"VMMMMM—!"
The atmosphere trembled.
It wasn't Whitebeard using his Tremor-Tremor Fruit power, but an azure greatsword, hundreds of meters long, slashing down from the sky.
Akainu and Blackbeard's expressions changed. They dispersed their attacks and fled to either side.
The earth shattered, and a hundred-meter-deep trench lay before Whitebeard.
Whitebeard, safe from danger, looked up at the thousand-meter Martial God Giant and said gravely, "Thank you."
If Luo Chen hadn't intervened just now, Akainu's "Dark Hound" would likely have pierced his body.
"Take your sons and go. The attack is coming," Luo Chen's voice drifted over.
Whitebeard frowned, his Observation Haki spreading out to its maximum range.
The next moment, his pupils trembled. He roared, "Everyone, leave Marineford immediately!"
After speaking, Whitebeard didn't spare Akainu or Blackbeard another glance.
He picked up his Murakumogiri and strode toward the coast to join his sons.
The pirates were stunned.
It was the first time they had ever seen Pops run like this.
In the past, he was always calm and unhurried.
Today, he had actually picked up his bisento and started running.
And he didn't even look at Teach, his son's murderer.
The pirates, though bewildered, obediently ran to the giant ships Luo Chen had created, quickly boarded, and used various abilities to propel the ships toward the sea.
Whitebeard's commanders also wanted to leave, but the Marine Vice Admirals were tangling with them, refusing to let them go.
Just then, Sengoku's roaring voice rang out: "Everyone, fall back! An attack is coming!"
The Marine Vice Admirals were stunned. 'What's going on, the Fleet Admiral is also ordering a retreat?'
'Is there really an attack?'
'Why haven't we seen it?'
One Vice Admiral observed his surroundings as he ran back.
All around was the ruined battlefield.
The Marines and pirates who had been knocked out multiple times by Conqueror's Haki were all retreating.
The Warlords of the Sea were scattered around the battlefield, observing their surroundings just like them.
Clearly, nothing unusual was happening.
"Hawkeyes" Mihawk sheathed his longsword, no longer fighting Douglas Bullet, and looked up at the sky.
The Vice Admirals immediately looked up at the sky.
The sky was thick with clouds, with an occasional patch of blue.
The wind was calm, the sun was bright; there didn't seem to be any problem.
"Is our Observation Haki's range not long enough?" a Vice Admiral realized the problem.
The behavior of Whitebeard, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and Dracule Mihawk meant that an attack truly was imminent.
And it was in the distant, high sky.
It was something that their Vice Admiral-level Observation Haki couldn't detect yet.
On the coast, the Wood Golem, holding the cage with the two Admirals in one hand and lifting the Going Merry with the other, ran toward the depths of the sea.
Hancock, Robin, Nami, and the non-combatants of the Straw Hat crew had all gathered on the Merry.
Luffy, Ace, Zoro, and Sanji were boarding the giant ships on the shore with Whitebeard's pirates.
The Sea-Prism Stone handcuffs on Ace's hands had been removed.
He shot "Fire Fist" after "Fire Fist" from the stern of the ship, allowing the simple giant ship to quickly leave the shore.
Luffy looked around curiously at the land, the sea, and the sky. "Where's the attack? How come I don't see it?"
Zoro shook his head. "I don't see it either. But don't forget, in Alabasta, we were almost killed by the aftershock of Luo Chen's attack."
At that time, Luo Chen was controlling the Thousand-Armed Guanyin statue, which was only a few hundred meters tall.
Even then, its attack range was vast.
The thousand arms had almost smashed them, even though they were watching from a distance.
Sanji lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. "We should be fine, right? I'd rather this not be my last cigarette."
Ace didn't speak, continuing to shoot Fire Fists, sweat beading on his face.
He didn't know what Luo Chen's attack was.
But for it to make the always-calm Pops shout for a retreat and run for the coast, it had to be terrifying.
On the Going Merry, Usopp worried, "We're not going to be in trouble, are we?"
He looked down from the ship.
The Wood Golem was dragging the Going Merry with one hand and holding the wooden cage with the two Admirals in the other.
At the same time, its legs were kicking constantly, swimming far out to sea.
On the Wood Golem's head stood one of Luo Chen.
Everyone knew this was probably a clone.
The real Luo Chen was still on top of that thousand-meter Martial God Giant back at Marineford.
Hancock's flawless cheeks were flushed red as she looked shyly at the thousand-meter Martial God Giant.
"Luo Chen would definitely not harm me. He risked his life to save me before."
Nami pursed her lips as she watched Hancock's infatuated expression.
'The Pirate Empress, the most beautiful woman in the world... how did she fall for Luo Chen?'
Robin crossed her arms, looking up at the sky with curiosity.
'What kind of attack will it be?'
'It's truly intriguing.'
In a short time, only the Marines and a few Warlords of the Sea remained at Marineford.
Whitebeard's pirates, the Straw Hat crew, and Luo Chen's subordinates—Bullet, Enel, and the others—had all left the island.
At this moment, the sky suddenly darkened.
Near the ruins of the execution platform, Sengoku, Tsuru, and the numerous Marines looked up at the sky.
The white clouds that had covered the sky were twisted into a spiral, as if gripped by an invisible giant hand.
A massive black shadow crept behind the white clouds, staining them all gray-black.
The light between heaven and earth dimmed.
As far as the eye could see, the entire sky was enveloped by the massive object behind the spiraling clouds.
A Marine soldier looked back at the sky over the island's interior. A moment later, he stiffly turned his head back, his voice trembling:
"Marineford... Half... the sky over half of Marineford... is covered!"
Hearing this, many Marines awoke as if from a dream and looked up in astonishment at the distant sky.
They found it was true.
The giant black shadow behind the clouds actually covered half of Marineford Island.
"BOOM—!"
A rumble came from the sky, as if the heavens themselves trembled for an instant.
The terrified Marines looked up.
The swirling clouds were forcibly torn apart. A crimson-red blaze of light pierced through the gray-black first, followed by the distinct, angular outline of rock.
It wasn't ordinary rock, but a burning "mountain"!
To be precise, the word "meteorite" was the most fitting description!
'A meteorite...' The Marines' thoughts froze, their minds a complete blank.
Why would a meteorite be smashing down precisely on their heads?
The events of the past few moments flashed through their minds like a revolving lantern.
Luo Chen's talk of an attack, the pirates' escape, the Fleet Admiral's order to retreat...
It was obvious—they were all referring to this meteorite!
A meteorite so massive it covered half of Marineford Island!
It fell from beyond the sky, and the friction from the atmosphere generated high-temperature flames, making it look like a burning mountain.
Molten lava snaked across its surface like vipers. Debris breaking off along the way, carrying sparks, smashed into the sea, kicking up monstrous waves.
The pirates on the sea screamed as the waves crashed against their ships.
But as for the Marines, on the island, directly beneath the meteorite...
They couldn't even scream if they wanted to.
Their throats felt as if they were blocked by a foreign object. This object wasn't a thing, but the emotion called fear.
The immense fear in their hearts had become an invisible hand, choking their necks.
They could only stare, pale-faced, mouths agape, trembling all over. As if all their strength had left them, they dropped their weapons.
Rifles, broadswords, longswords... they clattered to the ground with crisp sounds.
Some Marines simply collapsed to the ground, holding their heads and staring at the sky, repeatedly muttering, "Impossible... Absolutely impossible... This is an illusion, an illusion!"
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]