Wild waves slammed against the shattered island. Loose slabs of rock were torn away and swallowed into the abyss.
At the edge of the rift—
Romu stood with his arms crossed, quietly watching Kong and the others. His handsome face showed neither anger nor joy.
Opposite him, nine figures lined up shoulder to shoulder:
Kong, Garp, Sengoku, Zephyr, Tsuru, Roger, Rayleigh, Gaban, and Bullet.
Their expressions were heavy.
Apart from the crash of surf against stone and the wind sweeping past, the battlefield was deathly silent.
The atmosphere was suffocating.
A gust pushed a dark cloud across the sky… until it drifted directly over Romu's head, casting him in shadow.
Then—
his steps began.
Not particularly loud, but steady—each one landing with a dull thump.
And as Romu moved forward, that cloud moved with him, as if the darkness itself followed wherever he went.
Tsuru's fists tightened.
Maybe it was coincidence.
Maybe it wasn't.
But every one of Romu's steps felt like it landed on her heartbeat.
Her ears rang.
She couldn't hear anything anymore—only the violent pounding of her own heart.
Beside her, Zephyr noticed and tried to steady her.
"Don't tense up. No matter how strong he is, he's still only one man. We have nine. The advantage is ours."
But the moment he said it—
Zephyr swallowed hard.
Romu's pressure… wasn't less than Tsuru's.
Not even close.
And then—
Romu accelerated.
From a walk, to a jog…
to a run.
"He's coming!"
Kong's voice dropped low.
He bent slightly—
and in an instant, his entire body was coated in Armament Haki, the kind that screamed absolute defense.
He looked like a steel tower forged from iron.
"Don't let his aura scare you," Roger said, voice hard. "Conqueror's Haki is about spirit. If you fear him before we even exchange blows, his Conqueror's will hit harder."
"Understood!"
"Got it!"
Weapons came out.
Armament cloaked bodies.
Sengoku growled and transformed again into his golden Buddha form.
He might be a strategist—
but he didn't become the Marine's second-generation Fleet Admiral by being weak.
A pressure wave rolled up from the ground.
Loose rubble was blasted outward.
And at the same time—
Romu's speed climbed higher and higher.
His arms hung lightly behind him as he leaned forward—
and at the instant he hit top speed—
black Conqueror's Haki erupted and wrapped his entire body, forming a diamond-shaped black barrier.
Excess power surged straight into the sky, drowning the cloud above him.
In the next breath—
BOOOOM!
Lightning tore open the heavens.
Thunder roared like the wrath of gods.
Romu launched himself—
and in a blink, crossed hundreds of meters, appearing right in front of them.
There was no "Justice will win."
No speeches.
Only nine monsters exploding with a savage roar from somewhere deep in their chests—
rage born from fear.
Because when fear reaches its peak…
it turns into fury.
BOOOOM!!
Half a heartbeat later—
Romu's black storm slammed into nine invisible shock-fronts, forming a terrifying spiral of violent energy.
Dark-red blade light flashed.
Roger moved first.
"Divine—!"
Ace trembled like it could feel its master's will.
The dark-red glow on the blade split into countless streaks.
In an instant—
slashes spread like phoenix wings and feathers, brilliant and suffocating, sealing every retreat.
"Roger!"
"Is this the only trick you've got?!"
Romu snapped, red light flickering in his eyes.
Shff—
His vision changed.
The world turned black and gray.
Anything without energy response became gray.
Anything with energy response became black.
And Roger's "Divine Strike" rain?
It was nothing but clusters of black half-arcs.
In this state, the "airtight" net of slashes was full of holes.
Romu's gaze locked onto the far-right of their formation—
Tsuru.
"Pick the soft one."
Romu's mouth curved.
Cold intent flashed.
Truth was, fighting nine wasn't easy—even for him.
So he would do it the smart way.
Kill the weakest first.
Romu moved.
To Kong and the others, his body began flickering—appearing and disappearing.
Each step snapped into a brief pause.
His left arm—coated in double-layered Haki—swung wide and sharp, sometimes like a mountain-splitting demon, sometimes like a dragonfly touching water.
His movements were absurdly varied—
and in that chaos, he shredded most of Roger's slash-net.
"It's Observation Haki!" Sengoku shouted, shocked. "He's reading the weak point of each slash!"
Observation could sense energy, yes—
but finding weak points among countless similar energy signatures?
That was unheard of.
Garp didn't care.
He rolled his shoulders, fists like iron mortars.
"Fist-Bone Meteor!"
No technique.
Just force.
The "Love Fist" of the legendary Marine hero was every enemy's nightmare.
Black iron fists rained down so fast they left afterimages.
The air itself scorched, giving off a burnt smell—as if the punches were igniting it.
Romu didn't dodge.
He raised the same left arm that had shattered Roger's slashes before—
and met Garp head-on.
CLANG—CLANG—CLANG—!!
A deep metallic roar shook the air.
In that storm of black flashes—Conqueror's and Armament clashing—there was also the unmistakable sound of pure defense: iron striking iron.
They traded dozens of blows.
Back and forth.
Attack and counter.
And in the end—
Romu blocked every single shadow of Garp's fists.
But because Garp struck with both hands, Romu's footing slid—step by step—toward the right.
Rayleigh and Gaban slipped in at the same moment.
A light touch of the foot.
A flip in the air.
Close.
Blades flashed—
tight, precise, lethal.
