The death of V. Nusjuro, the paralysis of Saint Saturn, and the betrayal of the God Knights marked the collapse of the World Government's resistance. Against the Marines, the enemy fractured.
It wasn't just the fall of the Five Elders' frontline forces. When Admiral Rosen activated Susanoo and shattered the Celestial Dragons' National Treasure, the Devil Fruits suppressed within the Marines' ranks were released instantly.
The World Government, which had previously matched the Marine Headquarters and the Shichibukai through sheer numbers of CP0 and the God Knights, began to crumble completely.
The first to secure a decisive victory was Gion, the Vice Admiral with Admiral potential.
With the restoration of her Momo Momo no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit), the lightning that had been grounded erupted in blinding arcs. Surrounded by crackling black lightning infused with Conqueror's Haki, she tore through the enemy lines with overwhelming speed.
"A mere Vice Admiral..." one of the God Knights sneered, his blade deflecting her lightning.
Gion didn't answer. She simply moved faster. Her blade, wrapped in black Armament Haki and wreathed in golden lightning, clashed against the knight's weapon. The shockwave alone shattered the marble floor beneath them.
"Thunder Release: Flash."
She vanished. The knight's Observation Haki flared—a warning of death. He spun, raising his defense, but Gion was already behind him. Her blade descended in a singular, vertical strike.
The knight braced for impact, confident his Haki could withstand it.
He was wrong.
Gion's blade didn't just hit; it disintegrated. The sheer density of her Haki, amplified by the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's raw voltage, bypassed his defense entirely. His arm, still holding his sword, fell to the ground, severed cleanly at the shoulder. Before he could scream, a secondary bolt of lightning struck his chest, incinerating his heart.
"Targets neutralized," Gion stated coldly, turning her gaze toward the central plaza. "Admiral Rosen's orders stand. Secure Mary Geoise."
Elsewhere, the battle was a clash of legends.
Sengoku, the former Fleet Admiral, had transformed into his colossal Buddha form. Towering over the battlefield, he radiated a golden aura that repelled the encroaching darkness of the Five Elders' combined Haki.
"Great Buddha Impact!"
His palm descended like a falling mountain. The shockwave flattened buildings and tore the earth asunder for a hundred meters. Three God Knights, caught in the blast radius, were launched like cannonballs, their armor shattering upon impact with the Red Line's outer walls.
"Vocuri!" Sengoku's voice boomed like thunder.
The Elder, currently transformed into a monstrous, fiery beast, narrowed his eyes. His previous encounter with Rosen's Susanoo had left him regenerating slowly, the lingering Haki poisoning his immortality. He couldn't afford to fight a war of attrition against a man of Sengoku's caliber.
"Your era ended long ago, Sengoku," Vocuri growled, his voice distorted.
"My era is the era of Justice," Sengoku retorted, charging forward. "And Justice is eternal."
They clashed. Vocuri's flaming claws met Sengoku's Haki-infused palm. The impact created a vacuum that sucked the air from the surrounding area, followed by a deafening boom that shook the very foundations of Mary Geoise.
On the eastern flank, Boa Hancock stood amidst a field of stone statues.
The Mero Mero no Mi was fully unsealed. The God Knights who had previously overwhelmed her with numbers now lay frozen in petrified agony, their faces twisted in expressions of lust and regret.
"Disgusting insects," Hancock sneered, dusting off her hands. Her gaze shifted toward Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, who was currently engaged in a heated battle with Kizaru.
"Kizaru!" Hancock called out, her voice carrying across the battlefield. "Handle the others. This one is mine."
Kizaru, his leg coated in yellow light, flashed away from his opponent. "Ooh, scary~" he drawled. "Don't take too long, Lady Hancock. The Admiral is watching."
Hancock blushed faintly at the mention of Rosen but quickly suppressed it. She turned her eyes, cold and deadly, to Ju Peter. "I have no interest in petrifying a worm like you, but orders are orders."
She raised her hand, forming a massive heart-shaped energy beam. "Love-Love Glare!"
Ju Peter, realizing the danger, tried to dodge, but the beam was too wide. It grazed his side, instantly turning his flesh to stone. He roared in fury, severing the petrified limb with his own Haki before the curse could spread to his core.
"You bitch!" he snarled.
"Impudent," Hancock said, her aura flaring with Conqueror's Haki. "You dare raise your voice to the Pirate Empress?"
Meanwhile, the most critical battle raged near the entrance to the Pangaea Castle.
The remaining Five Elders—Vocuri, Mars, Warcury, and the others—were surrounded. The Marines had not only regrouped but were reinforced by the Colossal Army and the Pacifistas.
Rosen stood atop a pile of rubble, his gaze fixed on the battlefield below. He hadn't moved since shattering the National Treasure. His job was done; his subordinates were executing his will.
"Lord Rosen," a Den Den Mushi chirped from his shoulder. It was Gild Tesoro's voice. "The World Government's financial records are being seized. The Holy Land's vaults are open."
"Good," Rosen replied, his voice devoid of emotion. "Secure the funds. We will need them to rebuild the New Marineford."
"And the Celestial Dragons?"
Rosen's eyes narrowed slightly. "Collect the ones who haven't fled. They will serve as bargaining chips. As for the Five Elders... they are no longer gods. They are merely obstacles to be removed."
On the battlefield, the tide had turned decisively.
Sengoku, Zephyr, and Garp (who had finally broken away from his duel with Figarland Garling) stood shoulder to shoulder. They faced the remaining Five Elders, who were battered and bleeding.
"You cannot win," Sengoku said, his Buddha form looming over them. "The era of the World Government's tyranny is over. Admiral Rosen has issued the order for your departure."
"Departure?" Vocuri spat blood onto the ground. "We are immortal. We serve as long as Im-sama draws breath!"
"Immortality is not invulnerability," Zephyr said, his fist crackling with black lightning. "We've learned that from the Admiral. Pure Haki—without the distraction of Devil Fruit abilities—can erode even the eternal."
The three legends charged simultaneously.
Sengoku's fist, Zephyr's kick, and Garp's punch formed a triangle of destruction. The Five Elders tried to counter, but their stamina was depleted, their regeneration stalled by the sheer density of the Haki crushing them.
The impact was cataclysmic.
When the dust settled, the Five Elders lay broken on the ground, unable to regenerate fully due to the Haki poisoning their systems. They were not dead—Im's immortality prevented that—but they were defeated. Powerless.
Rosen descended from his perch, his boots crunching on the debris. He walked calmly to the center of the battlefield, stopping before the fallen Elders.
"The World Government's hierarchy is dissolved," Rosen announced, his voice projecting through the battlefield via a Den Den Mushi. "The Marines are now the sole authority of justice in this world."
He looked down at Vocuri, whose eyes burned with hatred.
"Your era is over," Rosen said, his expression cold and calculating. "Take them away."
As Marine officers moved in to restrain the Five Elders, Rosen turned his gaze toward the Pangaea Castle. The path was clear. Mary Geoise had fallen.
The Great Pirate Era was nearing its end.
—-
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