On the shattered ruins of Marineford, the intense battle continued to rage.
"Fufufufu, Benn Beckman! What's wrong? Your Haki-infused bullets don't seem that strong after all?"
Doflamingo faced Benn Beckman head-on for the first time with wild abandon.
Doflamingo charged forward while Benn Beckman rapidly retreated, occasionally firing a shot at Doflamingo with his sniper rifle, Longinus.
However, Doflamingo at this moment was absurdly powerful.
During their last encounter in Tottoland, Doflamingo's threads had only been a minor nuisance to Benn Beckman.
But now, those threads—so fine they were nearly invisible to the naked eye—each time they sliced or coiled toward him, filled Benn Beckman with an intense sense of mortal danger!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Threads swept past Benn Beckman's sides, piercing through pirates who accidentally strayed too close.
Benn Beckman felt bitterly frustrated.
The times had changed too quickly!
Had this "Heavenly Yaksha" eaten some miracle growth formula?
Not only had his height doubled, but his Haki, stamina, and all other aspects had improved immeasurably.
"Wait! That bastard Doflamingo definitely wasn't this strong before!"
Benn Beckman pondered hard until he fully activated his Observation Haki to probe—and nearly spat out blood in shock.
"Dammit! There are two of them!"
Benn Beckman stared in astonishment at the sandy armor covering Doflamingo's body, sensing Crocodile's presence within it!
But Benn Beckman couldn't comprehend how this was possible.
Could Logia abilities really be used in such a bizarre way?
These two Seven Warlords had merged!
This unprecedented combat method made Benn Beckman glance toward Akainu and Kizaru not far away.
"If I could merge with Akainu... never mind, I'd probably get roasted. Besides, he's now Caesar's loyal subordinate now!"
This battle left Benn Beckman utterly exasperated.
Nearby, Shanks was single-handedly battling Shiki.
"Gyahahaha! Brat from Roger's crew, I never expected you to grow to this extent. The younger generation truly surpasses the old!"
Shiki floated mid-air, a deep, bone-revealing gash clear on his chest.
That had been inflicted by Shanks.
Although Shanks couldn't match Caesar in direct combat...
At this point, even Roger was no match for Caesar.
His Oni blood was fully boiling, doubling his physical prowess and Haki.
Meanwhile, the bloodlust within his Oni blood was absorbed by the Devour Rule inside him.
Thus, his combat power had broken through the Admiral-Yonko limit, even overwhelming Roger—who was at the Pirate King level—and after absorbing a significant amount of Destructive Power from Roger, his strength had risen yet another notch!
But compared to Shiki, Shanks was not the slightest bit weaker!
If he faced Kaido or Linlin, Shanks could even defeat them!
On the ground, the one-armed Shanks frowned deeply.
If Shiki alone was this troublesome, he truly lived up to his reputation as the "Flying Pirate" who had clashed with Captain Roger for decades!
Even going all out, Shanks couldn't defeat Shiki quickly.
But behind him, his allies were clearly losing ground!
With the assistance of Akainu and Kizaru—whose stamina had been restored—Kaido, Raid, and others charged directly into the most densely packed areas.
The agonized screams of dying pirates echoed in his ears, and Shanks could clearly distinguish many familiar voices among them.
"Dark King Rayleigh, you've aged even more since two years ago on Sabaody!"
Bathed in swirling black light, Kizaru wielded a blade of darkness that constantly shifted in length, his teasing tone contrasting with the relentless assault that forced Rayleigh to retreat step by step, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Heh, Kizaru, I never thought you'd willingly become Caesar's son. You brainless fool—Caesar is only a few years older than you! Wake up! Did he father you at eight years old?"
Rayleigh kept retreating while trying to disrupt Kizaru's focus.
But Kizaru paid no heed to his words.
His memories were entirely fabricated.
Even if Rayleigh spoke with the silver tongue of an orator, it wouldn't rouse him.
Unless... Vice Admiral Tsuru were still alive.
Her Wash-Wash Fruit abilities held absolute suppression over soul-based powers.
"Roronoa Zoro, let us fight once more!"
With a flap of his black wings, King soared toward Zoro, who stood beside Luffy's corpse.
King's strength had recently surged dramatically.
The Evolution Potion developed by Indigo had indirectly amplified the innate abilities of his Lunaria tribe.
Now, when the flames blazed behind his head, his defensive power tripled or quadrupled.
And when the flames vanished, his speed increased three to fourfold.
But...
Zoro silently drew his blades.
Three heads and six arms materialized, overlapping and stacking upon his form.
Pitch-black sword gleams sliced through the sky like cascading curtains of light.
"Ghostly Oni Style! Nine Sword Style! Demon Nine Flash!"
Ssshh! Ssshh! Ssshh!
Countless streaks of blood sprayed from King's towering frame, swiftly dyeing the ground before him crimson.
King's eyes widened in disbelief.
"So strong…"
A bloody line appeared across his neck before his body shattered into pieces.
The last descendant of the Lunaria tribe was dead.
Not far from Zoro, Mihawk cast a complicated glance his way.
He was locked in combat with Raid, their movements so swift that their clashing blades carved ravines across the earth.
In Mihawk's hawk-like pupils, he saw Zoro standing alone—yet behind him loomed countless shadowy, spectral figures.
He stood solitary, yet it was as if legions of underworld demons followed in his wake!
The pinnacle of the Ghostly Path— Zoro, King of the Underworld!
...
"Sakazuki! Snap out of it!"
Fujitora's face was etched with sorrow as he desperately fended off Akainu's ferocious onslaught.
Behind him, Momousagi and Hina had lost their will to fight.
"Pull yourselves together! Get away from here!"
Fujitora swung his blade, unleashing immense gravity that crushed Akainu's body and buried him deep within the earth.
Tears streamed down Momousagi's cheeks, her gaze vacant and numb.
Hina was the same.
They had never imagined the pinnacle of the Marines' justice would one day crumble like this.
"Everyone's dead… they're all gone."
"There's no reason for us to keep living."
"This era… has no justice."
Momousagi's tears fell like a kite with its string cut.
Biting her bruised lip, she slowly raised her sword, Kōbishin.
"Stop! Don't do anything foolish!"
Grief choked Fujitora, making it hard to breathe.
Though he had joined the Marines later than others,
it did nothing to diminish the bonds he shared with its high-ranking officers.
Smoker, Kuzan, Aramaki...
Their respective unwavering justice connected everyone together.
Though they had differences, their goal was the same.
Uphold justice!
In Momousagi's hand, Kizaru had already drawn a bloody line on her snow-white neck.
And Hina held a steel spike, aimed at her own heart.
Suddenly!
A detached voice sounded in their ears.
"Their bodies are dead, but their souls still linger in the Land of the Dead."
Momousagi and Hina shuddered, turning to look in the direction of the voice.
They saw Zoro standing on the desolate ground, with a hazy, strange space appearing behind him.
Within that space, indistinct figures seemed to be watching the battlefield.