An island, a colossal meteor descending from the heavens, shattered the cloud layer and crashed towards the sea.
The monumental disturbance did not escape Rosen's Observation Haki.
In fact, ten seconds before the island began its ten-thousand-meter fall, he had already glimpsed the future. He saw it all.
"Grurararara!"
"It seems..."
"My era is far from over!"
At that moment, Edward Newgate, kneeling on one knee, grinned and let out a low, rumbling laugh.
"I see."
"How ironic!"
"The world's strongest man has been reduced to placing his hopes on others."
Hearing this, Rosen merely glanced at the plummeting island before dismissing it entirely. He made no move to intercept.
"A pity. You chose the wrong man."
"Relics of a bygone era, be it one or two, are nothing but a disgrace."
"Is that so, Shiki?"
His eyes, glowing crimson, shot out two beams of scarlet light that seemed to pierce the clouds and the void itself, fixing on a point tens of thousands of meters above.
His voice disregarded distance, reaching directly to the top of the descending mass.
A moment later.
"Heh heh heh heh heh!"
A wave of arrogant, domineering laughter, filled with supreme hubris, rolled down from the island like a sonic boom.
Simultaneously, a figure streaked through the air with incredible speed, easily vaulting over the falling island and striking at Rosen's head.
Long, golden hair resembling a lion's mane exuded an aura of overwhelming power. The moment he landed, a surge of Conqueror's Haki, like a mighty river, rushed towards Rosen.
But to Rosen, this level of Conqueror's Haki was nothing more than a gentle breeze, offering only a slight coolness.
"Don't you like the gift I prepared for your Marines?"
"Rosen."
Shiki looked at the composed Rosen, outwardly arrogant but inwardly serious.
He had witnessed the Pirate King at his peak, a Conqueror's Haki that surpassed even his own and Whitebeard's. He had witnessed the aura of the King of the World, a peak beyond all others.
But neither Rocks D. Xebec nor Gol D. Roger could have defeated the strongest man in his prime with just five punches. The man before him was different.
"A greeting gift? You, the Golden Lion, dare to challenge the Marines?"
Rosen shook his head and chuckled.
BOOM!
Before Shiki could retort, a figure wreathed in crimson light shot into the sky from the distant battlefield, a streak of fire hurtling towards the falling island. It was Sakazuki.
"Get down here!"
On the sea's surface, Jinbe drew circles with his hands, manipulating massive currents to create a giant whirlpool, then thrust his arms upward.
A powerful water cannon, a torrent of the sea, shot towards Sakazuki.
"I don't have time for this."
Sensing Jinbe's attack, Sakazuki didn't even look. He retaliated with a backhand, his palm erupting with a volcano's fury. But he didn't aim at Jinbe.
The magma formed humanoid figures in mid-air, then solidified. Their clothes, height, and appearance became identical to Sakazuki's.
Like Borsalino with his Glint-Glint Fruit, Sakazuki, a Logia user, could do the same. He had created magma clones—dozens of them.
These magma clones, upon appearing, all clenched their fists and threw simultaneous punches at Jinbe.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Over a dozen magma fists, like burning meteors, first incinerated Jinbe's water cannon, turning it into a massive cloud of steam. Then, the remaining fists wove a burning net, encircling Jinbe on the sea surface.
Even combined, these clones' power was less than a tenth of Sakazuki's main blow. But magma was still magma, its temperature unchanged.
Faced with over a dozen weakened magma fists, even Jinbe could only dive into the sea to avoid the onslaught.
Having shaken off Jinbe, Sakazuki soared a thousand meters into the air, landing before the falling island.
"I don't care if you're Shiki the Golden Lion or anything else. That gives you no right to act recklessly."
Sakazuki's fist, a cannonball of magma, struck straight at the heavens.
"Great Eruption!"
