"Newgate, Sengoku, stop fighting."
"I'm here to end this war."
Whitebeard was slightly surprised, unsure what Roger was up to.
Sengoku's expression darkened as he considered what trick Roger might be plotting.
His eyes stayed fixed on Roger, never letting his guard down.
Seeing their expressions, Roger spoke again to explain.
"Trust me."
"We can't let Rocks get his hands on that thing."
"Otherwise..."
After speaking, Roger looked at Whitebeard, who was watching him.
Whitebeard stared back at Roger for several seconds, then suddenly put away his Naginata and turned to leave, his booming voice ringing out:
"Gurararara! Is that so? Then I'll trust you."
With Whitebeard's departure, Sengoku's expression relaxed a little.
His expression was unreadable, his eyes still locked on Roger, but he stepped back a few paces to let him through.
"Thanks."
Roger grinned and ran, sword in hand, toward Golden Lion and Garp, who were locked in fierce combat:
"Divine Departure!"
An arc of Sword Aura shot out, crackling with lightning.
It tore through the sky, slashing toward Golden Lion and Garp.
Roger charged right behind it.
As Roger joined the battle, Sword Aura crisscrossed the air, accompanied by Garp's attacks.
Golden Lion was clearly no match for the two of them. After some unknown exchange, he suddenly shot into the sky and flew toward the edge of the island.
Halfway into the air, however, he suddenly turned around:
"Lion: Thousand-Cut Valley!"
Golden crescents of Sword Aura filled the sky, rushing toward Roger and Garp.
Then Golden Lion's voice rang out with a savage laugh:
"Roger."
"Let's fight again in the New World!"
"Jihahahaha!!!!"
Boom-
Roger and Garp shattered Golden Lion's Sword Aura and exchanged a smile, then charged toward the battle raging deeper inside.
With the Roger Pirates joining the fray and Whitebeard and Golden Lion leaving, the scales of victory gradually tipped.
Elsewhere.
"Maser Cannon."
The towering Charlotte Linlin activated her Devil Fruit ability.
Prometheus held the end of the blade in his mouth while its tip passed through Zeus, forming a closed energy circuit.
A high-density laser beam fired out, forcing back Rayleigh and CP0, who had joined the battle.
"Damn it."
She had just driven Rayleigh back when she saw Sengoku closing in on her.
Thinking of Whitebeard and Golden Lion's departure, Charlotte Linlin, who had been fighting fiercely for half the day, knew she no longer had any chance of winning.
Gritting her teeth, she turned and swiftly retreated toward the edge of the island.
"Buddha Shockwave."
Seeing Charlotte Linlin fleeing, Sengoku raised his hand and blasted out a golden shockwave.
"Armament!"
Drawing on her natural physical gifts, Charlotte Linlin covered her entire body in Armament Haki.
She took the attack head-on.
Using the shockwave's force, she accelerated away from the battlefield.
Silver Axe, held up by two powerful slaves wearing explosive collars around their necks, was not so lucky. Surrounded, he could not fight his way out:
"Damn it!!!"
"Gaban! Is Roger trying to make an enemy of Lord Rocks?!"
Gaban grinned without a word and swung his axes faster.
His blows forced Silver Axe back again and again. The two slaves seized their chance, coating their hands in Haki.
They grabbed Silver Axe from either side. The instant his arms were pinned down-
"Meteor!"
Gaban hurled his twin axes, coated in Armament Haki, at the exposed Silver Axe. The black axes pierced his iron armor.
They tore through the left and right sides of Silver Axe's chest, then curved back into Gaban's hands.
"Dam...n it... Aagh..."
The iron-armored figure fell backward. Silver Axe, a great pirate under Rocks's command, died in battle...
As Sengoku, Rayleigh, Gaban, and the others joined the fighting, John, Ochoku, and the other great pirates under Rocks scattered and fled... or were captured...
Viewed from above.
Kaido's escape route deeper into God Valley happened to intersect with Charlotte Linlin's route as she broke away from the fighting.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Without his Devil Fruit ability, Kaido was not yet the monstrous Damage Sponge he would become.
His body was covered in corrosive burns. His brush with death had drained him severely, leaving him utterly exhausted as he fled.
His eyes bloodshot, he kept charging forward without looking back.
He sensed the presence ahead. Faster! Faster! Faster!!!
Sakazuki likewise sensed a powerful presence enter his range of perception.
Seeing his nearly secured prey about to escape, a ruthless glint flashed through Sakazuki's eyes.
Life Absorption.
Red Lotus Mode! Activate!
Having exhausted himself with several powerful attacks earlier, Sakazuki no longer had enough strength to activate red lotus mode.
Yet he used Life Absorption, forcibly drawing on life force until his body shrank noticeably.
He activated red lotus mode, and boiling vapor instantly rose from his entire body.
"Hell Hound!"
Sakazuki burst forward, reached Kaido's back, and drove a fist into it.
Squelch!
He increased his power output. With the sound of flesh being pierced, a magma arm tore through Kaido's body from his back!!!
"Aaaaah!!!!"
With his body impaled and pinned to the ground, Kaido wailed in agony until he finally could hold on no longer.
His eyes rolled back, and he passed out.
Just then.
"Stop right there!!!"
An angry roar rang out in the distance.
A will that seemed powerful enough to overturn heaven and earth surged toward Sakazuki and slammed into him, leaving him dizzy.
"Ikoku Sovereignty!!!"
A purple, arrow-shaped wave of Sword Aura tore through the sky, slashing toward Sakazuki...
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