One Piece: New Order-Chapter 61: Battle of Sgri (4)

Whitebeard stared at the rain of fire pouring down from the sky. He pulled his right fist back, then hurled it forward with all his strength.

Crack!

The air shattered. At that exact moment, his arm split open with a sharp snap. Muscle tore, blood sprayed.

A wave of invisible vibrations twisted through the space ahead. The falling magma abruptly reversed course. Streams of molten fire shot upward, crashing into the descending projectiles and driving them back.

High above, Sakazuki stood atop the pillar of lava. He looked down at Whitebeard, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

"Not a fan of grand funerals, are you, Whitebeard?"

Whitebeard smirked right back. "Go light the candles on a birthday cake, magma brat."

As soon as the words left his mouth, a shockwave burst from beneath his feet. His naginata shimmered with Conqueror's Haki as he launched himself toward Sakazuki.

The vice admiral reacted instantly, summoning a molten blade using his Devil Fruit. Behind him, several enormous magma dragons coiled and surged forward, bearing down with crushing force.

Both men had the same slight smirk, but their eyes burned with murderous intent as they clashed once again.

Boom!

...

Aboard the Oro Jackson.

Zephyr stomped down hard, crushing Sunbell's wrist. He snatched the trident from his opponent's hand and raised a foot, ready to finish him off.

Whoosh—!

A green, arrow-shaped slash shot for his ankle.

Zephyr vanished in a flash.

In the next instant, he appeared behind the yellow-haired swordsman who had launched the attack. With his jet-black left hand, he grabbed the man's wrist mid-swing.

Crack!

The bones shattered instantly. Zephyr caught the falling sword with his right hand and slashed upward in a deadly diagonal arc.

Clang!

Slash!

The Armament Haki on the swordsman's body only held for a brief moment. Then, he was sliced clean in half at the waist.

"Taro!"

"You bastard!"

"Ahhh!!"

Cries of rage and horror erupted across the ship. At the railing, Sunbell rose slowly, bloodshot eyes glaring.

"Fish-Man Karate: 5000 Brick Roundhouse Kick!"

Despite his large, round body, he moved with surprising agility. He spun mid-air and launched a fierce kick at Zephyr.

The admiral's face showed no emotion. He gripped the sword with both hands.

Buzz—!

The blade turned black with Armament Haki as he swung it down. The edge met Sunbell's foot, and in the next second, a powerful slash sent the fish-man flying. His body slammed into the sea and disappeared beneath the waves.

Zephyr turned again and charged toward the one with the strongest presence on the ship.

Clang!

A disheveled figure appeared, blocking the blade.

"I can't let you go any further," Rayleigh's deep voice rang out, filled with killing intent.

Zephyr let out a low snort and pressed down harder with his sword. "Then try and stop me."

His brute strength forced Rayleigh to retreat step by step.

In this world, most top fighters fall into two categories: assassins with high attack but lower defense, and tanks with both high attack and defense.

Rayleigh and Shiki belonged to the first. Garp and Roger represented the second. And the young Zephyr clearly belonged to the latter.

Boom!

With a loud crash, Rayleigh was sent flying.

Zephyr rushed forward again, but a wave of sword slash came straight at him. He raised his blade and cleaved it apart. Holding his weapon with both hands, his Armament Haki surged as he struck down again.

Clang!

Two powerful sword auras collided. The shockwave swept across the deck, forcing everyone to shield their faces with their arms. No one could keep their eyes open.

...

Elsewhere.

Sengoku's huge golden form hovered a hundred meters above the sea, radiating divine authority. Translucent energy orbs swirled around his palms, charged and ready.

Suddenly, he spun and thrust both hands forward. The orbs launched like comets, trailing golden light as they shot at the ocean below.

Boom!

A powerful shockwave exploded underwater. The glowing energy trail connecting Sengoku to the sea pulsed continuously, pouring power into the blast.

"Ugh!"

Caught off guard, Gaban was struck head-on beneath the waves. Blood trickled from his mouth.

Sengoku, still in midair, sensed the hit.

"Haah!!!"

He roared, golden light surging across his enormous palms. The energy trail linking him to the sea expanded threefold.

As Sengoku poured in his full strength, the underwater shockwave rapidly intensified. A giant, circular shockwave formed, spanning hundreds of meters, with Gaban trapped right at the center.

The pirate's pupils contracted sharply. The pressure of death screamed through his nerves. His entire body was wrapped in Armament Haki, desperately trying to block it. But the underwater shockwave seemed to reach its breaking point. A golden flash detonated.

BOOM!!!

