[150] The Last Stand (I)
[4300 words]
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Such a cataclysmic change was quickly noted by all other top entities still present. Seven days and seven nights had passed, but these monsters were still standing.
…
"Gurararara, it's only been a week, show me more of your strength, Celestial Dragon!"
Whitebeard slammed his glaive onto Garling's body, shaking him with earthquakes.
"Ugh!" the Noble cried out.
"Garling!" a senior Knight roared. He glared at the titanic Whitebeard with fear. "No matter how many Knights we cycle from the reserves unit… His strength is unscientific!"
Newgate grinned away the moniker of being a "monster" or a "devil." The man just wanted to cement his strength so no one would annoy the family he envisioned some years from now!
"!!!" The pirate paused in his actions, inhaling a cold breath.
As a man of earthquakes, Newgate knew when the earth was cut up. Naturally, he felt the island being slashed in half.
"Roger, Garp," he muttered while offhandedly swatting aside three Knights. "Can that crazy Rocks actually be beaten?"
…
"Jihahahahaha! Rayleigh, Gaban! You guys work well together!"
Shiki cackled away, holding down the Dark King and the Twin Axe with one sword each. But he knew that at that moment, the tides had changed.
"!!!" Haki flared across the three as they peered to the far-flat lands, shaking the Golden Lion: "Rocks… no way!"
…
"You don't have much fuel left, Hellspawn. Logia are considered the most sustainable Devil Fruits, but they have a limit."
The man-faced lion unleashed a paw swirling with sand shaped like giant knives. They fell onto the collection of electricity and swatted it off.
Boom!
Indra landed hard; his body flickered between intangible and tangible forms. Blood dripped from his face and arms, coughing it out, too. "I told you, I will not let you pass through me," he muttered, breathing heavily.
Xerxes scoffed, opting to attack once more.
"Hmm?" He looked to the side and saw the halved God Valley. "Garp and Roger, those two monsters actually did it!?"
…
Zephyr polished his metal arm, glaring at the pirate before him. "You can stay up for an entire week of battle. I am impressed," he applauded.
Solomon chuckled, his body encased in Haki while in the form of the Wendigo.
"You use fear as fuel, perhaps even storing it in that black fog; it really is quite the ability. Though I can't say the same for your compatriots."
The Admiral Candidate looked to the fallen Hensō and Kaen, then back at Solomon. Zephyr was about to unleash another punch until he felt a disturbance.
His eyes shook while taking in the reality of the situation. "...The world will tremble once this war ends."
…
"You don't have the stamina to keep equalling me in strength for so long, Sin Incarnate," Sengoku's calculative voice broke out. He was incessantly thrusting his palms out, releasing concentrated shock to wear down his adversary.
"This is what happens when you challenge someone with three decades more experience!"
Damien dodged and flickered away from each consecutive attack with incredible agility, only for Sengoku to continue.
"Hey, hey, Sengoku! Do you really want me to go all out? I thought we agreed to chill until Rocks was dead!"
The Admiral audibly scoffed, still showing no mercy in his strikes.
BOOM!
Bam!
*Rumble*
Explosion after explosion, miss after miss.
"...Here, I thought Garp was the unreasonable one."
Damien sighed past the chain of explosions, his eyes tracking each strike with his Observation.
Then he felt it.
"!!!"
Damien made a "T" gesture with his hands, directing it at the relentless Sengoku: "Timeout!"
With little care for the Admiral's response, he turned to see God Valley being sliced in half. The sudden surge of salty sea air brought some flavour to the ruined land and the smell of fresh death…
Sengoku paused as well, his heartbeat spiking at the result.
Damien narrowed his tired eyes and absently spoke, "Did he die just like that?"
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While the top dogs felt the tides shift as it happened, things were a little slower at the Eastern Shore, where the war between armies remained alive.
"Vice Admiral, I'm afraid we no longer have the troops to continue cycling our forces."
The lead Marine nodded, "It's alright. We've cycled the 50,000 stationed in reserve to ensure our forces in combat are well-rested. Even though our numbers are a quarter of what we started with, it wasn't for naught!"
