[121] A Legend's Last Stand
[2400 Words]
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"Captain Marco has been captured!" one of the Whitebeard Pirates shouted, alerting his comrades, who quickly widened their eyes in shock upon seeing their commander unconscious and bound in handcuffs.
"We have to save him!" declared another pirate, though hesitation was clearly visible on his face.
"We can't do it with our current strength... it would be nothing short of suicide!"
"B-but... what will happen to Captain Marco?"
...
Meanwhile, Ren, who had carried Marco back to Nami and Mikita's side, glanced at the girls and pondered deeply.
He was contemplating what to do with Marco. Should he imprison him and try to recruit him into his fleet later?
This would be incredibly difficult without using hypnosis, and even then, the chances of Marco breaking free were relatively high since Marco was close to Ren in overall combat power.
Ren's hypnosis skills were not infallible. The basic requirement for hypnosis to succeed was that the target had to be weaker than the user. The greater the power difference between Ren and his target, the higher the chances of either success or failure of the hypnosis.
'So, should I just kill him?' Ren thought about killing Marco and giving his Devil Fruit to Kaya or another crew member.
This was because he realized it was impossible to escape this battlefield with Marco as a captive.
First, the World Government might demand he hand Marco over to be imprisoned in Impel Down and publicize the event to boost their reputation among the seas. If that really happened, Ren wouldn't hesitate to comply.
Why? It was obvious—the World Government was strong! Far too strong for him to oppose or challenge their authority!
Who cares about the laws and the rights of a Warlord? When the World Government speaks, all laws are nullified. Just like what happened in Ohara and several other islands that had been wiped from history over the eight centuries of the World Government's rule.
These were the privileges of the powerful, and the weak had no choice but to obey!
This wasn't the only reason Ren believed he couldn't take Marco out alive. There was another issue... Red-Haired Shanks!
Based on what he had seen in the original story, Shanks would ask Ren to hand over Marco. Shanks would ensure Whitebeard and Ace received proper burials, and of course, Marco would need to be present at the funeral of his captain and brother.
Ren could only look at the unconscious Marco and think: 'Your luck is really bad. The person who's supposed to save you is the one making me kill you right here and now...or maybe not...'
"Captain Ren, what are you thinking about?" Nami's warm voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked at his orange-haired girl and leaned in to kiss her, gently brushing her lips, while ignoring Mikita's strange mix of embarrassment and jealousy.
"I was just deciding this man's fate," he said, gesturing toward the unconscious Marco lying on the ground.
"So, are you going to kill him?" Mikita asked, after pushing aside her earlier embarrassment.
"Kill him? No, no. Do you think I'm cruel enough to kill an unarmed, unconscious man?" Ren smiled at her with a teasing grin, and Mikita puffed her cheeks slightly, playfully hitting his broad chest with her small white hands, before scolding him in an annoyed, childlike voice: "Mou~! Captain Ren, you're playing this game again!"
"Rahaha..." Ren chuckled lightly and patted Mikita's hair as she blushed, pressed against his chest. Then, his expression turned cold again as he crouched down beside Marco, taking out a small glass bottle containing a purple liquid.
This was the poison Kaya had developed earlier, the same one Ren had used on Crocodile!
"You won't die right now, and I'll spare myself the trouble of killing you Infront of people. But your Devil Fruit is far too tempting, so your fate is already sealed..." Ren smiled coldly as he poured the contents of the bottle into Marco's mouth and stood up after removing the Sea-Prism Stone handcuffs that had restrained him.
"This poison will slowly weaken your body until it reaches vital organs like your heart, lungs, and kidneys. Once that happens, your death will be inevitable..." Ren wasn't speaking to anyone in particular, but it seemed he had already decided Marco's fate.
Because of Marco's strong Body, it would take some time for the poison to kill him. However, since he had ingested the poison and his Devil Fruit powers were suppressed by the Sea-Prism Stone, there were no concerns about the poison failing to take effect.
Of course, this poison couldn't kill just anyone. People with extraordinary bodies like Big Mom, Kaido, and even certain unique individuals wouldn't be affected by this type of poison.
Normally, Marco should have been one of those individuals, especially since he possessed a Devil Fruit with incredible regenerative abilities. However, his previous battle with Ren had left his body severely weakened, and his immune system was powerless to stop the lethal poison from spreading.
Of course, if it weren't for the Sea-Prism Stone, Marco's Devil Fruit powers would have responded, protecting his internal organs with blue flames and burning the poison away...
