Ohara Buster Call (Final)

West Blue, Ohara waters.

In the distance, Ohara was engulfed in thick smoke and relentless cannon fire. The sight once again overwhelmed Seven with a long-familiar sense of failure. If only they'd arrived sooner, they wouldn't have come all this way for nothing.

What a failure. Even with God's Perspective, history still didn't bend to an individual's will.

"Sorry, Issho. We're too late."

Issho tightened his grip on Gambler Fireline. "Captain, there may still be survivors on the island."

Seven nodded firmly. "Prepare for battle."

They might have arrived late, but they could still save whoever they could.

Whoever opposed the World Government, whatever their motives and whether they succeeded or not, Barzeb Seven would always be there to back them up.

The East Blue Emperor surged to full speed, racing toward Ohara's coastline from the opposite side of the Marine warships.

A lookout on one of the warships shouted.

"Vice Admiral Sakazuki, an unidentified ship has appeared to the northeast! Should we open fire?"

"Fire!"

At Sakazuki's order, ten Marine warships turned their bows and unleashed a barrage toward the unknown, red-sailed ship with a dragon's head.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A dense curtain of cannonballs sealed off every direction around the East Blue Emperor.

On deck, Mihawk had just drawn Black Blade Night when Issho stepped forward.

"Mr. Mihawk, leave this to me."

Issho gripped Gambler Fireline. He drew it, but didn't unsheathe the blade. Gravity Waves rippled outward, dragging the incoming storm of cannonballs straight into the sea.

Then—

Countless purple rings of gravity spread from Issho's body. Like a relay race, they reached the heavens in the blink of an eye and forcibly dragged two extraterrestrial meteorites downward.

"Captain, Mr. Mihawk and I will hold off the Marines. Please bring the survivors aboard."

"There's no need to make this so complicated."

The instant Seven drew his sword—

Red-and-black Haki turned into tangible lightning. Starting from Dream One Heart, it spread across the entire sea in almost the blink of an eye.

Dream One Heart: 100% Haki amplification.

Of the Three Types of Haki, Seven's strongest was Conqueror's Haki. Amplified by 100%, its power was practically world-ending—terrifying beyond belief.

Aboard the ten warships, more than ten thousand Marines rolled their eyes back. Like tarot cards knocked over by a powerful shove, they all collapsed unconscious in an instant.

In the blink of an eye—

The massive Marine fleet sent to carry out the Buster Call on Ohara had been reduced to just Sakazuki and three other Vice Admirals still standing.

The East Blue Emperor came to a steady stop by the shore. Seven looked at Mihawk and Issho.

"Mihawk, Issho, I'll leave this to you."

"Yes, Captain."

Seven rushed onto the island to retrieve the books and look for survivors. Mihawk put the Flying Bamboo Dragonfly on his head, picked up Issho, and carried him from the deck to shore.

By then, the two meteorites Issho had summoned had already broken through the clouds and were hurtling toward the Marine fleet.

"Look! Up... there..."

The meteorites grew larger as they fell closer. Their enormous shadows swallowed the sky above the fleet, crushing the air from everyone's lungs.

Standing beside Sakazuki, Momonga felt his mouth go dry. His Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty.

"Th-this... a meteorite?!"

The Devil Fruits wielded by the three monstrous Marine Vice Admirals were already absurdly powerful, but beside the shock of a meteorite, they seemed almost gentle.

"Great Eruption!"

Sakazuki bellowed, then added a warning. "Watch out for the debris!"

If the meteorites were allowed to fall, more than ten thousand unconscious Marines would end up at the bottom of the sea.

A tremendous explosion rang out. Sakazuki shattered the two meteorites into countless fragments, which scattered across the sea and whipped up wave after wave.

Sakazuki narrowed his eyes. That shock of white hair he'd seen earlier had been irritatingly conspicuous.

"Barzeb Seven!"

"Dracule Mihawk!"

"So they really are together."

At first, Sakazuki had thought the news from Marine Headquarters was exaggerated.

But Barzeb alone had taken down more than ten thousand soldiers. And with Mihawk and another purple-robed swordsman provoking him from the shore, Sakazuki was completely enraged.

