BOOM!
It was like a nuclear explosion. The violent blast spread outward like the end of the world itself. When the shockwaves finally subsided…
Where was Ohara Island? Where were the Marine warships? Where were the ships of the World Government?
All that remained were shattered limbs and broken hulls.
"Huff… huff…" Rosinante hovered in midair, gasping heavily for breath.
That last punch had been launched while suppressing his own bodily limits, silently charging up for a long time. Add to that the power of Kuzan's Ice Age unleashed in silence—it had nearly torn his body apart.
Never before had Rosinante charged for so long while in an unrestrained state. Combining that with Kuzan's Ice Age had nearly crushed his body entirely.
The move consumed a massive amount of stamina. And on top of that, the internal damage caused by activating Silent Mode left Rosinante thoroughly drained. After delivering the punch, he was left panting uncontrollably.
Crash!
A chunk of ice shattered.
From the ocean's surface, a massive ice sphere cracked open, and three battered figures emerged from within.
They were Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Vice Admiral Momonga.
But the trio looked utterly wretched, their bodies covered in injuries.
The moment the explosion erupted, the three had unleashed all their strength to resist it—barely withstanding the shockwave.
Ohara Island had been wiped off the map. Kuzan had no choice but to create an ice platform to give them footing and shield them from the final wave of the blast.
"Just as I thought—you three aren't so easy to kill." Rosinante took a deep breath, his voice cold.
"Rosinante!" Sakazuki glared at him, his voice seething with fury.
"I didn't expect Ohara to be destroyed not by the Buster Call, but by the very person who stood up to protect it!" Kuzan said grimly, eyes filled with quiet judgment.
"Oh come now," Rosinante replied indifferently, "you Marines did your fair share of the destruction. Besides, all I ever wanted was to protect Ohara's scholars—and I've done just that. The ones who slaughtered the people of Ohara and opened fire on the evacuation ship… that was the Marines."
"No one will care about the truth. What they'll remember is that you, Rosinante, destroyed the evacuation ship, ten Marine warships, and ten thousand Marine soldiers and officers," Sakazuki said icily.
"Heh, your World Government is best at twisting facts anyway. I can't even be bothered to argue with you," Rosinante shrugged.
Cough cough!
A black object cracked open, and a figure stepped out with a pale expression.
"Oh? Katakuri, you were in there?" Rosinante asked in surprise.
"You don't seriously expect me to believe your Observation Haki didn't detect me," Katakuri said coolly.
At his words, Rosinante's face took on an embarrassed look.
His Observation Haki was top-tier—even Katakuri couldn't match him when it came to sensing presence.
Back when they were still in the glacier, Rosinante had already sensed Katakuri's presence. But he hadn't expected his all-out strike—combined with Sakazuki's magma and Kuzan's ice—to cause such an enormous explosion that even Katakuri got caught in the shockwave.
It made him feel awkward. Katakuri had come to help him, yet got dragged into it because of him.
"Eh, well, if you want to blame someone, blame those two. One's magma, one's ice—what a volatile mix," Rosinante said, pointing at Sakazuki and Kuzan.
Even Kuzan rolled his eyes at that.
Cough cough! "Looks like that's enough for today," Rosinante coughed twice, glancing around the area.
"Don't think you're escaping!" Sakazuki snapped, eyes locked onto Rosinante.
"If you want to keep fighting, I'm happy to oblige. But just know—if we do, none of your remaining Marines will survive," Rosinante said coldly.
As he spoke, bubbles began surfacing across the ocean, and one by one, Marine soldiers began emerging from beneath the waves.
When the explosion swept through earlier, one of the five Vice Admirals leading the Buster Call—Burning Mountain—had ordered the Marines to abandon ship and dive underwater. That decision had saved a portion of their forces.
"Let them go," Kuzan said suddenly.
"We can't let them escape!" Sakazuki protested, glaring at Kuzan.
"An aerial battle is not to our advantage. And if we keep fighting, those soldiers will die. Do you want that on your conscience?" Kuzan said.
Sakazuki's fists clenched with rage, but he didn't argue.
He knew Kuzan was right—airborne combat gave them no edge, and the enlisted men wouldn't survive a continued battle.
But just letting Rosinante go? That left a bitter taste in his mouth.
He could tell—Rosinante was spent. That last punch had drained him completely. There was no way Rosinante could use such a terrifying technique again right now.
This might be their only chance to win.
Kuzan saw it too. But the problem wasn't just Rosinante—there was another person to be wary of.
Kuzan glanced over at Katakuri.
"We're out. Bins, you there? Open a tunnel for us!" Rosinante called out.
His Den Den Mushi had frozen to death in the ice, so he couldn't contact Bins. But Rosinante knew—Bins would be watching, one way or another.
Sure enough, just as Rosinante finished speaking, a pair of wormholes appeared behind both him and Katakuri.
Katakuri stepped into his wormhole without hesitation and vanished.
"Your Majesty," Bins' voice came from within the tunnel.
"Bins!" Sakazuki growled through gritted teeth.
If not for Bins' power, no matter how strong Rosinante was, he could never have evacuated Ohara's scholars right in front of them!
Had the scholars not been whisked away, the Buster Call would've succeeded.
"Such a troublesome ability," Kuzan muttered, frowning at the wormhole.
Rosinante's power, while formidable, wasn't what troubled the Marines the most.
The Navy had others at his level—Garp, Sengoku, Kong, even their former teacher Zephyr. And the World Government had no shortage of elites.
But Bins? His ability was the true nightmare.
With Bins around, Rosinante could retreat anytime he wanted—or strike from anywhere in the world.
He could assassinate Marine Admirals, World Government officials, even Celestial Dragons!
And worst of all, there was practically no way for the Navy to defend against him.
"Haha, Bins, looks like even our future Admirals find you quite terrifying," Rosinante chuckled.
"All thanks to the fruit Your Majesty granted me," Bins replied calmly.
"Rosinante, don't get cocky!" Sakazuki snapped.
"Cocky? Sakazuki, believe it or not, I'm a pacifist. If I truly wanted war… the Marines wouldn't be standing so easily today," Rosinante said with a smile.
"Hah! A self-proclaimed pacifist, yet soaked in sin. If it's war you want, bring it on! The Marines don't fear evil!" Sakazuki roared.
"Oh, our dear Vice Admiral Sakazuki still doesn't believe me, huh? Well, I'll prove it. Bins, once we're back, send a little 'gift' to Marineford. Let's show our honorable Vice Admiral just how trustworthy I am," Rosinante said with a grin, stepping into the wormhole.
"Understood, Your Majesty," Bins replied before closing the tunnel, vanishing from the scene.
Kuzan frowned deeply as he heard their conversation.
"Vice Admiral Momonga!"
A sudden cry broke through the tense silence.
A Marine officer burst out of the sea, carrying the heavily wounded Vice Admiral Momonga on his back.
He was covered in injuries—Momonga and other Vice Admirals who had stayed behind to shield their men from the explosion, taking the brunt of the blast themselves.
This Buster Call had ended in catastrophe.
All ten warships were destroyed.
Over half of the ten thousand Marines were lost.
And the five Vice Admirals? All gravely wounded.
...
(Note: The identities of all five Vice Admirals who participated in the Ohara Buster Call remain unclear. Some sources suggest Strawberry was one of them, but others note that twelve years ago, he was still a Rear Admiral. Therefore, his role is omitted here.)