The Vice Admiral raised his scimitar and declared, "Only 2,000 left. Kill them all!"
The nearby marines exploded into a boisterous yell. As of now, they still have 25,000 men.
Though the battle-hardened Marine seemed jovial, deep down, he was shaken. When he saw the two thousand pirates, he realized they weren't human!
'They've fought for seven days straight now. They're even using their allies' bodies as shields while drinking their blood to sustain themselves…'
"Damn monsters, they really needed to be purged from existence!" he exclaimed.
.
A one-armed Rear Admiral ran to the crowd of marines that were taking on the pirates. His furry face was stained with dried blood and fresh cuts, but under the mask of fatigue and pain was a bright smile from the deepest parts of his soul.
Still, in his Zoan form of a koala, he loudly and proudly remarked, "Rocks D. Xebec, the Captain of the Rocks Pirates...has been killed by Vice Admiral Garp!"
The intel silenced the crowd, letting the thought sink in. It momentarily sucked the words out of everyone's mouths.
For the first time in seven days, God Valley was utterly quiet.
"..."
And then came the wave of worship…
"L-Long live Vice Admiral Garp!"
"Three cheers for The Fist!"
"Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah! Justice has prevailed!"
Even the officers at death's door mumbled out with a dying grin; whether they had lost limbs, loved ones or companions, they all shared the joy.
"Vice Admiral Garp… he's a Hero!"
Like a push of a button, the marines raged on, their morale touching the sky.
"Kill them all!"
"They killed my brothers. Take no prisoners!"
"End the damned war and this pirate era!"
They found strength they didn't know they had. Plunging into the horde of pirates without care for themselves, cutting and slashing them apart.
Bodies fell one by one, hundreds by the minute; the battle strongly fell in the Navy's favour.
…
"Rocks… I can't believe you fell here!" a Pillar of the crew who ate the armadillo fruit muttered.
The thought was universal, even echoing in the minds of the Tragedies and the Titans. The turn of events forced all major battles to halt, and both sides returned to their respective areas to regroup.
…
Government Side: Sengoku, Basara, Zephyr, Xerxes, Saint Garling, God's Knights and 25,000 elite marines.
Pirate Side: Shiki, Whitebeard, Damien, Indra, Solomon, Silver Axe, Wang Zhi and the Fourth Division.
To say the least, it was obvious which side had the most forces.
"Rocks, why, how could you fall in this pathetic place? It's unforgivable!"
The furious cry came from a most surprising person—Golden Lion Shiki!
White flakes floated out from his mouth from his teeth being gnashed too hard. His fingers dug into his palms, leaking streaks of blood. "You said you would conquer the seas, put the World Government onto its knees, so why, why are you dead!?"
"Shiki…" Newgate muttered, thinking it was the first time he'd seen the man so frantic.
Damien narrowed his eyes at the erratic pirate and thought aloud, "Looks like the Golden Lion and Rocks' connection was deeper than we thought."
.
"Dammit," Shiki breathed, ignoring the questioning eyes from nearby. He instead glared daggers at the marines, his eyes twitching with mania.
BOOOOOOM!
The settled air and dust erupted like a volcano, stretching from the ruined lands to the ashy skies and tearing them open. Black lightning crackled through the shaken air while a spanning golden bubble covered the quivering island.
The Elite Marines all took a few steps back, their hands reaching to cover their ears from the thunderous roar. The past week of hell had made them reasonably resistant to such outbursts, but it still left them stunned.
"..." Shiki's eyes grew somber. He growled one last time before exhaling his frustrations. And like any pirate, he laughed to clear his troubles: "Jihahahaha!"
Shiki grabbed his face with a violent grip, cackling to himself and shaking his head.
Finally, he returned to normal, leaving only one sentence to explain himself: "I have no reason to stay here any longer."
With another streak of gold, he shot away into the open skies. His body disappeared alongside the rays of the evening sun.
"..."
