The island fell into deathly silence.
The next second, the landmass shattered into two halves, seawater surging violently through the fissure.
Everyone saw it happen.
Kalifa instinctively clenched her delicate hands.
At that moment, the Phantom beside Zefa approached her. "Kalifa, take them back to Marineford. I've stabilized Instructor Zefa's condition, but he needs proper medical treatment.
"Also, this island will likely vanish from the charts. To avoid endangering you all, I want you to return to Marineford immediately!"
"But what about you—"
"I'll be fine. Remember—I'm Vice Admiral White Dove."
With those words, the Phantom shattered.
One by one, the remaining Phantoms followed suit.Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
Ain approached Kalifa and asked, "Ma'am, what should we do now?"
After glancing at the fierce battle on the island and then at Zefa lying on the ground, Kalifa took a deep breath, her eyes filled with determination. "I believe in Roya. We must evacuate immediately and return to Marineford. Everyone who can move, come and assist me!"
The warship departed from the island.
During this time, Roya continuously dodged Weevil's relentless attacks.
By now, the island had been ravaged beyond recognition under Weevil's assault. Rainwater pooled in the craters and uneven ground, turning everything muddy. More than half of the island had been shattered, showing signs of sinking.
Yet Weevil, like a wild beast, kept charging at Roya without pause, as if he would never tire.
Watching the warship gradually disappear from view, Roya's lips curled into a faint smile.
Now, only the two of them remained on the island. The warship was far enough away—meaning he could finally unleash his full power!
After all this movement, he was thoroughly warmed up.
Talisman ability—activate!
Levitation!
Roya's body suddenly soared into the air, hovering above as he looked down at Whitebeard Jr.
"It's been a while since I've properly stretched my limbs. I hope you can handle it!"
As he spoke, a blazing flame erupted from Roya's hand, coalescing into an ancient-looking katana. The blade was slender, gleaming coldly.
"You haven't been out for a while either, have you?" Roya murmured softly to his Soul Slayer Blade, Flowing Blade Like Fire.
The sword trembled slightly in response.
"Then let's have a proper release!"
"All Things in the Universe, Turn to Ashes, Flowing Blade Like Fire!"
In an instant, Flowing Blade Like Fire erupted with overwhelming flames, engulfing the sky. The inferno spread across the heavens, altering the very atmosphere. A massive hole tore through the dark clouds, silencing the storm and the roaring thunder.
As the gap widened, sunlight poured onto the island.
Weevil, unfazed by this spectacle, continued his mindless charge, bellowing like a beast.
Roya smirked.
Gently stroking the blade, he whispered, "First Form · Gentle Slice."
A flash of steel, a surge of Spirit Pressure!
The raging flames roared forth, intertwining with the pinnacle swordsmanship of a master and the terrifying Spirit Pressure akin to Conqueror's Haki.
Then, Roya swung his blade down.
Weevil watched as the slash expanded in his vision. He raised his massive glaive, instinctively coating it with Armament Haki, and swung with all his monstrous strength.
The air howled as the glaive cleaved through it, crashing into Roya's attack with tremendous force.
The impact sent a violent shock through Weevil's arms, numbing his hands. His muscles trembled violently, his teeth clenched so hard that blood trickled from the corners of his mouth.
"Rooooar!"
A bestial scream tore from his throat, mingling with the blinding sparks and screeching metal.Under Roya's slash, Weevil was forcibly pushed back several hundred meters!
Leaving two deep furrows in the mud!
Boom!
Finally, Weevil's long-handled greatsword couldn't withstand the pressure and was severed by Roya's slash.
With nothing to block it, the slash continued forward undiminished in power.
Carrying shattered blade fragments, it tore through Weevil's terrifying defenses.
Sending Weevil's mountainous body flying like a kite with its string cut.
Crash!
He slammed heavily into a mountainside.
The bloody red in Weevil's eyes gradually faded.
He felt as if his internal organs had been violently displaced.
His entire body felt like mush.
An ordinary person would have died instantly from such injuries.
But his body possessed terrifying regenerative abilities—given time, he could recover completely.
However, at this moment, Roya slowly floated down before Weevil.
His Justice cloak billowed noisily in the howling wind.
Looking down at Weevil, Roya saw fear in his eyes.
Though Weevil wasn't bright, his body remembered pain.
The fact that Roya could inflict such devastating damage meant that, in Weevil's subconscious, Roya had become an invincible foe.
Without further orders, his next move would likely be to flee!
As if confirming Roya's suspicions,
Weevil struggled free from the rubble and turned to run.
But Roya wouldn't let him escape so easily!
"Shave!"
Instantly, Roya appeared before Weevil.
Taking advantage of Weevil's unstable mental state and extreme emotional turmoil,
Roya used the Illusion-Illusion Fruit to drag Weevil directly into a hallucination.
The transition happened seamlessly.
In just one second, Roya's illusion completely consumed Weevil's consciousness.
His mind would forever remain trapped in the illusion.
Through external commands, Weevil's illusion could be manipulated accordingly.
In other words, Weevil had now become Roya's personal war machine.
"Your strength and regenerative abilities are impressive. Rather than killing you, it's better to have you serve me. I just happen to have a use for you!"
Before Roya could finish speaking, the island began collapsing.
After the battle between Roya and Weevil, the island had finally reached its breaking point.
Slowly being swallowed by the sea!
Without hesitation, Roya summoned Noah's Ark from his system.
The massive ark didn't land in the water—instead, it hovered midair through the power of Talismans...