Newgate's Departure

The deserted island groaned beneath their feet, cracks spreading like festering wounds across every inch of its skeletal frame.

The rock strata split, the crust heaved, and rubble continually fell into the sea amid the aftershocks of lightning and tremors, as though the entire island was being erased by the world's own hand.

Newgate slowly drove Murakumogiri into the ground.

The blade trembled, letting out a deep, resonant hum, as if sighing over this unfinished battle.

He raised his head, his face still carrying that bold, unrestrained spirit, as though not even heaven and earth could bend him.

"Gurararara..."

"Looks like we won't be able to finish this today, brat."

Rock stood straight amid the lightning, his breathing not yet fully settled. His Lightning Armor flickered unstably, but his gaze remained sharp.

Currents danced across his fingertips with faint crackling sounds. His voice was low. "What?"

"Trying to run, Newgate?"

Newgate did not answer at once. He merely cast a sidelong glance toward the churning sea in the distance.

That pirate ship, on the verge of collapse, was forcing its way through the wind and waves. Its hull was covered in cracks, and its masts leaned crookedly.

At the bow, Kaido was covered in wounds, bruises from the heavy blow still visible on his shoulder. His spiked club was embedded in the deck, and he could barely remain standing by leaning on it.

Buckin clutched the railing tightly, her expression anxious, her voice nearly hoarse as she directed the ship with near-hysterical desperation.

Newgate withdrew his gaze and grinned. His crescent-shaped white mustache stood out especially clearly under the lightning.

"Brat, cheap taunts won't work on me~"

"There'll be plenty of chances in the future!"

The instant he finished speaking, he abruptly spread both arms!

"Quake—!!!"

An invisible vibration erupted from him with a thunderous blast!

The entire deserted island seemed like a giant drum struck head-on. Mountains split apart, rock strata collapsed, and the island lost its structural integrity in an instant!

"Rumble—!!!"

The earth came apart. Newgate pulled out Murakumogiri and leaped into the air. At the instant he took off—

"Boom!!!"

The ground beneath his feet shook once more!

That single stomp completely shattered the deserted island, turning it into countless massive boulders and fragments that plunged into the sea!

And Newgate's mountain-like body, propelled by that recoil, shot toward the pirate ship like a cannonball fired by the earth itself!

"I'm off—!!!"

Rock's pupils suddenly contracted. "Bastard! You really are fucking running—?!!"

Lightning exploded as he instantly transformed into a streak of lightning that pierced heaven and earth, tearing through the storm in pursuit!

Midair, Newgate suddenly turned around and swept Murakumogiri sideways!

"Boom—!!!"

A vibration-infused Chop Wave cleaved through the lightning, forcibly tearing the flash into several arcs of electricity as Newgate crashed heavily onto the pirate ship's stern!

"Bang!!!"

The ship shook violently, and the deck cracked apart!

Kaido and Buckin were both jolted into stumbling backward, nearly unable to keep their footing.

"Hey?! Newgate, what are you doing—?!"

Stussy had barely shouted when her expression suddenly changed.

Stinging. Burning.

Lightning Roar exploded against her skin!

She abruptly looked up—

An even more violent, even purer streak of lightning was tearing through the air, carrying unspent fighting spirit and fury as it charged straight at them!

"It's not over yet—!!!"

Newgate did not turn around.

He paid no heed to the lightning relentlessly chasing behind him. His gaze sharpened as it locked onto the Marine warship closing in at full speed from the other side—

The next moment, the muscles in his left arm swelled like mountains.

He drew it back sharply as the air around his fist began to twist and crack violently.

"Seaquake!!!"

"Crack—!!!"

He threw a savage punch, as though he had shattered the entire world.

The air splintered like a mirror, vibrations driving deep into the sea. The next instant, the ocean collapsed, churned, and rose!

A colossal tsunami rose from the sea, blotting out the sky. Its towering wall of water roared as it crashed toward the warship!

A shadow instantly swallowed the entire warship. On the deck, alarm cries tore through the air—

"Tsunami—!!!"

"Straight ahead!!"

"There's no time to evade!!!"

Before the massive wave even fell, its oppressive force had already made the ship groan under the strain.

At that critical moment—

"Bzzzt—!!!"

A blinding flash of lightning erupted at the bow.

Rock appeared in an instant, hovering directly in front of the warship. Lightning gathered beneath his feet into a violent wheel of light, and almost at the same time—

"Soru!"

Zephyr stepped off the deck, the planks beneath his feet exploding into splinters as the gale reversed.

He raised his right fist. Armament Haki rapidly covered his entire arm like molten iron, his muscles tightening as veins bulged.

The two stood side by side before the towering wave.

There were no unnecessary words, only a brief exchange of glances.

The next instant—

"Boom—!!!"

Lightning erupted first, transforming into a blazing white pillar that pierced heaven and earth, tore through the storm, and stabbed straight into the tsunami's core!

Following close behind was Zephyr's iron fist. His punch compressed the air, carrying a force that seemed capable of punching through the world as it struck head-on!

Lightning and fist wind! At the same moment, they smashed into the tsunami's heart!

"Rumble—!!!"

A deafening blast swept in all directions.

The towering wall of water, like some giant beast being torn apart, let out one last roar before completely collapsing in midair!

The curtain of water exploded, becoming countless broken waves that poured down like torrential rain upon the sea; foam drifted like snow, dancing across the sky in the lingering glow of lightning.

The backwash of air overturned the clouds, revealing a pale, empty expanse of sky.

The entire warship was shoved into violent rocking by the shockwave. Its hull groaned beneath the pressure, yet it stubbornly held its course.

On the deck, every Marine stood frozen in place. Their eyes could not leave the bow.

There—

The lightning-wreathed youth and the iron-armed vice admiral stood side by side.

One was as sharp as lightning; the other as steady as a mountain.

Amid the churning sea mist and remnants of the waves, that scene seemed frozen in time, like two gods standing guard over the ocean.

After the tsunami was destroyed, the raging waves gradually calmed.

All that remained upon the sea was white mist torn apart by lightning and iron fists, along with endlessly rolling remnants of the waves slowly dispersing beneath the sunlight.

The pirate ship carrying Newgate had long since vanished without a trace.

At the edge of sight, the small deserted island that had borne the clash between two monstrous powerhouses was slowly yet irreversibly falling apart—

Rock strata collapsed, and the island's foundation fractured.

Massive chunks fell into the sea, splashing up one weak ripple after another. It was as though even the earth itself could not withstand such power.

Zephyr stood at the bow, watching the wreckage gradually sink as he let out a long breath.

His voice carried helplessness, as well as a trace of relief even he had not noticed. "You two... honestly."

Rock stood amid lightning that had yet to completely fade, his gaze following the direction in which the pirate ship had disappeared.

After a moment, he suddenly smiled. "As expected of the strongest Paramecia."

"Compared to a monster like that..."

"I'm still far from his level~"

On the deck behind them, the Marines remained silent.

They merely watched those two figures from behind, while reverence quietly took root in every heart.