Though Kaido appeared dead, Diarmuid gave it some thought and decided to seal the charred corpse using Planetary Devastation. He planned to hand it over to the SSG (Special Science Group) to see if they could harvest anything useful from it.
His side of the battle against Charlotte Linlin and Kaido had concluded with remarkable smoothness. It hadn't cost him much effort at all.
Comparing his current strength to theirs, there was no doubt: in a one-on-one, it would be a total washout. Even in a one-on-two, it was merely "troublesome," a fight that might drag on or invite unpredictable variables, but the odds remained heavily in his favor.
Ultimately, Diarmuid hadn't wasted time. After gauging the gap, he had set the trap and used Pluton to end two Yonko with a single shot.
On the other side of the island, however, the battle between Sakazuki and Whitebeard was far from over. Under normal circumstances, a clash between such high-level combatants would last for days.
Sakazuki was fighting with a suicidal, "mad dog" intensity. In just one hour, a timeframe usually reserved for the initial probing of defenses among top-tier fighters, he was already breathing with bloody froth, his mouth stained red. His "Justice" coat was shredded, giving his fierce appearance a touch of wild savagery. His injuries were clearly not light.
Facing him, Edward Newgate was in no better shape. His once-proud crescent mustache had been half-destroyed, the left side incinerated by magma! Two charred fist-sized holes marked his chest, the work of Sakazuki's Great Eruption. Had Newgate been any less of a man, he would have bled out already, but Sakazuki's magma had cauterized the flesh as it struck.
If anything, Newgate's injuries looked even more severe than Sakazuki's. At this stage, both men were trading blows that ignored self-preservation.
Raising a hand to wipe the blood from his lip, Sakazuki's eyes remained resolute. "Whitebeard, it's over. You've lost!"
Newgate didn't argue. He knew Sakazuki was telling the truth. How could he have missed the massive disturbance caused by Pluton? Half the sky had been lit up by that pillar of energy. Following that, the presences of Kaido and Charlotte Linlin had vanished.
The implication was clear: Diarmuid had dealt with them both. Newgate knew he couldn't take Diarmuid alone, let alone with Sakazuki pinning him down.
For a long time, Newgate hadn't truly respected Sakazuki. Sakazuki's feats hadn't been as flashy as Diarmuid's, and he lacked the undeniable, game-changing victories that the Admiral known as "Meitora" possessed. Sakazuki had become an Admiral, but to Newgate, he just felt like... more of the same. [Meitora = Underworld/Dark Tiger]
From a generational perspective, Newgate prided himself as a "senior." His proper rivals were Sengoku and Garp. Diarmuid was simply so exceptional he couldn't be ignored, but Sakazuki? He hadn't seen the man as an equal.
But after this clash on Hachinosu, that contempt had vanished. Sakazuki might not have had a legendary pedigree of victories, but in combat, he proved himself a titan, and a ruthless one at that. He was cruel to his enemies, but even more ruthless toward himself.
"I have lost, yes," Newgate admitted candidly.
Sakazuki frowned slightly, surprised by the old man's calm demeanor.
"But it doesn't matter. At this stage, overthinking things isn't my style." Newgate suddenly chuckled. He planted Murakumogiri into the ground beside him, but instead of looking at Sakazuki, he turned toward a distant high ridge where Diarmuid was perched.
The man was watching like a spectator at a play, even casually snacking on a bag of rice crackers. Seeing Newgate look his way, Diarmuid offered a friendly smile and a wave, as if greeting an old acquaintance.
Newgate laughed. "I knew this day would come eventually..."
Diarmuid laughed as well and nodded. "You are a pirate. I am a Marine. That we would reach this point was both an inevitability and destiny, wasn't it?"
"Well said," Newgate agreed.
During this exchange, Sakazuki surprisingly didn't take advantage of the opening. He simply stood nearby, silently observing the scene.
After a pause, Newgate continued, "Since our paths are different and our positions opposed, Marine and Pirate, there's no need for us to discuss 'honor,' is there? Diarmuid, you aren't the type to be burdened by such sentimentalities. Why haven't you moved yet!?"
"Sigh..." Diarmuid sighed, his gaze flickering with a mix of sentiment and regret.
Seeing Diarmuid's silence, a spark of anger flared in Newgate's eyes. "Don't tell me that just because you've surpassed me, you now look down on me?"
Looking at the indignant Whitebeard, Diarmuid set the bag of rice crackers on the ground and said seriously, "Newgate... no, Whitebeard. We've met many times, haven't we? We've traded blows more than once. We've both tasted victory and defeat. When have you ever known me to look down on you?"
"Gurarararara!" The previously angry Whitebeard burst into laughter. "Then what are you waiting for!? Get on with it!"
Diarmuid didn't move. Instead, he said softly, "Between us, the winner has already been decided, Newgate."
Newgate froze for a moment. A flicker of loneliness crossed his eyes, followed by a self-deprecating smirk. "Yes... between us, the outcome was decided long ago..."
The melancholy lasted only a heartbeat. Newgate gripped Murakumogiri and pointed it directly at Diarmuid. "Then this time, let's not worry about winners or losers. Diarmuid, am I worthy enough for you to see me off?"
