The sea of flames churned, lightning tore through the sky, and poisonous mist coiled low overhead like rotting miasma.
The entire island was no longer a pirate haven. It was more like an execution ground awaiting judgment.
The moment Sakazuki landed, every pirate's fighting spirit shattered completely.
"Run... run now—!!!"
"Akainu... and Azure Dragon... this isn't a fight we can win!!!"
"Stay alive! As long as we stay alive—!!!"
Fear spread like a plague.
Faster than the poisonous mist, deeper than the lightning.
Some threw down their weapons. Others shoved their companions over and used them as stepping stones.
Some even dove headfirst into the sea, not caring whether it was magma-churned waters or a death zone still laced with lightning.
The so-called "Hachinosu order," the so-called "pirate creed," all crumbled in that instant.
Only the most primitive desire remained—to survive.
Marqi stood at the edge of the ruins.
Her breathing was ragged, her pupils constantly contracting.
The face that had always been composed and cold had completely fallen apart.
"No... impossible..."
She murmured under her breath, her voice stripped of its former cadence.
She turned to flee, but her steps faltered.
"Bang!"
She crashed hard onto the ground.
The earth had long been corroded by the poisonous mist, softened into rotten mud.
She braced herself with both hands, her fingertips sinking into the flesh-like mud. The burning pain meant nothing to her.
She looked up at the island giant struggling to rise again in the distance—her last support.
"Boss...!"
She reached out, her voice carrying a plea even she had not realized was there.
Yet—
What answered her was not rescue.
"Shk—!"
A long blade suddenly pierced through her body from behind. Marqi's pupils widened sharply!
Her breath broke off, blood bubbling from her throat.
She turned her head