A colossal explosion tore open a crater in the sea, stretching thousands of meters wide. The raging air currents forced Sengoku's towering golden form to rise uncontrollably into the sky.

Tidal waves erupted in every direction.

From the distant battlefields, both Rayleigh and Roger turned sharply toward Sengoku's position, killing intent flaring.

"GABAN!!!"

A storm of Conqueror's Haki burst forth, shaking the world. Below Sengoku, a battered figure floated on the surface, his broken black sunglasses still barely clinging to his face.

The future Pirate King's left hand—Scopper Gaban—had fallen in battle.

...

At the battlefield of the three giants.

Roger had completely lost his mind. Gripping his sword with both hands, Conqueror's Haki spiraled violently around it. Veins bulged across his arms as he slashed in a wide arc.

A circular wave of sword energy burst from him, expanding endlessly. The force blew back both Kong and Garp, who had been closing in.

Roger charged straight at the Oro Jackson.

The two Marines, knocked back by the attack, surged with Armament Haki.

"Crushing Fist!"

"Drill Spike!"

They shouted midair. Their jet-black fists shattered the wave of sword energy in front of them.

Then, a series of sonic booms rang out in the air as the two figures flashed rapidly toward Roger, aiming to intercept.

Meanwhile, Sengoku, who had just killed Gaban, appeared right in Roger's path. In his golden palms, glowing shockwave orbs pulsed with immense force.

With Garp and Kong closing in behind, the three formed a deadly triangle around the pirate.

Roger glared at Sengoku, his murderous intent spiking. The Haki swirling around his blade condensed into a tangible force, ready to strike.

Just then, a brash, arrogant voice echoed from the distance.

"Lion's Threat: Ocean Bind!"

Shiki came surging forward, flying just above the ocean's surface with swords in both hands. One half of each blade was submerged in the water.

With his Devil Fruit activated, every inch of sea surface he passed over lifted into floating blocks of seawater. But behind him, those water blocks stretched on endlessly, as if he had been flying like this for a long time.

With a loud shout, all the floating water collided and merged. In an instant, three enormous lion heads formed from seawater, roaring as they rushed toward Sengoku.

Hovering in midair, the admiral noticed the water-formed lion heads and a serious look flashed across his face. He turned, bringing both palms together. The two energy orbs merged, and he pushed forward. The golden shockwave launched straight at the lion heads. When the two sides clashed—

Boom!

Golden light exploded. The energy orb and the lion heads were destroyed together. Under the intense impact, the seawater lost its buoyancy and crashed back into the ocean.

Shiki grinned wide, unbothered. Buying a moment of distraction was all he needed.

Roger, who had been charging toward Sengoku, suddenly burst forth. Eyes bloodshot, he swung his sword at him.

Sssshhh—!

The massive slash struck Sengoku's Haki-coated arm, hissing as it burned through.

Boom!!!

Sengoku was blown backward. A deep gash appeared on the arm of his golden form. Shiki also raised both swords, sending several slashes at Kong and Garp.

"Shihahahahaha! Hope I'm not too late, Roger!"

Roger's eyes flickered toward his ship, the Oro Jackson. Over there, even Rayleigh's presence had weakened.

"You're right on time, Shiki."

With that, he surged forward, killing intent blazing, racing toward the ship in the distance.

Shiki smiled and turned to face Kong and Garp, blades raised.

"Lion: Scattering Valley!"

Several slashes rained down. Unlike Roger's violent, Conqueror's Haki-infused strikes that couldn't be taken head-on, Shiki's attacks were pure sword energy—more like probes than full-force blows.

Both Kong and Garp covered themselves in Armament Haki, stomped down, and exploded forward.

Crack-crack-crack!

Like glass shattering, the slashes were broken on impact. Their fists glowed with Armament Haki as they closed in on the pirate from both sides.

...

At the edge of the Sgri Sea.

Shiki's fleet was speeding toward the G4 base.

Right after reaching the edge of the sea, the pirate had left the fleet behind and flown straight into the distant battlefield.

Among the fleet, one man trembled with exhilaration—Captain Mike Frank of the Blizzard Pirates, a Logia-type Snow-Snow Fruit user.

Even at the sea's edge, he could feel the lingering waves of rampant Conqueror's Haki. It made him tremble all over. His voice quivered with a mix of excitement and madness.

"This... this is just too beautiful! Hahahahaha!!!"

His entire body dissolved into swirling wind and snow, expanding and spinning outward. From afar, he looked like a massive white cloud.

Dozens of nearby ships felt the chilling air sweep across them. Then, the colossal snow cloud shot into the sky, spinning as it flew toward the battlefield.

And with each passing moment, the storming snow cloud grew larger and larger...

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