"That bastard actually ran off," Whitebeard grumbled, slamming his glaive on the ground.
The towering pirate felt the atmosphere turn sharp as he glanced to the side.
His eyes landed on Damien and his people. Bloodied up, tired beyond belief, bruised and broken—that was the state of the Fourth Division.
Their Commander was visibly tired, though his eyes remained calm. However, that couldn't be said for the likes of Indra and Solomon. Naturally, others saw this, too.
'The weakest link will break the chain,' Sengoku mused, his eyes narrowing in on the band of young pirates. 'I can finally finish this.'
The battered Admiral's thoughts were suddenly blown aside as he sensed the state of his colleague.
"Basara!" he called out, seeing the one-eyed man staring on the ground.
Admiral Basara's dominating aura, merciless outlook, and relentless pursuit of Absolute Justice usually made him a loud presence. Only now, he seemed but a mere spark in what should be an inferno.
'He's been different since Sol… Did seeing his home in flames break his spirit?' Sengoku thought to himself.
A bold and prideful voice broke the Admiral's thought: "Though you've left God Valley in shambles, it is rather poetic to see the fearsome Rocks Pirates fall apart here!"
All eyes fell on the walking, talking God—Saint Figarland Garling, the man who had, impressively enough, stood tall for seven days. Even with the assistance of God's Knights, it was still a feat worth noting.
The air picked up once more, blowing an ominous breeze to welcome the second half of the war.
But a dull boom from an unexpected party stole the spotlight…
"Wahahaha! Looks like we have a standoff."
A beat-up, broken, dying-yet-still-breathing Gol D. Roger, alongside Silvers Rayleigh and Scopper Gaban, had arrived.
All eyes fell on the small band of outlaws.
"Hmm?" Damien mumbled, seeing Roger grasping something. It was a relatively small, inconspicuous treasure chest with an intricate red design.
Garling's eyes widened at the sight, anger flooding into his tone: "You insufferable pirate, where did you find that!?"
"Oh?" Roger glared at Garling, forcing the Saint to waver. "It's just a little thing I found lying around," he answered, waving the box like a carrot in front of a pig. "What, you want it?"
*Shing!* The mighty Ace was unsheathed, silencing the others.
"Hehe, come get it!"
Garling gnashed his teeth together, his eyes filled with rage.
"Where's Garp?" Sengoku questioned, his arms crossed—the Resourceful General had long expected Roger to come here.
The pirate returned a giddy thumb's up: "He's napping; I think I'll go hit the hay, too… I'm about to die here, Wahahaha!"
The bruised Rayleigh smacked his Captain upside the head. "Don't give away your dire conditions, you idiot!"
Roger felt no shame, leaving Rayleigh to shake his head.
"Hehe, I've had my fun here; we'll be leaving early. It was a fun, final act for the Roger Pirates." Then Roger turned around and walked away, his fatigued crew following suit.
"..."
No one else made a move while Roger and his men hopped on the Oro Jackson and began sailing off. The Dark King Rayleigh gave a last look at Damien with a side-smirk, "I'm sure we'll kick back and laugh at today's spectacle one day. Good luck, young pirate!"
Damien gave him a simple nod as the Roger Pirates exited the group chat.
…
"Wawawawa! It doesn't look that good for us without the Golden Lion!" Wang Zhi laughed, raising his front legs and slamming down with a dull tremor.
"It's not getting any better, either."
The elephantine Ochoku looked at Damien with confusion but also picked up the flash of red in the latter's eyes. He saw Damien turn to the far East and heard an ever-so-slight tremor—a mighty ship had docked!
"The overwhelming force of the Navy Headquarters," the red-painted Silver Axe recognized the sole man at the helm of the warship.
A mighty aura, stern face and brimming with endless strength. The man proudly boasted a mountainous hairstyle, a simple gray shirt and blue trousers. Draped over his shoulders was the classic Navy coat.
The undying pirate shook his head with a smile, scratching the back of his head. "The invincible Fleet Admiral deigns to grace us with his presence!"