But for Marco, his luck had run out. By the time he awoke, it would already be too late to resist the spreading poison.
...
"Hellhound!!"
Admiral Akainu roared fiercely, launching a colossal hound made of searing magma at the towering figure of Whitebeard. The fiery creature appeared capable of melting both the air and the ground beneath it.
The battlefield of Marineford was engulfed in chaos, with the sounds of combat echoing all around and explosions shaking the very earth. Yet, amid this turmoil, the clash between Whitebeard and Akainu, alongside Kizaru, overshadowed everything.
Whitebeard advanced, his massive frame radiating power despite the minor injuries he had sustained, including the wound inflicted by Squard. His steely gaze remained fixed on Akainu, who hurled a gigantic molten fist in his direction.
"Gurarara! Are you trying to light a birthday cake here, you magma brat?" Whitebeard taunted with a confident and mocking tone.
*Boom!*
*Zzzzzz!*
*Splash!*
Akainu chose not to respond verbally and attacked immediately. His magma-clad fist surged forward like a blazing thunderbolt aimed at Whitebeard. With lightning speed, Whitebeard raised his massive naginata to intercept the strike. Sparks erupted as the molten rock collided with his weapon, which was enveloped in Armament Haki. The magma splashed and ignited unlucky pirates nearby.
With a sneer, Whitebeard declared, "That's not enough!"
Unwilling to retreat, Akainu intensified the magma swirling around him, making his fist burn even hotter and brighter. He lunged forward with renewed ferocity. Yet, Whitebeard quickly countered by thrusting his hand to trigger a violent earthquake beneath Akainu's feet. The ground cracked open, almost swallowing the Marine Admiral, but Akainu leapt just in time, redirecting his energy into a massive magma punch aimed skyward.
At that moment, a blinding flash of golden light descended from above. It was Kizaru, casually pointing his finger at Whitebeard. "Wow, things are really heating up here!" he quipped in his usual teasing manner, firing off a barrage of light beams toward Whitebeard at incredible speed.
*PEW! PEW! PEW!*
Whitebeard raised his weapon once more, easily blocking the incoming barrage. The beams of light collided with his naginata, and despite their immense speed, he had no trouble keeping up. The clash illuminated the battlefield with a dazzling explosion. "You Marines are really annoying…" Whitebeard growled, raising his arm to unleash a colossal shockwave that shook the very skies.
Kizaru retreated at light speed but seized the opportunity to release several more beams from different angles, attempting to flank Whitebeard's defenses. However, Whitebeard's reflexes were astonishing, and he countered each attack with pinpoint accuracy.
Akainu, now repositioned, prepared for another assault. "Kizaru! Don't let him destroy Marineford with his damned devil fruit!" he shouted as his hand morphed into a massive ball of molten lava. He hurled it toward Whitebeard, but this time, it wasn't a single punch; it was a barrage of flowing magma, attempting to engulf him from every direction.
"Gurarara!" Whitebeard's wild, arrogant laughter echoed across the battlefield. In the next instant, he raised his hand, unleashing another massive shockwave aimed directly at Akainu and Kizaru. The force of the quake was so immense that the surrounding buildings in Marineford began to crumble, and the very earth split beneath their feet.
Kizaru dodged effortlessly at light speed while Akainu braced himself to face the attack head-on. But the quake was more than even he could endure. With a furious roar, Akainu formed another magma hound, obliterating the shockwave in a fiery display of power.
In the following moment, Kizaru, who had previously been retreating, took aim at Whitebeard's exposed torso. With a swift movement, he fired a deadly laser straight for Whitebeard's abdomen.
Whitebeard, ever alert, raised his naginata to block the beam. But just then, a sharp, searing pain shot through him—the wound from Squard's earlier betrayal.
"Aghh…!!" Whitebeard groaned in pain as Kizaru's laser pierced his gut, leaving a small but deep hole that passed clean through his body.
"Oyaji!!" The Whitebeard Pirates watching from afar screamed in horror and concern.
But Akainu wasn't about to let such an opportunity slip away. He lunged toward Whitebeard with the ferocity of a predator closing in on its prey, his molten fist now capable of melting even diamond.
"Die! Your era ends here—at my hands!" Akainu roared as his molten fist smashed into Whitebeard's chest, leaving a horrifying crater and searing marks across his body.
At that moment, everyone watching the battle widened their eyes in shock.
"Is this your end, Whitebeard?" Doflamingo muttered as he observed the battle from a distance.
