Satan, Peter, and Nasujuro struck at the same moment, joining forces in a sudden eruption of violence. They intended to kill Whitebeard outright, leaving him no chance to breathe. They needed to finish this quickly, so they could move on to deal with Kaido and Big Mom, the other Emperors.
"Pops!!" xN
Far away, upon a distant sheet of ice and sea, Marco the Phoenix struggled to rise into the air, only to be pinned down by the combined power of the Ice Witch and her allies. They refused to let Marco throw his life away. They were carrying out their father's final order: retreat. Preserve the last hope of the Whitebeard Pirates. But all the commanders and allied captains cried out in agony, their grief ripping through the battlefield.
High above, upon the back of a soaring crimson dragon, Shanks shut his eyes. He couldn't interfere anymore. In that moment, he even found himself wishing Kaido and Big Mom would break free and escape. If they did, the New World wouldn't collapse completely. The Five Elders couldn't remain stationed here forever. They would return to Mary Geoise soon enough. Then, the Navy and the remaining Emperors would slowly regain balance. Another Emperor would rise, sooner or later.
Elsewhere, the sudden retreat of Big Mom's Pirates, Kaido's Pirates, and the Ardragon Crew gave Garp the opening he needed. He broke away from Big Mom's assault and returned to the fleet.
Rain of Blood Shiryu, who had slaughtered several Marine ships, recognized the shift in momentum and immediately transformed into his eagle form, fleeing.
King the Wildfire gave up his duel with Bogard and flew back to coordinate Jack the Drought and the Flying Five, ensuring the Beasts Pirates' core fleet could retreat safely.
Seeing so many enemies fleeing, Enel shouted in frustration: "Why the hell hasn't the boss god shown up yet!!"
His complaints made Vice Admiral Gion—Peach Rabbit—feel uneasy. Was Souta Kiryuu coming to this battlefield? That distance was far too great… he shouldn't be able to make it in time.
Unless the Ardragon Crew possessed some kind of teleportation like the Five Elders.
...
Boom.
Whitebeard, fighting on the brink of death, was struck by all three Elders and blasted back in a spray of blood that painted the air.
"Whitebeard!"
Satan, now in the form of a massive demonic ox-spider hybrid, let out a wild, triumphant laugh. One jet-black spider leg pierced Whitebeard's chest, skewering him like a trophy. He tried to recreate the moment Ace had fallen.
Whitebeard coughed, spitting blood.
"I do not need… such a death."
With one furious punch, he shattered the spider limb and crashed back to the ground.
But immediately, Nasujuro's sword—the First Generation Kitetsu—drove clean through Whitebeard's heart from behind.
"I've heard your back has never been scarred," Nasujuro sneered coldly. "Then today, I'll give you your one fatal wound!"
The demonic blade's spirit tore through Whitebeard's organs, and even the glacier in front of him split open in a deep, jagged scar that stretched for hundreds of meters.
"Move," Peter snarled. "Let me devour him."
The Elder had taken the form of a colossal death sandworm, jaws gaping to swallow Whitebeard whole.
The members of the Whitebeard Pirates, the Red Hair Pirates, and even countless spectators watching the live broadcast all closed their eyes.
The Emperor of Emperors was about to be eaten alive.
But then—
A wild laugh tore through the sky. A wave of Haoshoku Haki crashed down upon the world.
"Where did this ugly worm come from? Are you seriously eating people now? What, are all Celestial Dragons just meat-eating beasts like you?!"
A colossal divine dragon, wreathed in black and crimson lightning, plunged from the heavens and smashed straight through the monstrous sandworm, sending its chunks flying in every direction.
The shock was enough to stun the viewers, the pirates, even the Five Elders.
"Gahahaha! He's here! The Dragonslayer himself! He actually made it!!"
Morgans screamed in ecstasy. Even he hadn't expected Souta Kiryuu to appear at the G-18 Fortress. Wasn't he fighting at G-1 just moments ago?
"Souta Kiryuu!!"
Nasujuro's eyes widened. He couldn't believe Souta had crossed such impossible distance so quickly.
"Hmph. Newgate… I never thought you'd die to a sneak attack from behind. You really have gotten old."
A voice as sharp as a blood-red moon echoed beside Whitebeard and Nasujuro.
The Red Count had arrived. One swift slashing arc of blood and steel bisected the skeletal horse-swordsman cleanly in two.
"It's the Red Count! A true legend appears!!" Morgans roared louder, nearly choking on his own excitement.
"You accursed ambusher!! Even so, Whitebeard can't survive now!" Nasujuro howled as his upper half hurled itself toward the Red Count, blade-first. But without his lower body, he couldn't generate force. The Red Count struck him away with a single blow.
His lower half was diced into shreds by a barrage of haki-laced sword slashes. Meanwhile, the upper half began regenerating. But each moment drained more of his immortal energy.
Whitebeard spat a mouthful of blood mixed with pieces of his own organs. His pupils blurred. But he still planted his naginata into the ground and forced himself upright. Even in death, he would stand tall. He had not spoken his final words.
Souta Kiryuu and the Red Count had granted him a final moment.
...
Souta stepped toward him. Whitebeard no longer had the strength to speak, but Souta understood.
"Whitebeard. If you have any last words—or treasure—shout it for the world to hear. Just like the Pirate King, Roger!"
Souta's voice boomed across the battlefield, strong and unwavering.
"You brat!!" Satan lunged forward, trying to silence Whitebeard. Peter and Nasujuro were still regenerating.
Whitebeard's fading eyes refocused.
"ONE PIECE… is real!!!"
He roared upward, voice shaking the world and echoing across the live broadcast.
And then his breath stopped. But he remained standing. Proud. Immovable.
"AAAAH!!!" "Pops!!!" "One Piece is real! Roger didn't lie!!" "Whitebeard confirmed it!"
The Whitebeard Pirates wept in agony. The world exploded in frenzy.
On Sabaody, Shakky froze mid-glance, and Rayleigh lowered his bottle. They hadn't expected this.
"Get lost!" Souta growled, smashing Satan back with a single punch.
Blackbeard Teach hurried over, claws already stretching toward Whitebeard's corpse. They hadn't prepared anything elaborate. No cloth to conceal the act. He touched the body and immediately began stealing the Gura Gura no Mi's power.
If they waited, the fruit could reincarnate somewhere else. They had no time to waste.
...
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