Chapter 396: Urgent Call from the Five Elders! Sengoku's Choice!
The news of Redfield's death in battle slammed into Shanks' mind like a thunderbolt.
In a battlefield of the highest caliber, that single moment of distraction was a fatal flaw!
"INUGAMI GUREN (HELLHOUND)!!!"
Sakazuki roared, his right arm transforming into the molten head of a massive hound. Its fangs dripped with burning magma, carrying a blistering, destructive aura as it viciously snapped at Shanks!
"BOOM—!!!"
Gryphon swung horizontally, colliding with the magma hound in a torrential downpour of explosive fire!
Scorching fragments of magma tore through the air. The webbing between Shanks' thumb and index finger split open, blood streaming down his palm!
But the magma hound didn't dissipate. Instead, fueled by the extending lava, it lunged again, snapping directly at Shanks' face!
"HAAAAA—!!!"
Shanks' eyes snapped wide open in fury, and his black-red Conqueror's Haki erupted!
In an instant, the molten hound's head was blown apart like a flame ravaged by a hurricane, its remnants scattering into the surroundings as glowing embers!
But Sakazuki had already closed the distance!
"MAGMA DETONATION!!!"
His chest swelled violently. The magma inside him compressed to its absolute limit, pulsing like the beating heart of the underworld!
In the next moment, a blinding crimson light exploded!
"KABOOM—!!!"
The hyper-compressed magma energy detonated right in front of Shanks!
A mushroom cloud shot into the sky. The shockwave annihilated the surrounding ruins, sending countless prisoners flying amidst agonizing screams!!!
Shanks' figure tumbled through the explosive inferno, smashing into the battlefield's debris like a kite with its string cut! Blood gushed from his nose and mouth, dyeing half his face red!!!
From the center of a boiling pool of magma, Sakazuki's silhouette slowly emerged. Molten rock flowed freely across his entire body; he looked like a demon god stepping out of hell.
"That Ace kid's combat concept... is quite practical."
He raised his magma-transformed giant fist, the crimson glow illuminating half the battlefield!
"Shanks... you can't escape!!!"
Amidst the churning ruins, Gryphon was stabbed at an angle into the ground. Shanks rested on one knee, completely drenched in blood, yet his grip on the hilt remained iron-clad.
Through the mist of blood, his eyes burned like an inextinguishable flame!
"SAKAZUKI—!!"
"The 'freedom' of a pirate cannot be burned to ash by your magma!!!"
"BOOM—!!!"
His black-red Conqueror's Haki shot into the firmament, transforming into a storm that swept across heaven and earth!
Countless Marines and prisoners on the battlefield were instantly suppressed to the point of suffocation!
Yet, there was not a single trace of wavering in Sakazuki's eyes—only cold, ruthless killing intent!
The magma heart in his chest beat violently, sending waves of intense heat washing over the area!
"RYUSEI KAZAN (METEOR VOLCANO)—!!!"
But this time, the attack he unleashed was not a vertical meteor shower falling from the sky. It was a horizontal flood of pure destruction!
His two magma arms erupted like active volcanoes. Hundreds of massive magma fists poured out horizontally, crushing toward Shanks like an asteroid belt!!!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!!!
The air was incinerated, and the earth evaporated!
The entire western battlefield looked as if it were being swallowed by an endless flood of molten rock!
Shanks' pupils shrank. The ground beneath his feet fractured inch by inch as he swung his sword with all his might!
His Conqueror's Haki poured into the edge of the blade like a rampaging dragon. Black-red electrical arcs coiled around it, the blade vibrating like a soaring war song!
"KAMUSARI (DIVINE DEPARTURE)—!!!"
His furious roar tore through the battlefield!
A massive, black-red crescent slash blasted forward, carrying a will that could split the heavens and tear the earth, clashing head-on with the magma flood!
"BOOM—!!!"
The sword aura and the Meteor Volcano collided violently in mid-air!
The giant black-red slash forcibly cleaved into the blistering torrent of fire. Every collision triggered thunderous, explosive roars!
The magma fists were sliced apart one after another, but the sword aura was also gradually chipping away under the relentless fiery impacts!
Crimson and black brilliance intertwined in the sky, looking like two divine dragons roaring in fury!
"VROOM—!!!"
