"Divine Departure!"
Roger's blade howled through the air, wrapped in black and red lightning, his Conqueror's Haki blazing across the battlefield. Each stroke carried enough force to split mountains, and now it descended toward his oldest rival.
"Fist Bone: Star Shatter!"
Garp's iron fist surged forward to meet the strike, his Armament Haki compressed into a point so dense it bent the air itself.
The collision ripped apart the sky.
Thunderous shockwaves tore across the royal city, shaking the earth as though gods themselves had clashed. The Den Den Mushi cameras wobbled violently, nearly spinning out of control as the storm of power ravaged the skies.
"Hold steady, hold steady! Promotion and salary increase aren't a dream! This time, I'll double your bonus myself, no, triple! No, quadruple it! Three months' paid vacation too!" Morgans' desperate voice bellowed, his feathers flaring as he flapped to stabilize his body.
All across the world, countless spectators watching through the broadcast repeated the same words under their breath. Hold steady. Hold steady.
For the first time, Morgans' incessant chatter was not annoying. No one wanted to miss this. This was a battle for the ages, Marine Hero versus Pirate King.
The camera steadied, the picture sharpening again.
The clash between Roger and Garp had left black and crimson sparks raining across the sky. Morgans' voice cracked as he shouted, "Did you all hear that?! Roger's legendary strike, Divine Departure! And Garp's devastating Fist Bone: Star Shatter! Write them down, write them down now!"
His editors scribbled furiously. Even civilians in taverns and soldiers in barracks copied the names onto scraps of parchment or onto their hands, as if fearing history would erase the words before they could be remembered.
At Marine Headquarters, Sengoku's veins bulged as he slammed his palm on the table. "That blasted bird! Stop giving away techniques on live broadcast!" He turned then nearly choked seeing several Marines dutifully jotting the names down in their notebooks.
The battle escalated.
Garp and Roger were no longer dueling alone. Two figures swept in, Rayleigh's gleaming blade and Gaban's massive axe slashed toward Garp, forcing him back.
"Hahaha! Don't misunderstand, Garp!" Roger laughed, sword resting casually against his shoulder. "We're not here for a fair fight. The Jackson is our comrade. You damaged it, so today, we'll make you pay!"
"What a disgrace! They're ganging up!" cried countless viewers.
But others shouted in return: "So what? Isn't this even better? Let's see if Garp can handle the entire Roger Pirates by himself!"
Garp's grin widened, and he tore off his Marine coat, revealing the black suit beneath. He cracked his neck, fists flexing like twin hammers of justice. "Run? Me? Hahahaha! Roger, you'd better pray your whole crew is enough, because I'm not going anywhere!"
The crowd roared. Morgans screeched like a ring announcer: "Hero Garp versus the Roger Pirates! The legend grows even larger!"
Then the true battle began.
Rayleigh intercepted first, his blade locking against Garp's fist. "You'll have to go through us before you reach our captain."
"Fine by me," Garp rumbled. He blurred with Soru, vanishing from Rayleigh's sight, only to reappear before Roger. His fist hurtled forward like a meteor.
"Divine Departure!" Roger's sword swung again to meet him. The resulting explosion hurled Garp backward through stone and steel.
Before he could recover, Douglas Bullet charged in. His fist, monstrous with strength, crashed into Garp's ribs and sent him flying again. But Garp's laugh rang out even as he rebounded, driving his own iron fist into Bullet's chest and launching him like a cannonball through several buildings.
Rayleigh and Gaban struck next, twin slashes carving into the ground where Garp stood. The Marine Hero rolled through the dust, fists flashing in every direction, meeting sword, axe, and fist all at once. He fought four monsters simultaneously, his body becoming a living weapon. Still, the strain was visible. His Haki burned faster than it should, and even Garp couldn't ignore the toll.
The island shook under the weight of legends colliding.
Meanwhile, Kaido's roar echoed through the capital. He had already thrown aside dozens of beasts, his kanabo leaving trails of lightning and shattered bones. Brady, battered and bloodied, pressed on, summoning every beast he had left, each one collapsing under Kaido's merciless swings.
Surrounded on all sides, Kaido unleashed another Raimei Hakke, hurling three massive beasts away in one strike. Brady leapt through the smoke, his fist burning with the culmination of decades of battle. "Beast King Fist!"
The blow landed square on Kaido's cheek. The monster staggered but did not fall. Slowly, Kaido's sneer returned. "A hundred times weaker than Garp."
Brady's heart sank. He tried to retreat, but Kaido's hand clamped around his leg. With a roar, Kaido slammed him into the ground, blood spraying from the king's mouth. A boot pressed into his chest, crushing him further. Then Kaido lifted him by the head, kanabo raised high.
"Thunder Bagua!"
The spiked club drove through Brady's abdomen. Gasps of horror rippled across the world. Half the weapon pierced clean through, tearing flesh and shattering organs.
Blood cascaded in rivers.
Brady's vision blurred. He thought of the sea, of younger days, of freedom long lost. To die in battle as a pirate… better than to fade away as a king.
With one final roar, Brady ignited the last of his life. Golden flames of will wrapped around his fist as he struck Kaido's abdomen. The Pirate Beast was sent flying into the ruins.
Brady stood tall one last time. His body withered, his hair grayed, his skin sagged as the price of burning his life force consumed him.
"Me? Pirate Brady." His lips curved into a faint smile. Then his body collapsed.
The king of Kate Kingdom, protector of his people for decades—was dead.
His ability vanished. Across the battlefield, beasts broke free of control, scattering into the wilderness in terror of the overwhelming forces at play.
Kaido rose from the rubble, rubbing his gut where the final strike had landed. "Brady… I'll remember that punch."
But his eyes were already locked on the greater battle. With a bellow, he charged into the clash of titans, kanabo swinging straight at Roger. "ROGER—DIE!"
Steel met iron, Haki clashed with Haki. Garp, Roger, Rayleigh, Gaban, Bullet, and now Kaido... all colliding at once.
The battlefield had transformed into a storm of gods, where every strike carved history into stone.
And above them all, the world held its breath.