"If you want to get to Ryuuto, you'll have to get through me first!"
Seeing Sengoku charge toward Ryuuto, Hancock immediately leaped into action. Her qipao spun through the air, tracing a graceful arc as she aimed a kick at Sengoku's giant Buddha form.
A flash of black and red lightning erupted as Hancock unleashed her full power in a single strike.
"Perfume Femur!" she roared, her impossibly long leg colliding directly with the golden Buddha.
A powerful shockwave instantly detonated, shattering more of the surrounding buildings.
"Hancock, do not forget your position! Do you intend to oppose the Marines?" Sengoku demanded, thrusting a palm forward to block her. He stared down at the woman standing in his way, his voice grave.
"Enough with the pointless chatter! As long as I am here, you will not pass!" Hancock replied, her expression grim and utterly resolute.
In that moment, her world contained only Ryuuto. Protecting him was her most important mission.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Seeing her determination, Sengoku ceased talking. His massive palms flew, unleashing wave after wave of golden shockwaves that battered Hancock, leaving her in a sorry state.
Hawkeye stood his ground, glancing once at Hancock and then at Ryuuto in the distance. Perhaps he found the affair boring, or perhaps he sensed the impending crisis, but with a single leap, he vanished from sight.
"It hurts, it hurts!"
A cry of pain suddenly rang out. Blackbeard and his crew had appeared next to Whitebeard's body. A cluster of thunder-fire was currently burning on Blackbeard's clothes, and he frantically slapped at it while yelling.
"What is this flame! Its power is terrifying!"
Lucci's sharp claws flashed out, instantly slicing away a piece of his own clothing. Any later, and the thunder-fire would have burned right through his body.
"Black Hole!" With a low shout from Blackbeard, a mass of darkness erupted from his body, surging forward to devour the thunder-fire.
"Captain, we have to move now!" Van Augur frantically urged Blackbeard. The atmosphere on the plaza felt dangerously wrong.
Suddenly, at that moment…
Whitebeard's eyes opened. Perhaps sensing the last vestiges of his life fading away, he spoke in an exceptionally low voice, "I am a relic of a bygone era. There is no ship for me in the new age."
"Go now! My sons!"
Whitebeard looked back at Ace one last time, a hint of relief in his eyes as he saw that he had already reached the shore.
"THE ONE PIECE… IS REAL!"
Burning the last of his life force, Whitebeard roared, his voice thundering across all of Marineford.
And then, Whitebeard closed his eyes forever.
Unfortunately, all the broadcast Den Den Mushi had been incinerated by the thunder-fire. Otherwise, his final words would have undoubtedly spread across the entire world.
"Pops!" Marco wiped away his tears, gazing at the man who had once stood tall enough to hold up the sky, the Strongest Man in the World, Whitebeard.
"Pops is dead!"
Vista, Jozu, and the other division commanders watched the scene with tears in their eyes. Countless pirates wept in sorrow. Their captain, their father, had left them forever.
"Everyone… We're retreating!" Marco shouted, his eyes red as he flew into the air.
With Whitebeard's death, Marco was now the soul of the Whitebeard Pirates. It fell to him to carry on Whitebeard's will.
It was truly time to withdraw.
They had rescued Ace, but countless brothers had fallen in this battle. In his heart, Marco had no desire to fight any longer.
"Yes!"
Swallowing their grief, the pirates began to fall back toward the coastline.
"Ace, let me go! I have to kill Ryuuto!" Luffy was currently being dragged away by Ace and Sanji.
Ace was already sobbing uncontrollably. But he knew that the most important thing now was to leave. Only by doing so could they honor Whitebeard's sacrifice. His feelings toward Ryuuto were incredibly complicated. On one hand, Ryuuto had saved his life; on the other, he had killed Garp.
"Fall back!"
Jozu blocked a slash from Vice Admiral Momonga, shouting at the pirates around him. Seeing the Whitebeard Pirates retreat, several of the Marine Headquarters' vice admirals gave chase, launching a relentless pursuit.
…
"Zehahaha, he's really dead this time!"
Blackbeard was ecstatic beyond words. The Devil Fruit he had coveted for so long was finally within his grasp.
He abruptly threw out a large black cloth, which instantly enveloped both himself and Whitebeard's body. He then dove inside.
