"Trying to run? It won't be that easy!" Sakazuki roared, drawing upon the full power of the Hell Furnace. "Today, this sky will be your burial ground!"
Just as all Four Battlefields fell into their fiercest confrontations, a miracle that no one had anticipated occurred.
In some corner of the world, the simple gravestone on Sphinx Island began to emit a faint white glow. The name "Edward Newgate" carved upon it seemed to come alive, the letters beginning to shimmer.
This was not an isolated phenomenon.
In Loguetown of the East Blue, Gol D. Roger's execution platform suddenly erupted with a pillar of golden light that shot into the heavens. On an unnamed island in the Grand Line, a gravestone bearing the name "Zephyr" also began to glow. Deep within the New World, Vice Admiral Garp's cenotaph gave off a warmth as radiant as the Sun.
Across the entire world, the resting places of all those departed legends awakened at the same moment.
"What... is this phenomenon?" Princess Vivi of Alabasta stared in shock at the countless pillars of light appearing in the distant sky. "Why are so many places glowing?"
Doflamingo of Dressrosa also sensed the anomaly. His Observation Haki allowed him to perceive the incomparably powerful force of will contained within those lights.
"Fufufu... a will of this caliber... has already surpassed the boundary between life and death..." Reverence colored Doflamingo's laughter. "Those people... won't rest in peace even after death?"
On Sphinx Island, Whitebeard's gravestone shone ever more brightly.
Suddenly, a colossal figure slowly emerged from the light. It was the soul projection of the World's Strongest Man—Edward Newgate. Even in the form of a Heroic Spirit, he still radiated awe-inspiring majesty.
"Gurararara... looks like the brats have run into trouble..." Whitebeard's Heroic Spirit looked down at