"What is this?" Everyone on the Silver Pirates was baffled. They could all feel the change happening within themselves—their stamina and injuries were slowly recovering.
The recovery was gradual, subtle, but unmistakable. And on top of that, their bodies felt significantly lighter.
The Marines naturally noticed the Silver Pirates' transformation as well. Shock was written plainly on every face. What had just happened? How could this be?
Shirakawa rose from the crater and flew out, landing opposite Sengoku.
"Is this all your doing?" Sengoku's expression darkened as he stared at Shirakawa. They'd been on the verge of victory just moments ago, yet the tide of battle seemed to have reset to its starting point.
"How could you call it my doing? It's simply an application of my ability—I only just figured out how to use it, that's all."
Shirakawa wore a relaxed smile. He could sense that his strength had grown considerably compared to just a few moments ago. So this was the true power of a King, was it?
The more clan members gathered together, the stronger the King became. At this level, even facing Sengoku, Shirakawa was confident he wouldn't be outmatched.
"Hmph. We'll just have to defeat you all over again."
Sengoku's voice was cold.
"No. This time, we won't be sticking around to trade blows with you. We're going all out to escape."
Shirakawa shot a glance at Sengoku, then suddenly shouted to all his crewmates aboard the ship.
"Everyone, prepare to retreat! I'll hold them off."
"Captain, you—" Every crew member's face twisted with worry at his words. One man holding off this entire force? The one left behind would be walking straight to his death.
"Don't worry. I'm pretty damn strong right now."
Shirakawa unleashed his full presence at once. Even the Sword of Damocles in the sky resonated with his aura, its gemstone radiating beams of light.
Everyone who felt that pressure changed color. The sheer intensity of the energy he released was overwhelming—easily on par with a Marine Admiral.
"Alright. We're pulling back."
Feeling that aura, the members of the Silver Pirates finally felt at ease. Shirakawa in this state was unquestionably the most powerful they'd ever seen him.
Kurokamu set his jaw with grim determination, and the rest of the crew mirrored his expression. Then, all at once, they unleashed their strongest attacks.
Forcing the Marines entangled with them back a step, they immediately turned and sprinted at full speed toward their ship.
"Don't think you're getting away!" Sakazuki roared. Borsalino rose into the sky, preparing to launch another devastating attack—Yasakani no Magatama.
But just as they were about to strike, a silver-white sword beam swept directly across their path. Sakazuki's Inugami collided with it head-on, only to be deflected.
And Borsalino's Yasakani no Magatama was completely blocked as well.
"This line—no one crosses it from here on out."
Shirakawa's voice was icy cold, devoid of any emotion.
As the sword aura faded, seawater slowly began to seep up through the gash Shirakawa had carved into the ground.
"The island... is split in two."
A Marine captain stared in disbelief. He'd never witnessed such an overwhelmingly powerful slash before.
But that single attack had indeed planted a seed of fear in the Marines' hearts. If it had landed on any of them, they'd have been cleft in two without mercy.
Sakazuki's face darkened immediately, and even Borsalino's expression shifted to one of surprise.
Witnessing this scene, the Silver Pirates' crew finally felt relieved. With that kind of power, how could they ever fear their captain wouldn't escape?
At this moment, neither the Marines nor Shirakawa moved, simply watching each other. Because they all knew—with Shirakawa standing here as he was now, there was no getting past him.
Though Sengoku could still engage Shirakawa directly, if Shirakawa was determined to block the other Marines' movements, there was little Sengoku could do to stop him.
The moment the Silver Pirates boarded their ship, it shot off at a speed far beyond any ordinary vessel, and a strong wind kicked up around it—likely Wind and Salar activating their abilities.
"In that case, we'll just take you down instead," Sengoku said coldly. "If we keep you here, the Silver Pirates without their captain are no longer the Silver Pirates."
After all, Shirakawa had been their primary target from the start.
As the Silver Pirates sailed farther and farther away, Shirakawa's aura suddenly plummeted, his strength gradually returning to its previous baseline.
"As I thought—once the clan leaves, I revert to my ordinary level."
Shirakawa gave a wry smile. But there was no way around it now. He'd have to fight for his life, buying his crew enough time to escape.
At this point, the only one Shirakawa truly had to worry about was Borsalino—because among the Marines here, he was the only one who could fly.
"Ooh, scary~"
Borsalino let out a drawn-out exclamation as he noticed Shirakawa's gaze fixed squarely on him.
"Borsalino, chase down the ones who fled. If necessary, sink their ship."
"No problem." Borsalino's body gleamed with golden light as he began to elementalize, ready to give chase at high speed.
But there was no way Shirakawa would let that happen. In an instant, a crushing gravitational force slammed down on Borsalino, disrupting his elemental transformation.
"What?"
Borsalino's face changed as his elementalization was forcibly canceled. He hadn't expected Shirakawa to have this ability—or rather, Shirakawa had gone so long without using his gravity manipulation that they'd all forgotten about it.
"I told you: no one crosses this line."
Just as Shirakawa finished speaking, his aura abruptly weakened again. It seemed the Silver Pirates had already traveled far enough that distance had taken its toll.
"And what makes you think you can still stop us now?"
Though Sengoku didn't understand what was happening to Shirakawa, he could clearly sense that the man's strength had reverted to its former level.
"I don't think I can hold you off completely. But every second I buy is a second they gain."
With that, Shirakawa charged straight at the Marines on the opposite shore. In their eyes, his move was nothing short of a moth hurling itself into a flame.
The outcome was inevitable. No matter how desperately Shirakawa fought, he was no match for so many elite Marines.
"Surrender, Shirakawa." Sengoku's voice was harsh. He stared down at the battered, wounded man before him, not a trace of pity in his eyes.
"Heh. I'd rather die than fall into your hands."
With that, Shirakawa threw himself backward, plunging into the deep sea.
His action shocked every Marine present. None of them had expected him to do something like this.
"Did he... kill himself?"
To the Marines, a Devil Fruit user falling into the ocean was no different from suicide.
"He's dead, then. That wraps up our mission."
With Shirakawa's figure nowhere to be seen in the dark depths, Sengoku let out a sigh of relief. To be thorough, he had Borsalino fire a Yasakani no Magatama into the sea as well.
"Admiral Sengoku, what about the rest of the Silver Pirates?"
"We'll let them go this once." Shirakawa's desperate last stand had inflicted heavy injuries on several Marine officers. Besides, by now, pursuit was no longer feasible—they'd already lost their chance.
/-\
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