The skies over the Sabaody Archipelago had grown calm at some point. The torrential rain had vanished, and a rainbow hung overhead.
A breeze swept past, stirring the dust on the ground as a shaft of sunlight shone down. The atmosphere, dark and oppressive just a moment earlier, had now grown peaceful.
The battle between two world-renowned legends had stopped.
Their figures stood motionless on the battlefield, seemingly staring at each other. Neither moved. The spectators nearby stood still as well.
Everything seemed calm again, with none of the overwhelming spectacle of raging storms and relentless shock waves from before.
Yet the atmosphere now felt even more solemn, weighing heavily on their hearts.
The two men on the battlefield were not simply standing still. One could no longer move, while a long, narrow bloody gash was visibly forming on the other's body, blood slowly trickling down his frame.
"Dark King Rayleigh!"
Kizaru murmured.
Though they were enemies, that did nothing to prevent admiration from welling up in his heart.
Even in death, Rayleigh's body remained perfectly straight. He stood silently on the battlefield, facing his opponent.
Even his eyes remained open, gazing into the distance.
"It's over!"
Aokiji sighed and raised his head to look at the sky.
The dense clouds had long since scattered on the wind, and Sabaody's weather had returned to normal.
"What a spectacular clash of world-class fighters!"
"Admiral River has claimed the final victory!"
Sentomaru exclaimed in awe.
Neither the eleven Supernovas nor Monkey D. Luffy's brutal beating of a Celestial Dragon could compare to this battle.
In a distant neighborhood, the Marines looked uncertainly at the restored weather and sky, feeling the oppressive, suffocating sensation in their hearts recede like the tide.
"Is it over?"
"Who won this battle?"
"Dark King Rayleigh or Admiral