The center of Green Bit had collapsed. Ocean water rushed into the fissure left by Luffy and Doflamingo.
On the northern edge of the island, the jungle remained standing. But it burned.
Four men stood in a line. They stood six feet tall. They wore iron helmets and heavy leather pelts. They carried weapons forged of dark grey Uru metal. They held round shields forged of Vibranium.
Dorry. Brogy. Oimo. Kashii.
Opposite them stood the World Government.
Vice Admiral Momonga drew his katana. Vice Admiral Bastille gripped the hilt of his Shark-Cleaver. Two CP0 agents flanked them. One agent's skin shifted into thick, prehistoric green scales. His jaw elongated into a Sarcosuchus snout. The other agent expanded. Black fur erupted from his skin. His muscles tore his white suit as he transformed into a Silverback Gorilla Zoan.
"Do not underestimate them," Momonga ordered. He kept his eyes locked on Dorry. "They shrunk, but they block like mountains."
"I will cleave them," Bastille grunted.
The Gorilla agent pounded his chest. The Crocodile agent hissed, dropping to all fours.
Momonga kicked the ground. Soru.
He vanished. He reappeared directly above Dorry. He swung his katana downward, coating the steel in black Armament Haki. He aimed to split Dorry's skull.
Dorry did not look up. His Observation Haki tracked the movement.
Dorry raised his left arm. He angled the Vibranium shield.
Clang.
Momonga's katana struck the shield. The Vice Admiral expected a shockwave. He expected the recoil to push him backward.
Nothing happened.
The Vibranium absorbed one hundred percent of the kinetic energy. Momonga's blade stopped dead. The abrupt halt sent a jarring vibration up Momonga's arms, numbing his wrists. A faint purple light rippled across the surface of Dorry's shield.
Dorry pivoted on his right foot. He thrust his Uru broadsword forward.
Momonga kicked the air. Geppo. He launched himself backward, narrowly avoiding the thrust. The Uru blade pierced the air, creating a vacuum that ripped the leaves off the surrounding trees.
Bastille charged Brogy.
The masked Vice Admiral swung the Shark-Cleaver horizontally. The massive sword carried enough force to cut a galleon in half.
Brogy stepped into the swing. He didn't block with his shield. He swung his Uru axe.
The weapons collided.
Steel met Uru. The Shark-Cleaver chipped. Sparks exploded into the jungle. Brogy's raw giant strength, condensed into a human frame, overwhelmed Bastille's footing. Bastille's boots slid through the dirt.
Brogy twisted his wrists. He hooked the beard of his axe over the edge of Bastille's sword. He pulled down.
Bastille lost his balance. He stumbled forward.
Brogy slammed his Vibranium shield into Bastille's face.
The stored kinetic energy from previous clashes released. A concussive blast of purple light erupted from the shield's center. The shockwave hit Bastille point-blank. His iron mask cracked. He flew backward, crashing through a thick mahogany tree.
Oimo and Kashii engaged the CP0 agents.
The Crocodile Zoan lunged at Oimo. The agent did not use weapons. He used his jaws. He snapped his teeth, aiming for Oimo's waist.
Oimo swung his Uru mace. He brought the heavy spiked head down on the Crocodile's snout.
The Crocodile agent hardened his scales with Tekkai and Armament Haki.
The mace struck the snout. The Haki clashed. The Uru metal did not bend. It dug into the scales. The Crocodile agent roared in pain. He whipped his massive tail around, sweeping Oimo's legs.
Oimo fell. He hit the dirt.
The Crocodile agent crawled forward rapidly. He opened his jaws. He clamped down on Oimo's left shoulder.
The teeth pierced the leather armor. They pierced the skin. Blood flowed.
Oimo grunted. He did not scream. He dropped his mace. He raised his right fist. He coated it in Armament Haki. He punched the Crocodile directly in the eye.
The agent flinched, opening his jaws just enough.
Oimo rolled away. He grabbed his mace. He stood up, bleeding from his shoulder, his face devoid of fear.
A few yards away, the Gorilla Zoan clashed with Kashii.
The Gorilla agent utilized Rokushiki perfectly in his hybrid form. He moved with Soru. He punched with Shigan. He hardened with Tekkai.
He appeared behind Kashii. He thrust ten hardened fingers at Kashii's spine.
"Shigan: Ten-Finger Barrage!"
Kashii spun. He didn't have time to raise his halberd. He raised his Vibranium shield.
The ten fingers struck the Vibranium.
The kinetic energy vanished into the metal. The shield absorbed the blows. It glowed bright purple.
The Gorilla agent widened his eyes. His fingers throbbed.
Kashii pressed a button on the inside of his shield grip.
He didn't release the kinetic energy as a blast. He channeled it into the edge of the shield.
Kashii swung the shield like a discus. The Vibranium edge, supercharged with kinetic energy, struck the Gorilla agent in the ribs.
The ribs fractured. The Gorilla agent coughed blood. He staggered backward.
