Momousagi and Tokikake rushed to aid Whitebeard against Kaido, hoping to relieve some of his pressure.
But before them appeared a colossal golden Buddha.
The dazzling radiance reflected off their faces, twisting them with dread.
"F-Fleet Admiral…" Tokikake's voice trembled.
Before the former supreme commander of the Marines, his heart quailed.
"Sengoku! You would stop us!?" Momousagi's eyes burned with fury.
"Good shed his blood for the Marines, for the World Government, securing you victories time and again. What crime did he commit?!"
She raised her blade with a roar. "Get out of our way, Sengoku!!"
But the golden giant's expression remained unchanged.
"We are not wrong. We only serve."
"Sengoku! Your only mistake… is opposing Good!"
Momousagi thrust her sword at his abdomen.
A sharp metallic "ding!" rang out — and nothing more.
Her strike left not a single mark upon the Buddha's golden body.
Which meant Whitebeard stood with no reinforcements.
Akainu's Inugami Guren (Crimson Lotus Hound Bite) slammed forward, Whitebeard barely parrying.
From the other side, Whitebeard Jr's assault forced his blade to strain.
And so Kaido's devastating kanabo descended unhindered.
"Kōzan Seikai: In Naraku (Descending Three Realms: Drag to Hell)!!"
The thunderous strike crashed down upon Whitebeard's head, lightning and force flooding him.
Blood burst from his mouth in torrents.
He collapsed to one knee, naginata bracing the ground, headscarf torn away to reveal his bloodied brow.
The strongest man in the world knelt, refusing to fall completely.
Cries of horror erupted.
"Pops!!"
"Whitebeard!?"
Marco staggered forward, phoenix flames still mending his wounds, only to be intercepted by Vice Admiral Dalmatian.
"Marco! Today I'll avenge my comrades!" Dalmatian roared, blade slashing him aside.
Whitebeard's grievous injury shattered morale.
Jozu, Vista, Izo — they all fought like madmen to protect him, but the collapse quickened.
On the prow, the Fifth Elder chuckled.
"My hands itch. I'll take my turn."
He used Geppo (Moonwalk), soaring straight toward Dragon.
Already pressed by Kong and Shiki, Dragon had no room to breathe.
The Elder's sudden arrival sealed his fate.
Dragon dodged Shiki's slash with the Fuu Fuu no Mi (Wind-Wind Fruit), only to be gouged by Kong's Hone Hone no Mi (Bone-Bone Fruit) strike.
The Elder lunged with Conqueror's Haki-laced fists.
Dragon bellowed, fists cloaked in storms.
"Zan Ryuuten (Lingering Dragon Whirlwind)!!"
Their blows collided, winds shattering the skies.
Dragon barely pushed the Elder back — but then Shiki's slashes and Kong's bone-shifting trick hammered him down.
Dragon was blasted away, his body bloodied.
Whitebeard and Dragon lay broken.
The tide of war bent further toward the World Government.
The former Warlords, Doflamingo, Hancock, Kuma — each reeled from wounds.
Pacifistas marched forth in rows, led by Sentomaru, their beams overwhelming veterans with sheer numbers.
The alliance for Good crumbled completely.
In the chaos, Momousagi and Tokikake clashed with Sengoku again.
Momousagi's voice tore with rage as she fought:
"Sengoku!! You've betrayed everything!"
Sengoku struck her down again and again, yet she kept rising, blade flashing with defiance.
"Momousagi! Enough! Hand over Good. I'll plead with the Government — your crimes lessened, your ranks restored, Good spared from execution…"
"Marines?!" Momousagi spat blood, eyes blazing. "The very word disgusts me!!"
She attacked in a frenzy.
Tokikake's face twisted with despair.
Whitebeard broken, Dragon reeling, Shanks and Rayleigh faltering.
It was hopeless.
Even if Good awoke — could he defeat all of them alone?
He nearly told her to stop. That there was no point.
But before he could, the Third Elder appeared, blade gleaming.
His cold eyes cut through the chaos.
"Sengoku, you disappoint me. With your power, these two should already be dead."
He sneered, unsheathing his cursed blade.
"Today, the first generation Kitetsu will drink blood."
Momousagi collapsed, a gash torn across her abdomen. She slid across the ground, blood smearing the earth.
"Momousagi!!" Tokikake's despair ignited into madness.
He roared and charged, blade raised high.
The Elder scoffed.
"Clown. You'll serve as the offering for my blade — and the warning to all."
But then —
Underground, Good stirred.
The murderous intent of the Elder pierced his consciousness like a spear.
He could bear it no longer.
His eyes snapped open.
(End of Chapter)
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