitely would not be stingy about sharing this miracle with old-timers like them.
If not, why should he burden his captain with worry?
So this might be the last time.
The last time he, as a White Wolf Pirates veteran, would fight alongside his captain.
And their enemy was a Marine Admiral they could never defeat in their lifetime!
But this time, look!
How miserable these two Marine Admirals were, their eyes even showing shock and anger, like the disbelief of masters being betrayed by their servants.
He had once been a slave!
His life had been saved by Silas.
So for Silas, what did it matter if he sacrificed this life?
"Silas!!!"
The blood-covered werewolf roared.
This time, facing Marine Admiral Sebastes, Roya did not retreat but advanced instead.
Kong sensed something was wrong.
Roya's appearance was exactly like those desperate pirates making their final stands.
But before he could warn, Silas had already appeared before him.
"This good brother of mine has dreamed of giving those lofty Celestial Dragons a punch. In the first half of his life, I was useless and could not help him."
"Let us start by using Sebastes, this loyal supporter of the Celestial Dragons, to pay some interest!"
In the future Kong saw with his Observation Haki, he was shocked to see that Silas had completely abandoned defense in front of him.
Then he poured Haki into his long sword and struck with full force!
Toward Sebastes!
Silas would use his body to block his support, then use his advantage as a great swordsman, combined with Roya's attack on Sebastes.
Who else but me!
"This strike is called Dragon Slayer!"
He was not slaying dragons, but those celestial dragons who sat high above like gods, looking down on all living beings with contempt.
The moment Silas established this conviction, Silas felt his Conqueror's Haki improve once again.
Self-taught, Silas's Conqueror's Haki wrapped around his blade.
One strike.
Heaven and earth split in two!
Sebastes only felt an irresistible sharpness rushing toward him. As if realizing something, his gaze toward Silas contained terror, anger, and disbelief.
"Impossible!"
Sebastes roared at Silas.
"How could you possibly have Conqueror's..."
He could not finish saying "coating" because Silas's blade light struck him from a distance. All his defenses melted like ice and snow under this strike imbued with dragon-slaying spirit.
His Armament Haki was heavily depleted.
And when he had nowhere to retreat, Roya had already swung his staff, leaping into the air and smashing down like a thunderbolt from clear skies.
His final strength, concentrated in this moment!
Sebastes's body crashed heavily to the ground. The already fragmented island became countless rubble under Sebastes's impact.
But even so, Sebastes still had not fallen.
"Do not underestimate me!!!"
There was no chance to regret why he had been lazy in the past, why he had given up training, or why he had indulged in beauty and lost his drive for progress.
Sebastes only remembered, "I am a Marine Admiral!!!"
His final Conqueror's Haki shot skyward, black lightning cracking the dark clouds in the sky. But compared to Silas, even compared to Kong, this Conqueror's Haki was already too weak.
So Lily would not waste this opportunity.
This chance for a final killing blow that Silas and Roya had created for her!
"A bullet?"
Even covered in wounds, even with his consciousness becoming unclear, Sebastes still did not take Lily seriously.
"Correct."
But Lily did not flinch because of Sebastes's contempt. Instead, she smiled.
"However, it is a bullet I went through great trouble to obtain, concentrated with Dynamite Rock!"
"Taking down an Admiral with it? That makes everything worth it!"
The bullet crossed over a thousand meters and struck the distant Sebastes.
The bullet without Armament Haki coating could not even penetrate Sebastes's scarred scales. Instead, it was shattered, splashing out the liquid inside.
Pink liquid combined with oxygen in the air.
In this instant, all sounds ceased.
Kong wanted to force Silas back to rescue Sebastes, but was held firmly by Silas.
The explosion covered a range of over a thousand meters.
The entire island shook with it.
Boom!
(TL NOTE: Unfortunately, my LOTR: Playing Minecraft in Middle-earth book was mistakenly flagged as spam on Webnovel and removed. I'll re-upload it under a different title by today at the latest. Thank you for your patience!)