Chapter 91: End of the Raid on Marineford!

Vice Admiral Tsuru lay sprawled on the ground, her body heavy and weak as waves of exhaustion overtook her. It felt as if she were bound by seastone shackles—or worse, submerged in seawater.

"My Devil Fruit ability... it's gone," she murmured, the realization sinking in.

"No," Edie's voice broke through her daze, calm and clinical. "Your ability hasn't disappeared, it's only temporarily sealed by me."

Hovering in the air, Edie landed smoothly, his gaze focused on the solid ice encasing Rocks' frozen form. He barely spared a glance at Tsuru before turning back to his goal.

"Sealing a Devil Fruit ability... Can you even do such a thing?" Tsuru asked, her voice laced with disbelief. The idea was unfathomable, and yet here he stood, effortlessly bending the laws that governed even the mightiest Devil Fruit powers. Was this man some kind of god?

"Do you know the true content of so-called '100% pure' seastone that can effectively suppress Devil Fruit users?" Edie pulled his blade, Yoshi, from his waist. With a swift slash, the massive block of ice split cleanly in two, and Rocks' frozen body dropped out, hitting the ground with a dull thud. His body was lifeless, preserved without a single drop of flowing blood, muscles beneath the skin darkened with age.

"Only about 0.07%," Edie continued, his voice tinged with a hint of condescension. "In one kilogram of 'pure' seastone, there's only 0.7 grams of a unique substance, Substance P, containing ghost particles capable of restricting ability users."

Tsuru's mind swirled, barely grasping his words. "What... what does that mean?"

"In simple terms," he said, his tone dismissive, "I've used the equivalent of one ton of pure seastone to seal your ability. Ten billion ghost particles now cling to your soul, each radiating Armament Haki—an effect as potent as seastone itself."

As he spoke, Edie slashed Rocks' arm, revealing the hardened, frost-preserved muscles beneath. No blood emerged. After so long, the body had preserved itself, even down to its darkened sinews. Edie sighed, realizing blood samples wouldn't be possible and instead coiled a rope around Rocks' neck, hoisting the corpse like some grim trophy.

"A ton…" Tsuru's voice was weak, and she could only muster a wry smile. "You've gone to a lot of trouble for an old woman."

But Edie offered no response, not bothering to explain further. Perhaps Vegapunk could understand, he thought, already distracted by his next steps.

With no samples to collect, he simply decided to take the entire body. Grasping the end of the rope, he turned on his heel, pulling the massive corpse behind him, leaving a damp trail in his wake.

Tsuru struggled to push herself up, her voice straining as she called after him. "You've gotten what you wanted! But know this—the attack on headquarters has already been broadcast. Reinforcements from the World Government will arrive soon. You'd best be gone before they get here!"

Edie paused only a moment. "Thank you for the warning," he replied, not turning back as he continued out of the cavern.

The massive doors closed behind him, and Tsuru's shoulders slumped, a wave of helplessness washing over her. She knew her reminder wasn't born of kindness—her only aim was to limit the losses the Marines might suffer. That was her duty.

Despite her best efforts and a well-timed ambush, she knew that a single person, even her, couldn't stop a man like Edie. This was the full extent of what she could do: buy time and hope it would be enough to minimize the damage left in his wake.

Marineford, Inner Bay Port

Boom!

Garp and Chou clashed with resounding force, each blow balanced by the other's strength. The two combatants, each locked in a fierce struggle, continued to battle for over ten minutes, their Haki consuming itself in waves as they fought to gain the upper hand.

"His ability level is about equal to mine, but his combat experience isn't as polished," Garp thought, spotting a flaw in Chou's stance. He advanced aggressively, landing a solid punch squarely on Chou's nose. Chou staggered back, his feet dragging deep furrows into the ground, and behind him, a divine fire flickered, highlighting the resilience of his Lunarian heritage.

"The talents of the Lunarian clan... troublesome," Garp muttered to himself, reluctantly acknowledging Chou's remarkable resilience. Even after a direct hit, Chou's defenses seemed unharmed.

Shave!

With a flash, Chou vanished, utilizing the move with uncanny speed—unsurprising, given he was Garp's clone. Anticipating Chou's next strike, Garp leaped back just as Chou's fist slammed down, creating a massive crater in the ground, ripping apart the bay with terrifying force.

