The instant the crimson lightning appeared, an invisible wave swept across the entire battlefield.
It was as if an enormous mountain towering into the clouds had suddenly come crashing down, pressing heavily on everyone present.
Blackbeard's smug grin froze in place.
Panic immediately crawled across his comical face.
"Co—Conqueror's Haki coating?!"
Sengoku, Garp, and the others all revealed looks of shock as well.
"Hey, hey… is that really a level of power that should exist in Paradise?"
"This Oguro is even more terrifying than we imagined!"
This was the pinnacle configuration of New World power—the very strength that had pushed Luffy straight from a Yonko commander level to the Fifth Emperor.
Even within the Navy, no one had ever imagined that Oguro could wield such power.
"Damn it! Damn it! How the hell does this guy know that technique?!"
Blackbeard hurriedly tried to pull his hand back, but it was already too late.
"Genryū · Solar Blaze!"
Violent spiritual pressure surged into the Zanpakutō, further amplifying the might of Conqueror's Haki coating.
A terrifying slash descended like a blazing sun hanging overhead, utterly devoid of fancy technique.
Previously, Oguro had used Soothing Slash, the first form.
Solar Blaze was the second form.
As the second technique of Genryū, created by Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, this move emphasized overwhelming momentum over finesse.
After all, with his level of strength, there were almost no enemies left that required delicate technique to defeat.
Slash!
Blackbeard's arrogance left him completely unprepared for a counterattack. Unable to dodge in time, the blade cleaved straight into his shoulder.
The wound tore down from his shoulder to his abdomen, grotesque and horrifying.
"Ahhh! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts like hell!"
Blackbeard leapt several meters away, collapsed onto the ground, and rolled around screaming.
But Oguro could clearly see it.
The wounds on Blackbeard's body were rapidly shrinking.
The true characteristic of the Dark-Dark Fruit wasn't what Sengoku had guessed—that the user couldn't turn intangible—but rather that even after becoming elemental, the user couldn't avoid taking damage.
Because darkness absorbed everything, it could also absorb injuries.
Of course, that was only possible if the user could endure the pain.
The side effect—pain multiplied several times over—wasn't something just anyone could withstand.
Right now, after being struck head-on by Conqueror's Haki coating, Blackbeard was in such agony that his eyes were nearly rolling back. He hovered on the brink of unconsciousness, barely managing to stay awake.
Conqueror's Haki and spiritual pressure rampaged through his body, like countless needles stabbing him all at once.
No normal person could possibly endure torture like that.
As Blackbeard struggled desperately, his crew immediately moved to shield him.
Shiryu drew his famous blade Raimei, Catarina Devon gripped her spear, and Van Augur raised his sniper rifle.
With so many legendary figures present, even Oguro couldn't possibly defeat them all.
He made the sensible choice to retreat, regrouping with Yoruichi and Soifon.
Blackbeard truly lived up to his status as one of the One Piece world's ultimate bosses.
After writhing around for quite some time, his injuries were fully absorbed by the Dark-Dark Fruit, and he recovered completely.
"Oguro… looks like I seriously underestimated you!"
Having taken such a huge loss at someone else's hands for the first time, Blackbeard clearly etched Oguro's name into his memory.
After all, his heart was anything but broad-minded.
"Men! We're leaving! We can't stay here any longer!"
Catching sight of Sengoku and the others quietly closing in, Blackbeard decisively ordered a retreat.
"Blackbeard! A man with ambitions like yours should just rot in Impel Down!"
A shockwave blasted out from Sengoku's hands.
Unfortunately, Blackbeard was already prepared. His right hand released a surge of dark energy, completely absorbing the attack.
"Zehahahaha! Sengoku, why don't you keep your attention on me? The battlefield's looking pretty bad right now!"
As Blackbeard's words fell, a terrifying aura shot skyward from the battlefield.
Several figures appeared directly along the Navy's path as they pursued the retreating Whitebeard Pirates.
"This war ends here. Please, everyone… give me some face."
A one-armed figure stood before them all, bold and imposing.
One of the Four Emperors—
Red-Haired Shanks!
"So he still came after all…" Oguro thought silently.
He had originally believed that even if Shanks arrived, he wouldn't step in.
After all, the storyline was already completely off the rails.
Ace had been rescued, and the Whitebeard Pirates' retreat was far smoother than in the original timeline.
Although the Navy hadn't given up pursuit, their casualties were barely half of what they had been originally.
Yet Shanks still chose to step in and put a stop to it.
"If anyone still wants to fight, then let us be their opponents," Shanks said, his voice heavy with authority.
"Heh. To think that brat from back then would have grown into someone like this," Rayleigh said with a gratified smile.
Gaban nodded lightly as well.
Every member who had sailed with the Roger Pirates was anything but ordinary.
Bullet, meanwhile, glanced at Shanks with clear interest.
For the first time in a long while, he saw a trace of Gol D. Roger's shadow in someone else.
Unfortunately, when his gaze fell on Shanks' missing arm, the faint spark of battle intent within Bullet quickly died out.
Like Mihawk, Bullet knew that Shanks was no longer at his peak.
Fighting an opponent like that held no interest.
"Rayleigh-san, Gaban-san, Brother Bullet… would you mind leaving first?" Shanks asked respectfully.
As seniors from the same crew, Shanks still owed them proper courtesy.
At this moment, Oguro didn't realize that it was precisely because of them that Shanks had been forced to step in.
Whitebeard was dead.
Most of the Whitebeard Pirates had successfully retreated.
But Oguro's group, combined with Rayleigh and the others, amounted to five Emperor-level combatants.
If the fighting continued, the outcome would be several times more disastrous than in the original timeline.
At that point, talk of "balance" would be meaningless.
That was why Shanks had to intervene—to prevent the worst-case scenario.
Rayleigh had already wanted to leave anyway.
Ace was safe.
He had only lacked the opportunity earlier due to being tied down by the Navy.
Now that Shanks had arrived and the battlefield had calmed, there was no reason to stay.
Rayleigh and Gaban exchanged a glance and turned to leave without hesitation.
As for Bullet—
That man had long since stopped being someone they could command.
This rescue of Ace had only been a temporary alliance.
Bullet laughed loudly.
"Sengoku! Garp! I'll let you off this time! Next time, we'll settle things properly!"
He would have loved to wreak havoc in Marineford.
But he didn't dare interfere with Sōsuke Aizen's plan.
From their earlier exchanges, Bullet was certain that Aizen and Oguro were working together.
Otherwise, with Aizen's strength, those two women would never have been able to restrain him.
That so-called capture of a traitor had been nothing more than an act put on by both sides.
"Haha! Tricking the Navy and the World Government this thoroughly… those two really know how to have fun!"
Bullet couldn't help but laugh to himself.
He was extremely curious about what Aizen and the others were truly planning.
***
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