There, fluttering in the wind, was the pirate flag: a black background with red markings. Three claw-like scars ran across the skull's left eye socket, and behind it were two crossed sabers.
This was none other than the crew of one of the Four Emperors—the Red Hair Pirates!
Aboard the Red Force, Shanks and his crew stared up at the terrifying, massive thundercloud filling the sky, their expressions grim.
"Looks like we were too late, Beckman," Shanks said, his voice low. He stood on the deck, his right hand resting on the hilt of his saber, Gryphon.
"Or maybe," the true captain, Benn Beckman, replied calmly, flipping through a newspaper, "we've arrived at just the right time." He lit a cigarette and took a slow drag. The back of the paper featured a massive photograph of Ryuuto.
"This is insane," Yasopp muttered, his face pale.
CRUNCH!
The Red Force slammed directly into the sheet of ice covering the sea, and the colossal dragon-headed ship finally ground to a halt.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
With a series of swift movements, Shanks and the others leaped from the ship, landing on the grounds of Marineford. Their faces were solemn as they began to walk toward the center of the battlefield.
In the main plaza, everyone stared at the sky in utter despair. The thundercloud, thousands of meters wide, descended with suffocating pressure. Countless bolts of lightning crashed down, painting a scene of apocalyptic destruction across the entire island.
"Are we all going to die here?"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku..."
"Somebody, save me!"
Many of the marines had already given up the struggle. They collapsed to the ground, limp and helpless, muttering in despair as thunderbolts struck down all around them.
Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru had returned to the ground, all three of them now gazing up at the black storm.
"This is a little different from what I expected. It seems our real enemy is this ridiculous thundercloud," Aokiji said, his voice flat as he exhaled a plume of cold air, his expression heavy.
"Oh, how troublesome. That Ryuuto kid always has to make such a scene," Kizaru commented, a look of pure exasperation on his face.
"Damn it, at this rate, the entire island is finished!" Akainu snarled, grinding his teeth in fury as he surveyed the doomsday unfolding across Marineford.
Sengoku wasted no time. With a single leap, he shot into the air, transforming into his giant golden Buddha form. He swung a massive palm, unleashing a powerful shockwave directly at the thundercloud.
BOOM!
The golden wave of energy slammed into the storm at incredible speed, scattering the outer layers of clouds before being swallowed completely. In response, the lightning within the cloud roiled violently, followed by a deafening roar.
RUMBLE!
In an instant, an unbelievably thick bolt of lightning, hundreds of meters in diameter, struck the very center of Marineford with terrifying, destructive power. All anyone could see was a blinding flash of brilliant blue light that forced their eyes shut.
CRACK!
The moment the lightning hit, carrying the might of ten thousand volts, everything on the ground was instantly vaporized. A colossal impact shook the island, and a massive shockwave tore across Marineford, snapping buildings in half and kicking up a sky-high wall of dust.
"Retreat! Everyone, fall back!" Marco shouted from his position above the port, ordering the pirates below. The surviving pirates were scrambling across the ice, desperately trying to climb aboard the remaining intact ships.
BOOM!
Jozu dropped from the sky, slamming an elbow into the ground. The ice shattered instantly, sending countless shards flying as the trapped pirate ships were freed. With the rank-and-file pirates aboard, the remaining division commanders began to pull back.
Just then, a group of ten people walked past them, heading in the opposite direction.
"Red Hair!" Marco, still airborne, spotted Shanks and his crew, confused by their appearance. But he had no time to ponder it; his only priority was ensuring the safe retreat of the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Let's go, too," Vivi said, steadying herself after the shockwave hit. She turned to Hancock, Crocus, and Jean Bart.
"Ryuuto..." Hancock began, looking worriedly toward the sky.
"We have to believe in our captain! He'll be fine," Vivi said, forcing a calm expression for Hancock's sake. She squeezed the straw in her hand, and a gust of wind instantly propelled her out over the sea. The others followed suit, crushing their own straws and launching into the air.
