BOOM!!
Conqueror's Haki surged into the sky.
The sea sank in a ring, as though pressed down by an invisible giant hand, and the clouds high above split straight down the middle.
Marco narrowed his eyes. The Blue Flames behind him flickered weakly, their fierce blaze from his arrival long gone.
Jozu stood to his left, cracks covering his diamond body.
Vista was in even worse shape. Blood still seeped from the wound in his abdomen, and the edges of both his Rapiers were badly chipped.
But none of the three gave an inch.
Shanks held Griffin at his side. His voice was calm, but the pressure behind it was absolute.
"Move."
Marco caught his breath and spat out a mouthful of bloody foam.
"Can't do that."
Shanks's gaze darkened completely.
The next instant, he vanished.
BOOM!
Wreathed in Conqueror's Haki, Griffin came down toward Marco's head.
Jozu stepped across his path and met the blow with his diamond shoulder.
CLANG!
The blade bit into the diamond, and black-red lightning exploded along its edge.
CRACK!
Chunks of the already fractured diamond shell shattered from Jozu's shoulder. The force buckled his knees and caved in the rock beneath his feet.
But he did not retreat. Instead, he thrust up both hands and locked Griffin's blade in place.
Blue Flames swept in from the side as Marco leaped into a kick.
"Phoenix Stamp!"
BOOM!
The Blue Flames compressed into a dazzling blue shockwave. Shanks had no choice but to pull his sword back to block.
BANG!
The aftershock hurled Jozu away, while Marco coughed blood and staggered back more than ten meters.
Before either could regain his footing, Vista stepped in.
His twin swords struck from left and right, scattering rose petals across the air.
CLANG! CLANG, CLANG, CLANG!
They clashed dozens