Under the moonlit sky, above the vast, restless sea…
"Faster! Push the speed even higher!"
At Vice Admiral Onigumo's command, the leading Marine warships raced through the darkness like bolts of lightning headed straight for Marineford.
Behind them, aboard another Marine vessel…
"Arara… what a complete disaster."
Aokiji lounged lazily in a deck chair, an eye mask covering half of his face. His voice carried a slow, unhurried drawl.
"Dozens of top-class Marine warships, eight Vice Admirals, and three Admirals deployed, and still no capture. A pirate with the title of Fifth Emperor slipped away untouched. Even CP-0, who secretly joined in, failed to bring back a single one of his companions."
"Kuzan-san, the Fifth Emperor… someone that dangerous launched a surprise attack on Marineford itself. Aren't you worried at all?"
Beside him stood Vice Admiral Steelers, slick black hair combed back neatly, a thin and meticulously maintained mustache perched above his lips. He looked helplessly at Aokiji, who lay as if the world outside simply didn't concern him.
If Aokiji weren't physically on this ship, Steelers would have already ordered full speed ahead like Onigumo.
"Don't rush. Some things stay the same no matter how fast you try to push them."
Still lying down, Aokiji adjusted his mask slightly, a faint smile on his face as he yawned.
"Sakazuki's already gone ahead on Onigumo's ship, hasn't he?
If the entire fleet accelerates at once, and something unexpected happens, the ships won't be able to stop in time. Then, before the enemy even moves a finger, we'll be crashing into each other and sinking ourselves."
"…When you put it that way, it does make sense."
Vice Admiral Steelers nodded reluctantly.
"Arara…"
Aokiji lazily pulled his mask up and glanced toward the far, distant sky, a soft chuckle escaping him.
"Honestly, I'm just making excuses so I don't have to move."
"…Kuzan-san, you're far too honest."
"Oh?"
Aokiji's expression suddenly sharpened. His relaxed posture vanished instantly as he shot upright.
Whoosh!
Before Steelers could react, the Admiral at his side disappeared in a blur of frost and cold air.
A calm voice echoed sharply from the sky:
"Order the fleet to halt immediately. Prepare to evade!"
"What? What happened?!"
Steelers looked toward the sky in confusion.
Aokiji was already far above the ships, cold mist spraying behind him as he sped toward the distant horizon.
"Stop the ships! Prepare for evasive action! Now!"
Even though he didn't understand what was happening, Steelers followed the order without hesitation, shouting commands to his own crews and relaying the message to the fleet.
At the same time…
"Damn it!!!"
On the leading warship, a blazing crimson figure erupted from the deck—Akainu lunged into the sky, magma bursting violently behind him.
"What in the world is going on?!"
The Transponder Snail in Steelers' hand crackled with the confused voices of the other Vice Admirals.
"I don't know…"
His voice trailed off as he stared at the distant sky where two figures—one wreathed in frost, the other in molten fire—shot toward the same point.
Death…
Suddenly, Steelers' Observation Haki screamed. His body froze, drenched in a suffocating dread he had never known.
"Wh-what is this…?"
His legs trembled uncontrollably. He stumbled backward, heart hammering, eyes locked on the swirling darkness ahead.
His Observation Haki warned of imminent death approaching from every direction—no angle to escape, no safe path.
And the source… lurked somewhere beneath that distant sky.
"Heh…"
A soft, almost playful chuckle drifted across the sea.
"I apologize for making all you righteous Marines rush back so quickly.
I've prepared… a small token of apology."
Then—light.
A devastating radiance burst in the distance, so bright it cut through the night like the sun descending upon the ocean.
"What is that?!"
Steelers' eyes stung instantly. Tears streamed uncontrollably as his vision blurred.
"Damn it! My eyes!"
"What kind of power blinds us just by looking at it?!"
"Is that the Fifth Emperor's doing? Is he planning an ambush?!"
"Don't panic! Kuzan and Sakazuki-sama have already moved to stop him! We'll be fine!"
Even the seasoned Vice Admirals struggled, shielding their eyes while trembling beneath the overwhelming brilliance.
Only Vice Admiral Tsuru remained composed. Her gaze narrowed, analyzing the phenomenon calmly.
Such overwhelming Conqueror's Haki.
Only a handful in history could compare.
Crack.
A moment later, horror struck the fleet.
The blinding light in the sky inverted—its radiance collapsing inward until only darkness remained. It condensed like a devoured sun, forming a pitch-black glow.
The black mass shifted, flowed… and took shape.
A sword.
A colossal sword of pure death and destruction.
"D-d-d…"
Teeth chattered across every warship. Even hardened Marine officers trembled like cornered prey.
"So terrifying…"
The proud Vice Admirals who had chased pirates for decades now looked exactly like those pirates—consumed by primal fear.
"Fairy Fall!"
With a gentle chuckle, the pitch-black sword descended.
Death swept across the heavens.
"Hu… hu…"
Every Marine with awakened Observation Haki gasped for air, lungs compressing beneath the suffocating pressure.
"No… no! Stay back!"
The sword continued its descent, unstoppable, merciless.
Sizzle! Crackle!
The black blade erupted into a monstrous surge of Haki-coated sword energy stretching tens of thousands of meters, tearing the sky apart.
BOOM!!!!
The catastrophic slash ripped through the atmosphere, cleaving open sea and sky alike, and thundered toward the Marine fleet.
Silence.
Everything vanished beneath the roar of destruction.
Steelers felt the deathly aura swallowing Aokiji and Akainu at the front, then crushing Onigumo's warships… then rushing toward his own.
"Heh… the Fifth Emperor?"
A bitter smile touched his lips as the dark blade consumed everything.
"Fifth Emperor?
No…
That's a crazy bastard
He could very well be the First Emperor…"
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