On Sabaody Archipelago—
Luo Xing almost burst out laughing.
Boa Hancock was truly a one-of-a-kind woman.
She often did things that seemed unbelievable to others—
Yet somehow felt completely natural.
The most beautiful woman in the world—
Was just that willful, self-centered, and unreasonable.
But her attack on Burgess—and nearly killing Blackbeard—
Wasn't random at all.
She did it for Luo Xing.
Back at the Sabaody slave auction house, Luo Xing had already told her—
That Moria was his subordinate.
Hancock had remembered it.
So when Moria moved to assist Fire Fist Ace—
She had already been prepared to help.
And when she heard him say, "By order of Lord Luo Xing"—
How could she not act?
In the end—
Blackbeard was just unlucky.
A plan decades in the making—
Ruined entirely by Luo Xing.
Blackbeard's eyes burned with hatred as he glanced at Moria and Hancock.
Then—
With greed—
At Whitebeard's corpse.
"No… I must obtain the Tremor-Tremor Fruit!"
"This time—I absolutely cannot fail!"
He was on the verge of madness.
If he failed to get Whitebeard's power—
And also failed to recruit the Level 6 prisoners of Impel Down—
Then all his years of scheming—
Would become a joke.
Gritting his teeth—
Ignoring the danger of staying in Marineford—
Blackbeard chose to gamble everything.
"Dark Hole!"
He slammed both hands onto the ground.
Darkness spread instantly beneath his feet—
Like a tide of black water—
Extending outward—
Reaching Whitebeard's location.
"Moria! That binding ability of yours comes from your Shadow-Shadow Fruit, right?"
"Well now I've turned the entire ground into darkness—can you even see my shadow anymore?! Zehahaha!"
With a savage grin—
Blackbeard transformed into a swirling vortex of darkness—
Rushing toward Whitebeard.
Sengoku reacted instantly.
"Kizaru!"
The fastest man on the battlefield—
The one with long-range attacks—
Moved.
Kizaru finally pulled his hands out of his pockets, leaping into the air.
"Well… can't let you succeed so easily."
"Yasakani no Magatama."
Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!
Countless beams of light rained down upon the darkness.
Light and darkness—
Absolute opposites—
Collided violently.
BOOM!
Explosions erupted across the battlefield.
Blackbeard gritted his teeth—
Enduring immense pain—
While generating more darkness to absorb the attacks.
But it wasn't enough.
Aokiji stepped forward.
"Ice Age."
Crack—crack—crack!
Extreme cold froze everything—
Even the spreading darkness.
Blackbeard's movement slowed drastically.
And then—
Akainu.
Without hesitation—
A massive magma fist roared forward.
"Great Eruption!"
A lethal strike aimed straight at Blackbeard's head.
Blackbeard finally broke.
"Damn it!! All three Admirals are targeting me?!"
"When fighting Whitebeard, where was this energy?!"
Furious—
Unwilling—
But powerless—
He had no choice.
Retreat.
Using his darkness, he swallowed his four subordinates—
Then transformed again into a black vortex—
And fled toward the coastline.
Where—
The remnants of Whitebeard's crew were also retreating.
Clearly—
Blackbeard intended to use them as a shield.
The Admirals gave chase.
Even Akainu—
Despite his injuries—
Charged at the front.
"You will all die! Not a single pirate will leave Marineford alive!"
Just as the battle was about to erupt again—
A massive pirate ship—
Suddenly entered Marineford's inner harbor.
The flag—
Shocked everyone.
Red-Haired Pirates.
On Sabaody—
Even Luo Xing was surprised.
He already knew—
From Kaido—
That Kaido and Big Mom had joined forces—
And killed Benn Beckman.
And yet—
Despite losing their vice-captain—
The Red-Haired Pirates still came.
On the giant projection Den Den Mushi screen—
Shanks stepped onto Marineford.
But without Beckman—
The crew looked…
Thinner.
More somber.
"I'm here to end this war."
Shanks' voice was low.
And beneath it—
A trace of grief.
He hadn't recovered from Beckman's death.
Only Mihawk—
His old rival—
Noticed.
Mihawk had already sheathed Yoru.
With Whitebeard dead—
He had no reason to fight anymore.
Shanks continued:
"And I ask the Marines to give me face."
"Hand over Whitebeard… and Ace's bodies… to me."
This—
Was why he came.
To give them a proper burial.
The last thing he could do—
For Roger.
The Marines erupted in anger.
"Red Hair! Why should we listen to you?!"
"We won this war! Are you trying to stain our victory?!"
But then—
Sengoku spoke.
"I agree."
"Red Hair… I will hand over the bodies."
"Fleet Admiral?!"
The soldiers were stunned.
Sengoku raised his hand.
"I will bear all consequences."
There were two reasons.
First—
Shanks' identity was special.
Even the Five Elders treated him differently.
Second—
The war could not continue.
The Marines had already suffered heavy losses.
And looming over them—
Was Luo Xing at Sabaody.
They had to preserve their strength.
And so—
With Red Hair's arrival—
The great war of Marineford—
Finally came to an end.
Whitebeard and Ace's bodies—
Were taken by Shanks.
Marco and the remnants of Whitebeard's crew—
Returned to the New World.
As for Blackbeard—
He escaped—
Thanks to the delay.
But…
He had no ship.
No war spoils.
Nothing.
Only a tiny sailboat—
Drifting across the sea.
Truly miserable.
After all that—
He gained nothing.
Not Whitebeard's power.
Not the prisoners.
Nothing.
Reduced—
To fleeing like a stray dog.
The war ended.
But Sengoku could not rest.
He ordered treatment for the wounded—
Assigned Aokiji to manage Marine affairs—
And personally departed for Mary Geoise.
He had to report everything—
And discuss how to deal with Luo Xing.
But this decision—
Deeply angered Akainu.
Agreeing to Shanks' demand was one thing—
But letting Aokiji handle Marine affairs?
That clearly meant—
He was being groomed as successor.
"Why him?!"
Akainu clenched his fists.
Cold fury filled his face.
Aokiji—
Lazy, unreliable—
Barely did anything.
While he—
Killed Ace.
Brought down Whitebeard.
His contributions were unmatched.
Yet—
Sengoku still chose Aokiji.
Unfair.
Akainu turned—
And left—
His anger simmering in silence.
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