"I am... the end!"
Even from several kilometers away, Aatrox's declaration rang out clear as day.
He released his evil intent without hiding it at all. Roger and the others, who were rushing forward, had no choice but to stop because of that loud voice.
"What strong power..."
Rayleigh could not help but say in surprise, "No wonder the Marines sent so many troops."
Roger looked up and saw the black clouds in the sky start to swirl at that moment. In the center of the huge vortex was the demon unleashing endless power and majesty.
He released his Observation Haki, and the next moment, his pupils shook.
"What's wrong?"
"It seems like the Marines' side..." Roger looked ahead and said softly, "is already about to end. We need to hurry and catch up!"
Rayleigh and Gaban exchanged a glance, their eyes full of shock.
The Marines' side...
Already about to end?!
No way, it sounded like they were about to be beaten.
There were Sengoku and Garp in there. How much time had passed? Were they already about to lose?
How... could that be possible!
But at that moment, Roger stomped the ground, using the rebound to shoot forward. At full speed, he vanished in the blink of an eye.
"We need to speed up too!"
Rayleigh shouted and increased his own speed without thinking.
........
Boom!
The sound of air exploding kept coming. Aatrox swung his sword again and forced back Sengoku, Garp, and Ah Xing.
After a few short clashes, Aatrox sensed that his current body was starting to rot.
It seemed that even after modifying Barrett's body ahead of time, it was still like this...
But that was expected. After all, he never planned to rely on just Barrett's body to hold Aatrox's power.
For now, it was enough to deal with these few people. Aatrox's strength was on a whole different level from theirs. If not for his body rotting...
"So these are the rebels of this era?"
Aatrox looked at the panting Sengoku and others and burst into laughter. "Weak! Too weak!"
"If this is the resistance this era gives me, then it's truly fragile. Just wait peacefully for destruction to come."
"Damn it...!" Garp gasped for breath. His right arm had been cut off at the start, and now after clashing with Aatrox again, he was covered in wounds in such a short time.
And that demon Aatrox was almost completely unharmed!
Was the gap really this big?
Sakazuki was also exhausted nearby. For some reason, Tunfo had gotten tangled up with Ah Xing and was now far from this battlefield.
Though Ah Xing did not have much chance against Tunfo, avoiding that monster Aatrox might be better.
Ah Xing was the Marines' hope for the future. His survival was worth more than anyone else's!
"There are plenty of strong people in this world. The seas are full of all kinds of powerhouses. Do you think you can destroy the world like this? You're way too naive!" Garp shouted. "Your era ended long ago. Whatever grudge you have against the world, that should have been settled thousands or tens of thousands of years ago!"
They could all hear the hatred in Aatrox's voice that he could not hold back. It was clear he had gone through some unimaginable suffering in the past, but so what?
Who grew up without any setbacks?!
Did one person's misfortune mean the whole world had to pay for it?
"Listen to me, Garp..."
At that moment, Sengoku was also panting beside him. He leaned in close to Garp's ear and said softly,
"We have to pull back. Fleet Admiral Kong should have evacuated most of the civilians by now. We need to get out of here fast."
Earlier, during the phone call, Sengoku had received that order from Kong. They absolutely could not afford to lose their lives here. If something happened to them and they could not stop Aatrox, the whole world would turn upside down!
Right now, Garp had lost one arm, and Sakazuki seemed unwilling to keep fighting. If they went on like this, they would die!
Sengoku was not afraid of dying in battle, but as Fleet Admiral Kong had said, they could not die yet!
"Don't joke around."
Garp said in a low voice, "Can we even decide to leave now?"
Sengoku's heart sank. No, this was not something they could decide.
It was up to...
the demon to decide!
"No one can leave. No one can escape..."
Aatrox heard their words and suddenly shouted, "Come, fight! Meet me in this place of death!"
"Fight! Or be forgotten!"
Sizzle!
Death-dealing sword energy!
Aatrox swung his sword, and this strike pierced through space itself. In an instant, it swept toward Sengoku. Sengoku fully activated his golden body and struck out with all his power, sending Haki out in the form of the Buddha's Palm. The amplified Armament Haki wrapped around it as it burst forth.
But that massive hand was easily pierced by the pure flow of power. Garp also threw a punch with his remaining left arm, covered in Armament Haki. The huge force sent both Garp and Sengoku flying back.
Normally, it took the power of all three of them, including Sakazuki, to barely stand against Aatrox. But at this moment, Aatrox did not even move, because in the instant he swung at Sengoku, his body turned into countless swirling snowflakes and scattered away.
He escaped?
Sengoku's heart sank. Though he had known since Aatrox appeared that Sakazuki had no reason to stay, this direct abandonment still filled Sengoku with despair.
Originally, the three of them together could barely fight that demon. But now...
Did they have to accept death?
Both he and Garp had been pushed back by that sword energy, and the sharp flow of power was still rushing at them. In the next second, it would slice Sengoku open, and they had no strength left to block it.
"...To die here after all. It's so frustrating."
Sengoku slowly closed his eyes. He could not dodge that sword anymore.
Suddenly, a burst of power exploded. Sengoku thought it would consume him, but instead, he felt the ground beside him get sliced open. Aatrox's sword energy was cut apart by another sword energy, splitting to both sides and forming a huge fan shape!
"Then don't die just yet."
A man's voice rang in Sengoku's ear. He opened his eyes again and looked at the newcomer in disbelief, calling out his name.
"Roger?!"
"Even though you're a soldier and I'm a pirate, right now we're both just people, aren't we?"
Roger grinned. He gripped his sword Ace and looked at the darkin-possessed Barrett—Aatrox—and said in a deep voice,
"How about we drive this demon back to hell first, then settle our own fight?"
----
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