"…So this is what it feels like."
"To fight while wearing the armor."
Saint Roselith Seraphina slowly flexed her fingers beneath the jet-black gauntlets.
Unlike the first time she had manifested the armor, there was no violent resistance.
No loss of control.
Every movement felt natural.
Fluid.
It was as though the armor had always been a part of her body.
Rather than borrowing someone else's strength…
It felt like she was finally reclaiming power that had always belonged to her.
A strange connection quietly resonated between her consciousness and the ancient armor.
Although the visor still limited her ordinary vision somewhat, her Observation Haki (Kenbunshoku Haki) expanded dramatically.
Everything within her perception became clearer.
Sharper.
The armor wasn't replacing her Haki.
It was amplifying it.
Almost as though it served as a catalyst.
A thought quietly surfaced in her mind.
Could that mysterious voice…
Actually mean her no harm?
She slowly raised Winter Solstice.
The instant the sword left its scabbard, strands of black armor spread naturally across the blade.
Ancient crimson patterns intertwined with the silver edge.
An oppressive aura older than the current age of pirates erupted outward.
Even the surrounding air seemed to grow heavier.
Without another word
Boom!!
The black knight launched herself into the air.
She completely ignored Marco, who continued circling overhead.
Instead…
She landed directly before the Moby Dick.
Her sword slowly rose.
The tip pointed directly toward the man standing proudly upon the ship's bow.
Edward Newgate.
Whitebeard.
Now…
In Seraphina's eyes…
No one else present qualified as her opponent.
The Whitebeard Pirates' commanders could no longer threaten her.
Only the World's Strongest Man remained.
The battlefield instantly fell silent.
Everyone understood exactly what that gesture meant.
She…
Was openly challenging Whitebeard.
"Gurarararara!"
Instead of becoming angry, Whitebeard threw back his head and laughed.
"What spirit!"
"What courage!"
His laughter echoed across the frozen sea.
Then Marco suddenly descended.
"You haven't even defeated me yet!"
"How dare you challenge Pops!"
Blue flames erupted behind him.
His phoenix form accelerated downward once again.
Boom!!
His enormous talons struck directly toward the black-armored knight.
This time
Seraphina didn't move.
Not even a single step.
At the very last instant…
Her armored hand shot upward.
Crack!!
She caught Marco's claw with one hand.
The tremendous impact failed to move her even an inch.
Marco's pupils contracted.
"What…?!"
His expression changed completely.
"My regeneration…"
"It's slowed!"
He immediately sensed something abnormal.
The black armor's power lingered around the wound Seraphina had previously inflicted.
Even his Phoenix Flames struggled to erase it.
The ancient aura clinging to his injuries resisted his Devil Fruit's regenerative abilities.
Before Marco could react
Boom!!
Seraphina swung her arm downward.
With overwhelming force, she slammed Marco directly into the frozen sea.
The thick ice shattered instantly.
Marco crashed through the surface and disappeared beneath the freezing water.
"Marco!!"
The commanders aboard the Moby Dick cried out simultaneously.
Several Division Commanders immediately rushed forward.
"We attack together!"
"No more holding back!"
"Izo!"
"Provide covering fire!"
The Whitebeard Pirates immediately coordinated their assault.
Bullets filled with Armament Haki flew across the battlefield.
Cannons roared.
Flying slashes crossed the frozen sea.
Yet
None of it mattered.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The bullets struck the surface of the black armor before harmlessly falling away.
The cannonballs shattered long before reaching her.
Even powerful sword slashes barely left faint marks upon the ancient armor.
Seraphina paid them no attention whatsoever.
Her eyes never left the towering figure standing atop the Moby Dick.
Edward Newgate.
The World's Strongest Man.
Whitebeard slowly stepped forward.
The enormous Murakumogiri, one of the Supreme Grade Blades, rested easily upon his shoulder.
His overwhelming presence spread across the battlefield.
"Come."
Whitebeard smiled.
"Show me your strength."
The next instant
Murakumogiri descended.
The massive bisento cleaved downward with terrifying force.
At the same time…
Whitebeard unleashed the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit (Gura Gura no Mi).
Cracks spread through the air itself.
The atmosphere shattered like fragile glass.
An invisible shockwave engulfed everything before him.
Boom!!
Even inside the black armor…
Seraphina felt the terrifying force pressing against her.
So this…
Was the power that had once rivaled the Pirate King.
She immediately abandoned the idea of blocking the attack directly.
Instead
She twisted her body.
Her sword flashed.
Ama-no-Kage.
Like a shadow beneath the heavens, her blade redirected part of the overwhelming force while her body slipped aside.
Even so
Boom!!
The frozen battlefield exploded.
Countless icebergs shattered into fragments.
The sea erupted violently.
The black-armored knight was thrown backward and crashed into the freezing ocean.
