He opened his mouth, but the words that scraped out of his throat were dry and hoarse. "An attack on this scale... There's no... no way to stop it..."
Beside him, a veteran Headquarters Vice Admiral stared blankly at the sky, his lips moving as he murmured, "Marineford was huge during the Summit War... But that thing... that thing is ten times bigger than Marineford..."
His voice faded until the last few words were almost inaudible.
Kizaru stood beside Akainu, golden photons flickering at his fingertips. There was no trace of his usual playful manner.
He slowly removed his shattered sunglasses, revealing eyes filled with grim concern. "The area's too vast... Even at my speed, I couldn't get everyone out of its path before it hits..."
Behind him, a Rear Admiral's legs suddenly gave way. He dropped to his knees on the rubble, braced his hands on them, and gasped for breath.
His lips trembled violently, and his words came in broken fragments. "Vice Admiral... sir... Are we... are we going to die here...?"
Before he could finish, he clapped a hand over his mouth, choking back a sob.
Ice spread silently beneath Aokiji's feet, though he did not seem to notice.
He simply looked up, his pupils narrowing. His voice was almost lost in the wind. "An entire stretch of sea... No, even the Red Line will be hit... This isn't a battle anymore. It's... a natural disaster."
Forest power surged wildly beneath Aramaki's feet. Thick vines burst from the ground and wove layer upon layer of heavy wooden walls around him.
But he knew better than anyone that, against that meteor, those vines might as well have been paper.
His hands trembled as he poured power into them. It was nothing more than instinct.
The Five Elders stood