With a deafening roar, his fist erupted like a supervolcano, spewing a massive torrent of magma. It formed a colossal, burning fist, imbued with volcanic force and the powerful Armament Haki of a world-class fighter, slamming upwards into the island's base.
Sizzle.
As the magma fist made contact, the solid rock layer melted instantly, like butter in a flame, offering no resistance.
Bang.
In a short moment, after the island had been slammed from ten thousand meters high, the magma fist pierced it from bottom to surface. Like a skewer, it exploded, incinerating everything. A massive magma shockwave erupted from the hollow island, shattering it into countless burning volcanic bombs that rained down on the battlefield like meteors.
Under Sakazuki's control, the overwhelming net of volcanic bombs landed entirely on the Whitebeard Pirates' area.
Bang bang bang bang bang!
Countless volcanic bombs slammed into the battlefield. Large numbers of Whitebeard's crew were smashed, their heads bleeding, limbs burned, and screaming in agony.
The Marines, of course, were not spared, but their numbers were small, and Sakazuki had carefully avoided them. Furthermore, all Marines wore combat suits, capable of intercepting smaller bombs with lasers, lightning, or flames, or dodging entirely. If hit, their suits protected them.
The pirates, however, relied on their physical strength and Armament Haki. Even if they could withstand it, they were badly wounded. If they couldn't, they died.
All of this was clearly seen by Shiki, standing proudly in the void. The island he summoned not only failed to aid the Whitebeard Pirates but made things worse. The smile on his face gradually froze.
"That's it?"
Rosen noted the change in Shiki's expression.
"On my own, perhaps I am not qualified. But..." Shiki's face turned ugly, but he forced a smile. "If I recall correctly, during your Admiral conferment ceremony, you didn't challenge just the Whitebeard Pirates, but all Four Emperors."
As he finished speaking, the sound of tearing silk echoed from the sea of clouds above the battlefield.
Swoosh!
Holes were torn in the clouds. Immediately, pirate ships with pink curly hair and lipstick-covered skull-and-crossbones flags broke through, making a powerful entrance.
"That's..."
"Charlotte Katakuri."
"Charlotte Perospero."
"Charlotte Cracker."
"Charlotte Daifuku."
"Charlotte Oven."
...
Gion, Kake, and the other naval personnel glanced over, their expressions subtly changing. Every ship flew Big Mom's flag, and the decks were filled with her children. This wasn't a small force. The Big Mom Pirates had arrived in full.
"They really came after all."
Sakazuki's expression grew more serious.
One Yonko is a threat. Two Yonko crews fighting together is a catastrophe. Especially when the Whitebeard and Big Mom Pirates can mobilize their entire forces, while the Marines must keep Garp and Sengoku at Marine Headquarters and the Judge Restricted Area.
With the Big Mom Pirates' entry, the favorable situation for the Marines was inevitably reversed. They were now facing two Yonko crews simultaneously.
While the Marine Science Unit was elite, their small number meant casualties were inevitable. The combined officer-level combat power of two Yonko crews had doubled.
"Ara ara ara ara!"
"What's this?"
"A Rocks Pirates reunion?"
Kuzan glanced towards Rosen. Since the entire Big Mom Pirates had come, Charlotte Linlin herself had to be present.
"Whitebeard, Shiki, and Big Mom."
"Mr. Sengoku was absolutely right."
"The Rocks Pirates are about to be resurrected."
A hint of apprehension flashed in Borsalino's eyes. The long-lost Golden Lion, plus Charlotte Linlin. That meant Rosen was facing the combined attack of three Emperor-level warriors alone.
And indeed, Borsalino's prediction came true. As the Big Mom Pirates' fleet landed, a heavily made-up, enormous figure carrying a ferocious greatsword stood atop thunderclouds, accompanied by the sun, and landed directly above Edward Newgate.
"Mmmmmm!"
Charlotte Linlin, atop the thundercloud Zeus, looked down at Rosen.
"Rosen."
"Your challenge, I accept."##
—-