Diarmuid blinked, then stood up with a loud laugh. "Hahaha! Whitebeard, you are a legendary hero of the seas whose name shakes the four oceans. Of course you are worthy. But have you truly made up your mind?"
Newgate flourished his polearm and shot a glance at Sakazuki, laughing heartily. "Gurararara! Sakazuki, you are a man no less great than Diarmuid. To have you two send me on my way today... I can say my life was not lived in vain!"
A look of surprise crossed Sakazuki's face. He had always felt Newgate's disdain. When Newgate spoke to Diarmuid, he used his name; when he spoke to Sakazuki, it was always "Akainu." It was a subtle but clear mark of disrespect.
That was why Sakazuki had insisted on taking Whitebeard while Diarmuid handled Kaido and Linlin. He wanted to prove his worth.
But now, the contempt in Newgate's eyes was gone, replaced by respect and satisfaction. He had called him "Sakazuki."
Death was inevitable, but for heroes like them, they wished to fall at the hands of true peers, not in a sickbed, and not to some nameless whelp. Diarmuid was the undisputed strongest in the world; Sakazuki's fearless courage and indomitable spirit had, in the end, earned Newgate's recognition.
To have these two deliver the final blow was the only fitting end to Whitebeard's thunderous life!
"Enough talk!" Newgate shouted. "Come!"
Pure, unadulterated heroism!
Diarmuid nodded. "Then I shall send you on your way. May your martial fortune remain prosperous even on the road to the underworld!"
"Gurarararara!" Whitebeard laughed.
Diarmuid drew his cursed blade, Kokorowatari. With a burst of Soru, he vanished, reappearing before Newgate in a heartbeat. The razor-sharp blade showed no mercy, swinging down toward Newgate's head.
Newgate's reflexes were still sharp. With a joyous grin, he kicked the hilt of Murakumogiri, bringing the blade up in a precise parry that caught Kokorowatari.
Sakazuki bellowed, "Whitebeard! I'll ask you one more time… do you like this grand funeral!?"
He arrived with a punch cloaked in billowing black smoke, aimed straight for Newgate's torso.
Newgate exerted his strength, parrying Diarmuid's blade away before slamming the long hilt of his weapon down to pin Sakazuki's fist. He laughed boisterously, "Gurarararara! It's exactly what I wanted!"
In that moment, Sakazuki, Diarmuid, and Newgate were all smiling. This was no longer a battle of ideologies; it was the final dance of legends.
Diarmuid didn't use the Dark-Dark Fruit. He used only the sword in his hand.
The fierce battle tore through the night until the first light of dawn broke the horizon. A single ray of sunlight pierced the clouds, "warming" the charred remains of Hachinosu.
Pfft. The sound of something being pierced.
Newgate stood there, holding Murakumogiri, facing the rising sun. Diarmuid's Kokorowatari was buried in the center of his chest. Sakazuki had left two more charred holes in his torso, having incinerated much of his internal organs.
"Today... really is a fine day to close one's eyes," Newgate whispered suddenly.
Sakazuki and Diarmuid turned to look at the sun behind them. Their expressions were complex.
"Yes," Diarmuid agreed. "It is a fine day."
Diarmuid pulled a tin of cigars from his pocket and tossed one to Sakazuki. Then he looked at Newgate. "Want one?"
Newgate didn't answer. He simply stared at the sun, which was becoming increasingly dazzling. Diarmuid didn't press him. He lit his cigar and exhaled a slow cloud of smoke; Sakazuki did the same.
"It was lonely enough as it was," Diarmuid said softly through the smoke. "Without you lot, this sea is going to get very boring."
"Lonely?" Newgate murmured. He laughed weakly. "Gurararara... if the Marines are lonely, doesn't that mean the world is at peace?"
Sakazuki remained silent for a moment before nodding. "You're right."
"What did Roger say to you back then?" Diarmuid asked, curiosity finally getting the better of him. He knew Roger had shared a final drink with Newgate before the crew disbanded.
Newgate didn't answer. Instead, he pulled his gaze from the sun and looked at Diarmuid with a smile. "What did that bastard Shiki say to you before he died?"
Diarmuid thought for a moment. "He didn't say anything."
Newgate's lips curled. "Roger didn't say anything either."
Diarmuid blinked, then burst into laughter. Once he calmed down, he asked, "And you? Do you have anything to say?"
"Me?" Newgate whispered. He smiled again, his voice fading. "In the new era... there really is no ship... that can carry me..."
This time, Newgate's tone was one of true loneliness and regret.
For some reason, Diarmuid truly felt a pang of empathy. He dropped his cigar, stepped forward, and pulled Kokorowatari from Newgate's chest in a spray of blood. Newgate's expression didn't even flicker. He remained standing.
Sheathing his blade, Diarmuid turned his back to the legend. "Farewell, Whitebeard, the last hero of the old era."
He walked away with Sakazuki, even though Newgate hadn't truly breathed his last. Newgate didn't speak. He simply watched them go until their silhouettes vanished into the sea of fire.
A long time later, Newgate whispered a final breath. "Farewell... to this world..."
He closed his eyes. He remained standing, even as the flames slowly began to consume him.