The sky over God Valley was swallowed by darkness.
"Sa... Saturn Saint?!"
"W-Why did he turn into that?! What on earth... is that?!" The Marine Soldiers fell into a panic as their cognition collapsed.
That giant shadow—or rather, the figure projecting Imu's power and will through Saturn Saint's body—slightly "lowered its head."
Imu swept a gaze over the restless ants below, and a feeling of "annoyance" arose.
[Eyesore...]
Puchi! Puchi! Puchichi—!!!
From the giant shadow's body, countless writhing black shadow tentacles shot out without warning! Their speed was like lightning, their trajectories tricky and bizarre, covering an extremely wide range!
The target?
There was no target.
Or rather, every "living thing" that entered its attack range was a target!
The first wave of strikes landed in the area closest to the giant shadow.
There happened to be a Marine squad and several pirate groups trying to snatch nearby treasure chests.
"Ugh—!"
"No!!"
"My hand!!"
Screams instantly merged into one! The black tentacles were as sharp as top-tier Grade Swords, yet possessed both flexibility and strength, easily piercing through the Marines' bodies!
Whether it was a Marine Lieutenant holding a sword high or ordinary Marine Soldiers, they were all like dolls before the black tentacles, easily picked up and skewered in a row!
Blood sprayed like cheap fountains onto the scorched earth and rubble.
"Waaaaah—!!!" A pirate watched this scene in astonishment.
"W-Why is it attacking the Marines?! Whose side is it on?!!"
As if to answer his "question," several tentacles changed direction and struck at the group of pirates like venomous snakes!
"No!! It doesn't distinguish between factions at all!!" A pirate holding a heavy treasure chest, who had intended to slip away in the chaos, shrieked.
"It's an indiscriminate attack—!!! It's killing everyone!!!"
His roar was drowned out by more screams.
The slaughter feast of the black tentacles officially began, spreading across the entire battlefield at an alarming speed!
With the giant shadow at the center, a black tide of death surged outward. Whether it was a Marine phalanx trying to form a defensive line or fleeing pirate groups... as long as they were caught by those omnipresent black tentacles, their only end was death!
"All units, retreat—!! Immediately!!" A Marine Rear Admiral ordered at the top of his lungs, his face long since drained of color.
"Attacking is strictly forbidden!"
"Ensure the retreat path is clear! Fast! Retreat, now!!"
After the initial shock, the Marines began to instinctively execute orders. Even as their comrades were being slaughtered by the giant shadow nearby, few Marines dared to raise their guns against it.
Even with the Gorosei acting like this, the Marines didn't dare to think of resisting at this moment; instead, they had to maintain a path for Saturn Saint to withdraw.
Puchi!
A black tentacle swept past a Roger Pirates Crew member. Blood splattered, and he fell to the ground screaming.
"Hey! Pull yourself together!!" Roger, who was nearby, saw this out of the corner of his eye, his eyes nearly splitting with rage!
"It hurts... Captain..." The fallen Crew member clutched his wound, but his face strangely bore a mix of inquiry and excitement.
"But... really... I'm so interested... what on earth is that thing..."
"What nonsense are you talking about! You idiot!!" Roger roared. Looking at his companion's wound and then up at the giant shadow harvesting lives like a God, the fire of anger and battle intent in his eyes erupted like a volcano!
"Damn it... how dare you hurt my partners!!" He turned and shouted to a companion not far away:
"Gaban! Go support the injured brothers! Take the treasure we've already secured and retreat first!"
"Captain! Are you still going to get involved?! Don't be reckless!" Gaban shouted anxiously as he split an ambushing tentacle with his axe.
"Shut up! Do as I say!" Roger said no more. He gripped Ace tightly, a sky-piercing aura erupting from him as he charged toward the monster!
Over by the coastal ruins.
"Cough...!" Garp knelt on one knee and coughed up another mouthful of blood. Charlotte Linlin's previous heavy blow had severely injured his internal organs.
But when he saw the giant shadow appearing in the distance and the Marine Soldiers being harvested like stalks of wheat, a terrifying light reignited in his tired eyes!
"What on earth... is going on?!" He suddenly reached out and grabbed the collar of a Marine who had scrambled to retreat near him, questioning in a hoarse but powerful voice.
"What is that monster?! Why is there such a monster!"