"Ryuuto," Hancock whispered, taking one last look back before vanishing over the horizon.
"Looks like I worried for nothing," Marco mused, having kept an eye on Vivi's group. He let out a sigh of relief as they disappeared.
"Grandpa!" On the deck of a ship, a tear-streaked Luffy stared blankly at the Marineford plaza. Suddenly, he wiped his face, his expression hardening into a fierce snarl. "I will avenge you!"
"Luffy," Ace said, placing a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder.
Meanwhile, within the thundercloud, Ryuuto slowly sat up.
"That was way too reckless. I almost died," he muttered, rubbing his throbbing head, a wave of fear washing over him. "Vivi, Hancock, and the others have gotten away safely." Using his Mantra, he quickly sensed their movements.
"Wait, isn't that Shanks?" Suddenly, Ryuuto detected an unexpected presence below, and a sense of unease settled over him. He had no idea if his reputation would be enough to handle this. "In that case, it's time for me to leave, too." With that, the golden patterns on his body began to glow. His form dissolved into a mass of lightning plasma, vanishing into the tempest.
"What a tragic sight," Shanks said softly as he walked across the battlefield. Everywhere he looked, there was nothing but rubble and ruins. The ground was littered with deep craters and the bodies of pirates and marines alike.
"An attack like this could wipe an entire island off the map. The young people these days are truly something else," Beckman said, exhaling a smoke ring, his tone grave.
"Red Hair, what are you doing here?" Sengoku's voice boomed from his Golden Buddha form as he spotted Shanks and his crew.
As Sengoku spoke, Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru leaped forward, positioning themselves in front of Shanks and his men. The air crackled with tension.
Marineford can't withstand an attack from another Emperor, Sengoku thought, his face heavy as he glanced at the surrounding destruction.
"I came to end this war. But it seems that won't be necessary now," Shanks said, the black cloak on his back billowing as he rested a hand on his sword. Beside him, Beckman and the others wore menacing smiles as they faced the three Admirals. Vice Admiral Momonga and a few others arrived, silently taking their places beside the Admirals.
A tense standoff ensued between the Navy and the Red Hair Pirates. Above them, the thunder roared as massive bolts of lightning continued to fall. The storm cloud had descended to just a few hundred meters above the ground, and the air was thick with crackling energy, creating an immense sense of pressure.
"There's no need to be so tense, Sengoku," Shanks said, his voice calm yet powerful. "I'm only here to prevent any more bloodshed. Enough lives have been lost today."
"Don't play innocent with me, Red Hair. The Whitebeard Pirates are already retreating. Say what you came to say and get out. You're not welcome here," Sengoku retorted. He wasn't about to be fooled by the Emperor's words. He saw right through him. Shanks was here to save Ace or protect the Whitebeard Pirates. As a former member of the Roger Pirates, there was no way he would let Roger's son be executed.
"It seems there's been a great misunderstanding between us," Shanks replied evasively. He slowly turned his gaze toward the massive thundercloud above. At the same time, Beckman and his crew drew their weapons, aiming them at the marines. After all, Sengoku was right.
But seeing the state of the island had caused Shanks's plans to change. His eyes narrowed, and he activated his Observation Haki. Instantly, countless visions of the future flooded his mind.
The giant thundercloud crashed down. Countless bolts of lightning erupted, bathing the entire island in a sea of blinding light. As the thunder screamed, the marines on the ground and the lingering Whitebeard Pirates at the coast were all vaporized by the overwhelming power. The ground fractured, rock and debris flying everywhere. Marineford crumbled under the immense force of the lightning, breaking apart until it was completely erased from the sea.
"What!" Cold sweat poured down Shanks's face. "The entire island... is going to be wiped out," he whispered, his face a mask of shock.
"Wiped... out!" Beckman's expression turned to one of horror. He knew Shanks was seeing the future. He looked up at the storm, his voice turning grave. "I think I may have underestimated these clouds."