Kashii followed up. He swung his Uru halberd. The blade cut a deep gash across the Gorilla agent's chest.
"Regroup!" Momonga yelled.
Momonga landed next to Bastille. The Vice Admiral pulled himself out of the splintered tree. Blood dripped from beneath his cracked mask.
The Crocodile agent retreated, clutching his bruised eye. The Gorilla agent held his bleeding chest. The four Government fighters stood together.
Dorry, Brogy, Oimo, and Kashii regrouped opposite them.
Oimo bled from his shoulder. Brogy had a shallow cut on his cheek from a stray air slash. Dorry and Kashii breathed heavily, sweat rolling down their faces.
"Their weapons," Momonga analyzed quickly. "The grey metal does not chip. The shields absorb force. Do not strike the shields. Aim for their joints. Aim for their necks. Use ranged attacks to drain their stamina."
Bastille gripped his Shark-Cleaver. "Understood."
"Execute," the Crocodile agent hissed.
The Government fighters changed tactics.
Momonga and Bastille attacked Dorry and Brogy. They did not engage in close quarters.
Momonga swung his katana repeatedly. "Flying Slash!"
Bastille swung his heavy sword. "Shark Wave!"
Blades of compressed air shot across the clearing. Dozens of cutting waves rained down on the two giants.
Dorry and Brogy raised their Vibranium shields.
The air blades struck the shields. The Vibranium absorbed the kinetic energy. The purple glow on the shields intensified, turning blindingly bright.
But Momonga and Bastille did not stop. They kept firing. They flanked the giants, firing from different angles.
An air blade bypassed Dorry's shield. It struck his thigh. Blood sprayed. Dorry gritted his teeth. He dropped to one knee.
Another air blade struck Brogy's ribs. The armor deflected the worst of it, but the impact bruised his internal organs. Brogy stepped back.
"They are finding the gaps," Brogy grunted.
"Then we close the gaps," Dorry replied.
The Gorilla agent and the Crocodile agent rushed Oimo and Kashii.
The Gorilla agent used Geppo to take the high ground. He kicked the air violently. "Rankyaku: Rain!"
A shower of air blades fell on Oimo.
Oimo raised his shield. The shield absorbed the hits.
The Crocodile agent used the distraction. He slithered through the grass. He bypassed Oimo's shield. He lunged at Oimo's exposed right leg.
Kashii intervened. He thrust his halberd downward, pinning the Crocodile agent's tail to the ground.
The Crocodile hissed. He twisted his body. He grabbed the Uru halberd shaft with his bare hands. He used Tekkai. He pulled.
Kashii lost his grip on the halberd. The weapon fell into the dirt.
The Gorilla agent dropped from the sky. He aimed a hardened punch at Kashii's unprotected head.
Oimo stepped in. He bashed the Gorilla agent out of the air with his shield.
The fight devolved into a chaotic, bloody brawl.
Momonga closed the distance on Dorry. He aimed a thrust at Dorry's injured thigh. Dorry parried with his sword, but the Vice Admiral's speed was overwhelming. Momonga spun, slashing Dorry across the bicep.
Bastille swung the Shark-Cleaver at Brogy's head. Brogy ducked. He swung his axe at Bastille's knees. Bastille jumped, avoiding the blade, and kicked Brogy in the face.
Oimo wrestled with the Crocodile agent on the ground. The agent snapped its jaws. Oimo held the jaws open with his bare hands, using Armament Haki to protect his palms from the razor-sharp teeth.
Kashii fought the Gorilla agent hand-to-hand. Kashii threw heavy, giant-style punches. The Gorilla agent dodged with Kami-e and countered with Shigan strikes to Kashii's ribs.
Blood soaked the grass. The giants took damage. They bled from cuts, bites, and puncture wounds. Their breathing grew ragged.
But they did not fall.
They were warriors of Elbaf. Pain was a familiar companion.
Dorry pushed Momonga back with a heavy sword swing. He looked at Brogy.
"Brother!" Dorry shouted.
Brogy kicked Bastille away. He looked at Dorry. "The shields are full!"
"Phalanx!" Dorry commanded.
Oimo kicked the Crocodile agent in the stomach. Kashii headbutted the Gorilla agent. They broke contact and fell back.
The four giants stood shoulder to shoulder.
They locked their Vibranium shields together. The edges clicked into place, forming a solid, curved wall of purple, glowing metal.
They crouched behind the wall.
"They are cornered!" Bastille yelled. "Break their guard! Full power!"
Momonga coated his katana in maximum Haki. Bastille raised his Shark-Cleaver high. The Crocodile agent opened his jaws, gathering energy in his throat. The Gorilla agent pumped his arms, enlarging his muscles to bursting.
They attacked the shield wall simultaneously.
Momonga unleashed his strongest flying slash. Bastille brought his heavy sword down on the metal. The Crocodile agent fired a compressed bullet of air and saliva. The Gorilla agent struck the shields with a double-fisted Shigan.
The attacks hit the Vibranium wall.