The Marine he grabbed was as pale as paper, incoherent: "I-I don't know... Vice Admiral Garp! All of a sudden... Saturn Saint... he just swelled up... and turned into that... monster..."
Garp let go and slowly stood straight. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at the rampaging giant shadow, his face full of anger:
"The Gorosei... right. This is the first time I've seen the leader of these 'maggots' with my own eyes... Heh, you certainly have a disgusting appearance that matches your deeds!"
"V-Vice Admiral Garp! Please watch your words!!" The Marine beside him was scared out of his wits, almost lunging forward to cover Garp's mouth.
Garp ignored them. He took a deep breath, as if transforming the sharp pain in his chest and all his anger into power.
Protecting the soldiers was his simplest and most steadfast belief at this moment! He clenched his fists again, and his remaining Haki began to reconverge... at the edge of the chasm.
Rocks stood with his sword planted in the ground. There was no fear on his face; instead, he grinned, revealing a wild and provocative smile:
"Hey! King of the rats in the sewers! Finally decided to crawl out of your rat hole? Did you come specifically to kill me?!"
The giant shadow's movements seemed to pause slightly, and those two points of indifferent red light "looked" at Rocks.
[...So it's you. Davy... Jones.]
"Davy Jones?" Rocks sneered, shouldering his sword and tilting his head. "You've got the wrong person, old monster! I am Rocks D. Xebec! I've never even met that Davy Jones guy..."
His tone shifted, and his smile became ferocious: "But... a 'promise' is something that should be kept by someone, even after eight hundred years, shouldn't it?"
[...!]
Imu's conscious fluctuations suddenly became intense, as if a sore spot had been touched.
[Precisely because of that! You must be eliminated! You... along with that damned "promise" and "history"... shall be completely erased from this world!!]
[Mu's world... is not yet complete!! How can it be allowed to be defiled by the blood of rebels like you!!]
"Your world?!" Rocks burst into wild laughter, his voice shaking the surroundings.
"This world—has never belonged to a monster like you hiding in the shadows!"
Swish—!!
A black shadow of a spider limb, like a knight's lance, pierced toward Rocks with a piercing whistle! Its speed far surpassed all previous attacks!
Rocks' pupils constricted, but he advanced instead of retreating!
"Hah!!"
His long sword, wrapped in peak Haoshoku, slashed upward, severing the incoming tentacle.
The true fierce battle between Rocks and the "descended" Imu erupted with a bang!
The aftershocks of their clash were more terrifying than any previous battle, and the terrain began to collapse.
The remaining Marine units watched from afar, completely at a loss.
"Rocks! That bastard!"
"He... he's charging toward Saturn Saint... no, toward that monster!"
"We should go support him, right?! Rear Admiral!!" a Marine officer shouted.
A high-ranking Marine Rear Admiral's expression shifted uncertainly. Looking at the battle scene that completely transcended understanding, he hesitated:
"No... we can't even interfere in a battle like this... approaching means death..."
"We definitely have to support them! Move out of the way!" Garp's voice rang out behind them like a thunderclap. He had rushed nearby at some point, covered in blood, yet his aura seemed even stronger.
"Vice Admiral Garp!" the Marines exclaimed.
"Eh?! Wait! Vice Admiral, which... which side are you going to support?!"
The Marines watched Garp running toward the monster, their minds completely boggled... Meanwhile, in another part of the dense forest relatively far from the central battlefield.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunshots rang out as Marines fired at several carts laden with treasure that were fleeing frantically.
"Pirates! Leave the treasure behind!!"
"These are priceless treasures of the world!" A pirate dragging a large cart of treasure grinned and laughed as he ran.
Deep in the forest.
Gulp, gulp, gulp...
Captain John tilted his head back and took a large swig of strong liquor, casually wiping the corner of his mouth with his sleeve. Around him stood a group of excited pirates pushing empty carts.
"So noisy." John squinted, listening to the terrifying rumbles and screams coming from the distance.
"Is the transport all ready?"
"Ready! Captain John!" the pirates dragging various trailers answered excitedly.
Captain John tossed the empty wine bottle away and took one last look toward the central battlefield, where black-red light and distorted black shadows intertwined and rose into the sky.
A flicker of complexity crossed his face, but it was soon replaced by greed and resolve.
"Well then..." He turned around.
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