It was Romu's wooden colossus!!
Kong, Garp, and Sengoku reacted instantly—
But just as the earth seemed to settle, it began to tremble again.
Boom!
Under countless stunned gazes, a blinding emerald light burst violently from the cracked rock layers below.
The light tore through the sky like a raging pillar of energy.
From afar, the shattered ground spanning hundreds of meters looked like a volcanic crater spewing divine fury.
The green beam shot straight into the heavens—
And the moment it collided with the clouds—
Thunder exploded across God Valley.
A terrifying shockwave rippled outward, crushing everyone below vice-admiral level straight to the ground.
Even Sengoku, Garp, and Kong were forced back a step.
"So strong…"
Sengoku's pupils trembled.
That energy surge—
It was several times stronger than when Romu fought him.
"Don't give him time to stabilize!"
"Move—now!"
Kong's voice turned sharp.
The three of them prepared to dive into the crater—
But the transformation had only just begun.
The clouds.
The air.
Even the sunlight filtering down from the sky—
All turned faintly green.
The energy condensed rapidly above the crater, forming a massive emerald disk spanning hundreds of meters.
From its center descended a cylindrical beam of pure life force—
Perfectly enclosing the entire hundred-meter radius where Romu stood.
When the light touched the ground—
There was no explosion.
No violent detonation.
Instead—
The rock softened.
Cracked.
And from those fractures, countless seedlings burst forth.
Within mere breaths—
The barren crater transformed into a dense forest.
And at its center—
The massive wooden arm that had burst forth earlier now stood like the core of a newborn world.
The Marines froze.
Their smiles vanished.
Their bodies stiffened.
It wasn't just that Romu was alive—
It was that he was stronger.
They had seen him take Sengoku's full-force strike.
They had seen him buried.
And yet—
This?
Worse—
They remembered the Flower-Tree Realm.
Many of them still had nightmares about vines draining comrades dry.
Now a forest stood before them again.
Several Marines unconsciously stepped backward.
The pirates reacted differently.
For a brief moment—
Hope.
Then reality returned.
"Even if Captain Romu's alive… what can he do alone?"
"Rocks fell. Whitebeard and Shiki are down."
"The Navy still has Kong, Garp, Sengoku, Zephyr… and Roger."
"Even if Captain Romu absorbed Rocks…"
"No one wins a war alone."
Their voices were heavy.
Exhausted.
Resigned.
Beneath shattered stone, Whitebeard coughed blood.
He forced a faint smile.
"Romu…"
"Can you create a miracle?"
Nearby, buried in debris, Shiki stared toward the forest.
"You insane bastard…"
"You really pulled it off…"
At the forest's edge—
Kong, Garp, and Sengoku stood grim.
"This isn't just recovery," Kong muttered.
"This is growth."
Garp's brows knitted.
"Our estimate was wrong."
Sengoku's expression darkened.
"There's something different about his Devil Fruit aura."
"It feels… awakened."
Silence fell between them.
Then—
Garp turned toward Roger.
"Rocks has been absorbed."
"Fight."
Rayleigh frowned.
"Our deal was to eliminate Rocks."
Roger remained silent for several seconds.
Then he exhaled.
"If we let him walk today… he'll surpass Rocks."
He gripped Ace.
"Fine. One last time."
The four of them advanced.
Deep within the forest—
A massive wooden arm gently lowered Kaido onto a thick crimson blossom.
Standing atop it—
Half-sleeve shirt.
Wide trousers.
Toothpick between his teeth.
Romu.
Kaido reverted to human form and jumped beside him.
"Captain!"
"You're alive!!"
Romu flicked a wooden hammer out of a tree trunk and smacked Kaido's head.
"Disappointed?"
Kaido shook violently.
"No! I knew you wouldn't die! I knew it!"
Romu waved him aside with a vine.
"Quiet."
His gaze shifted toward the approaching figures.
Cold.
Measured.
The ground trembled.
A colossal wooden figure rose fully from the earth—
Hundreds of meters tall.
This time—
Its entire body was coated in jet-black Armament Haki.
Every inch.
The aura alone distorted the air.
Kong, Garp, Sengoku, and Roger stopped before him.
"Romu," Kong said coldly.
"Even after absorbing Rocks, you cannot defeat the four of us."
Romu didn't respond.
He placed his hand on the wooden giant's shoulder.
The Haki intensified.
Sengoku's eyes hardened.
"Attack!"
"Steel Body: Iron Fortress!"
"Galaxy Fist!"
"Divine Departure!"
"Buddha Shockwave!"
Four ultimate techniques exploded forward simultaneously.
The sky darkened.
The atmosphere warped.
Energy condensed into a singular pitch-black point—
The result of four apex powers merging.
They unleashed it.
"Die, Romu!"
The black sphere of destruction tore forward.
Romu's voice remained calm.
"You're noisy."
He murmured—
"Armored Dragon Strike."
The wooden giant moved.
Dozens of trees spiraled around its right arm—
Forming a wooden dragon.
The arm drew back—
And punched.
Space visibly twisted.
The wooden dragon fist collided with the black sphere.
For a moment—
Stalemate.
Then—
The sphere began to erode.
The wooden arm shattered—
Regenerated—
Shattered—
Regenerated again—
Growing faster than it was being destroyed.
Three thunderous detonations later—
The black sphere shattered into dust.
The impact wave obliterated everything behind the four men.
Kong's pupils contracted.
"That's impossible…"
Sengoku's voice trembled.
"It's the same move—how did its power increase this much?!"
"Defend!!" Kong roared.
Too late.
The shockwave struck.
Their defensive Haki collapsed.
All four were blasted backward.
A massive void carved into the earth behind them.
Silence.
The wooden colossus stood unharmed.
Romu swept the battlefield with Observation Haki.
The pirates were nearly wiped out.
Enough.
He raised his hand.
The forest trembled.
The earth screamed.
Romu spoke—
"Awakened Armor… Flower-Tree Realm Descends."
And God Valley began to collapse.
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