Rumble—!!
Suddenly, several thunderous roars echoed through the sky.
In the plaza, everyone looked up at the massive commotion. Upon seeing it, their eyes widened in absolute shock!
Large amounts of rubble and dust shook loose from the edges of the floating islands in the sky.
Among the dozen or so islands controlled by the Golden Lion's power, several of the smallest satellite islands orbiting the main one lost control and began to plummet!
"This is...!"
"The islands...! The islands are falling!!"
"Run!!"
This apocalyptic scene instantly sparked widespread panic. Countless Marines and pirates scrambled frantically to escape the center of the plaza.
Sengoku snapped his head up, glaring at the Golden Lion floating in the sky, and roared furiously, "Shiki—!! Are you trying to sink Marineford to the bottom of the sea, you bastard?!"
"Isn't this fitting, Sengoku?! As the final resting place of Whitebeard's era, let Marineford be buried at the bottom of the sea alongside him! Jihahaha!" Shiki laughed maniacally, his head thrown back as his long golden hair whipped wildly in the wind like a lion's mane.
With that, he willed himself higher into the sky and waved his large hand. Under his control, the falling miniature islands veered off their original trajectories, converging directly toward Whitebeard's position!
"Admirals! Warlords! None of you worthless trash are qualified to take Whitebeard's head!" Shiki bellowed, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes.
Though it looked like anger, it was perhaps more a reflection of his inner frustration and sorrow.
Back when they ruled the seas, they looked down upon the entire world. But now, their names were no longer even whispered on the ocean winds.
The most heinous crew in history, the Rocks Pirates; the very synonym for war, the Giant Warrior Pirates; the former overlords of the sea—the names of Rocks and Harald had long been forgotten.
Roger had been dead for over twenty years, and now it was Whitebeard's turn. It felt as though they were all taking steps into a world of oblivion.
"What Supernovas?! What Worst Generation?! They're nothing but a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears brats!"
"Trash of that level aren't fit to vie for supremacy over the seas with us! It's all bullshit!!"
Shiki roared in fury. Spreading his fingers wide, he slammed his hand downward!
Under the terrified gazes of everyone below, the falling islands suddenly accelerated. They let out deafening sonic booms, catching fire from the intense atmospheric friction!
"Roger's tragedy will absolutely not be repeated! Listen well, Whitebeard! Today, you will only die by the hands of me, the Golden Lion!!"
"Bastard...! This guy has completely lost his mind!!" Sengoku gritted his teeth, glaring up at the sky. He never expected the Golden Lion to have descended into such madness.
With the power of the Float-Float Fruit, once the Golden Lion went berserk, the level of disaster he could cause was no less than Whitebeard's. He was completely unstoppable.
At this point, Sengoku could only try to minimize the potential casualties. He hurriedly shouted to the plaza, "Retreat! Everyone, get away from Whitebeard immediately!!"
"Run!!"
"Find cover!"
The Marines screamed in terror as they fled from Whitebeard's vicinity. Meanwhile, the three Admirals stared grimly at the plummeting miniature islands and leaped into action.
Even as Logia users, known as natural disasters themselves, they could not completely handle such an exaggerated scenario.
Fortunately, the falling islands were relatively small. They only needed to deal with the ones on the perimeter to prevent the destruction from spreading too widely.
"Meteor Volcano!!"
Akainu roared. Both of his arms transformed into rapidly expanding magma, turning his entire body into an artillery battery as he launched molten boulders from his shoulders into the sky!
Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!
Massive amounts of magma continuously slammed into the surface of one island. The overwhelming explosive force gradually shattered the miniature island, reducing it to countless flaming boulders that rained down.
Aokiji radiated freezing air, frost forming over his expressionless half-face. He crouched down and slammed his large hand onto the ground!
"Ice・Pillar!!"
Swish!
A blast of freezing air surged outward with him at the center, instantly freezing the ground it touched. Then, massive pillars of ice sprouted like bamboo shoots after a rain, shooting into the sky at an incredible speed!
Crash!! Crash!! Crash!!
Over a dozen thick ice pillars slammed into the bottom of another miniature island. The immense impact shattered the ice, sending chunks flying, but it significantly slowed the island's descent.
At the same time, the tips of the ice pillars continuously released freezing air. A layer of frost rapidly spread across the bottom of the island until it engulfed the entire landmass, freezing it completely and leaving it suspended in midair like a work of art!
Kizaru was not far behind. Crossing his arms in front of him, he pinched his thumbs and index fingers together to form a circle, and a brilliant golden light erupted!
"Yasakani no Magatama!!"
Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew!
Light reflected off Kizaru's sunglasses as a massive barrage of light bullets blasted from his hands. They transformed into a sky-filling shower of light, shining as beautifully as a meteor shower!
Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!
Thousands of light bullets battered the bottom of the island like a torrential storm. They detonated upon impact, slowly disintegrating the island under the continuous bombardment until it completely crumbled apart!
Although they only managed to destroy three islands, they had significantly reduced the potential area of destruction. With time running out, this was all they could do.
Facing the remaining three roaring, plummeting islands, Whitebeard stood tall and straight. He showed no intention of leaving, nor did he make any move to destroy them.
Even with his power, a single full-force attack would have been enough to obliterate those three miniature islands.
He knew that as long as he was alive, the Marines would never stop fighting, and this war would never end.
Dying here was a destiny set in stone from the very beginning. Whitebeard had no qualms about this outcome; the only difference was whose hands he would die by.
"Gurarara! Since you want to take my head yourself, I'll give this life to you, Shiki."
Thud!
Whitebeard laughed heartily, slamming Murakumogiri heavily into the ground. Facing the islands falling like meteors with absolute calm, he locked eyes with the Golden Lion and said, "You cling too tightly to the past. The era belongs to the young. Of course, we were young once too, and we left our brilliant mark on history. That is enough."
"Everyone walks this path. Just as the era back then belonged to us, the current era belongs to the youth of today."
"The rookies of the sea are springing up like weeds. Soon enough, someone among them will defeat you and put an end to us legends of the old era."
The corners of Whitebeard's mouth curled up slightly, a look of relief washing over him. "Just wait and see, Shiki. That day won't be long now. There is no ship in the new era that can carry us."
"Red Hair brat, I'm leaving my sons in your care. Consider it a favor I owe you, though you'll have to wait until you reach the underworld for me to pay it back. Gurararara!"
After leaving his final words to Red Hair, Whitebeard threw his head back and laughed. Facing the impending impact of the islands, he took a deep breath.
In the final moments of his life, Whitebeard puffed out his chest and, under the astonished gazes of everyone present, shouted to the heavens:
"THE ONE PIECE!!"
"IS REAL!!!"
His deep, resonant voice echoed across the sky like a massive bell. In that moment, everyone was frozen in place, completely shaken to their core!
"What did you say?! What is the One Piece?! Explain yourself, Whitebeard!!"
Hearing this, the Golden Lion's face flashed with panic. He hurriedly tried to stop the islands from falling, but it was already too late.
Boom!!
Boom!! Boom!!
The three miniature islands smashed into the earth. The entirety of Marineford practically tilted on its axis, as if the very sky itself was shaking!
Amidst the chaos, Allen, who had witnessed the entire spectacle, watched with a hint of profound emotion in his eyes. He slowly stood up, turned around, and left the area.
The tide of the new era had arrived, and the world's power structure was about to be reset. It was time for him to set sail as well.
Departing immediately, advancing into the New World!
...