Van Augur, Burgess, and the others positioned themselves around the massive cloth, acting as guards to prevent anyone from interrupting him.
Meanwhile, Akainu lay amidst a pile of rubble. Several of his bones were broken, and the slightest movement sent waves of agonizing pain through his body.
"It's been a long time since I've been this badly injured," Akainu murmured, staring helplessly at the sky.
As the main target of Whitebeard's rage, Akainu had taken an unbelievable beating. Thankfully, Whitebeard was finally dead. The remaining members of his crew were no longer a significant threat.
"But Ryuuto… he must be left here permanently. He has already grown to a terrifying degree."
With that thought, Akainu forced himself to his feet.
Ryuuto was currently locked in battle with Aokiji. The ground shifted between a slick sheet of ice and a pool of thunderous plasma. The two figures flickered in and out of existence in mid-air.
Boom!
A giant bird of ice collided with a golden thunder spear thrown by Ryuuto, exploding instantly and sending shards of ice and splashes of plasma flying everywhere.
"Hah…"
After fighting for so long, Ryuuto's stamina was severely depleted. He had already used two stamina potions, and any more would have greatly diminished effects.
"An Admiral in his prime is too strong," Ryuuto thought, planting his feet firmly on the ground and exhaling a ragged breath.
"Captain, are you alright?" Vivi, seeing his state, appeared before him in a flash. She summoned a dragon made of wine that shot straight toward Aokiji.
Aokiji didn't even bother to dodge. He simply tapped the wine dragon with his finger.
Crack…
With a crisp sound, the wine dragon was frozen into a solid block of ice in an instant.
"Is this the power of an Admiral?" Having never experienced a real battle, Vivi was so stunned she forgot what to do next, frozen in place.
"The difference in our strength is just too great," Ryuuto said softly, watching the scene unfold. He glanced over at Hancock, who was also looking extremely worn out from her own fight.
"This isn't good," Ryuuto thought.
Lightning flared around him, and he vanished.
Boom!
A thunder blade materialized beneath Aokiji, slashing upward with a brilliant trail of light. Using that brief opening, Ryuuto grabbed Vivi and leaped frantically toward the coastline.
Aokiji simply pulled his hands through the air, and a blade of dark ice formed in his grasp.
Boom!
The golden thunder blade and the dark ice blade crashed together. The impact sent a shockwave soaring into the heavens, filling the sky with golden light and black-red lightning, splitting it into two distinct colors.
"Vivi, you stay here for now," Ryuuto said, setting her down. He gave her a simple instruction before pressing a straw infused with wind power into her hand. Then, he once again transformed into a bolt of lightning and disappeared.
Vivi was now amidst the Whitebeard Pirates, a place of relative safety.
A golden bolt of lightning shot through the sky, moving at incredible speed. He could feel three distinct presences locked onto him, a deeply unsettling sensation.
He was already struggling to deal with Aokiji alone. Now, Akainu and Kizaru had also targeted him. It seemed that killing Garp had made him their number one target for elimination.
"In that case, I'll have to gamble again! I've been preparing for this moment for so long," Ryuuto thought. "But before that, I need to deal with Blackbeard."
Instantly, the golden lightning grew even more brilliant, leaving a long tail of light in its wake as its speed increased exponentially.
As he closed in on the Blackbeard Pirates, Ryuuto's figure materialized, his right hand gripping the Kuilong Blade as he thrust it directly at the giant black cloth.
"Look out! Protect the Captain!"
Van Augur was the first to react, raising his sniper rifle and aiming at Ryuuto. But Ryuuto was moving so fast that he couldn't get a lock.
Burgess didn't say a word, but his entire body transformed into obsidian as he placed himself between Ryuuto and Blackbeard.
The other new members—Shiryu of the Rain, Avalo Pizarro, and the others—had mixed reactions. Seeing the golden lightning crackling around Ryuuto, tearing through the very air with a palpable aura of destruction, their minds raced. They had no deep loyalty to Blackbeard; they had joined him only to use his power to achieve their own ambitions.
After a brief internal debate, they all decided to watch from the sidelines. They were also curious to see Blackbeard's true strength.