Yasopp, Lucky Roux, and the others were stunned into silence. "Captain, you... you're sure about that?" Yasopp stammered, not because he doubted Shanks's Haki, but because the vision was simply too unbelievable to accept.
Sengoku and the others overheard Shanks, and their faces turned grim. "What an audacious plan! He intends to destroy Navy Headquarters itself!" Sengoku's voice trembled with rage. Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru all clenched their fists.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Suddenly, Shanks's cloak whipped behind him as he kicked off the air, leaping higher and higher into the sky. He slowly drew his saber, Gryphon. A torrent of black-and-red lightning erupted from the blade, enveloping him. The very space around him began to distort under the immense pressure of his Conqueror's Haki.
"Divine Departure!" Shanks roared, unleashing a tremendously powerful slash of black-and-red energy from Gryphon's blade. The attack shot upward with unparalleled force, slamming directly into the island-sized cloud.
BOOM!
A heaven-shaking impact echoed across the sky. The powerful collision tore through the outer clouds, revealing the roaring lightning within. Blue energy arced and exploded, and in an instant, thousands of lightning bolts rained down on the island from every direction, a roaring display of absolute power. Hidden within the blue flashes was a faint trace of purple. This was the world-ending divine thunder Ryuuto had left behind, making this Raigo a significantly enhanced version, more than capable of destroying an island.
"Damn it!" Shanks landed on the ground, his expression dark as he realized his mistake. "I just sped up the process!"
Under the storm of lightning, countless marines were killed instantly. Out on the sea, a pirate ship was split in two. The air filled with screams of agony.
"Great Buddha Shock Palm!"
"Meteor Volcano!"
"Great Pheasant Beak!"
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
Sengoku and the three Admirals immediately unleashed their strongest attacks, launching them toward the sky. Countless shockwaves from the giant Buddha's palm slammed into the thick layer of lightning. A sky full of magma fists, a massive bird of ice hundreds of meters wide, and a torrential downpour of golden light beams all converged on the storm.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The heavens were filled with the sound of explosions as the powerful attacks collided with the divine lightning. The opposing forces annihilated each other, erupting in a series of blasts that rained fire and ice down on the island below.
"It's working! But there's just too much lightning," Shanks said grimly. By his estimation, they had only managed to disperse about a tenth of the storm's power. "This is too slow! We're running out of time."
Shanks returned to stand before Sengoku and the others. The lightning was now only one or two hundred meters above them. The sheer destructive energy radiating from it was so intense it began to sting their skin.
"I need your power," Shanks declared, looking at Sengoku, Beckman, and the others. The only thing he could think of was a technique from the giants of Elbaf—a combined attack that focused everyone's strength. It was the only way to save the island.
After several waves of lightning strikes, only the strongest and luckiest remained alive on the ground. Thousands upon thousands of ordinary marines had perished.
"Red Hair, are you thinking of that technique?" Sengoku asked urgently, his mind also flashing to the image of two towering giants. In that moment, they all understood. It was that legendary attack.
"Everyone, get ready!"
Shanks took his stance, raising Gryphon as a powerful aura of black-and-red lightning erupted around him. Sengoku stepped up beside him, his right palm glowing with brilliant golden light. Beckman, the three Admirals, Yasopp, and the others all joined in, gathering every ounce of their power and will.
They aimed at the giant thundercloud in the sky.
"Hakoku!" Shanks roared, and as one, they unleashed their combined power.
BOOM!
A colossal energy wave, hundreds of meters in diameter, shot forth with unimaginable force. Black-and-red lightning crackled around it, filling half the island. The wave was so powerful that it seemed to devour space itself as it tore through the air.
And then... it slammed head-on into the giant sphere of lightning hanging just a hundred meters above them.
RUMBLE!
The massive collision produced a cataclysmic explosion. An all-consuming storm of black-and-red lightning and purple thunder instantly erupted, engulfing the entirety of Marineford.