"Barzeb! You deserve to die!"

Sakazuki turned his lower body into magma and launched himself from the Marine warship toward shore on a jet of molten rock.

"Meteor Volcano!"

Fists of magma rained down like a meteor shower, striking in every direction.

Issho swung his sword to meet the attack. Wave after wave of gravity clashed with the rampaging magma.

"Gravity Sword: Fierce Tiger."

Meanwhile, the three other Marine Vice Admirals, led by Momonga, used Geppo to reach shore and surround Mihawk.

"Dracule Mihawk, how could a man like you turn to piracy?"

Though they'd only just parted, Mihawk was already starting to miss Captain Seven. If the captain were here, he'd surely have a sharp retort ready.

Why the hell should I need the Marines' permission to do what I want?

Since Seven wasn't there, Mihawk could only answer with his blade. Getting into a verbal spat was beneath a cultured man's dignity.

Unlike the fierce battle on the shore—

Another Marine Vice Admiral, Kuzan, was sitting on a rock, chatting with a soot-covered little girl with black hair and tear-streaked cheeks.

"Absolute justice...

Sometimes it turns people into weapons."

"I'd prepared a ship for you. I wanted to see what kind of person the seed Sauron gave his life to protect would grow into."

"Now... go with him."

As soon as he finished speaking, a crackling current instantly gathered into a human figure.

Kuzan stared at the figure before him. It was impossible to tell what he was feeling behind his sunglasses.

"Barzeb Seven."

"You'd better hurry. The World Government and the Marines have received word. The one coming to reinforce us will surely be the newly appointed Marine Admiral, Kizaru."

Kuzan had opposed carrying out the Buster Call from the start. And Barzeb had once reached the Final Island. Of all the pirates, he was the one least likely to have ulterior motives regarding the Ohara Scholars.

For the little girl, it was a good place to end up.

"Thanks."

Seven had just picked up the soot-covered little girl when Kuzan asked,

"What's your pirate crew called?"

"The Morning Star Pirates. I'm the captain, Mihawk's the vice-captain, and Fujitora Issho is an official crew member."

"Morning Star?" Kuzan mused. "The brightest star in the night sky before dawn?"

"Yeah," Seven answered casually. "The star that disappears from the sky once dawn breaks."

"See you around."

After bringing the little girl to the East Blue Emperor, Seven made several more trips back and forth, bringing back a few Ohara Scholars who were still breathing.

Then several Flying Slashes swept toward Sakazuki.

"Mihawk, Issho, retreat!"

Mihawk sent a Flying Slash crashing through the three Vice Admirals, then shot straight into the sky. While Sakazuki was distracted by the attack, Issho stepped on the rubble and leaped into the air.

On the shore, Sakazuki's face turned livid. He even bit through the cigar in his mouth.

"You naturally evil pirate brat!"

Seven took it as nothing but impotent rage. A war of words? He'd never lost one in his life. Bring it on—let's hurt each other!

"Hey, Red Dog! So this is how the Marines massacre civilians to show off their so-called justice?"

"You're a dog for someone else, and you're proud of it."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk."

"If I were you, I'd be too ashamed to wear that cloak of justice. But you've got some thick skin. Even I, a naturally evil pirate brat, can't stand watching."

In midair, Mihawk pressed his lips together and said nothing.

That's the stuff. Keep going. Don't stop.

Issho, meanwhile, looked utterly bewildered. This other side of the captain... that mouth of his really knew how to get under someone's skin.

Sakazuki laughed in fury.

"You've got guts. Don't run."

"Fine."

Seven drew his sword from his waist and unleashed a Flying Slash at tremendous speed, while signaling for Mihawk to take the ship and leave first.

The Magma-Magma Fruit was too destructive. They couldn't truly retreat until the East Blue Emperor was out of range of Sakazuki's attacks.

Seven didn't want the East Blue Emperor, which he'd only just bought, to get wrecked by magma on its first voyage. It wasn't that he cared about the hundred repair points. It just felt like bad luck.

Just then, Kuzan, who had been absent since the Buster Call, finally showed up.

"Sakazuki, I'll hold them off."

