Chapter 518 - 358

Chapter 359: birdcage Final Battle (End)The devastating storm of energy raged for a full ten-odd seconds before it slowly subsided.As the all-consuming white light dissipated, a terrifying crater over a thousand meters in diameter and seemingly bottomless appeared in the center of Dressrosa.Kings Plateau, the symbol that had carried ten years of the Donquixote Family's sins, had been completely erased from this world along with the land beneath it.Only dust dancing in the sky remained, mixing with the drizzling rain to turn into turbid mud, testifying to just how tragic the duel that had just occurred was.Amidst the dust and smoke, two figures gradually became visible.Law was kneeling on one knee at the edge of the massive crater, his body swaying as if he might collapse at any moment.The overloading use of K·ROOM, along with that final strike where he poured in everything he had, had nearly drained all of his stamina and Haki.But he had won.Opposite him, on the other side of the giant pit...Doflamingo's figure still maintained a standing posture.However, starting from his waist, a bloodline so thin it was almost invisible slowly emerged and then rapidly expanded.Under the influence of gravity, his upper body and lower body silently shifted and separated.A generation's hegemon, the Emperor of the Underworld, the Heavenly Yaksha Donquixote Doflamingo... had been cut in half at the waist by a single strike!!!The iconic sunglasses on his face also let out a "crack" as they split down the middle and fell to the ground.They revealed eyes that were extremely complex, filled with unwillingness and regret, yet also carrying a hint of liberation.He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he only spat out a mouthful of black blood foam.Life was rapidly draining from his body.Law struggled to his feet and, dragging his exhausted body, walked step by step toward what remained of Doflamingo's upper body.He looked down from above at the man who had brought him endless pain and hatred; in those golden eyes, there wasn't a hint of the joy of victory, only a deathly, icy coldness."I am a doctor; I don't like killing people."Law's voice was very raspy, yet word by word, it clearly entered Doflamingo's final, fading consciousness."Only you are an exception!!!"As his voice fell, he sheathed his blade.With a soft "click," Doflamingo's body jerked violently, and the final light in those wide-staring eyes completely dimmed.Law slowly raised his head, letting the cold rain wash away the bloodstains on his face.He whispered softly to the empty sky, as if making a final farewell to some distant existence."Corazon-san, please... rest in peace!"Thirteen years of hatred and thirteen years of obsession finally came to a full stop at this moment.And at the very instant Doflamingo's presence completely dissipated...The birdcage—that shrinking web of death covering the sky of all of Dressrosa...Suddenly stopped.Immediately afterward, those hundreds of millions of razor-sharp, indestructible threads began to turn transparent and ethereal at a speed visible to the naked eye, finally turning into bits of fluorescence and dissipating into the air.The cage of despair that had bound the entire nation had finally~~~ disappeared!!!At first, no one reacted.Those citizens and warriors who had used their bodies, their flesh, their steel, and every possible method to try and resist the birdcage's contraction still maintained their pushing postures, staring blankly at the empty sky.Until the first person tentatively let out a cheer filled with uncertainty."It... it's gone?"This cheer was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up a thousand waves!"The birdcage is gone! It's really gone!!!""We... we survived!!!"After a brief silence came an explosion of joy and shouting like a volcanic eruption that shook the heavens!"Ooooooh---!!!"People threw away the weapons in their hands, hugged those beside them, wept loudly, and laughed to their hearts' content.The haze of despair was swept away, and the dawn of hope once again shone upon this land that was scarred yet reborn!They had won!!!...Dozens of nautical miles away.A massive Marine warship was sailing leisurely.On the deck, an old man wearing flip-flops and sporting a goatee was lying on a beach chair, eating senbei while enjoying his leisurely retirement life.It was the former Fleet Admiral—Sengoku the Buddha.Suddenly, his movement of eating senbei paused.An unprovoked palpitation welled up from the bottom of his heart.He sat up straight and cast his gaze toward the distant direction of Dressrosa.In that instant, his powerful Observation Hakiclearly perceived a familiar, evil presence rapidly fading until it completely returned to nothingness.It was Doflamingo.The man whom his once most beloved subordinate, Corazon, had risked his life to stop.The culprit he had always wanted to catch personally but had been hindered by because the other was a Celestial Dragon, ultimately leaving him to watch helplessly as the man committed evil.He... was dead."Crunch."The senbei in Sengoku's hand was unconsciously crushed into powder.A complex expression of mixed emotions appeared on his face.There was the satisfaction of a great grudge being avenged and the regret of not being able to personally deliver justice, but more than that, there was a sense of relief and liberation."Rosie..."Sengoku murmured to himself, a hint of moisture welling up in his cloudy old eyes."Did you see that?""That demon has finally... gone to hell."