Out on the sea, a warship crashed through the ice. It was the Blackbeard Pirates. But they didn't press forward. Instead, they abandoned their ship, leaping onto the massive body of Sanjuan Wolf and making for the harbor.
"Zehahahaha! It's our turn to take the stage!" Blackbeard declared, standing atop Sanjuan Wolf and clenching his fists with an air of absolute certainty.
Beside him, his crew members all wore malicious smiles.
Meanwhile, ten thousand meters in the sky…
"Old man Crocus, let's go down!" Vivi said softly. Gripping the straw Ryuuto had given her and holding countless large barrels of sake, she was the first to leap from the Ark Maxim. She fell through layer after layer of clouds, her descent accelerating.
BOOM!!
In mid-air, the straw in Vivi's hand erupted with a powerful gust of wind, enveloping her and ensuring a safe landing on the ground below.
Seeing this, Crocus followed, jumping down after her.
All of this had happened a few minutes prior.
"Pops Whitebeard, my apologies!" Blackbeard whispered from behind a building where he had landed stealthily, his expression grim. He then ordered Van Augur to take aim at Whitebeard's chest.
"Zehahaha, fire!"
At Blackbeard's command, a roar echoed out.
BOOM!!
Van Augur's rifle fired a bullet coated in Armament Haki. Aided by the Warp-Warp Fruit, the bullet jumped through space, appearing instantly behind Whitebeard.
At that moment, Whitebeard was locked in a fierce battle with Akainu and Sengoku. The intense fighting was putting more and more strain on his heart, and his breathing grew ragged as he clutched his chest.
He had no energy left to defend against a sneak attack.
This gave Van Augur the perfect opportunity.
BANG!!
With a sonic boom, the Armament-Haki-coated bullet pierced Whitebeard's chest.
Spurt…
A wave of excruciating pain washed over him. Whitebeard coughed up a mouthful of blood, his gaze turning vacant as he stared at the sky.
In that same instant, Akainu seized his chance. His right arm transformed into a giant fist of magma, rocketing straight toward Whitebeard.
In a flash, a massive, cauterized hole was punched clean through Whitebeard's torso.
Countless internal organs were incinerated, filling the air with the sickening smell of burnt flesh.
Thump!!
Struck by two devastating blows in the span of a few seconds, Whitebeard could no longer stand. His body swayed, about to collapse. But drawing on some incredible source of willpower, his eyes shot wide open, ignoring his grievous injuries entirely.
With a powerful stomp, Whitebeard appeared instantly before Akainu and swung his left fist.
CRACK!!
The power of the Gura Gura no Mi shattered the very air. Akainu was sent flying by a colossal force, slamming directly into Sengoku. The two of them were blasted backward, the immense impact of Sengoku's giant Buddha form demolishing countless buildings in their path.
"Pops!" The pirates fighting nearby saw the scene, their eyes turning red as they screamed for Whitebeard. He was their captain, their family.
Tears streamed from the eyes of Marco and the other Division Commanders.
Ace and Luffy had finally reached the coast, only to turn and witness this horrific moment. Tears burst from Ace's eyes as overwhelming guilt and self-blame flooded his heart.
"How is this possible!"
"Admiral Sakazuki and Fleet Admiral Sengoku were sent flying!"
"What kind of power was that? It's terrifying!"
The surrounding Marine soldiers stared in utter shock, their voices trembling in disbelief.
"Damn it, he can still fight even after all that!" Blackbeard's face darkened as he ground his teeth.
"Truly the world's strongest man!" Burgess exclaimed with awe.
Lucci, however, stared intently at the battlefield. One day, he too would stand at the pinnacle of the world, he thought to himself.
"Now, it's our turn!" Blackbeard composed himself, then waved his hand to his crew, striding directly toward the center of the battlefield.
"Burst!!" As Vivi descended to within a couple hundred meters of the ground, she let out a soft cry. The countless barrels around her shattered, and all the sake within erupted, raining down upon the battlefield below.
Under Vivi's control, it wasn't long before a rich, intoxicating aroma filled everyone's nostrils.
"What's going on? Where is that smell of sake coming from?" Zoro wondered aloud after cutting down several Marines, taking a few deep sniffs.