The metal groaned. The purple light flared, turning completely white.
The Vibranium absorbed everything. The kinetic energy of two Vice Admirals and two elite Zoans vanished into the shields.
Dorry looked at Brogy. Brogy looked at Oimo and Kashii.
They smiled.
"Release," Dorry whispered.
The four giants pushed the triggers on their shield grips simultaneously.
The Vibranium could not contain the stored energy any longer. It released every ounce of kinetic force it had absorbed over the entire battle in a single, unidirectional blast.
The shockwave erupted from the shield wall.
It did not look like an air slash. It looked like a solid wall of purple concussive force.
It hit the four Government fighters point-blank.
The ground beneath them disintegrated. The sound barrier shattered.
Bastille's iron mask exploded into shrapnel. Momonga's katana flew out of his hand. The Crocodile agent's scales cracked and bled. The Gorilla agent's bones snapped.
The four men flew backward. They tore through the jungle, snapping ancient trees like twigs. They crashed into the limestone cliff at the edge of the island. The cliff face collapsed, burying them in tons of rubble.
The shockwave continued out to sea, parting the ocean waters for a mile.
Dorry, Brogy, Oimo, and Kashii lowered their shields. The purple glow faded. The metal returned to its normal silver color.
They stood up.
They did not relax. They gripped their Uru weapons tightly.
The rubble at the base of the cliff shifted.
Momonga dragged himself out of the rocks. His coat was gone. His uniform was in tatters. Blood poured from a deep gash on his forehead. His left arm hung uselessly at his side.
Bastille pushed a boulder off his chest. He lacked his mask, revealing a bruised and bloodied face. He used his Shark-Cleaver as a crutch to stand.
The two CP0 agents did not rise. The kinetic blast had knocked them completely unconscious, reverting them back to their human forms. They lay buried under the stones.
Momonga spat blood. He looked at the four giants. He reached down and picked up his fallen katana with his right hand.
"For Justice," Momonga rasped.
Bastille gritted his teeth. He lifted the Shark-Cleaver.
Dorry looked at Momonga. He felt respect for the Marine. The man was broken, but his spirit remained intact.
"A warrior's resolve," Dorry said.
Brogy nodded. "We will answer it."
Oimo and Kashii stepped back. They raised their shields, guarding the flanks.
Dorry and Brogy stepped forward.
They raised their Uru weapons. Dorry held his broadsword. Brogy held his axe. They pointed the tips at the sky.
They coated the indestructible grey metal in dense, black Armament Haki.
They stood shoulder to shoulder. They synchronized their breathing. They adopted a stance that had leveled monsters on Little Garden for a century.
Momonga charged. Bastille charged.
They moved slowly. Their injuries slowed their Soru. But they pushed forward, pouring every last drop of their Haki into their final strikes.
Dorry and Brogy swung their weapons forward.
They did not clash with the Marines. They swung at the air between them.
"Hakoku..."
The Uru metal tore the air apart. The Armament Haki compressed the atmosphere.
"...Sovereignty!"
The dual shockwave erupted from their weapons. It was a scaled-down version of their giant attack, but the Uru metal and advanced Haki multiplied the density of the force.
A cylinder of concentrated destruction shot across the clearing.
It enveloped Momonga and Bastille completely.
The attack did not cut them. It battered them. It overwhelmed their Haki defenses instantly. The sheer pressure drove the air from their lungs and the consciousness from their minds.
The Hakoku Sovereignty blew past them, carving a perfect circular tunnel through the remains of the cliff face before dissipating over the ocean.
Momonga and Bastille collapsed.
Their weapons clattered against the stones. They lay motionless on the ruined earth.
Silence descended on the northern edge of Green Bit.
Dorry lowered his sword. Brogy lowered his axe.
They stood among the destruction.
Oimo walked forward. He checked his bitten shoulder. The bleeding had slowed, but the pain remained. Kashii rolled his shoulders, wincing at his bruised ribs.
Dorry leaned heavily on his Uru sword. He breathed in the smell of burning wood and salt water.
Brogy sat down heavily on a broken log. He wiped blood from his cheek.
"They fought well," Brogy rumbled.
Dorry nodded. He looked at the unconscious Vice Admirals and CP0 agents. "They fought with honor. They did not run."
Oimo sat down next to Brogy. He pulled a roll of bandages from his leather pouch. He began wrapping his shoulder.
"The shield held," Oimo said. "The magic metal held."
"Ben's gifts are formidable," Kashii agreed, sitting on the grass.
Dorry looked up at the sky. The black lightning from Luffy's battle had stopped. The distant rumbling had ceased.
"It is quiet," Dorry noted.
Brogy grinned, showing his teeth. "The captain won."
Dorry smiled. He sheathed his Uru sword.
The four warriors of Elbaf sat in the ruins of the jungle. They were bleeding. They were exhausted. Their armor was cracked, and their muscles ached.
But they were victorious. They rested on the battlefield, waiting for their captain's next order.