Even if a little mishap had occurred during the Buster Call, he still had to keep up appearances. Otherwise, how was he ever going to become an Admiral?

As Kuzan and Issho moved away from the other two combatants, they also drew farther and farther from the East Blue Emperor. Realizing what Kuzan was doing, Issho silently committed the name of this cold-faced but warm-hearted Marine Vice Admiral to memory.

Unlike the two men's leisurely sparring match—

On another battlefield, Sakazuki was fighting like a man possessed, intent only on killing Seven as quickly as possible.

"Great Eruption!"

Whenever Sakazuki tried to launch a long-range attack and destroy the East Blue Emperor, Mihawk blocked it with a swing of Black Blade Night.

"Dog Bite Red Lotus!"

Sakazuki's arm, transformed into magma, took the shape of a vicious dog's head. Wrapped in scorching magma and an aura of destruction, it lunged fiercely at Seven.

Clang!

The sharp crash of blades split the air.

Seven swung his sword in a flash, precisely blocking the molten dog's head and deflecting the deadly strike.

The next moment, Conqueror's Haki Observation Kill erupted, forcefully suppressing Sakazuki's Observation Haki and plunging his senses into a momentary void.

In that split second, Seven's other fist, wrapped in Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki, slammed precisely into the side of Sakazuki's face.

Thud!

The muffled blow rang out like thunder.

Sakazuki's cheekbone caved in under the strike, and the corner of his mouth split. Blood as hot as magma sprayed from his twisted face.

He flew dozens of meters like a puppet with its strings cut, then crashed heavily to the ground.

Seven had finally revealed the strategic power of the Observation Haki Killer he'd been holding back since the fight began.

"What a shame," Seven murmured regretfully.

If he'd mastered Old Man Garp's Infinite Fist Bone, that punch would've left Sakazuki laid up for at least half a year. Instead, he was merely injured.

While Sakazuki was still shaking his head, Seven had already unleashed dozens of Flying Slashes.

Squelch! Squelch! Squelch!

The Flying Slashes hit one after another. Sakazuki looked like a bloody mess, yet got up as if nothing had happened and continued fighting Seven.

Far off on the sea, Mihawk steered the East Blue Emperor and casually launched a Flying Slash, holding off the three Marine Vice Admirals pursuing them.

He'd only been the Morning Star Pirates' vice-captain for two years, yet he'd already crossed swords with three of the Marines' top Vice Admirals in turn: Borsalino, Sakazuki, and Kuzan.

Captain Seven truly lived up to being a crew member of Pirate King Roger's crew. He had some real nerve.

Combatant Issho... wasn't bad either.

Of the Morning Star Pirates' three crew members, Mihawk had time to rate the fight, Issho was having a leisurely spar with Kuzan, and Seven was locked in a bloody battle with Sakazuki.

Seven hadn't suffered any serious injuries.

But maintaining Conqueror's Haki Infusion, Conqueror's Haki Observation Kill, and Haki all at once consumed energy exponentially. He was still breathing hard.

Seeing this, Sakazuki grinned through his bloodied teeth.

"Brat, running out of stamina?"

Seven flashed a bright smile. He took a Senzu Bean from his system storage, pretended to wipe his mouth, and slipped the bean into it.

"Red Dog, Grandpa's coming for you!"

Seven instantly returned to full strength.

Dream One Heart, wrapped in Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki, unleashed Flying Slashes imbued with an Electromagnetic Storm. They were even more ferocious than before.

Sakazuki gritted his teeth and, without the aid of Observation Haki, relied on his battle experience to withstand wave after wave of attacks.

"You're tough!" Seven muttered.

No wonder he'd lasted so long in the Summit War.

Sakazuki was like a cockroach that refused to die. Every time Seven sent him flying, he was back on his feet to fight again almost the next second.

A tank like him was the worst.

He had an absurd amount of stamina and hit like a truck—a true all-rounder.

One careless mistake, and you were either injured or crippled.

Seven kept stimulating his body with lightning, pushing his senses and Observation Haki to their limits. His attacks could only injure Sakazuki, but the other man's attacks... were deadly.