Meanwhile, not far away, a duel of golden titans raged.

Sengoku, grim-faced, confronted his own clone, Weiyang, who mirrored his movements perfectly. Unlike Sengoku, though, Weiyang possessed the natural abilities of the Lunarians, intensifying his already formidable defenses with the divine flame of Lunaria. With the Mythical Zoan powers combined with his Lunarian traits, Weiyang was nearly unbreakable.

Sengoku clenched his fists as he launched another devastating shockwave, its golden force expanding in a powerful hemispherical field. Weiyang countered with the exact same move, the two forces clashing and sending shockwaves across the battlefield. The ground beneath them trembled, and the destruction rippled outward, overturning warships and tearing apart the docks.

In mid-air, Golden Lion Shiki reveled in the chaos, his laughter echoing across the port. "Jiehahaha... Zephyr, you're slowing down!" he taunted, a triumphant gleam in his eye. Unlike a decade ago, when he faced both Garp and Sengoku alone and left in tatters, today he felt unstoppable. Even Marineford itself seemed within his grasp.

"Lion Majesty: Umikaze!"

Clasping his hands, Shiki unleashed his powers on the bay. The sea itself roared to life, waves towering hundreds of meters high, forming into enormous lion heads that loomed above, their mouths open in a furious roar. Seeing the water rise to such unnatural heights, Zephyr's eyes widened with alarm.

"He can control seawater?" Zephyr growled. "That damned pirate intends to drown the entire headquarters!"

Shiki sneered from his airborne vantage. "Whitebeard's not the only one who can make waves, you know. If I want, I can turn this place into a tsunami!" With a commanding wave of his hand, five massive lion heads surged toward the Marine fortress, roaring down like an impending apocalypse.

Marines scattered in panic, as waves surged, blocking out the sky. Amid the chaos, two giant Vice Admirals swung their weapons in unison, slicing through one of the lion heads with a powerful wave of sword energy, only for it to reform immediately.

"Damn it! How can we stop this?"

"Get out of here!" the giants roared to their fellow Marines. Steeling himself, Zephyr unleashed a shockwave of Advanced Haki, shattering one of the lion heads with a powerful punch. The seawater burst apart, raining down in a torrent, but it wasn't enough; the onslaught continued.

"Ice Age!"

From the direction of the Gate of Justice, an intense freeze spread rapidly, consuming the sea and its monstrous creations within moments. The water and lion heads solidified into towering ice sculptures, frozen in mid-roar.

"It's Admiral Aokiji!" "Admiral Aokiji has returned!" " We're Saved!"

The Marines' relief echoed in cheers, but Shiki's face twisted with displeasure. He sensed the Admiral's formidable presence from miles away, closing in fast. "Just my luck," he growled, frustration seeping into his expression. "Are all the new Admirals of this era this monstrous?"

Shiki's frown deepened. In an instant, he clenched his fist, focusing on a frozen lion head. The ice trembled, cracking and shifting as it reformed, roaring back to life under his control. The power of his Float-Float Fruit allowed him to manipulate any object he touched, whether stone, wood, or frozen seawater—turning them all into extensions of his will.

The lion heads surged forward once again, aimed at the Marine headquarters with renewed fury. From afar, Aokiji, standing on the ice, observed with an appraising gaze. "Ara-ara…" he muttered. "He really is one of the legends alongside Whitebeard and Roger. This is going to take more than a simple freeze."

Aokiji's appointment as Admiral at age thirty-five alongside Akainu and Kizaru marked the strongest Marine generation yet as they got promoted even earlier than in the Original story due to Kong's Early Death.

But despite his confidence, he knew the struggle ahead was daunting. He had bought the Marines some time, but holding back the full wrath of the Golden Lion Shiki and the other threats bearing down on Marineford was a task that demanded everything they had.

In the inner bay of Marineford, Garp abandoned his opponent, leaving his back to Chou. Using Moonwalk, he propelled himself through the air, arriving atop the massive frozen lion with the wind roaring around him.

"Galaxy Impact!" he shouted.

With a tremendous boom, Garp's punch, laced with Conqueror's Haki, shattered the icy lion into powder, scattering fragments across the bay.

