The War Ends, the Shinigami Appears

"Ah, a warship fell from the ice."

With the battle in full swing, a warship suddenly dropped from the sky, drawing Kenma's attention.

His heart stirred, and his Mangekyō Sharingan swept over it, taking in the airborne warship with perfect clarity.

Falling alongside the warship were people in all manner of bizarre outfits, as well as prisoners in uniforms who had escaped from Impel Down.

Kenma's gaze swiftly passed over them, recognizing the major figures one by one.

Crocodile, Fish-Man Jinbe, the Okama King with the especially large face, Buggy the Clown, 3, and...

The red-and-black Sharingan in Kenma's eyes reflected the figure with a straw hat hanging around his neck.

The same simple clothes, flip-flops, the scar beneath his eye, those round, wide eyes, and his mouth hanging open as he fell freely under gravity.

Straw Hat Luffy!

Watching a character who had accompanied his childhood appear before his very eyes, even Kenma's steady heart could not help but be stirred by complicated emotions.

"Since you've arrived, this Summit War should be reaching its climax."

"Monkey D. Luffy!"

Kenma remained seated, his gaze fixed on the battlefield below.

After Luffy roared, "I'm your brother!" the battle suddenly entered a new phase.

The Pirates successfully broke into the plaza.

After round after round of fierce fighting, Whitebeard was injured and placed his hopes of saving Ace on the newly arrived Luffy.

Amid a tremor, Fugaku and the others looked at the Stone Stairway connected to the Execution Platform, their gazes falling upon the young Pirate being protected below.

In their hearts, they too were deeply moved by the Straw Hat Pirate's powerful will.

"The bond between brothers truly moves the heart."

"Though his will is firm, he's too young and too weak..."

"Indeed. That level of strength alone cannot turn the tide on this battlefield."

"By the way, what was that mental shock just now?"

From the Execution Platform, they could see the war below with complete clarity.

Others had tried to break through before, such as that Phoenix, or the Pirate with the power of sand, but all of them had been defeated by the Marines.

The chances of that straw-hatted boy succeeding were not high.

With the help of the Pirate prisoners, the Straw Hat Pirate finally climbed the Stone Stairway.

Just as he was about to step onto the Execution Platform, the Marine Hero whom Fugaku and the others had seen before stood in his way.

However, because of the bond between grandfather and grandson, he was defeated by the Pirate, who finally reached the Execution Platform.

Seeing this, even someone as composed as Fugaku could not help revealing a trace of admiration in his eyes.

The Uchiha clansmen beside him sighed repeatedly as well.

"His grandfather is a Marine Hero, yet both grandsons are Pirates... What a fate."

"The old man had no choice but to step forward because of his duty... Being defeated by his grandson now was probably unavoidable."

"Though there were all sorts of coincidences and assistance, making it this far is already remarkable."

"But... the Fleet Admiral is still guarding this place."

As Luffy pulled out the key, only for it to be interrupted by a sudden beam of light, everyone immediately recognized it as an attack from General Kizaru.

"That General really is slippery. He clearly could have aimed for the head."

"After all, his justice is ambiguous..."

"Straw Hat kid, how will you save your brother now?"

At that moment, dazzling golden Buddha light suddenly burst forth atop the Execution Platform.

Fugaku and the others looked over to see the Fleet Admiral's body continuously growing larger, his skin turning golden and shining with radiant light.

The seagull hat atop his head fell away, his afro transformed into a cranial bump, and a Great Buddha wearing glasses suddenly appeared on the Execution Platform.

The Great Buddha was enormous, taking up nearly half the Execution Platform. The moment it appeared, its immense weight made the platform groan under the strain.

Fugaku and the others stared at the Buddha statue, their hearts tightening.

"Scatter!"

The Uchiha used Flash Step, turning into streaks of afterimages as they instantly left the Execution Platform.

In midair, Fugaku looked toward the Execution Platform and saw the Great Buddha's palm strike Luffy's inflated belly.

Though he blocked the Great Buddha's strike, the platform could no longer endure the immense force and collapsed on the spot.

The Marines' artillery barrage was already prepared, landing on the shattered Execution Platform after the Great Buddha leaped away.

Boom!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As the artillery fire rained down, the chains fell to the ground.

A pillar of flame rose amid the bombardment, forming a corridor of fire.

The freckled young man who had been executed was pulling the Straw Hat boy and an executioner as they ran through that fiery passage.

"He really... got him out!"

"What a hair-raising moment."

"Wait, what's with that executioner?"

Though the Uchiha found it unbelievable as well, reality was unfolding before their eyes with absolute clarity.

That seemingly reckless and brainless Straw Hat boy had actually rescued his brother!

Though they were still surrounded by Marines, there was hope now.

Even as outsiders, the Uchiha could not help feeling astonished at such a sight.

"But how will you brothers escape next?"

Fugaku murmured softly. Suddenly, his gaze shifted toward the sea ahead.

Through the hazy mist, he saw the Gate of Justice in the distance open a crack, with a warship sailing toward the island.

"A Marine backup plan..."

Fugaku paid it no mind and continued watching the battlefield.

Then...

Ace's chest was pierced by a single punch from General Akainu, and he died!

Whitebeard, consumed by rage, sent shockwaves from his attacks crashing through Marine Headquarters, destroying the town.

Even the headquarters building was sunk by more than half from that punch.

"My lord, be careful."

Feeling the building shake, Shisui paid no heed to anything else and hurriedly rose to shield Kenma.

"It's nothing."

Kenma pushed aside the tense Shisui and walked to one side, looking behind the building.

There, a Giant three or four hundred meters tall was pressed against the back of the building, concealing his body.

"Such a huge Giant... When did he get here?"

Shisui was startled.

The Giant had drawn so close, yet he had not noticed him at all.

Kenma said calmly, "Just now. But you were absorbed in your emotions then, so you failed to notice."

Shisui looked at the Giant and was immediately overwhelmed with shame.

He did not dare raise his head to look at Kenma.

"My lord, Shisui has neglected his duty. Please punish me."

"We can discuss punishment later. This war is about to end."

Kenma no longer paid attention to the Giant and looked back toward the battlefield below.

"Once the war ends, dealing with those Lost Souls after death will be your true task."

"Yes!"

On the battlefield below, Blackbeard and his group had already made a grand appearance before everyone.

Taking advantage of Whitebeard's injuries, they killed Whitebeard, seized the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, and began fighting the Fleet Admiral once more.

With the arrival of Red-Haired, the Summit War was brought to a complete end after he confronted Blackbeard.

"Once war begins, countless people die..."

Kenma sighed.

Then he led Shisui in jumping from the rooftop, descending toward the shattered, crumbling plaza below.

"Shisui, it's time for us to make our entrance."