Marco's grim expression, Whitebeard's concern
Kizaru landed beside him, the golden light particles on his body so thin they were almost invisible, and there was a deep, bone-revealing knife wound on his right shoulder.
He gritted his teeth, grabbed Akainu's arm, and dragged him up.
"Let's go, Sakazuki." Kizaru's voice was hoarse, all traces of his usual teasing gone.
Akainu did not resist.
He let Kizaru drag him away, step by step, as they retreated into the distance.
Two Marine Admiral, one with a missing arm and the other with a deep, bone-revealing wound on his shoulder, stumbled away from the battlefield, supporting each other in a disheveled state.
Behind them lay devastated ruins and piles of naval corpses.
At the same time, with the breaking of the third chain, the Devil Fruit User across the entire ocean once again felt that eerie sensation.
This time it's even more terrifying than the last.
In less than a few breaths, another 20% of the Devil Fruit User died in their contortions and struggles.
Those who were weaker, lacked Haki, or relied on Devil Fruit abilities without a solid foundation, shriveled up in violent convulsions, shattered in the process, and transformed into dark red mist that flew towards Mary Geoise.
On the North Blue, Whitebeard stood at the bow of the Moby Dick, looking at his sons with a gloomy expression.
He just used Conqueror's Haki once again to repel that force.
A dark red electric current exploded from his body, enveloping the entire island and scattering all the dark red threads that had been pulled from the Devil Fruit User's body.
One of the weaker members of the Whitebeard Pirates slumped on the deck, trembling, pale, and drenched in sweat.
If Whitebeard hadn't intervened in time, he would have died in agony, just like the pirates in that small town.
Ace stood on the ship's railing, the flames on his shoulders flickering.
His face looked terrible.
The force he had just experienced made him feel threatened. The pulling sensation from the depths of his body, the trembling feeling of his Origin being shaken.
He is Devil Fruit User; his power comes from the Devil Fruits.
At this moment, the power emanating from the deep sea is tearing apart every Devil Fruit User.
If things continue to escalate like this, even he might not be able to hold on indefinitely.
Marco stood beside him, the blue Phoenix Flames burning quietly on his shoulder.
His brows were furrowed, and his gaze was fixed on the direction of Sabaody.
Jozu stood behind with his arms crossed, his Diamond -like arms covered in fine cracks, marks left from suppressing that power earlier.
"Pops," Ace spoke, his voice a few decibels lower than usual, "What exactly is happening over there?"
Whitebeard did not turn around.
He gripped the handle of the Murakumogiri knife, his rough knuckles tightening slightly.
His gaze pierced the surface of the North Blue, passed over the rocky cliffs of the Red Line, and landed in the direction of Sabaody.
He stared at it for a long time.
"An era is ending," Whitebeard finally spoke, his voice deep and resonant, "And another era is being born in the most violent way."
The deaths of Devil Fruit User continue to spread.
Those black mists rose from every corner of the Four Blues, the Grand Line, and the New World.
Those who lacked strength withered, shattered, and turned into dark red mist as their bodies twisted and writhed. Those who barely managed to hold on exhausted their strength in the pulling force, collapsing to the ground, trembling all over.
The black mist, carrying the power of Devil Fruits and the lives of their users, pierced through the clouds, across the sea, and through the rocky cliffs of the Red Line, rushing towards Mary Geoise like dark red rivers.
They gathered in the black mist surrounding Imu, where they were linked, devoured, and digested by chains.
Imu's momentum is growing.
The giant, scarlet eye on her back was wide open, its pupils surging with the Origin power left behind after the remnants of the Twenty Kings' souls were devoured.
The crack in the fourth chain was widening, and fine lines were beginning to appear on the fifth chain as well.
Below, Garp and Sengoku, along with Sakazuki, Borsalino, and the others who had just retreated, withdrew from the battlefield.
They stood on the edge of the ruined Sabaody Archipelago.
Behind them were charred ruins and piles of naval corpses, while in front of them stretched a dark red, overwhelming Demonic Energy from the direction of Mary Geoise.
The Golden Giant Buddha form of the Sengoku has been dispelled, and he has returned to human form. His Fleet Admiral's cloak is torn to shreds, and there is a trace of blood on the corner of his mouth that he did not have time to wipe away.
The crane stood beside him, its ability to Wash-Wash Fruit flickering between its fingertips.
Akainu was being half-supported and half-dragged by Kizaru, his left arm hanging at an unnatural angle, and blood seeping from his wounds.
The knife wound on Kizaru's right shoulder was so deep that the bone was visible, and the golden light particles were so thin that they were almost invisible.
But their faces looked even worse than their injuries.
When that strange power surged again, the Devil Fruit User also felt the pull.
That pulling sensation from deep within, that trembling feeling of Origin being shaken.
Within Sengoku's body, the power of the Buddha Form surged uncontrollably for a moment, golden Buddha light shining through his skin, only to be forcibly suppressed by him.
Akainu's magma surged through his meridians for a moment, causing the solidified lava to reignite and seep from his wounds, only to be forcefully extinguished by himself.
Kizaru's light particles exploded at his fingertips, then fell silent like a candle flame being extinguished.
Crane's Wash-Wash Fruit power throbbed violently in her palm; she clenched her fist so tightly that her nails dug into her palm.
They all felt it.
That force was tearing at every Devil Fruit User, extracting the "devilish" Devil Fruit User from their bodies.
If they weren't Marine Admiral Fleet Admiral, or Chief of Staff, if their Haki wasn't deep enough, and if their Devil Fruit abilities hadn't been developed to the Awakening level, they would probably be dead in their twisted state right now, just like those pirates in the small town.
"Sakazuki," Sengoku spoke, his voice hoarse like sandpaper rubbing against sheet metal, "You felt it?"
Akainu remained silent.
He simply clenched his fists tighter, his knuckles turning white.
Kizaru leaned against him, his lips pressed into a thin line, and his usually lazy eyes were now churning with some extremely complex emotions.
He glanced down at his hands; the golden particles of light flickered on his fingertips, thinner than before.
He sensed it too.
That feeling of being pulled, that trembling sensation of Origin being shaken.
Garp stood in front of them, his arms covered in jet-black Armament Haki, with Conqueror's Haki's Haki swirling around him.
He is not Devil Fruit User.
He didn't feel that pull.