The world fell into absolute silence.
No one moved. No one breathed. Horror gripped every face.
Rumble...
The low, oppressive roar in the air grew louder—heavier—until it was deafening.
"This... this can't be happening…"
"It's not real…"
"A... an island?"
"A floating island…"
"Can we... really survive this?"
"This is power... enough to destroy the world..."
A massive shadow loomed over most of Marineford, blotting out the entire sky. The overwhelming darkness crept downward, suffocating every inch of light and hope.
Tens of thousands of Marines at headquarters stared blankly upward, watching as the enormous island began its slow, inevitable descent. Their bodies trembled involuntarily.
Clang!
The sound of a sword dropping to the ground echoed—then another, and another.
One by one, swords slipped from numb fingers. Faces turned ashen, eyes filled with unspeakable fear.
They stood frozen amid the ruins, their gazes empty, unmoving—like soulless puppets in a rising storm.
Some collapsed to their knees. A young female Marine let out a sob and broke down in tears.
It was an island.
If it fell... Marineford would be annihilated. Leveled. Smashed into the sea.
Against power like this—"power to destroy the world"—resistance and retreat alike had lost all meaning.
...
Farther away, in the civilian evacuation zone, the terror spread just as deeply.
People stared at the apocalyptic vision in the sky, legs shaking, breath caught in their throats.
They gave up running.
Children cried.
Lovers held each other tight.
Families clung together in desperate silence, hugging like it was the last thing they'd ever do.
"Shiki! You damn lunatic!!"
Sengoku looked up, eyes burning with rage, his voice roaring through the chaos.
"Jihahahaha!! Sengoku! This is my gift to you!!"
Up above, Shiki cackled like a madman. His blood-soaked face was twisted with a deranged lust for destruction.
Glaring down at the short-haired Marine Commodore, he bared his teeth in a mocking, twisted smile.
"Daren, you little brat!! You see this!?"
"You destroyed my flying fleet... and now I'll sink your entire Marine headquarters into the sea!!"
"Jihahahaha!! Just stand there—watch helplessly as everything you know is wiped out in an instant!!"
RUMBLE...
As Shiki released his hold on the floating island using the power of the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi, gravity took over.
The island began to fall.
Faster.
Louder.
The roar in the sky sharpened, rising to a piercing shriek—like thunder tearing the heavens apart.
From the ground, one could clearly see rings of compressed air radiating from the island's base. Then... a red glow began to shine from beneath it.
It was friction. Heat. The island igniting the sky as it plummeted.
A violent shockwave blasted downward, flattening the earth below. Cracks began to spider across the ground.
The storm winds screamed across every corner of Marineford, whipping the white Justice cloaks of the Marines into a frenzy.
And yet, everyone stood still.
Like statues.
As if they had already accepted the end.
Just then—
"What are you all doing!?"
A cold, hoarse shout suddenly rang out, cutting through the silence.
Everyone paused. Sakazuki was slowly rising to his feet, one hand braced against a crumbling wall.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. His eyes, unflinching and sharp, locked onto the island falling from the sky.
"Waiting to die isn't the Marine way."
With that icy declaration, he took a deep breath.
Thump, thump...
Thick black smoke began to pour from his arms again, and blazing red magma surged forth with a roar.
Standing tall and proud, Sakazuki drew back his fists. In the stunned silence of those around him, he struck—again and again—his fists a storm of fury!
Boom! Boom! Boom!!
Like a relentless barrage of rocket fire, massive fireballs of magma blasted into the air. The sky turned a deep crimson, the glow reflecting off Sakazuki's unyielding figure like a monument of stone and flame.
"Ryusei Kazan!!"
Countless balls of magma crashed against the underside of the island, erupting in wave after wave of explosions. Blazing heat surged outward, chunks of stone and scorched earth rained into the sea below, hissing as they hit the water.
The island's descent... slowed—just a little.
"It's working!"
"Everyone attack!"
"Damn it—move! If we don't, we're really going to die here!!"
A spark reignited in the Marines' eyes.
"FIRE!!"
Sengoku's furious roar cut through the chaos.
The Marines jolted, then forced their exhausted bodies to rise. One after another, they rushed into action.
Some raced up to the gun platforms, dragging out heavy artillery from the armory. Cannons roared to life, thundering wildly toward the sky as they fired on the falling island.
There weren't enough cannons to go around. The rest lifted rifles, shooting desperately whether it would help or not.
Marine officers skilled in Rokushiki and swordsmanship launched long-range techniques—Rankyaku and flying slashes—doing whatever they could to hinder the island's fall.
The sky was filled with explosions. The island's underside erupted in flashes as rocks were blasted away. But compared to the island's massive size... it was nothing.
"Damn it! It's not enough!!"
Tokikake gasped for breath as he kicked out a Rankyaku. The slash burst against the underside of the island, but from below, it looked like nothing more than dust—like tossing a pebble into an endless ocean.
Despair crept back into the eyes of the Marine commanders.
"Don't give up!!"
Yamakaji unleashed one flaming slash after another, sweat pouring down his face, pale and trembling, his strength nearly spent.
Gion's Meito flashed gold as she slashed again, her face ghostly white with exhaustion. Her hands were torn, her arms shaking, but she didn't stop.
...
Everyone gave everything they had, unleashing every ounce of strength in a futile attempt to stop the falling island.
But their attacks could only slow its descent slightly. The island's collapse was inevitable.
Against the might of this catastrophe, their resistance was like a mantis trying to stop a speeding cart.
Not even thirty seconds passed before several collapsed, utterly drained.
They had already given their all in the battle before this. Most of them were already running on fumes, their bodies pushed well past the limit.
"Jihahahaha! It's useless!! No human force can stand against a disaster like this!!"
High above, Shiki howled with laughter, sneering at the Marines' desperate, naive struggle below.