After sealing the Boro Breath, Diarmuid glanced at Sakazuki. "Let's go. If we stay up here, they'll tear the ship apart sooner or later!"
"Understood!" Sakazuki called out.
The moment the words left his mouth, he took a heavy step and leapt straight off the deck.
Diarmuid blinked in surprise. Can that guy fly?
Thinking back, Sakazuki could theoretically use reverse magma blasts to create a sort of jet propulsion, but it was a far cry from true flight. However, in that brief moment of hesitation, Sakazuki underwent a massive transformation.
It seemed he had developed a new technique.
As Sakazuki plummeted from the sky, he let out a roar, and his silhouette began to swell rapidly.
"Heaven's Meteor!" Sakazuki bellowed.
In a heartbeat, his entire body transformed into a gargantuan magma meteor, nearly three or four times the size of a standard meteor, blotting out the sky itself. This colossal mass of molten rock, carrying a world-ending aura, slammed directly toward the heart of Hachinosu Island.
The sheer might of an Admiral, the Navy's Greatest Military Power, was on full display.
It was often said that a top-tier powerhouse like Sakazuki could destroy an entire island with a single blow; this was why.
Newgate naturally noticed the incoming threat, his eyes burning with rage. "Akainu!!!"
He thrust his arm forward, and a powerful tremor ripped through the air. He threw a punch upward to meet the falling Sakazuki head-on.
The vibration instantly shattered the atmosphere, hurtling toward the massive magma meteor at extreme speed. The magma trembled in mid-air under the impact, but Newgate's punch failed to disperse it.
Sakazuki, buried deep within the molten mass, provided enough resistance and fully activated his Magma-Magma Fruit powers to hold his form. He tanked Newgate's punch and continued his unstoppable descent toward the island.
Kaido, in his Azure Dragon form, roared in a thunderous, world-shaking draconic howl. He unleashed several gusts of wind, but even they couldn't stall Sakazuki's momentum.
"Flame Clouds!" A sharp glint flashed in Kaido's eyes.
Rings of Flame Clouds quickly swirled beneath Sakazuki's massive magma meteor. Using the levitation power of the clouds, he managed to dampen the momentum of the fall, momentarily buoying the molten mass.
But before Kaido could breathe a sigh of relief, the pressure suddenly spiked.
Gravity!
Looking up, Diarmuid had also begun his descent. Unlike Sakazuki's explosive, wild entry, Diarmuid was far more elegant. Supported by his gravity powers, he moved through the air with effortless grace.
Diarmuid extended a hand toward the rear of Sakazuki's meteor, applying a massive gravitational force to give the Admiral an extra "push"!
Not to be outdone, Sakazuki unleashed a torrent of magma from the rear of the meteor like a jet thruster, forcefully driving the massive mass forward.
"Damn it! I'm still behind you!" Diarmuid flipped in mid-air to dodge the back-blasting magma, cursing under his breath.
This time, the attack was truly unstoppable.
Bolstered by gravity and directional thrust, Sakazuki's magma meteor slammed into Hachinosu Island with apocalyptic force. It didn't punch a bottomless hole like Diarmuid's Tengai Shinsei. Instead, it was like a giant watermelon falling from the heavens.
The impact sent a shudder through the entire island. Then, it exploded outward in every direction. Tidal waves of magma, surging and ferocious, engulfed everything within a twenty-kilometer radius.
The "lucky" survivors who hadn't been wiped out by the first combined Apocalypse attack now faced a true nightmare. They were vaporized instantly by Sakazuki's heat.
Without a doubt, this series of attacks from Diarmuid and Sakazuki resulted in a staggering loss of life. But neither cared.
There were essentially no innocent people on this island!
This was Hachinosu, one of the largest pirate havens in the New World, the former base of the Rocks Pirates, and currently the joint headquarters for the Whitebeard, Beasts, and Big Mom Pirates. Could there be "good people" in such a place? Would a good person even come here?
Impossible!
That was why Diarmuid and Sakazuki used such ruthless methods, intending to wipe out everyone on the island in one fell swoop to paralyze the pirates' command structure.
"Airquake!" Newgate roared, throwing a punch.
The wall of magma rushing toward him was instantly shattered by the powerful tremor. While the scale of Diarmuid and Sakazuki's attacks was immense, such wide-area coverage wasn't a lethal threat to top-tier fighters; it was a cleanup method meant to remove the "trash" that would clutter the battlefield. They didn't expect to take out Whitebeard with just this.
Newgate dispersed the magma wave and peered through the steam, his brow furrowed.
Sure enough, Sakazuki's tall, rugged figure emerged from the cooling wreckage. Molten rock dripped from his body, and he radiated a murderous, overwhelming aura.
"Akainu!!!" Newgate's eyes brimmed with killing intent upon seeing the man himself. He stomped the ground, unleashing another powerful shockwave.
