God Valley's End, the Final Strike

"Lin Nuo—!"

The instant Lin Nuo fell from midair, a black bolt of lightning streaked toward him!

Enduring the searing pain in his body and the weakness of total exhaustion, Rocks burst forth with his last ounce of speed and caught the unconscious Lin Nuo.

His body was cold to the touch, and his breathing was faint.

But he was still alive!

"Urgh..."

Holding Lin Nuo, Rocks kept his eyes locked on the scene ahead.

There, Imu was bound by the flaming chains Lin Nuo had unleashed in his final burst. Dark energy and blue flames clashed fiercely.

The chains flickered unsteadily, clearly unable to hold on much longer.

But this brief restraint—this hard-won opening!

"Kid!"

Rocks abruptly turned toward Kuma, who stood behind Garp with a pale face.

"Didn't Lin Nuo say you have some special ability?! Hurry! Take this chance and send him away!"

"Send him somewhere with no Marines and no World Government forces!"

Kuma shuddered, immediately understanding what Rocks meant.

He nodded hard, rushed out from behind Garp, raised his palms with their pink paw pads, and aimed them at Lin Nuo in Rocks's arms, ready to activate his power.

However—

"Urgh!"

Kuma's little face flushed red at once. The paw pads on his palms glowed faintly, yet he could not use his Devil Fruit power.

Even temporarily restrained, the waves of Haki leaking from Imu still interfered with the use of Devil Fruit abilities!

"I can't... the Haki... is too strong..."

Kuma spoke with difficulty, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

Hearing that, the muscles in Rocks's face twitched.

He looked down at Lin Nuo, then raised his eyes toward the demon that was about to break free from the chains.

"Is that so... I understand."

Rocks's voice sank.

He laid Lin Nuo on the ground beside him, then slowly straightened and gripped the curved blade that had followed him through countless battles once more.

The blade hummed.

"Then, next..."

Rocks drew a deep breath, gathering every remnant of his Haki at the blade's edge.

"This will be my final strike."

With his back to Kuma, he said decisively, "I'll attack without holding anything back and disrupt her Haki!"

"Kid, watch for the opening. You have to send him away!"

Kuma looked at Rocks's back and nodded heavily.

The next moment, Rocks moved!

A pitch-black blade of light containing all his power streaked forth like a meteor tearing through eternal night.

It slashed toward Imu, who was trying to break free from the final flaming chain.

"Abyssal Finale: God Burial!"

"Imu—!!"

Imu seemed to sense the threat contained in that strike as well.

Several thick spider-like limbs, wrapped in black-red lightning, met the black blade of light head-on!

Boom!!!

An energy storm exploded, lightning and blade light intertwining madly.

The surging Haki shockwaves swept in every direction like a tsunami!

Now!

At the center of the collision, the violent conflict between two supreme Hakis instead created a momentary local "vacuum."

The suppressive force Imu had cast over the entire battlefield wavered ever so slightly.

Kuma had long been poised to act.

Using every ounce of strength in his body, he fiercely struck through the air at the unconscious Lin Nuo on the ground!

"Pressure: Ejection!"

Bang!

A transparent, paw-shaped bubble instantly enveloped Lin Nuo and shot rapidly away in the direction opposite the battlefield.

Yet just as the bubble had traveled less than ten meters—

A powerful Haki shockwave chased after it and slammed viciously into the bubble.

The bubble shook violently and warped.

Kuma jumped in fright.

Fortunately, the bubble merely halted sharply for an instant, ripples spreading across its surface.

In the end, it stubbornly withstood the impact, accelerated even faster, and turned into a streak of light that vanished completely beyond the distant horizon.

It worked!

"Ha... hahaha..."

Kuma panted heavily, but a relieved smile appeared on his face.

At the very moment Lin Nuo was successfully sent away—

"Bang!"

A blood-soaked figure flew backward from the center of the explosion and crashed heavily onto the ground. It was Rocks.

He coughed violently, trying to prop himself up with his sword, but could only drop to one knee in vain.

His final strike had ultimately failed to break through Imu's defenses, instead driving him into the desperate state of utter exhaustion.

"Hey, Rocks, you look pretty pathetic right now."

A steady voice rang out.

Whitebeard strode firmly to Rocks's side, planting Murakumogiri heavily against the ground as the power of tremors spread faintly outward.

"I'll indulge you, my 'captain,' in one last bout of madness. Just this once."

"Gurararara...!"

Rocks spat out a mouthful of blood and forced a difficult smile.

"Newgate... you're still such a meddler..."

"How could I stay out of a scene this lively?"

From the other side—

Roger's figure flashed into view as well. Ace pointed diagonally at the ground, and his face still wore that carefree, uninhibited smile.

Yet the depths of his eyes burned with the same resolute light.

"If future generations find out that I, Gol D. Roger, left the stage early in such an important battle, where would I put my pride?"

"Hmph! A bunch of pirates, acting all righteous!"

Heavy footsteps sounded as Garp clenched his blackened fists and took his place in this hastily formed battle line.

Rocks, Whitebeard, Roger, and Garp.

The tyrant of the old era who had sought to overthrow the world, the Whitebeard who would lead the seas, the Pirate King who would usher in a new era, and the hero of Marine Headquarters.

Four men with utterly different identities now stood shoulder to shoulder on the same front.

Facing the same terrifying enemy, one beyond all conventional understanding.

There was no need for further words.

Bzz—

Four incomparably powerful waves of Conqueror's Haki erupted from their bodies once more.

This time, their auras were no longer scattered. They resonated with one another, converging together!

Even Imu's movements paused slightly beneath this unprecedented united pressure.

A roar rose in all four of their hearts at the same time.

No holding back, no path of retreat—this was the final combined attack, staking everything on the line!

With their final roars and unwavering will, the four figures launched their final charge at that demon!!