Bullet joined the pressure from the side.
Romu's evasions grew more difficult, more acrobatic.
His position was forced further right.
Their eyes brightened.
They thought they had him.
They didn't notice—
Romu's eyes were as calm and cold as the dark sea.
Meanwhile—
the "island chunk" Romu had torn free, carried by that gigantic propeller-like plant, descended onto the nearest barren island—where the spectators and "Red Count" were watching.
Panic rippled.
People stumbled back to make room.
Kaido snorted, then used vines to drag Shiki and Whitebeard onto a huge boulder at the cliff edge.
"Best view," he said.
Once they were stable, Whitebeard and Shiki began speaking in low voices.
"This is bad," Whitebeard said, grim. "Nine people… even if he's that strong, he can't hold nine forever."
"Roger, Rayleigh, Gaban… none of them are easy," Shiki added.
Kaido snapped, restless.
"I'm going back—this is nine-on-one! Shameless!"
He started gathering power to transform—
until a cold, shadowy voice cut in.
"Save it."
"Don't go and become baggage. Your captain can handle it."
Everyone turned.
A man in an ornate suit, holding a purple umbrella, strolled forward.
Kaido's mouth opened—
but Whitebeard and Shiki grabbed him at the same time.
Because they recognized that face.
"Red Count…"
Whitebeard's voice sank.
Shiki's gaze sharpened too.
Top tiers knew each other.
And "Red Count" was absolutely one of them.
"Relax," Red Count said with a strange smile—made stranger by the gold chain hanging at his mouth. "I'm not here for trouble. Just borrowing a seat."
Whitebeard and Shiki didn't respond.
They were both heavily injured.
And Red Count's reputation wasn't exactly friendly.
Red Count leaned on his umbrella like a cane, eyes narrowing as he watched God Valley.
"Romu looks pressured," he murmured. "But haven't you noticed?"
"His right arm hasn't moved once."
"He's been storing power."
Whitebeard and Shiki strained their vision.
Their bodies were failing them.
But then they felt it—
Romu's right arm energy suddenly condensed, swelling toward an eruption.
Back on God Valley—
the pirates had been sent away.
Only Romu remained… facing nine.
Energy collisions roared endlessly.
The island trembled on the edge of falling apart.
"Keep the pressure!"
"Don't let him breathe!"
"Garp—break his guard!"
"Kong—cover Roger!"
"Roger! He has nowhere left to dodge—take it!"
In the chaos, Rayleigh and Sengoku became the "brains," calling and adjusting the flow.
Their coordination grew tighter.
Their assault turned into a storm.
And still—
they didn't realize Romu had been drifting toward Tsuru on purpose.
"Now!" Sengoku shouted.
Roger's lips curled.
His abdomen tightened.
The muscle around the wound Rocks had given him clamped down, forcing the injury into a thin seam—so it wouldn't burst when he released full power.
"Romu!"
"I regret we can't have a true one-on-one duel… but I'm telling you now—today, you lose!"
Roger raised Ace.
Armament and Conqueror's Haki surged together, flooding the blade.
He vanished—
and reappeared at Romu's side, blade flashing for Romu's waist.
At the same time—
from behind, and from the right—
two more killing arcs swept in.
Rayleigh.
Bullet.
These two were fighting at full heat now, forgetting "Marine" and "pirate," drowning only in the thrill of a worthy enemy.
Rayleigh's talent was cracking open mid-battle—his power rising.
Three blades.
Three angles.
All escape routes sealed.
"DIE, ROMU!"
Roger roared, face twisted.
"I'll remember you as my greatest opponent!"
"Pirate King, Dark King, Devil's Heir—three of you jumping me at once…"
Romu's voice stayed flat.
"…I'm honored."
A green gleam flashed at Romu's waist.
Three wooden dragons burst out with sharp cries—
each one slamming into one of the three attacks.
And then—
Romu's eyes snapped toward Tsuru—
who had stepped closer to strike again.
The black right arm that hadn't moved once—
moved.
Fast.
Violent.
Deadly.
"NO!" Rayleigh shouted.
"TSURU—WATCH OUT!"
Sengoku's voice hit at the same time.
They finally understood Romu's plan.
Feint weakness.
Take position.
Then execute the softest target.
"It's too late."
Romu answered calmly.
His right arm swung.
A pressure wave rolled out, swallowing light.
Black double-layered Haki crushed the space around it.
Tsuru's face went paper-white.
Her mind went blank.
Not because she was weak—
but because Romu had been grinding her will down with Conqueror's pressure from the beginning.
"End."
Romu whispered.
No mercy.
No hesitation.
His right arm slammed into Tsuru's midsection.
BOOOOM!!
The impact detonated like a meteor strike.
Ground shattered.
Wind exploded outward.
Tsuru's slim body was blasted away, a spray of bright blood bursting from her mouth—
she punched through nearly a hundred meters of rock before stopping, buried under collapsing stone.
At the same instant—
Romu was struck too.
Roger's trio still landed hits through the wooden dragons' interference.
Romu was knocked back and driven into stone, losing a bit of momentum.
"Damn it!"
The Marine side's eyes went red.
"ROMU!!"
They screamed and surged, abandoning coordination, charging with raw fury.
Romu tore himself free with a violent burst—
and stepped forward to meet them.
"Come."
"One by one…"
And far away—
in the highest throne of Pangaea Castle—
a pair of orange-yellow ripple-patterned eyes…
opened.
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