"Impressive, it resembles the power of the Heavenly Father's Haki," Chou observed calmly, his gaze unwavering. Wasting no time, he leaped at the opportunity Garp had given him. In an instant, Chou was at Garp's side, his fist enveloped in Conqueror's Haki and divine flames, thrusting it into Garp's chest with a fiery eruption.

"Eruption Impact!"

BOOM!

Garp's eyes widened, and he coughed up blood as the force sent him careening through the fortress building, crashing through several walls until he left a gaping hole in the upper floors.

Sengoku's heart sank as he noticed the damage, knowing Garp's heroic move to shield the Shelter Area had upset the battle's delicate balance. But his attention was quickly seized by something in the sky above headquarters.

A figure dressed in white hovered in mid-air, gripping a rope at the end of which hung another figure, motionless—a corpse.

"Rocks!!" Sengoku's voice echoed across the battlefield, filled with horror.

In a chilling realization, he understood why Golden Lion Shiki had allied with the Earthly Branches to storm Marineford. Their goal was not simply a rampage—it was the retrieval of Rocks D. Xebec's corpse.

As if on cue, Edie, the mastermind, spoke from above. His smooth, unfazed voice seemed to mock Sengoku's distress. "Did we succeed?"

Golden Lion Shiki, perched nearby, sneered. "Looks like it, doctor. So, it's time to retreat before the World Government's reinforcements arrive."

With a wave of his hand, Edie gave a final parting gift. He clenched his fist that was enveloped in a translucent bubble, and the ground around Marineford's fortress fractured under an immense shockwave, cracking like a mirror as the frozen lion heads shattered into radiant fragments. The iconic "Justice" symbol on the fortress shattered, pieces scattering like fallen leaves.

In disbelief, Sengoku and Zephyr stared as the once-unified symbol of Marine justice lay in pieces.

"Whitebeard's Tremor Fruit?" Zephyr muttered, stunned. "But I thought Edie's power was…different?"

Even Shiki, despite being allied with Edie, was momentarily struck with awe—and a hint of fear. Here was a scientist who could wield powers that rivaled even Whitebeard's.

"Heh," Shiki laughed, eyeing the Marines below. "Doctor, why stop now? Let's wipe Marineford off the map and broadcast it worldwide—a clear message of revenge against the World Government!"

But Edie's response was as calm as it was unsettling. "Enjoyed this? Wait until we raid Mariejois in the future," he murmured. "But for now, we're done here."

Shiki's grin faded as Edie effortlessly switched to the Azure Dragon form. His body stretched into the form of a colossal blue dragon, easily spanning a kilometer. The dragon's eyes fixed on Shiki as Edie spoke, his voice a chilling reminder of his power.

"Or, you can fight the Marines alone if you want."

Seeing this, Shiki paled, realizing the impossible truth: Edie wielded multiple Devil Fruit powers—Whitebeard's Tremor Fruit, Kaido's Dragon form. Everything about him defied logic.

The scene left Sengoku dumbfounded. His thoughts swirled in chaos as the pieces finally clicked into place: Edie had transcended the ironclad Devil Fruit rule—this man held every ability his allies wielded. He wasn't limited to one fruit; he could command them all.

Edie met Sengoku's gaze one last time, his voice echoing coldly over the shattered battlefield. "Farewell, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. And you're welcome for the early promotion."

The Azure Dragon ascended into the sky, followed closely by the Earthly Branches and Shiki, disappearing into the clouds with their prize. Edie's parting words lingered like a dark omen:

"I'm just a humble scientist who loves peace. Today, I only came to borrow a corpse."

Sengoku, shaken to the core, clenched his fists, watching as chaos turned to silence. Zephyr joined him, confusion clouding his eyes.

"Sengoku…what was that?"

Sengoku's gaze remained locked on the sky where Edie had disappeared. "It's over," he whispered, his voice hollow. "Today, we witnessed the impossible. Edie has mastered the ability to clone Admiral-level powers—and now, he's taken Rocks' body. We may soon see the former overlord of the seas return to life, as a clone."

His final words were heavy with dread. "It's a new era, Zephyr. The battle we just fought may have been only the beginning."