The others were equally stunned.
Sengoku, Zephyr and Basara felt great hope swell in their chest, almost as if a great difficulty had been lifted off his shoulder.
Naturally, the man who had arrived was the Fleet Admiral of the Navy Headquarters: 'Strange Beast' Kong!
"Kong!?" Xerxes exclaimed, balling his bruised fists. "How can you leave your post at Marineford!?"
The Fleet Admiral scoffed, not paying much mind to his 'colleague' disagreement.
"Commander-in-Chief Endou climbed down from Mariejois to man my post at Marineford, granting me free movement."
The Cipher Pol Chief clicked his tongue, irritated. "You aren't needed here."
Kong's eyes left his old friend, scrolling past the war-torn battlefield—the lakes of lava, mountains of corpses, and blanket of ruins—and to the short line of notorious pirates.
Few in numbers but endless in threat; the top Marine huffed a heavy breath, his eyes sharp like a blade. "There is no room for mistakes. Surround them!"
*Rumble*
It was like a divine mandate to the 25,000 officers. They rushed like hordes of undead, quickly spanning across the pirate forces. All but ten seconds and the boisterous troopers were prepared to die!
Shing!
*Click*
Clang!
Guns, bullets, cannons, rockets, swords; all weapons were ready.
Kong hummed in satisfaction. These men were the finest soldiers under his Navy Headquarters. "I miss leading you all into battle in person… Charge!"
"Oughhh!" The men gave a war cry, rushing at the dozen or so pirates.
Their eyes were filled with glory to be under the command of the legendary Fleet Admiral! Let alone being under the grace of two Admirals, an Admiral Candidate and even a Saint.
The lifeless land drummed with the thousands of footsteps, singing the end for the remaining pirates.
"Kill them all!"
"For Justice!"
"Extinguish every last trace of the demonic Rocks Pirates!"
The morale reached space, resounding across the ruined God Valley. The march alone sent a thick plume of dust from the weight of 25,000 men charging forward.
.
"Rahahahaha!" Damien cracked up. He shook his head at the incoming horde, his Empathy feeling their endless spirit.
"Can you believe it, Newgate-san? These guys are really putting together a circus for us."
Whitebeard smirked, bursting in similar joy: "Gurararara! They actually think that throwing marines at us makes any difference…"
Newgate placed his Murakumogiri to the side, wedging it into the ground.
*Thump* *Thump*
The towering pirate's weight sunk into the earth as he took a few steps forward, covered with an ominous aura.
He bid one look at the 25,000 men all but ten meters away from him.
With a titanic roar, the fearsome Whitebeard's giant hands dug into the air before him, his fingers tearing space open like plastic!
"Kong's arrival made you forget who we are!!!"
*Vurrup* The fabric of space was wrapped around his digits, flooding the area with turbulence. "Hah!" Newgate roared once more, yanking at what kept reality and space together!
*Rumble!* Suddenly, the entire world began to shake.
The very land below twisted and turned as per Whitebeard's command, shaking as if it was made of jelly. Torrents of hellish winds spun out from the epicenter while giant shards of earth were dislodged from below.
The skies churned with vibrations, and the distant waters folded and shook as new land burst from the seafloor. God Valley broke into pieces, slowly tilting and cracking at its core. Not only that, he had shaken up the tectonic plates beyond the shores, too!
Boom!
The sideways earth cracked and crashed, sending powerful tremors and tsunamis out.
The marines cried in pain, falling to their knees; a hefty fraction found themselves grasping at the very ground as their bodies slid across the torn earth, falling into chasms and bottomless pits.
"This monster! He's tilting the region!" Sengoku crouched down, his hand held before his face. Abject shock reflected on his glasses as he felt the howling winds leaving cuts and gashes over his burly torso.
A single move was all it took to obliterate any form of cohesion the army had—not even the Fleet Admiral could save them from this!
'This is the soon-to-be Strongest Man in the World!' Damien exclaimed, marvelling at the power of Whitebeard.
