"You think you can defeat me with just numbers and ancient weapons? One strike is all I need."
Im's promise of leadership among the Five Elders brought a predatory smile to Figarland Garling's face. "Understood."
Without another word, Garling drew his sword. Conqueror's Haki erupted from the blade, rivaling Gol D. Roger's own power as it manifested into a massive dragon that crashed down upon Ultimate Susanoo.
Now possessing immortality and a monstrous form thanks to the Five Elders' status, coupled with restored Haki and stamina, this single strike carried far more weight than when he fought Garp. When combined with two Ancient Weapons and the coordinated assault of countless top-tier warriors, even the seemingly indestructible Ultimate Susanoo began to fracture. Cracks spiderwebbed across its armor, and its massive form began to disintegrate.
"Ultimate Susanoo is reaching its limit!"
"Keep pushing! Destroy it!"
"If it shatters, Rosen won't be able to manifest another Susanoo of this size. Haki consumption alone would be impossible."
The sight of the towering construct covered in cracks—like porcelain about to shatter—lit up Shanks's, Rayleigh's, Kaido's, and the others' eyes. Their auras surged higher.
The combined forces of the Roger Pirates, Beasts Pirates, Red-Haired Pirates, Revolutionary Army, and World Government led by Im had finally broken through. Under the assault of so many top-tier fighters, Ultimate Susanoo surrendered to the pressure.
CRACK
A deafening shattering sound echoed as the mountain-sized Susanoo exploded from head to toe. Without its defense, the attacks of two Ancient Weapons—a laser cannon capable of obliterating islands and a barrage of sky-splitting lightning—engulfed Rosen entirely.
Following immediately:
- Kaido's Ryūsoku Bagua, burning with plasma
- The combined assault of Shanks, Rayleigh, and Jabak
- Im's terrifying dragon breath, a plasma flame capable of boiling the ocean
- Figarland Garling's blade, imbued with King's Haki
The attacks of these Kings, all coated in powerful Conqueror's Haki, bombarded Rosen like a nuclear blitz.
BOOM!
A pillar of light crackling with black lightning erupted outward. The shockwave, wider than the Marineford plaza, swallowed Mary Geoise whole. Whether it was Pangaea Castle or the sprawling estates of the Celestial Dragons, everything vanished in an instant of pure destruction.
CRACK!
The vast Mary Geoise shattered into ruins amidst violent tremors. Even the Red Line—the continent that divided the world's oceans for centuries—trembled violently. Starting from the summit thousands of meters above, a fissure stretched like a serpent all the way down the mountain's face.
The Red Line had been split.
"Is it over?"
Shanks gripped his blade, eyes fixed on the pillar of light that had cleaved the continent. Because of Rosen's mastery of Observation Killing, Shanks couldn't sense his presence or foresee the future—he could only rely on sight.
"He must be dead," Scabbards Jabba muttered, though doubt colored his voice.
The combined attack of so many Kings—Roger resurrected, Rocks reborn, Joy Boy returned—should have erased any existence. "Even if he survives," Rayleigh said gravely, "without Susanoo as a shield, he'll be gravely wounded."
Figarland Garling remained vigilant. Through intelligence agents embedded in Marine Headquarters, he knew Rosen possessed numerous Armament Haki techniques: binding, hardening, emission, internal destruction, and three others—Dynamic Blood Armor, Static Blood Armor, and the ability to manifest Susanoo through vaporization. "Attacks from two Ancient Weapons aren't so easily defended against. Rosen isn't immortal."
Monkey D. Dragon glanced at Garling. Once Rosen fell, their fragile alliance would shatter. Garling—newly ascended to Five Elders—was already the Revolutionary Army's primary enemy besides Im.
WHOOSH
Kaido, impatient, unleashed a blast of wind that swept away the mushroom cloud. When the smoke cleared, the land beneath—submerged and scorched—came into view.
