A kilometer beneath the ocean's surface, surrounded by a whirlpool's fury.
Protected by the fractured head of his Susanoo, Rosen was tossed violently within the maelstrom. The crushing pressure of the deep sea—equivalent to carrying the weight of the entire New World—pounded against him. Even for a master of Haki, this was lethal.
But Rosen didn't panic.
His eyes glowed with crimson light as the rhombus-shaped crystal around him began to warp and crack. He gripped his unreleased Zanpakutō tighter.
"Bankai."
His blade released a wave of freezing air that exploded outward like an Ice Age.
"Daiguren Hyōrinmaru."
CRACK!
The Susanoo and crystal shattered, unleashing a torrent of absolute zero. The surrounding ocean currents froze instantly, stopping just half a meter from Rosen's body. The entire ten-kilometer whirlpool became a solid vortex of ice. From the surface down to the seabed, a hundred-kilometer radius was frozen in a heartbeat.
The turbulent sea transformed into a frozen wasteland.
Edward Newgate stared in disbelief at the vortex-shaped ice sculpture. "He's at ten thousand meters..."
Charlotte Linlin paled. "The entire seabed... frozen solid?"
Shiki broke into a cold sweat. "How can he still use his Devil Fruit power?"
"The Arms-Arms Fruit isn't that convenient," Rosen's voice echoed.
A chill ran down the Three Emperors' spines.
CRACK!
A massive fissure split the ice field. From the abyss, an enormous ice dragon erupted, blotting out the sun. Atop its head stood Rosen, his white coat fluttering.
"We meet again," Rosen said calmly. "As a reward for your performance, I'll show you the true power of the strongest ice-type Zanpakutō."
Edward Newgate recognized the blade. "Hyōrinmaru's Bankai..."
"Don't let those ice shards touch you!" Newgate roared, striking the air with his quake-fist. The atmosphere shattered like glass, dispersing the cherry-blossom-like ice flakes.
"The Ice Heaven Hundred Flower Burial is Shikai," Rosen said, descending onto the ice. "This is something else."
The moment Rosen took a step, Edward Newgate felt true terror—like a god of death was approaching.
"Lord Lion's Roar: Imperial Ice Scroll!" Shiki summoned four mountain-sized ice lions from the depths.
"Prometheus! Zeus!" Linlin unleashed pillars of lightning and fire from above.
Rosen took his second step, swinging Great Crimson Lotus Hyōrinmaru.
CLANG!
Four ice pillars erupted, freezing the lions mid-charge. The lightning and fire shattered against Rosen's aura.
"Airquake!" Newgate punched the void. The ice plain cracked as shockwaves tore through reality.
Rosen stopped—his third step interrupted.
"Now!" Shiki thrust his blade upward. An iceberg erupted beneath Rosen, launching him into the air.
"Mom, finish him!" Shiki shouted.
Linlin dove from Zeus, Napoleon crackling with Conqueror's Haki lightning, aiming for Rosen's neck.
BOOM!
Rosen didn't even look. Ice wings armored in black Haki sprouted from his back, blocking the strike. The impact created a shockwave that leveled the ice for kilometers, but the wings remained unscathed.
Hiss—freezing air raced up Napoleon, ignoring Linlin's Haki and lightning, spreading toward her hand.
"Damn you!" Linlin released her sword, backward-flipping away.
Rosen's third step finally landed.
CRUNCH.
The ice beneath his feet turned to diamond-hard frost. The Three Emperors felt their blood chill.
"Zanpakutō Release: Shikai," Rosen murmured.
His blade dissolved into a thousand cherry blossom petals, swirling around him like a deadly blizzard.
"Scatter."
The petals shot forward like razors.
"Quake!" Newgate created a quake bubble, but the petals pierced through, shredding his coat and drawing blood.
"Prometheus, burn them!" Linlin commanded.
The fire homie exploded, but the petals simply passed through the flames, freezing them mid-air.
"Float!" Shiki attempted to escape, but the petals anticipated his movements, surrounding him from all angles.
"Ha!" Shiki unleashed a blast of Float-Float power, but the petals were coated in Armament Haki, anchoring them to space.
"King's Haki!" Newgate roared, his Conqueror's Haki flaring outward.
The ice field cracked for kilometers, but Rosen's own Haki flared in response, neutralizing the wave.
"Your Haki is impressive," Rosen admitted. "But you're fighting a man who's mastered Advanced Conqueror's Haki."
The petals converged.
Shiki tried to Float away, but—
SHHHHK!
A dozen petals pierced his limbs, pinning him to the ice like a butterfly specimen. Blood pooled around him.
"Shiki!" Newgate roared.
"Mom!" Shiki gasped.
Linlin charged, Prometheus and Zeus combining into a massive lightning-fire tornado. "Soul Pocus! Give me your lifespan!"
Rosen's eyes glowed. "Haki Core: Blut Vene."
A blue vein-pattern spread across his skin, deflecting the soul-stealing aura completely.
"And now... Bankai: Daiguren Hyōrinmaru."
The cherry blossoms froze mid-air, transforming into ice crystals shaped like dragon scales. The temperature dropped to absolute zero.
"Ice Dragon's Roar."
The massive ice dragon opened its maw, unleashing a beam of absolute zero freezing energy.
"NEWGATE!" Linlin screamed.
"EVERYTHING!"
Newgate unleashed his strongest quake, creating a quake-bubble shield. The collision—
BOOM!
A shockwave that could be felt across the New World erupted. The frozen ocean shattered for a hundred kilometers. When the dust settled, Newgate was on one knee, bleeding from a dozen wounds. Linlin was frozen from the waist down, struggling to break free. Shiki was unconscious.
Rosen stood untouched.
"Three Emperors," Rosen's voice cut through the wind. "Your era ends today."
He took his fourth step.
The ice beneath the Three Emperors' feet erupted into massive pillars, encasing them in prisons of diamond-hard ice.
"Capture them," Rosen ordered.
From the frozen horizon, Marine warships appeared—hundreds of them, led by Admiral candidates Gion and Chaton. Vice Admirals swarmed the battlefield, securing the unconscious Yonko.
"Onii-chan!" A voice called out.
Rosen turned to see a young girl running across the ice. Ginny—recently rescued from the Celestial Dragons—held up a Vivre Card.
"Vegapunk says the cloned Devil Fruits are ready. The new Seraphim units have been infused with Kaido's lineage factor."
Rosen nodded. "Good. The final phase begins."
Behind him, the frozen sea began to crack as a massive submarine breached the surface. The Polar Tang.
Jinbe emerged, bowing. "Lord Rosen. The Fish-Man Island has pledged allegiance to your Marine independence movement. We will no longer tolerate the World Government's discrimination."
"And the Warlords?"
"Dracule Mihawk awaits at the Garden of Whispers. He says... he's tired of being a dog of the Celestials."
Rosen's lips curved into a faint smile. "Good."
He turned back to the frozen Three Emperors.
"We're taking them to Impel Down. Level 6."
"But sir," Gion protested, "the World Government won't allow—"
"The World Government," Rosen interrupted, "will learn to obey the Marines. Not the other way around."
His Susanoo flared to life behind him—a massive, armored samurai of Haki and ice. It reached down and grabbed the three frozen Emperors like toys.
"Set course for Mary Geoise," Rosen ordered. "It's time the Five Elders heard our demands."
As the Marine fleet turned toward the Holy Land, Rosen looked at the horizon. The Great Pirate Era was ending. But something new was beginning.
The Marine Kingdom.
And he would be its king.
—-