Whitebeard remained standing calmly upon the floating ice.
Yet…
His expression had become noticeably more serious.
That mysterious armor…
Had given him a feeling he had not experienced for many years.
For just an instant…
The pressure radiating from Seraphina reminded him of another man.
Gol D. Roger.
…
Half an hour earlier…
Aboard the retreating Marine warship…
Silence filled the deck.
Every Marine wore a gloomy expression.
No one wanted to retreat.
No one wanted to abandon their Rear Admiral to face Whitebeard alone.
Especially when that Rear Admiral was barely twenty years old.
None of them could truly accept such an order.
Suddenly
A loud voice shattered the silence.
"Gentlemen!"
"Are we really going to leave like this?"
Lieutenant Commander Levi jumped onto the highest platform of the ship so every Marine could see him clearly.
His voice echoed across the deck.
"When facing an enemy stronger than ourselves…"
"A tactical withdrawal is sometimes the correct decision."
"No one denies that."
"But…"
"When the enemy standing before us is a pirate…"
"Justice demands that we fight!"
"If we choose to survive today…"
"Will any of us sleep peacefully tonight?"
"What's the difference between us…"
"And deserters?"
His words struck deeply into every Marine's heart.
"History remembers cowards."
"I refuse to become one of them."
"If I must choose between my life…"
"And justice…"
"I choose justice!"
He raised his fist high into the air.
"Those willing to turn this ship around…"
"Raise your hands!"
One hand rose.
Then another.
Then dozens.
Within moments…
Almost every Marine aboard the vessel had raised an arm.
Yet not everyone agreed.
A Lieutenant Commander stepped forward.
"Lieutenant Commander Levi!"
"The Rear Admiral ordered us to retreat!"
"We can't waste her sacrifice!"
He wasn't afraid of death.
He simply believed a Marine's first duty was to obey orders.
Another Marine spoke hesitantly.
"If we disobey now…"
"What happens afterward?"
"Our branch's discipline is extremely strict."
Levi nodded.
"I understand."
"But think carefully."
"If the officers who gave those orders die protecting us…"
"Then who remains to enforce them?"
He looked around at everyone present.
"The Rear Admiral and Colonel Bruce aren't here."
"You are now the highest-ranking officers aboard this ship."
He took a deep breath.
"If responsibility must be taken…"
"I'll bear it."
"If the Rear Admiral punishes anyone afterward…"
"Tell her I forced every one of you."
The deck fell silent again.
Another Marine shouted.
"Levi!"
"We'll stand with you!"
A different voice asked the question everyone feared.
"If we return now…"
"Won't we only become a burden to the Rear Admiral?"
Levi nodded honestly.
"Yes."
"We probably will."
"But then…"
"We'll simply fight until we are no longer a burden."
"We'll fight until we die."
"How can we allow our commanding officer to stand alone against Whitebeard?"
"If we are all prepared to die…"
"If every one of us resolves to die…"
"Then we won't disgrace the Rear Admiral!"
His voice became louder.
"Now tell me!"
"Is anyone here afraid of death?"
Silence.
No one answered.
Levi continued.
"If anyone wishes to live…"
"Lower a boat."
"G-5 Base is only several hours away."
"No one will blame you."
"You'll simply be obeying orders."
Still…
No one moved.
Not a single Marine stepped toward the lifeboats.
Levi smiled.
"Colonel Kovis…"
"If you were here…"
"You'd have made exactly the same decision."
A young Marine suddenly shouted.
"Ever since I joined the Marines…"
"I've already accepted death!"
Another followed.
"The Rear Admiral is our future!"
"She must survive!"
Another voice echoed across the deck.
"We can die!"
"But she cannot!"
"Our deaths won't change the future of the Marines!"
"But without Rear Admiral Seraphina…"
"Who will lead us forward?"
Another fist rose into the air.
"I vote to return!"
"Our superior should never be left behind to cover our retreat alone!"
Passion ignited throughout the ship.
Every Marine aboard had chosen this path willingly.
None of them had ever been abandoned by Seraphina.
She had trained beside them.
Fought beside them.
Protected them countless times.
Now…
It was their turn.
One final shout echoed across the deck.
"Who agrees?!"
A thunderous roar answered him.
"WE FIGHT WHITEBEARD!!"
"WE FIGHT WHITEBEARD!!"
"WE FIGHT WHITEBEARD!!"
The helmsman immediately spun the wheel.
The Marine warship turned around at full speed.
Its bow pointed once more…
Toward the battlefield awaiting them.
WE ARE CURRENTLY ON CHAPTER 183 ON PATREON.
JOIN MY PATREON TO READ ADVANCED CHAPTERS BEFORE PUBLIC RELEASE OR PURCHASE THE BOOK FOR LIFETIME ACCESS!
Patreon.com/HACKDWORLD