Unconsciously, the sky began to darken.
The battle had already raged for three days and three nights, yet from the fissure below, thunderous roars still echoed from time to time.
Far away on the floating island, ten nautical miles from the battle, the various crews were waiting with growing anxiety. Suddenly, a violent tremor shot up from below. Caught off guard, nearly everyone was thrown to the ground.
Drake quickly grabbed a nearby railing to steady himself, raising a telescope to look toward the massive fissure. "What's happening? Could it be...!"
The island had originally been an ordinary one, kept afloat in the sky only by the Golden Lion's ability. Now, the entire landmass was beginning to fall. This could only mean one of two things: either the user had voluntarily released their power, or they had fallen unconscious or died, causing the ability to dissipate on its own.
Either way, it was a sign that the battle below was not going well.
"First Mate, should we go help?" The other members of the pirate crew also realized the situation was dire. At a time like this, it seemed wrong for them to continue watching from the sidelines.
Drake pondered for a moment, quickly assessing the situation. "Everyone, lower the ships immediately! We'll wait for the captain near the fissure." He then turned to Law. "Law, you come with me too."
"Alright, Drake," Law agreed.
Law's small submarine had also been brought up to the floating island, and the entire Heart Pirates crew had been watching the battle for three days and nights. Their mission was to provide post-battle medical treatment; in truth, most of the Heart Pirates had very average combat skills. The polar bear was probably a better fighter than most of them. However, many members of the crew were highly skilled in medicine. Law's dream had always been to become the world's greatest doctor, not the strongest pirate. The Heart Pirates could easily be called the Heart Medical Team without any sense of incongruity.
"Mansherry, wake up," Drake said, gently shaking the tiny princess who was fast asleep on his shoulder. For some reason, the little one had been incredibly affectionate with Drake since they first met, and she loved to nap on his shoulder whenever she had the chance.
"Ahh, what's happening?" Mansherry rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up. "Did that big meanie get beaten up?"
Drake patted his forehead, wanting to scold her but not knowing what to say. After all, what their captain was doing was hardly honorable. "Don't talk nonsense, Mansherry. The situation is a bit serious. We might need your ability. Be ready."
"Hmph, I'm not healing that big meanie," she pouted. But despite her words, if a real crisis occurred, Mansherry would never sit idly by. The nature of the Tontatta tribe was just too innocent and kind.
"Let's go. Lower our ship immediately," Drake commanded. He glanced at Bellamy's Vivre Card, then at the members of the Flying Pirates, who were already in a state of panic and disarray.
So, something really did happen to the Golden Lion!
Although Bellamy's Vivre Card had many holes in it, it was generally still in good condition. It seemed the battle would soon be reaching its conclusion.
By the banks of the crimson magma river, Bellamy gasped for the scorching air, his eyes locked on the man before him. Beside him, the Golden Lion lay on the ground, his condition unknown.
The development of the battle had not, in fact, exceeded Bellamy's expectations. In the beginning, when the Golden Lion's stamina was still intact, the two of them had relentlessly beaten down Fujitora Issho for two full days and nights. But Fujitora, relying on his Devil Fruit ability and the advantageous terrain, had managed to withstand their ferocious, alternating assaults.
After several dozen hours, the Golden Lion's stamina took a nosedive, and the tide of battle turned in an instant. Bellamy had only been able to press his attack through the intense gravity because Shiki's ability was canceling out Fujitora's. The moment Shiki faltered, Fujitora immediately launched a counteroffensive.
The second half of the fight had suddenly become Fujitora on the attack, with the Golden Lion and Bellamy struggling to defend. But with Shiki's personality, he would never admit defeat easily. He couldn't accept being pushed back by Fujitora, even with an ally. Thus, during the latter half of the battle, they were constantly trying to regain the upper hand.
But old was old. Gritting his teeth and pushing on was just a way to fool himself; it did nothing to help their situation. Right up until the moment he lost consciousness, the Golden Lion had refused to release the power sustaining the floating island. Maintaining that island required a constant drain of stamina. If Bellamy had known Shiki never released it, he would have cursed him out loud.
That damn stubborn old man, suffering for the sake of his pride! You think you're still young?!
But the Golden Lion was unconscious now, and there was no point in saying anything more.
However, if their situation was this dire, Fujitora couldn't be faring much better. With the Golden Lion's support, Bellamy's relentless assault had lasted for dozens of hours. An offensive that intense could have ground even a man of diamond to dust. Yet, in the second half, Fujitora had still managed to grit his teeth and launch a counterattack, wearing Shiki down until he collapsed. The stamina consumed during that period could only be described as astronomical.
An Admiral-level powerhouse typically had enough stamina to fight for seven days and seven nights straight. But under this insane level of exertion, after only three days, Fujitora's stamina was already hitting rock bottom. This just went to show how ferociously the three of them had fought.
In the latter half, Fujitora had started fighting for his life. Several times, Bellamy was pinned down by his ability and enveloped in scalding magma. But each time, he would rapidly break free and begin to heal at an incredible rate.
By the end, Fujitora finally realized that the greatest threat to him in this battle wasn't the Golden Lion.
It was Bellamy.
His ridiculously exaggerated healing ability and monstrous stamina had a greater impact on the battle the longer it dragged on. Just like now: Fujitora was panting heavily, barely able to hold his sword steady. Yet Bellamy was still staring him down, ready to attack at any moment.
"I never thought you'd be the one left standing."
With his reckless fighting style, Bellamy's skin had been burned off and replaced dozens of times. Yet somehow, he could continue fighting as if nothing had happened. Fujitora truly hadn't expected it. He had worn down the Golden Lion to the point of collapse, but Bellamy was still in perfect fighting condition.
By now, Fujitora's outer coat had long been incinerated by the magma. The flying sparks had also left his body covered in burns. That he could sustain so many injuries despite his peak-level Observation Haki was a testament to how intense the battle had been.