The shockwave suddenly detonated. A hundred-meter-tall glacier collapsed, and the seawater surged into a thousand-meter-high tidal wave!
The western battlefield was ripped in two. Between heaven and earth, there was only the destructive white light of black and crimson!
Countless Marine soldiers and pirates looked up, their hearts pounding wildly. Their eyes were locked onto the two figures exchanging devastating blows amidst the sea of fire and sword aura!
Shanks' blood dyed the hilt of his sword red, but his gaze was hotter than the flames. Gritting his teeth, he roared out his final will!
Sakazuki's arms were fully converted into magma. His eyes were as cold as a prison, his volcanic killing intent churning endlessly!
"KABOOM—!!!"
The sword aura and the magma flood detonated in mid-air!
In that instant, the world lost its voice!
It was as if the entire world was being torn to shreds by the clash of their wills—Akainu VS. Red Hair, a true clash of the highest caliber had erupted!
Marineford · Atop the Execution Platform
Sengoku stood in front of Rayleigh, the Buddha's light behind him shining over the battlefield like a golden sun.
His gaze swept over the chaotic grounds below:
Law's ROOM flickered constantly, precisely teleporting wounded frontline soldiers to the rear medical area.
Chopper led the medical team in the back, sweating profusely as they treated the soldiers. His masterful medical skills handled wounds like miracles, allowing more soldiers to miraculously stand up and fight again purely through sheer willpower.
Nami hovered in mid-air, her Clima-Tact drawing upon thunderclouds. The violent storms, perfectly combined with Usopp's sniper fire, flawlessly suppressed the prisoners' charges.
Sanji, Binz, and Ain formed an ironclad triangular formation, desperately holding the gap in the front lines, refusing to yield a single inch of ground!
This scene made the corners of Sengoku's eyes twitch with emotion.
"Law... you're doing excellently."
"Under the leadership of Nami and the new generation, the Marine frontlines are as solid as an iron wall, and casualties have been heavily minimized thanks to them."
As the Buddha's light flared, a long-lost sense of gratification rose in his heart.
But in the next instant, his gaze turned freezing cold.
On the western battlefield, Sakazuki's magma had already pushed Shanks to the absolute brink, and Kizaru had transformed into golden light, diving down to join the fray.
Sengoku's chest heaved, his fists clenching tightly. "Since that's the case—we will leave every single one of them buried here forever!!!"
He violently raised his arm, preparing to issue the order for a total, all-out assault!
—Right at that moment.
Buru buru—Buru buru—!!!
A heavy vibration came from inside his coat. A Den Den Mushi with a golden frame abruptly opened its eyes!
It was the highest emergency line directly connected to the Sacred Land of Mariejois!
Sengoku's pupils shrank violently, his Adam's apple bobbing.
"The Five Elders... at a time like this?!"
He quickly picked up the receiver, lowering his voice. "This is Sengoku."
From the other end of the line came a cold, urgent command: "Execute Rayleigh immediately! Cease fire at once! Let Shanks go!!!"
Hearing the voice from the snail, Sengoku's entire body jolted! His golden Buddha aura nearly dissipated, and veins popped violently on his forehead!
"Why?! We can annihilate all of them right now!!!"
Saint Saturn's voice cut through his ear like a knife, leaving absolutely no room for negotiation: "There is no 'why'!"
"THIS IS AN ORDER!!!"
As the words fell, Sengoku's breathing grew chaotic. He froze completely in place.
His eyes burned with fury as he looked out over the battlefield:
Sakazuki, bathed in blood, roaring furiously as his magma churned like an active volcano;
Kizaru, hovering high in the sky, his rain of light already fully charged;
The new generation leading the Marine elites, fighting the pirate death row inmates until they were drenched in blood, yet holding the line with their lives!!!
Sengoku's fists cracked as he squeezed them. His chest heaved, the golden Buddha light flickering violently.
"This war of Justice... we have bet everything on it... and you want us to compromise right on the verge of victory?!!"
The Den Den Mushi fell into a dead silence. The cold authority on the other side seemed to simply wait for his submission.
Finally, Sengoku's gaze turned as resolute as iron. He violently spat out a single sentence:
"—The Marines refuse to comply!!!"
The Buddha's light erupted explosively, making the entire execution platform tremble!
Rayleigh's clouded eyes snapped wide open, filled with utter shock!
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