...Meanwhile, on the east coast of Dressrosa.Aramaki's situation was truly pathetic."Boom!"Sabo landed a Dragon Claw strike wrapped in the power of vibration heavily against his chest, tearing away large patches of wood chips and green sap.Aramaki screamed as he was sent flying backward; before he even hit the ground, a golden flash had already appeared behind him."Diable Jambe: Mouton Shot!"Sanji's right leg ignited with high-temperature flames, kicking him back into mid-air with a single blow!Immediately following, black flames and a pitch-black slash descended simultaneously from the left and right!"Pfft!!!"Aramaki's two arms were severed on the spot by King's Imperial Flame and Zoro's sword ki!!!"Mochi Sphere!"Katakuri's attack followed closely behind; a massive mochi drill smashed heavily into his back!Boom!Aramaki was like a tattered sandbag, being ravaged by the five of them in turn, with no power to fight back!!!In just less than fifteen minutes...His massive body, formed by the Mori Mori no Mi's power, had become dilapidated and broken, covered in shocking wounds, with his entire body on the verge of collapse.This undoubtedly caused his extremely arrogant mindset as a Marine Admiral to explode!He was an Admiral!The highest combat power of the Marines! The face of the World Government!!!Normally, these so-called Four Emperors' executives and the number two of the Revolutionary Army were, in his eyes, nothing more than a group of insects he could crush at will!But now!It was precisely this group of people he looked down upon who had actually united to beat him like a dog!Shame!!!This was a deep, bone-searing humiliation that was harder to bear than death!!!"Bastards... you bastards!!!"Aramaki let out an unwilling roar, attempting to reform his body and launch a counterattack.However, just then...The birdcage covering the entire island suddenly dissipated.The movements of the five people paused in unison.And it was this brief pause that gave Aramaki a glimmer of life, and also gave another person the chance to intervene in the battlefield!"Gravity Blade: Raging Tiger!"An old and majestic voice came from outside the birdcage!Immediately following, a gravity force terrifying to the extreme descended from the sky, pressing heavily onto the battlefield!Boom!!!Sabo and the other four only felt an unmatched colossal force strike them; their bodies sank abruptly, and the ground beneath their feet instantly cracked and caved in!They were forced to pull away from Aramaki.A figure wearing a purple kimono and holding a Cane Sword appeared in front of Aramaki at some unknown point; it was Fujitora Issho!He held his Cane Sword horizontally across his chest, firmly protecting Aramaki behind him. His closed eyes looked toward the five people opposite him, his expression more solemn than ever before.For a moment, the entire battlefield was filled with tension!!!A new round of major battle seemed to be on the verge of breaking out!!!However, Fujitora did not act immediately.He sheathed his Cane Sword and bowed deeply to the five of them."Everyone, please stop here."His voice was raspy but filled with entreaty."Dressrosa has already endured too much suffering and has become riddled with scars. The people here should not be displaced again because of our fighting.""This old man implores you all, for the sake of these innocent citizens, let us cease fire!"This sudden scene left Sabo and the other four stunned.They never expected that this Marine Admiralwould actually use this method to ask them for a truce.Aramaki struggled to crawl up from the ground, looking at Fujitora's back with both shame and anger."Issho! Are you crazy?! Why are you bowing your head to a bunch of pirates and revolutionaries! Kill them for me! Kill them already!!!""Shut up!"Fujitora suddenly turned his head, and an invisible gravity field instantly suppressed Aramaki, making him unable to move, only able to roar unwillingly."Can't you see yet?! This island is already on the brink of destruction!"Fujitora's roar made Aramaki quiet down instantly.Sabo looked at the scene before him and fell into silence.He glanced at the four people beside him.King and Katakuri were alright; although their consumption was not small, their basic combat power remained.But Zoro and Sanji's states were far worse.In order to suppress the injuries left by Kaido and having continuously gone through high-intensity battles, Zoro was already at his limit, holding on purely by sheer willpower.Although Sanji had awakened his bloodline factor, he had also faced top-tier powerhouses; his stamina consumption was massive, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was critically wounded.It seemed like five against two, and they held the absolute upper hand.But if they truly fought to the death against two Marine Admirals, it was hard to say who would win or lose!More importantly, Fujitora's words struck a chord in his heart.The purpose of the Revolutionary Army was to liberate the people, not to destroy.Doflamingo was dead, Dressrosa was liberated, and their primary goal had been achieved.Continuing to fight would serve no purpose other than deepening the scars of this island.Thinking of this, Sabo took a deep breath and put away his steel pipe."Fine."He looked at Fujitora and spoke slowly."I promise you, a truce."With Sabo's statement, Zoro also silently put away his swords, Sanji exhaled a puff of smoke, and King and Katakuri also retracted their auras one after another.A top-tier battle that could have made things even worse for Dressrosa thus vanished into thin air.