The explosive roar of the island scraping against the atmosphere grew more violent, as if it would shatter eardrums.
Under the crushing weight of the air, even the ground of Marineford began to show signs of splitting apart.
The wind howled with a mournful wail.
Everyone continued attacking with all their might, teeth clenched tight. Cannon fire and sword energy rained down like a storm, relentlessly pounding the bottom of the island.
But the harder they fought, the deeper their despair grew. The light in their eyes dimmed by the second.
The island was simply too massive. Even pooling all their strength together, they could only shatter a superficial layer of rock from its underside. Stopping its fall was utterly out of reach.
And the most terrifying part—the part that chilled them to the bone—was that due to its colossal size, the island wasn't falling like a meteor at blistering speed. Instead, it descended slowly, like a storm brewing overhead. Unstoppable. Crushing.
That suffocating sense of pressure—that powerless realization of inevitable death—was the true torment.
A silent despair gradually spread across the land of Marineford.
"Damn it… I haven't even become an admiral yet… I can't… die here…"
Kuzan bit down hard, trying to stand, but his body swayed and dropped to one knee again, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
He had grown up far later than Sakazuki and the others. Whether in stamina or recovery, he couldn't compare—let alone after unleashing "Ice Age," a technique he hadn't fully mastered during the last battle...
His injuries and exhaustion had pushed his body to its limit. He was on the brink of collapse.
Elsewhere, Sengoku had already taken the form of the giant golden Buddha.
Golden palms radiated overwhelming force, launching massive shockwaves across the sky.
Each blast carved craters into the island's base, tearing up entire hundred-meter sections—but at such range, the power was greatly diminished.
Even as the admiral of Marine HQ, Sengoku couldn't hide the helplessness that surfaced in his bloodshot eyes.
His Devil Fruit had never been suited for wide-area destruction.
Mythical Zoans granted incredible abilities, yes—but in the end, they were still beasts—suited best for close combat.
Melee was Sengoku's strength. In the face of Shiki's brute-force attack from above, he was effectively powerless.
"So… I guess this time, we're all dying here…"
In the rubble of a collapsed building, Borsalino slouched against a wall, grinning without a care in the world.
He glanced at Sakazuki in the distance, who was still launching magma fists skyward. His face had grown ghostly pale, blood spilling from his mouth.
Borsalino chuckled, shook his head, and looked toward Darren.
"So… got any bright ideas?"
Darren hadn't spoken a word since the floating island appeared.
He paused, then suddenly smiled.
"You don't seem too worried, Borsalino."
Borsalino shrugged lazily, half-grinning.
"Well, Shiki's trick is terrifying, I'll admit. But I'm made of light… I won't die that easily."
Darren let out a dry chuckle.
"True. You won't die."
The roaring above grew louder. The sky felt as though it had been torn open, and furious winds battered the earth.
"With your ability, you could leave whenever you want. You'll survive."
Borsalino gave him a long look, amused.
Darren fell silent again.
His uniform was soaked in blood, tattered and torn. His face was smeared with dust and blood. His body swayed with exhaustion.
He raised a trembling hand, pulled out a wrinkled cigarette pack, and lit one.
The smoke stung his throat, scraping through his lungs.
Unseen, his Observation Haki had already expanded outward.
Images flickered in his mind like photographs—
Civilians crying out, covered in blood.
Comrades straining, continuing to attack.
The eyes of Sengoku and Zephyr, filled with helpless fury.
Tokikake. Yamakaji. Onigumo...
And Toki—standing among the crowd, hands clasped in prayer, eyes rimmed red, looking toward him.
…
"Darren!! If you have something—do it now!!"
Sengoku's sudden roar tore Darren from his thoughts.
His bloodshot eyes locked on Darren's figure, filled with urgency and an almost pleading hope.
He had wracked his brain and found no solution. But somehow, he felt—if anyone could do it, it was that brat Darren.
Time and again, Darren had proven it.
Sengoku's cry snapped everyone's focus.
All eyes turned to the Marine commodore.
"Jihahahaha!! Don't be ridiculous!!"
Shiki burst out laughing, his tone mocking.
"This is the power to destroy the world!! No one can stop it!!"
"Just face it—Marineford will sink today!!"
His twisted grin spread with manic pleasure.
There was nothing more intoxicating than this—watching tens of thousands of elite Marines collapse in fear and despair, then get buried by the sea. Just picturing it made him tremble.
"And that brat Darren… he can barely stand, can he?"
He stared mockingly at Darren, blood still dripping from his blades.
"If he had anything up his sleeve, he'd have used it by now! Jihahaha!!"
Shiki's voice cut deep. Marines froze. Their attacks slowed… and then stopped.
Was there… really nothing left?
Are we all going to die here?
Hoo...
But just then, Darren slowly exhaled a long stream of smoke like a dragon.
Amid the smoke and blood-laced wind, he smiled.
"I've been holding still just to recover some strength."
The Marines stared, stunned.
Even Shiki paused.
Darren turned to Borsalino and asked with a smile:
"So… is the experiment complete?"
A glint of interest flashed behind Borsalino's shades.
"More or less."
"Good."
Darren looked up at the pirate in the sky. His gaze was calm—yet beneath it burned with fierce defiance.
"Enma."
He raised his hand.
And then—
A streak of black light shot from the earth far away, slicing through the air at unimaginable speed, arriving before Darren in an instant.
Three-lobed guard. Cold, black blade. Purple-black flame-like patterns etched along the edge.
The air turned sharp. Bloody. Violent.
Without even a swing, the sword tilted upward—its tip pointed straight at the falling island.
"Hm?"
Shiki squinted, then burst into laughter again.
"So that's your plan? Use your magnetic powers to shoot that sword through the island!? Jihahaha!! How stupid!!"
He had seen Darren use similar attacks before.
Powerful, sure—but nothing close to shattering an entire island.
Darren said nothing.
He stood amid the rubble, the bloodstained Justice coat fluttering behind him.
BOOM!!
The magnetic field surged. Enma shot skyward, instantly breaking the sound barrier, trailing white shockwaves in its wake.
A beam of demonic black light—Enma, the blade feared worldwide—soared toward the heavens!!
"Jihaha—No!! That attack can't possibly—"
Shiki's voice cut off.
Something changed. His face paled. Pupils constricted.
Sengoku and Zephyr froze as well.
Then Darren's cold voice echoed through the battlefield:
"No one's denying your power, Shiki. You do have the power to destroy the world."
A wild grin spread across Darren's face.
"Which is why…"
"…only a power that can destroy the world can beat you."
He clenched his fist.
"Enma—shoot it down!!"
With that command—
In the stunned gazes of every Marine…
Under Shiki's disbelieving eyes…
The sword Enma—shot toward the sky—suddenly expanded in size by dozens of times!!
What had once been a two-meter blade transformed into a towering giant—five meters wide, a hundred meters long!!
And unbelievably—
Its speed exploded—from multiples of the speed of sound… to dozens of times faster!!
"Momo: Fiftyfold Slash—Island's Fall!!"
As the Marines looked on in shock…
As Shiki stared, wide-eyed and speechless…
The colossal Enma—wreathed in fire from atmospheric friction—ripped through the sky like the flaming blade of a divine being…
And pierced straight through the falling island from the heavens.
---
To be continued...