"What a strong scent of alcohol!" many others in the plaza noted.
"Cough…" Ryuuto spat out a mouthful of blood as he slowly pushed himself to his feet. A flicker of golden lightning surged, and his head was once again encased in his golden helmet.
Across from him stood the injured Garp.
"Ryuuto, you're much stronger than I imagined! But no matter what, I will not let you leave here today!"
Garp's body was riddled with several bleeding holes, but this did nothing to diminish his resolve to kill Ryuuto on the spot.
WHOOSH!!
With a sound of tearing air, Garp's figure became a blur, appearing instantly at Ryuuto's side. An immense amount of black-and-red lightning crackled as his massive fist came crashing down.
"Just what I was waiting for!"
Ryuuto roared, his body flashing with countless bolts of golden lightning that shot through the air.
BOOM!
Garp's fist shattered the afterimage Ryuuto left behind, and his own figure vanished once more. The air flickered with flashes of golden and black-red lightning as the two men clashed relentlessly in the sky.
Splashes of molten golden lightning flew everywhere.
Ultimately, Ryuuto's hand-to-hand combat skills were no match for Garp's. Even trading blows like this, Ryuuto could feel the blood churning inside him.
"This is bad. I'll lose if this keeps up!" Ryuuto thought grimly. At that moment, he used the lightning power spread throughout the air to sense Vivi's presence.
"Hm? Is that Vivi? And a mist of alcohol!!" Ryuuto traded another punch with Garp, then leaped back, landing atop a building.
The feeling of Vivi's arrival lifted Ryuuto's spirits immensely.
"Garp… Now, it's my turn to put on a show!" Under Garp's grim watch, Ryuuto suddenly broke into a smile and slammed both fists down toward the sky.
BOOM!!
Instantly, from Ryuuto's position, countless golden bolts of lightning shot out in all directions.
The golden lightning first spread to the far edges of the island, then erupted, connecting to form a massive, spiderweb-like net of electricity over the entire battlefield.
"What is this thing?" a Marine soldier cried in terror, watching as the pirate he was fighting touched the lightning web and was instantly turned to ash.
"Look out!" Marco shouted to Vista. He beat his wings and soared upward, evading the encroaching net.
"Usopp!" Franky yelled, extending a mechanical arm to yank Usopp back just as he was about to collide with the golden web.
"What in the world is this?"
Zoro, Sanji, and the others stood back-to-back, cautiously dodging the arcing bolts of golden lightning.
"Such terrifying power! Did Ryuuto do this?" Aokiji said, reforming himself from a pile of shattered ice. He rubbed his head and looked toward Garp and Ryuuto.
Just a moment ago, he had tested the power of the golden lightning web, and it had been strong enough to force him into his Logia form.
Blackbeard and his crew also found themselves enveloped by the golden web. The constantly flashing arcs of lightning filled them with a sense of extreme danger.
"Ryuuto, we meet again!" Blackbeard growled, looking up to see Ryuuto's figure. The sight made him grit his teeth in hatred.
"Admiral!" Van Augur said, glancing at Blackbeard.
"Let's go!"
WHOOSH!
With a sharp whistle, Blackbeard and his crew vanished.
"Captain!" Vivi cried, rushing to Ryuuto's side.
"Vivi, make the alcohol seep into their skin and bodies!" Ryuuto roared before leaping into the air.
"Right!" Vivi instantly understood his intent. With a slight movement of her hands, she began manipulating the alcohol mist in the air, guiding it to seep into the bodies of the Marines around them.
Without Observation Haki, it was nearly impossible for them to sense the movement of the mist.
Crocus arrived at Vivi's side, waving his hands to unleash waves of black lightning to protect her.
Meanwhile, Whitebeard, after sending Akainu and Sengoku flying, had suddenly frozen in place. He stood silently, an imposing mountain of a man.
Even so, Aokiji didn't dare approach.
He wasn't sure if Whitebeard was truly dead and feared it might be a trap.
"Thunderflame Apocalypse!!"
Seeing the time was right, Ryuuto roared. In an instant, the golden lightning web covering the island erupted. A massive shockwave blasted outward as countless bolts of thunderflame ignited, scorching everything in their path.