After who knew how long—

The East Blue Emperor disappeared from sight. Seven hovered in midair, then sent an Electromagnetic Storm sweeping across the ten Marine warships with one hand, destroying their electrical systems.

"Bye-bye, Red Dog." Seven shot into the sky.

With several lightning-fast dashes, he reached another battlefield, launched several Flying Slashes at Kuzan, then grabbed Issho and chased after the East Blue Emperor.

Kuzan was left behind, staring in the direction the two had vanished, unable to tell what he was feeling.

The Marines, who were supposed to protect civilians, had gone so far as to launch a Buster Call. That was already wildly abnormal, but pirates rescuing several people from the Marines' gunfire was even more absurd.

"This world really is a mess."

When Kuzan returned to shore, Sakazuki was staring blankly at the ten warships, their fires now completely extinguished.

"Notify Marine Headquarters..."

"I'll do it," Kuzan cut in.

West Blue, aboard the East Blue Emperor.

Seven raised a hand to stop the Ohara Scholars from thanking him, then flashed into the captain's quarters and immediately pulled out a Den Den Mushi.

This trip had cost him only two Senzu Beans, and he had successfully invited a lifelong companion aboard. As an added bonus, he had four well-versed Ohara Scholars, too.

But he had also openly fallen out with the World Government, so he had to warn his family to be careful.

"Uncle Rayleigh, I need a favor."

"Tell the crew to hide right away. I took out the fleet that was carrying out the Marine Buster Call. There's a very good chance the World Government will come after you to settle the score."

"What?!" Rayleigh's expression turned grave.

"Seven, you really did it this time!"

Sabaody Archipelago, Knockoff Bar.

Rayleigh hung up the Den Den Mushi and hurriedly leaned close to Shakky's ear to explain.

Shakky was stunned. She even forgot about the cigarette between her fingers. "I think... I should probably go into hiding with you for a week or two."

Rayleigh didn't hesitate. "It's been ages since we saw Gaban. Let's head back to Amazon Lily for a few days, then take a vacation in Elbaf."

The Rayleighs didn't hesitate for a moment. After sending their customers on their way, they traveled light and left the Sabaody Archipelago by ship.

Shakky's Rip-off Bar was unusually closed during the day.

Meanwhile, aboard the East Blue Emperor.

Seven lay listlessly soaking in the bath. Although he had clearly held the upper hand in his fight with Sakazuki, that victory had come from pushing his energy and spirit to their absolute limits, then downing two Senzu Beans to recover to full strength.

If the fight had continued, he would have been the one to lose.

Sakazuki... really was strong.

Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz, bzzz, bzzz~

After pressing the Den Den Mushi's answer button, Seven held the receiver away from his ear. "Moshi moshi."

"Beelzebul, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Staring at the Den Den Mushi, Seven asked the question that mattered most. "And who are you?"

The Den Den Mushi replied, "Saint Warcury of the Gorosei."

Seven caught on. "Oh, hello. Hello."

The Den Den Mushi said, "Beelzebul, why did you interfere with the Buster Call? What are you trying to do?"

Seven climbed out of the bath.

"First of all, I sincerely apologize. But I didn't interfere with the Buster Call's execution. Ohara is already nothing but ruins."

"Second, as you know—

I'm not interested in history, and I only took one little girl with me. Rest assured, I guarantee she'll stay by my side for the next thirty years."

The Den Den Mushi replied, "Your guarantee is meaningless. Hand her over, and we can pretend this never happened. Otherwise, prepare for the World Government and the Marines to hunt you down without end."

Seven rubbed his brow and sighed.

"In that case, I'll have no choice but to reveal the existence of a certain someone to the whole sea."

The Red Line, the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.

Inside Pangaea Castle, the Gorosei stared at one another, their foreheads beaded with cold sweat.

The Den Den Mushi grinned. "How about we make a deal?"

Saint Warcury said, "Go on."

The Gorosei were taking a gamble: that Beelzebul didn't know of that person's existence, and that her earlier words were nothing more than an empty threat.

The Den Den Mushi drew out its words. "Im..."

"Deal!"

Saint Warcury glared, his beard bristling. "Beelzebul, we'll consider the matter closed."

"Thank you."