Lucci, who held a deep grudge against Ryuuto, considered his options. He knew he was no match for Ryuuto and didn't dare to intervene.
Screech…
As Ryuuto arrived in an instant, an overwhelming wave of destruction washed over them. Burgess, standing directly in his path, was so blinded by the intense lightning that he could barely keep his eyes open.
"Bastard! Hold him back!" Burgess yelled, crossing his arms and erupting with immense power.
"Ultimate Art: Thunder Kill," Ryuuto whispered, his lips barely moving. A massive phantom blade of lightning appeared over his Kuilong Blade before he brought it crashing down.
BOOM!
The sky-rending golden thunder blade descended.
Burgess felt a thin line slice across his neck. At first, there was no sensation, then a sharp sting, followed by the cold dread of death creeping into his heart.
Spurt…
A fountain of blood erupted from his neck.
Bang!
Van Augur's rifle finally fired. The bullet struck Ryuuto, but it was coated only in standard Armament Haki and failed to penetrate the armor of plasma surrounding his body.
Burgess clutched desperately at his neck, his face a mask of terror and disbelief. He could feel his life force draining away at an alarming rate.
"So strong!" Lucci's mind was reeling. The image of that lightning-fast attack was burned into his memory. That single, deadly strike was terrifying.
Shiryu and the others felt a wave of relief. They were glad they hadn't chosen to intervene; otherwise, they might have lost their lives as well.
While their minds were still processing the event…
Ryuuto had already transformed back into a bolt of lightning and charged into the black cloth.
Making matters worse, the three Admirals had launched their attacks at Ryuuto's position. Akainu's Great Eruption, Aokiji's Pheasant Beak, and Kizaru's Yasakani Sacred Jewel…
A colossal magma fist, a monstrous bird of ice, and a countless barrage of light beams.
The area was instantly engulfed.
"Damn it! Ryuuto is leading the disaster to us!" Van Augur finally realized Ryuuto's true intention: to use the three Admirals to eliminate them.
"Bastard!" Avalo Pizarro's eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he cursed.
Catarina Devon instantly transformed into her nine-tailed fox form.
In that moment, they all scattered in a desperate attempt to escape. Lucci was no exception, transforming into his strongest Zoan form and leaping away with a powerful kick.
"Hahahahaha… It worked!"
A smile spread across Ryuuto's face.
His gamble had paid off. On one hand, he had drawn the Admirals' attention; on the other, as some of the world's most notorious pirates, the Admirals couldn't just let them escape.
"What a mess. First Ryuuto, and now Blackbeard shows up with a bunch of Impel Down prisoners," Kizaru sighed, a genuinely troubled look on his face.
Akainu, weakened as he was, glared at the Blackbeard Pirates with murderous intent. Even if he failed to kill Ryuuto this time, he would take the opportunity to eliminate these vicious criminals.
"Ryuuto, you are not leaving here alive," Aokiji said gravely, glancing at Garp's body.
Meanwhile, Ryuuto had charged into the black cloth, where he found Blackbeard excitedly holding a blue, spiral-patterned Devil Fruit. Judging by the sweat pouring down his face, the process had taken a significant toll.
"Excellent. It's mine now," Ryuuto said softly. He slammed into Blackbeard, snatching the Tremor-Tremor Fruit as it flew into the air and stuffing it into his coat.
An explosion of golden plasma erupted.
Blackbeard was instantly engulfed.
"Ryuuto, you… argh!" Blackbeard had just recognized Ryuuto when a tremendous force struck his chest, causing him to spit up a mouthful of blood.
But it wasn't over. The countless sparks of golden plasma detonated all over Blackbeard's body, leaving him covered in wounds as the clinging energy continued to destroy his flesh.
In a mere instant, Blackbeard was grievously injured.
BOOM!
The force of Ryuuto's charge sent Blackbeard blasting through the black cloth and slamming deep into the ground below.
It was a truly pathetic sight.
He had just obtained the Tremor-Tremor Fruit through the power of his Dark-Dark Fruit, only to have it stolen and be severely wounded by Ryuuto for no apparent reason.
No…
It still wasn't over.
"Thunder Shield!" Ryuuto shouted as he landed, and a circular shield made of golden plasma instantly enveloped him.
Right on cue.
The Admirals' attacks arrived.
…