Sakazuki remained calm, a disdainful smirk playing on his lips. "Do you like this grand funeral, Whitebeard?"
As he spoke, the surrounding magma surged, crashing into Newgate's tremor. Magma splattered everywhere, successfully negating the strike.
This combat style was a hallmark of top-tier Logia users. It was common knowledge that Logia users were often called the "strongest," simply because they could seize the tactical advantage of the environment. Even if the environment didn't suit them, they could terraform the battlefield in seconds.
Hachinosu was now a hellscape of magma and fire, basically Sakazuki's home turf. In this environment, Sakazuki feared no one. He was confident he could stand against anyone... well, except perhaps Diarmuid, whose Dark-Dark Fruit was a bit too much of a "cheat."
"Arrogant!" Newgate bellowed.
Suddenly, Marco flew over from the distance, wreathed in blue flames. This might not have been his ideal battlefield, but he didn't fear magma or fire. Clutching a long blade in his talons as he swept over Newgate, he shouted, "Pops, catch!"
He released his grip, and Newgate's weapon, Murakumogiri, one of the twelve Supreme Grade blades, fell from the sky.
Newgate reached up and caught the massive polearm with fluid grace. In an instant, a halo of transparent vibration energy wrapped around the blade.
Without a moment's hesitation, the former "Strongest Man in the World" roared and charged into the magma. His feet were coated in Haki, ignoring the scorching heat as he swung the blade at Sakazuki!
Sakazuki and Newgate clashed instantly, both being the "bruiser" type of fighters. Newgate's health seemed stable lately, as he wasn't hooked up to his IV drips. Meanwhile, Sakazuki wasn't restricted like he was in the original story at Marineford, where he couldn't go all out for fear of melting the headquarters before the enemy was dead.
This was Hachinosu, the pirates' nest. Why would Sakazuki care? He wouldn't mind if the whole island sank. He went full throttle, unleashing torrents of magma while Newgate met him with unstoppable tremors. The duel between the two caused the very air to crack, and black lightning sparked across the sky.
Marco, having delivered the blade, turned to leave, only to run straight into Diarmuid.
"Bastard!!!" Rage flared in Marco's eyes. Relying on his Phoenix abilities, he showed no fear and dove straight at Diarmuid.
Diarmuid's lips curled into a smile. "Rushing to your death so soon?"
Marco reached Diarmuid in a flash. He performed a stylish mid-air spin, wings outspread, and launched a kick. His feet had transformed into talons, coated in powerful Armament Haki. "Phoenix Brand!"
Despite the fierce momentum, Diarmuid remained unbothered. He lazily raised an arm. "Abyssal Lock!"
Eerie, dense dark energy erupted from his palm. Marco's kick landed on the darkness in Diarmuid's hand, but it didn't feel like hitting a solid object, it felt like stepping into a swamp.
Before he could process it, the dark energy transformed into ropes, snaking up his leg and entangling him. Marco was confused by this strange power—wasn't this guy a Gravity user?—but he trusted his Phoenix abilities. At worst, he'd lose a leg and regenerate it in seconds.
However, as the darkness fully bound him, Marco's expression shifted violently. A wave of total weakness spread from his leg. His raptor-like talons reverted to human form.
"What is this!?" Marco's heart hammered. It felt as though his powers were being stripped away!
Diarmuid had no intention of playing games. He released a surge of darkness, like a tiger out of a cage, instantly swallowing the nearby Marco.
"A Mythical Zoan Phoenix? A fine ability. I think I'll take it," Diarmuid chuckled.
A shimmer of light passed through his pitch-black pupils. Just as he had sealed Teach back in Alabasta, he used the dark element surrounding Marco to manifest massive amounts of rock and debris. Within moments, a miniature Planetary Devastation formed, sealing Marco tightly inside.
Since acquiring the Dark-Dark Fruit, Diarmuid had mastered its ability to seal and forcefully absorb everything. His Planetary Devastation technique had evolved to a new level. It was no longer something even Katakuri could struggle out of.
The combination of the Dark-Dark Fruit and the Gravity-Gravity Fruit was terrifyingly potent. For a Devil Fruit user, once they were caught inside, they could basically say goodbye to the world.
Speaking of Katakuri, it was a coincidence, he was currently standing on a patch of open ground in the distance, staring at Diarmuid in the sky with shock and disbelief.
He knew Marco; he was the first mate of the Whitebeard Pirates and Newgate's strongest supporter. Marco's strength was formidable, especially his "undying" state, as he could hold his own against anyone. Even if Katakuri's own mother, Big Mom, made a move, she likely wouldn't have finished him this quickly.
And yet?
What had he just witnessed?
Marco engaged Diarmuid, and was taken out in a single exchange!?
Just how strong was Admiral Diarmuid? And what was this new power he was using?