Chapter 228: Both Sides Begin to Retreat
A violent roar spread across the entire land, causing many of the pirate and Marine grunts to kneel and fall, looking in terror at the center of the distant battlefield.
The various powerhouses who were in the midst of fierce battle also tacitly stopped, all turning to look in the direction of the battlefield's center.
The center of the battlefield was rapidly collapsing. Countless already shattered rocks fell into the abyss, kicking up a sky-blotting cloud of smoke and dust. The ground rapidly collapsed, spreading out toward the edges of the battlefield. Countless rocks, corpses, and grunts fell into the abyss and disappeared.
When the tremors and collapse stopped, the smoke and dust also dispersed.
What was once again presented before everyone's eyes was a horrifyingly terrifying scene. The once boundless glacier of frozen earth had disappeared, replaced by a giant abyss, over a nautical mile in radius, embedded in the land. Countless streams of seawater rushed along the canyon connecting the battlefield to the sea, pouring into the giant, deep pit.
After a long while, the people who had not yet fallen in the war subconsciously retreated, not even noticing the weapons falling from their hands.
"Is this—is this really destruction that a human can cause?"
"Mama... was she defeated by a move like this—"
This world-shaking scene made all the grunts who saw it turn pale.
The leaders of the many pirate crews under Big Mom and the forces allied through marriage saw this and, without hesitation, began to lead their subordinates to evacuate the scene. If it weren't for the fact that Big Mom's power was too terrifying, and the price of leaving the Big Mom Pirates was too heavy, they would never have come to wade in these muddy waters in the first place.
Now that Big Mom had been taken out, they naturally had no more misgivings and turned to leave.
At the edge of the abyss, Katakuri slowly stood up. After giving the giant abyss a deep look, he no longer paid any attention to Yelena, who was approaching with her war hammer, and turned to leave. The next moment, his iconic voice spread throughout the entire battlefield.
"All members of the Charlotte Family, retreat!"
The members of the Charlotte Family heard him and subconsciously turned their heads, looking in the direction the voice had come from. When they saw Katakuri with his head lowered, over 80% of the surviving members responded to his command and began to retreat with their respective subordinates.
Some of the Marines were taken aback, then quickly reacted and began to pursue the retreating pirates. However, the next moment, another rough voice sounded, making all the Marines freeze subconsciously.
"All Marines, retreat immediately!!"
Garp and Aokiji, using Geppo, slowly landed at the edge of the abyss. Although they looked wretched, they still exuded an astonishing aura.
After receiving the order, the group of Marines began to retreat quickly in their daily-trained retreat formation, searching among the dilapidated warships for one that could still support a voyage. However, there were only two warships that could barely sail, far from enough to evacuate all the surviving soldiers, let alone take the bodies with them.
This state of affairs was quickly reported to the Vice Admirals who had broken off from the battle, making one of them look troubled.
Just then, near a dilapidated warship not far away, one after another, vines and giant trees extended, drilling into the ruined vessels and rapidly repairing them.
"Is that the lucky Major Mabo, who got the Woods-Woods Fruit?" The Vice Admiral saw this and breathed a sigh of relief. He then quickly directed his soldiers to bring the wounded and the collected corpses onto the warships.
Soon, several warships that had been in a state of disrepair were repaired by Major Mabo, under the guidance of a shipwright, to a barely seaworthy state. And with one plant after another, they built several slides leading directly to the sea and pushed the ships onto them.
Gradually, more and more soldiers gathered toward the warships. Immediately following them were dozens of small-giant-like figures who had reaped a bloody harvest, and one after another, giant beasts covered in blood.
The group of flag officers who had been preparing to board the warships saw this, frowned, and then gave up on retreating, standing in front of the warships to block them.
At the same time, at the edge of the abyss, Louis, holding his sword and spear, walked at an unhurried pace, heading straight for Garp and Aokiji.
Louis's arrival made Aokiji subconsciously raise an eyebrow. "Mr. Garp, can you still fight—"
"Isn't that obvious?" To this, Garp picked his nose and replied casually, "It wasn't me alone who took out Big Mom. Although I've used up a lot of stamina, I still have some left."
"Is that so?" Hearing this, Aokiji said nothing more, focusing his attention on the slowly approaching Louis.
Just then, a massive figure, its body covered in blue scales, with four horns on its head, and tall and burly, landed heavily on the ground with his kanabō, kicking up a large cloud of dust.