Every person present—Im, Garling, Dragon, Shanks—froze, their faces twisting in horror.
There he stood.
Left hand in pocket. Right hand gripping a sword. Suspended mid-air above the Red Line's abyssal fissure.
"Not a scratch."
"Completely unharmed."
"Not even his clothes are damaged."
"How?"
"Why?"
Rosen surveyed their stunned expressions and laughed softly. "No need for those shocked faces. Your confusion stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of the word 'power.' Soon, you'll understand. What true power is."
He smiled—and vanished.
No one saw him move. No Observation Haki detected him.
SHINK
A blade pierced flesh.
Rosen materialized from nothing before Sparky Jabba. With a casual slash, he disemboweled the former Roger Pirates' third-in-command. Blood gushed into the air like a fountain.
"When...?" Sparky Jabba's eyes widened in horror. He hadn't seen Rosen appear. Observation Haki failed. Vision failed. Hearing failed. Only when the searing pain shot through his chest did he realize he was already dying.
This ordinary-looking strike—amplified by Bloodstained Armor, Conqueror's Haki, and internal Armament Haki—had crippled the mighty Roger commander instantly.
"Jabba!"
Rayleigh and Shanks reacted simultaneously, but Rosen blurred. He flickered—once, twice—until sixteen identical figures surrounded them. Each one perfectly real, indistinguishable even to Observation Haki.
"Which is the real one?" Rayleigh didn't hesitate. He attacked them all.
Shanks raised his blade, King's Haki coiling around it, ready to sweep away every Rosen copy. But then—
"YASOPP!"
A bloodcurdling scream. The sound of a blade piercing flesh. Yasopp collapsed, blood spurting from his chest, a Zanpakutō run through his heart.
"Lawson is here!" Yasopp gasped, face pale.
Shanks and Rayleigh whipped around. Rosen stood beside Yasopp's fallen form.
"YASOPP!"
Shanks charged like a whirlwind, blade sweeping. "DIVINE EVASION!"
A wave of Conqueror's Haki slammed into Rosen's chest, knocking him backward. Blood sprayed from his mouth.
"Got him!" Shanks's eyes lit up—
—but the Rosen he struck vanished, replaced by an unharmed figure standing before him. A blade pierced Shanks's left chest, emerging from his back.
"Back at the Judge Forbidden Zone," Rosen said quietly, withdrawing the blade, "you made Hana and Kyokotsu very unhappy."
Shanks fell to one knee, blood pooling beneath him.
BOOM
Thunder cracked. Kaido appeared like lightning, spiked club swinging. Conqueror's Haki and plasma collided with Rosen's position—no time to dodge.
The shockwave spread, purple plasma tearing through the earth. Kaido felt the impact, but... nothing. Like hitting empty air.
SHINK
Sharp pain erupted in his back. A blade protruded from his chest.
"Heat Breath—!" Kaido roared, turning his head to unleash his dragon fire.
But a pulling sensation tore through his chest. The dragon heart—still beating—was yanked from his body, held aloft like a trophy.
Kaido, the strongest creature alive, collapsed to his knees before Rosen, dead.
Simultaneously:
SHINK
Rayleigh, Shanks, and Yasopp—all taken down with a single strike each.
The Pirate King's legendary crew, the Four Emperors, the new Five Elder—defeated in an instant.
Rosen stood amidst the carnage, untouched, unscathed. The Red Line shattered behind him, the ocean visible through the fissure.
"You think you can defeat me with just numbers and ancient weapons?" Rosen's voice cut through the stunned silence. "Dream on."
He vanished again.
"Where—?"
"Behind you!"
"Everyone, scatter!"
But it was too late.
The bloodbath had only just begun.
—-
Enjoying the story? You can read 3-5 chapters ahead right now on Patreon!
New chapters drop there much earlier than Web Novel.
Join P@treon & Read Ahead → https://[email protected]/c/Ren_Saga
Thank you for your support! ❤️