The air was now saturated with alcohol mist.
Ignited by the thunderflames, the mist exploded violently, instantly engulfing all of Marineford in a sea of fire.
The ordinary Marine soldiers suffered the most. Their bodies and skin were now soaked with the alcohol mist. The moment the flames ignited, their bodies were set ablaze, turning them into human torches.
"Help me! Somebody, help me!"
Countless Marines rolled on the ground, desperately trying to extinguish the flames that consumed them.
The entire plaza was filled with their agonizing screams.
The Whitebeard Pirates fared much better. As long as they survived the initial explosion, they were safe.
Of course, this level of damage was nothing to the Marine Vice Admirals. Doberman and the others remained on guard, their eyes fixed on Vista and his comrades.
Sengoku reverted to his human form and climbed out of the rubble to see the horrifying scene, his eyes burning with rage.
As for Garp…
He was near Ryuuto and received the full force of the attack. An endless storm of explosive lightning crashed down upon him.
Not only that, but as the flames raged, Ryuuto charged straight for him.
The thunderflames couldn't harm Ryuuto at all.
"Die, Garp!"
With a furious cry, an incredibly brilliant slash of golden light shot toward Garp. He was a wreck, his body covered in burns from the thunderflames, bleeding profusely. He was severely injured.
Faced with Ryuuto's attack, his only option was to dodge.
But his injuries had slowed him down.
Ryuuto transformed into a bolt of lightning, instantly catching up and slashing Garp across the back.
BOOM!!
Hit by the immense force, Garp could only harden his body with Armament Haki to resist.
The Golden Kui Dragon Slash collided with Garp's obsidian-hued form, and the two colors of lightning clashed violently. A powerful energy wave erupted, and Garp was sent flying like a meteor, blasted deep into the ground.
Sizzle…
With a flash of lightning, Ryuuto vanished, immediately giving chase.
"Garp! You've gotten old!" Ryuuto said, standing on the surface and looking down at Garp in the crater below. "The future belongs to the young!"
Spurt…
Garp, who had been holding on by a thread, coughed up a mouthful of blood at Ryuuto's words, his expression turning weak.
It was true. Garp was old. Though his fists were still as mighty as ever, his speed and stamina had declined considerably.
"Jean Bart!"
Ryuuto shouted, holding the Kui Dragon Blade to Garp's neck. Jean Bart appeared once more.
Ryuuto slowly stepped back, letting the Kui Dragon Blade hover in the air under his control. Jean Bart gave Ryuuto a nod, then gripped the sword and swung it down with all his might!
"No! Vice Admiral Garp!"
The plaza was in chaos, but Aokiji was the first to notice. He transformed into a line of ice, shooting toward Ryuuto.
But he was too late.
BOOM!!
A golden arc of lightning flashed. The Kui Dragon Blade fell, and a fountain of blood erupted into the air. A hero of the Marines had fallen.
And with his death, a full 200,000 reputation points were credited to Ryuuto.
Crocus stood nearby, a look of regret in his eyes. Another old acquaintance was gone. But that was nothing compared to the captain's growth. Crocus believed that Ryuuto was destined for even greater things.
This was only the second time Vivi had seen Garp. The first time, the legendary Vice Admiral had exuded an overwhelming pressure. Now, he was just another soul claimed by Ryuuto's blade.
Marco and the others were still lost in their grief.
"This is war! And in war, there are no winners," Ryuuto said softly.
An icy chill washed over him as a frozen fist shot toward him—an enraged strike from Aokiji. Ryuuto reacted just in time, raising the Kui Dragon Blade to block.
BOOM!
The collision unleashed a boundless storm of golden lightning and shattering ice. Under the force of their clash, the sky itself grew dark and turbulent.
"You bastard!!"
Sengoku finally saw that Garp was dead. He roared in fury, transforming back into his Buddha form and preparing to charge Ryuuto.
Kizaru hovered in the air, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. He couldn't believe that Vice Admiral Garp had been killed in a single instant.
"Ryuuto… I'll kill you!"
From the shore, Luffy witnessed what had happened. His roar of pure rage echoed across all of Marineford.
A ball of fire erupted from Ace's fist. The events of the day had been too much for him to bear.