"Kaido of the Beasts," Aokiji said, and while being on guard, he turned his gaze to the tall figure in the dust. "Issho—"
Beside him, Garp silently clenched his fists.
From the dust cloud that covered dozens of meters, Kaido slowly stood up and strode heavily toward Garp and Aokiji.
On the other side, Louis saw this, raised an eyebrow, and fell into a brief thought.
Kaido walked with his head down, scene after scene from decades ago appearing in his mind. A tall, outstandingly beautiful pink-haired woman shouldering a broadsword stood in front of him, smiling as she spoke.
"Hey, brat! How old are you?!"
"..."
"If you have anything to say, just tell me! That guy Rocks can't be trusted!"
"..."
"My name is Linlin! The woman who will become the Queen of the Seas! I'll look after you!!"
Kaido, in his dragon-man form, kept his head down, half his face buried in shadow, making it impossible for anyone to see his current expression. "Speaking of which, we've known each other for decades, haven't we, old hag!"
Kaido, in his dragon-man form, raised a hand to cover half his face, and tears streamed down his palm. "How could you get yourself killed when I wasn't looking!!"
Kaido looked up and cried in pain. It seemed to be a genuine expression of emotion, his face filled with sadness, tears streaming down.
Not far away, Garp and Aokiji saw this, but they were not fooled by his crying act, and watched all this with cold eyes.
And on the other side, Louis saw this and sneered, "A little late for that, isn't it, Kaido?"
This heart-piercing remark made Kaido stop crying. He glared at Louis with displeasure. "Shut up—can't you see I'm reminiscing?"
Louis no longer paid any attention to Kaido. The footsteps that had stopped because of him started moving again. The sword and spear held tightly in his palm crackled and flashed with black and red arcs of electricity out of thin air.
Kaido coldly watched the side-by-side Garp and Aokiji, and snorted again. "Hmph, to actually take out Linlin in such a short time! It seems your skills haven't declined that much, Garp!"
Hearing this, Garp replied while cracking his knuckles, "I may be old, but I can still arrest all of you."
Kaido, in his dragon-man form, lightly raised his Hassaikai and wreathed the kanabō in Conqueror's Haki, showing the two a bloodthirsty smile.
"Worororo! Then let's give it a try!"
The next moment, Kaido bent his legs and exerted his strength, leaving a shattered patch of ground as he leaped high.
"Conqueror of Three Worlds..."
He raised the Hassaikai, which was wreathed in Conqueror's Haki, high above his head with both hands, spinning it at high speed. Then, as his body fell, he swung it brazenly at the two.
"...Ragnarok!"
On the other side, the halo above Louis's head spun. Searing flames rose. He then vibrated the spear with one arm, and on the spear blade, which was already wreathed in black and red arcs, he ignited a blazing sun.
"Sun Spear!"
The strongest spear of the giant race, Hakoku, combined with the Blazing Sun, was unleashed by Louis with a raise of his hand. He created a terrifying move that combined flames, Conqueror's Haki, and a shockwave, and sent it blasting toward Garp and the other two.
The sudden Sun Spear streaked across the atmosphere, melting everything in its path, and swept over with a rolling heatwave, causing the faces of the two who had been planning to block Kaido's blow to change, and they instantly leaped high into the air.
"Hm?" Kaido watched the attack that was covering most of his body, narrowed his eyes slightly, and quickly moved away, treading on air as he headed for the two who had leaped up.
The golden spear, wreathed in Conqueror's Haki, instantly crossed a distance of a nautical mile, landed on the opposite side of the abyss, and melted a huge cavity.
In mid-air, Garp and Aokiji first glanced at the still-evacuating Marines in the distance, then exchanged glances, seeing the faint helplessness in each other's eyes. But the next moment, the two of them simultaneously stepped on the air and instantly disappeared. When they reappeared, they were already behind Kaido.
Iron fists wreathed in Haki lightning fell heavily, smashing toward Kaido's head from both sides.
To this, Kaido was not afraid in the slightest. He let out a ferocious laugh and opened his cavernous mouth, which was brewing with a deadly firelight. With his back to Aokiji, he instantly enveloped him in a terrifying direction.
A golden figure instantly appeared behind Aokiji. The blade in his hand, wreathed in Conqueror's Haki and a golden holy light, instantly slashed down.
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