He shook his head with a wry smile, watching the Cradle of the Gods rip itself open, swallowing up tens of thousands of men and corpses.
…
A good five minutes passed before some sense of sanity returned to those still living.
*Cough* *Cough* Sengoku spat out black smoke, his hands reaching for his ashy glasses.
He glared at the two Titans responsible for the mess with hateful eyes.
He looked to the side, seeing Zephyr slamming through boulders to save as many marines as possible. Basara was busy shaping the earth to God Valley so the entire island wouldn't sink straight up.
Garling slammed with a small hill due to the crazy winds while Xerxes had Phantom open a portal to shield him.
As for Kong, the Fleet Admiral had protected his Navy warship from damage, but he needed a way out in case of an emergency.
"!!!" The hair on the Buddha's arms shot up like an arrow—more hell was to come!
Sengoku's eyes shot to Damien. He saw Indra, the Sin Incarnate's right-hand man, bursting out a stream of lightning to shield the others. The Navy was already down to at most ten thousand soldiers, and that number may be about to drop!
"I guess it's my turn to show off," he heard the insufferable young pirate's voice.
*Snap* With the snap of Damien's finger, a flash of red went off.
It was like a pulse washing through the blanket of ruin, stretching past the gorges and chasms, highlighting an endless sea of rubble and debris in a red checkered pattern.
Damien then raised his left hand, sparking with red lightning.
"I take it no one is using these…"
The top marines tore their eyes from their tasks, seeing the Sin Incarnate clench his open hand with a dramatic twist.
*Krrr* *Zap* Sounds of pixelation broke out, resounding across the island. They bellowed from the countless tons of loose rocks, turning into thick streams of dense crimson energy.
They swirled through the dusty skies and into Damien's other hand.
*Purrup* All in under ten seconds, practically all of God Valley's loose debris was in a small cube within the hands of the undying pirate—there was no number you could put on the island-spanning debris. Yet, somehow, it filled the ten cubic centimeter entity.
It pulsed with chaotic energy, a small yet dense collection of countless elements swirling within its confines. Its surface shimmered as the atoms inside twisted and shifted, ready to be unleashed.
[Cube Image (in Discord)]
Sengoku grunted, shooting forward with great resolve, his body burning brighter than the sun!
"I won't allow you to kill more of my men!!!"
The Buddha, a divine entity, was moments from washing the battlefield with his sacred presence until a sharp, emotionless voice forced him to think twice.
"Admiral Sengoku. We lack critical intel on the Sin Incarnate's Awakening… This shall be a worthwhile experiment."
The monotone yet elegant voice came from Saint Garling, caring little for the Navy's losses.
The Admiral slammed into the ground, his eyes quaking with anger. "Experiment!? You want to use the lives of my men to test his attack power?!"
Golden strands of Conqueror's Haki swirled from the Resourceful General, yet it was hit hard with Garling's equally arrogant spirit.
"Don't forget your position, Sengoku," the Saint scoffed, looking down at the livid Marine. "Admirals are nothing but the Celestial Dragons' dogs; stand down."
The words were not only for the Buddha but also for Basara and Zephyr, who were just as prepared to move.
Fury leaked from Sengoku's gnashed teeth. He turned to his Fleet Admiral… The silence was loud.
Some Vice Admirals and older Rear Admirals looked at Sengoku with pleading eyes. But the cold touch of reality brought them nothing but despair—it was an edict from a God!
"…Dammit!" The Admiral cursed.
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On the pirate stood a casual Damien.
He scoffed at the Justice-emblazoned veterans and fulfilled their wishes to watch at the sidelines.
*Crack* The cube waiting patiently was finally allowed to unleash its fury. With the sound of glass breaking, the tesseract exploded into specks of red energy warping into different substances.
*Whurr* *Shrrrk* It was a scene beyond scientific understanding as all types of loose atoms from the ruins were forced to interact: oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, hydrogen, carbon, sulphur, phosphorus, titanium, manganese, and even gold—dozens of elements forming unscientific compounds and molecules beyond human comprehension.