Hancock remained silent, her expression cold, but this time she was seated atop a small mound of shattered stone statues, remnants of both pirates and Marines. To Hancock, there was no distinction between them; they were all merely men.
"..."
Kuma's expression was as stoic as ever, not a word escaping his lips.
"This war is truly nearing its end... it's a decisive victory for the Marines," Mihawk thought aloud, a serious look on his face.
Suddenly, his expression shifted as he spotted someone flying toward Whitebeard and the admirals.
"What does he intend to do?"
In the execution square, Aokiji, who was with Sengoku, glanced at the figure racing toward Whitebeard. He was about to intervene, but Sengoku's arm halted him.
"Use your head, Aokiji. If he wanted to betray us, he wouldn't have performed so well in this war," Sengoku said, his voice imbued with wisdom.
"You're right..." Aokiji replied.
Back to Whitebeard, who had just been struck by two fatal attacks. He looked at Akainu, whose face bore a look of arrogance, and gathered his strength in anger, gripping Akainu by the collar!
"I thought you...*gasp*...were going to end...*gasp* my era, you scoundrel?" he said, his voice weak yet filled with immense pride.
Akainu's expression shifted as he attempted to break free from Whitebeard's grip, but it was futile; Whitebeard's hand was like a vise.
*Roar!*
Whitebeard roared and delivered a punch infused with the power of earthquakes at Akainu, who spat a large mouthful of blood and was sent flying back several meters!
Standing tall, Whitebeard gazed at the battlefield with the eyes of a legendary pirate and shouted, "I am The Whitebeard!"
Suddenly, a warning from his Observation Haki alerted him to a hidden danger behind him. He quickly turned, enduring the pain in his chest, and launched a punch infused with his Devil Fruit powers toward Ren, who had just entered the battlefield!
"You're back, Brat?! Take this!"
*Crack!*
*Boom!*
Whitebeard struck Ren with a swift, oppressive punch, sending him flying backward for several meters!
However...
To Whitebeard's astonishment, Ren sprang back up from the debris once again and charged toward him!
But this time, Whitebeard felt a lethal danger emanating from Ren's body!
There was something different about him this time!
Ren's skin began to emit steam, and his complexion turned a reddish-pink hue. His Moonwalk skill had multiplied his speed several times, quickly closing the distance between him and Whitebeard!
'I'll finish him off before the effect of the Rage Pill wears off!' Ren resolved firmly in his heart.
Indeed, Ren had consumed the Rage Pill he received as a reward after the recent events in Skypiea.
The pill's effect was straightforward: it tripled the user's combat power.
Returning to the present, Ren tightened his fist, now saturated with Busoshoku Haki, which began to show signs of development, and struck Whitebeard's face with a speed imperceptible to the naked eye!
*Boom!*
"Old man!!" Ace shouted, still shackled to the execution platform, sorrow filling his voice as he witnessed his father being struck violently. Despair deepened in his heart, and self-loathing grew within him.
"Fleet Admiral! The executioners are ready!" At that moment, a Marine soldier informed Sengoku of the situation. Upon hearing this, Ace could only feel fear creeping into his heart...
He would die...
In a most painful manner.
Returning to Whitebeard.
Despite the immense power behind Ren's punch, Whitebeard did not fall. He contained the pain on his face and delivered a powerful punch toward Ren's exposed flank!
Ren's Observation Haki rang alarms in his mind, so he was already prepared. He used Moonwalk to leap and twisted his body in an acrobatic move to evade Whitebeard's attack, which literally shattered the air!
At that moment, countless people around the world were watching this battle in shock. Since the beginning of Whitebeard's fight against Akainu and Kizaru, Ren's intervention had made them realize the true nature of their world and the incredible characters that inhabited it!
Countless eyes across the seas were glued to Ren's agile figure as he exchanged blows with Whitebeard. Despite quickly finding himself in an unfavorable position, he held his ground remarkably well! He even countered with fierce attacks, especially when he drew his sword, which had cut down countless enemies!
"Hellhound!"
"Yasuki no Majita!"
"Blade of Death!"
Soon, the two admirals joined the fray. They aided each other in defending against Whitebeard's attacks, but they paid no attention to Ren's situation. The latter reciprocated in kind; time was running out, and he needed to deliver the fatal blow to Whitebeard himself!
Why?
Of course, it was for the Quake Fruit! Whitebeard had to die here, at his hands!
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To be continued.