"It's here!"
Among the pirates gathered together in Yuba, Whitebeard suddenly spoke up.
Everyone went on high alert right away.
Even without Whitebeard saying it, they all knew what was happening. The sky in the distance was turning dark, an intense darkness like clouds stained black with ink. That thick darkness carried a crushing pressure.
A sense of chaos and madness spilled out from it, making people shiver in fear.
On the other side of Yuba, the Marines gathered together also noticed the change.
"The fate of this world is now in our hands."
Thunder God had returned to the Marines' side by now, since the civilians had been evacuated. There was no need to keep watching the pirates all the time anymore.
His words left the others quiet. He was right. If they failed, the world would be doomed.
There would be no one left to stand against Aatrox...
Whether in terms of skill or numbers, this was the greatest gathering of top fighters in the world. There would never be such an impressive lineup again.
This battle would be one of a kind, never to be matched...
Suddenly, their pupils shrank, and their muscles tensed.
They could feel it now—a massive mountain pressing down on them. Only Aatrox in the sky and on the earth could give them that kind of pressure. No one else.
Boom!
Then they saw a figure blasted over from afar, smashing through several buildings in a row until Rayleigh caught him and stopped him.
"Gurarara, you look pretty beaten up, Roger." Whitebeard laughed as he watched Roger being caught by Rayleigh.
Though he was laughing, he was shocked inside by Roger's strength.
Whitebeard knew Aatrox's power well. Back then, so many of them had been easily crushed by Aatrox. Now Roger was fighting him one-on-one and still alive.
He had far surpassed his old self...
In the distance, Garp saw the scene too, but he focused more on what was ahead.
Because the demon king had arrived.
"So that's it. The rats have all gathered in one place."
Aatrox's huge body appeared in Yuba. Even the buildings weren't as tall as he was, and the power radiating from him made people's hearts race with fear.
Whether they had faced him before or this was their first time seeing him, everyone felt a deep terror from the bottom of their hearts at that moment.
"But that's fine. I never turn away enemies!"
Aatrox shouted, "I will snuff out the light and create eternal darkness!"
"Eternal darkness is where demons like you belong, but not for us!" Thunder God struck first. He raised both hands, and in the next moment, a massive bolt of lightning appeared in those dark clouds.
"Thunder Strike!"
Booming sounds filled the air as the huge lightning power formed a giant ball. It was strong enough to destroy a large city outright, and now it fell from the sky just to take down one demon.
There's nothing to say when facing a demon. Thunder God's attack spurred everyone on. No one there was weak; even the least strong could be famous powerhouses on the seas. Now they were teaming up like never before, because the enemy was such a mighty demon.
The lightning hit home. The giant ball struck Aatrox's body, sending currents flowing over him. But an attack like that couldn't hurt him.
Next came the massive shocks and Haki. Ah Xing turned into a giant Buddha, his golden form giving off a bright light that pushed back the darkness. The huge Buddha swung a palm, using the Buddha's Divine Palm.
"Pathetic power, pathetic lives!"
Aatrox sneered. His demon wings spread out behind him, and a huge surge of power poured out. His great sword swept across in front, releasing even greater force that clashed with the Haki.
Boom!
All of Yuba seemed to fall apart in that instant. The shock from the clash was felt across the whole Alabasta, like a massive earthquake.
"Attack his right arm—that's his weak spot!"
Roger yelled. He was badly hurt now, from his earlier fight with Aatrox. The wounds were so severe that even the Shikon Jewel fragment couldn't heal them in time.
But even with those heavy injuries, he kept fighting with all he had.
"Fools."
Aatrox swung his great sword down, clashing with Roger's Ace and Whitebeard's Murasame. Winds and clouds churned in the air for a moment, while Rayleigh and Gaban tried to get close and cut off Aatrox's arm with their weapons.
A strange chaos poured from Aatrox's body. His flesh magic made his body surge, ready to swallow them inside.
At that point, Ah Xing unleashed another Buddha's Divine Palm, slamming into Aatrox's writhing belly and scattering the flesh that was about to devour Rayleigh and Gaban.
The dragon summoned fierce winds, Thunder God brought lightning, and Tsuru tried to cleanse Aatrox's hatred from behind. For a moment, the whole group formed a perfect team effort.
Though it was their first time working together, they showed the kind of understanding old friends would have.
But in that instant, Aatrox unleashed a massive wave of magic. A spreading shock hit everyone, especially Whitebeard and Roger. Those two couldn't withstand Aatrox's great sword to begin with; they had only managed to hold him off a bit before.
They flew like cannonballs, crashing into different areas. Aatrox's body still stood tall over this oasis, but the green world was being corrupted by him.
No, even Aatrox's own body was rotting.
They struggled to their feet and looked at Aatrox's body.
Now this body, like something stolen, was rotting fast, oozing pus and foul liquids. Muscles and bones clashed and tore at each other, as if protesting his monstrous form.
Without a fine host like Barrett, his body was always breaking down. And now, without enough supplies, it would keep rotting during the fight.
The only question was one thing.
Could they stay alive and keep control of their own lives before Aatrox's body fully rotted away...
Aatrox took a deep breath. "No, Aatrox..."
His voice was wet and hoarse, echoing over this world and the people standing around.
"We will keep moving forward, forward... and let this world go quiet."
"Until..."
"The final annihilation comes!"
----
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