The temperature around the substance was, in some places, as cold as ice and, in others, as hot as magma—an abstract piece under the brush of a master painter.
.
"Atomic Remodeling: Magnum Opus."
.
The attack created a variety of beautifully frightening colours, each presenting some form of disastrous beauty. From afar, it may have looked like an artist's grand masterpiece, but close up, it was the emissary of death.
*Fwoo!* *Vvooosh!* BOOM!
The whirling torrent devoured everything before Damien's open palm as it continued its advent, swallowing the earth below to amplify itself further.
The ground beneath the advancing onslaught twisted and buckled in unnatural ways, warping as though the very fabric of reality was being unravelled.
Cracks snaked across the surface, and jagged chunks of earth were pulled upward, only to be shredded and reshaped into bizarre formations. Stone turned fluid for moments before hardening into grotesque, crystalline structures. Some sections of the earth twisted and compressed as if squeezed by an invisible hand, while others stretched into impossible, elongated forms, all caught in the chaotic storm of Damien's attack.
There was no escape, let alone for the likes of elite marines.
"Auuu-"
"Hel-"
"Euug-"
Their wails were interrupted as their bodies were eaten up and converted to atoms, adding a somewhat human element to the increasingly beautiful piece of art.
[Attack Image (in Discord)]
…
"That should keep them occupied for a bit," Damien blandly said. He didn't find pleasure in such bloodshed, but their death was guaranteed for the incoming fight—if anything, he gave the soldiers a painless way out.
Whitebeard watched with arms crossed, nodding at the show of power. "Rocks is dead, and his Rocks Pirates are gone. Good riddance."
He turned away from the ever-blossoming attack; his sigh of relief was light but heard by others. "There's no reason to stay here."
Newgate's were meant for his fellow Titan of the soon-to-be-extinct crew. "Oh, I agree," Damien nodded, but his eyes hid some internal thoughts.
"What are you planning?" Whitebeard questioned, seeing Damien clearly plotting something.
The Sin Incarnate grinned and laughed it off, "Rahaha! Well, just know I didn't come all the way here to see Rocks' death." The crimson flash of ambition was evident in his voice and eyes. "But things are getting a little hectic."
He turned to his allies, hoping the next few moments would give Indra and Solomon the energy to keep fighting a bit longer. The others from the Fourth Division were just as worn out—Pablo's energy drugs could only go so far!
'I need to get them out of here first,' he thought. But Damien couldn't help but frown as he felt his own stamina reserves hitting rock bottom.
"Looks like we have to fight our way out first."
Silver Axe picked up his chipped weapon, breathing out a dull huff. "We are at the final stretch. Just a few more obstacles to surmount."
"Wawawa! Let's end this!" Wang Zhi declared, slamming his humongous legs.
Indra stood up, too, nodding at his Commander with firm eyes. Although his dark skin did well to hide most of his injuries, it couldn't mask the dried blood and torn clothes. Yet his words left none the wiser: "I can still swing Tenmei against Xerxes for some time."
"C-Count me in, too!" Solomon forced himself to get up, ignoring the aching pain shooting down his arms and legs. One look at Indra, and it was enough to stand up!
A man of fear fuelled by his desire to appear stronger than he was—but as the saying went, fake it till you make it.
Solomon looked to his Boss with resolve and balled his fists. "I'll scrape the fear from these corpses to keep me standing if I have to!"
Damien chuckled, his gaze returning to the battlefield. Through the rusty air, the collapsing island and shrieking winds, the Sin Incarnate locked onto a fearsome figure standing tens of meters away, tearing his masterpiece with his bare hands.
The undying pirate gave a tired sigh, slightly smiling at the troubles ahead, "I have a feeling that they won't just let us leave all that easily."
"This may very well be our last stand!"
To Be Continued…
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Author's Corner.
Whitebeard's world-tilt finally debuted in combat, and I tried to give it as much spotlight as Damien's first big-named Awakening attack. What do you think Damien is up to in all this chaos?
Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q