Blackbeard's Officers Close In

At that moment, the central plaza of Hachinosu seemed to be torn apart by an invisible hand descending from the heavens.

Rumble—!

A gray comet, wreathed in boundless Haki, tore through the snowstorm and dark-red smoke. It crashed into the most chaotic corner of the battlefield with savage force. The instant that gray streak struck, much of Hachinosu's outer harbor shattered.

"Who is that? More Marine reinforcements?"

"No! That Obsidian warship... It's Rain, the Ashen Reaper! The monster who brought down Kaido of the Beasts and Doflamingo!"

The pirates' bloodthirsty roars turned to screams of terror when they saw the black-clad man emerge from the smoking ruins.

The thousands of Blackbeard Pirates, along with Rear Admiral Kujaku, Hibari, and the other Marines fighting for their lives, all went pale. No one had expected the Rock Sovereign—the man who had nearly overturned the balance of power in the New World—to force his way into the heart of this storm so suddenly.

At the center of the battlefield, Garp had just punched two pirates into clouds of blood. A sharp glint flashed through his bloodshot eyes. Across from him, former Marine Admiral Kuzan showed a rare flicker of grave caution beneath his icy expression.

But Rain gave none of them time to react.

"Trash who dare call yourselves kings in front of me... Become fertilizer for the earth."

Rain stood with his hands behind his back and raised his dark-gray eyes beneath his hat. Then he stepped forward.

"Crust Rampage!"

Crack—!

A ring of gray energy surged outward. The ground of Hachinosu, built from ancient stone and steel, boiled and melted. Thousands of low-ranking Blackbeard Pirates had no time even to scream before the earth beneath them became a rocky mire, swallowed them, and made them part of the gray domain.

Without