[154] The Last Stand (V)

I decided to speed up chapter uploads this week so we can end God Valley Arc by Friday. It's also frustrating when some people jump to conclusions and mess up the process. For other thoughts, consult Disclaimer #6 in Chapter 0 of the auxiliary chapters. Thanks.

[3300 words]

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"Whitebeard shall be allowed to retreat. Your remaining mission is to ensure the immediate capture of Einar D. Damien."

Sengoku's golden jaw almost hit the ground.

"But Sain–"

"The Rocks Pirates shall no longer exist past today. Einar D. Damien is the inheritor of Rocks' will and must be brought to justice." Saturn didn't take 'no' for an answer: "Do as you're told, Sengoku. Do not make me repeat myself."

The Admiral glanced at the distant Whitebeard, who was gulping down a barrel of saké that he had seemingly pulled out of thin air.

"With all due respect, sir," he slowly spoke. His voice was not too submissive nor too bold. "Edward Newgate isn't the type of pirate to leave even if we allow him to."

Saturn nodded, his face lacking emotion. He leaned on his cane and said, "I will convince Whitebeard myself. Now go and inform Kong of my orders."

The Buddha sighed and relented, rushing toward the faraway Kong.

Garling and the God's Knights also exited through Phantom's portals, leaving a confused Whitebeard.

.

"You think I'll let you get away?" Newgate threw aside the barrel of alcohol and aimed his Murakumogiri at the retreating Buddha.

Yet the name of a particular island forced the man to hesitate: "Sphinx."

The furious eyes of Whitebeard fell onto the unmoved Saturn.

*Rumble* An overpowering weight burst from the pirate, falling onto the world before him. It came in a light-green colour, quaking through the plains of God Valley.

Phantom fell to his knees, his mind throbbing, ready to explode from the Haki of Whitebeard.

Saturn, however, stood tall and proud. "We heard that some insurgents were spotted on the island. Do you not wish to know more, Whitebeard?"

The towering pirate growled, his body bursting with earthquakes. Bloodthirsty eyes fell upon the Overseer—a glare that no man had survived to tell the tales of. 

"You want to drive me away with this!?"

BOOM!

The earth below cracked apart, shattering into widening ravines. God Valley shrieked in pain, threatening to sink at any moment.

"We know that you send back entire ships of resources to your home island, Newgate." The Elder continued with a calm voice, "Considering your distaste for wild pirates, I'm sure you see the serene Sphinx Island to be your haven."

"Some in the World Government think that a band of criminals is budding there; I believe a Buster Call is warranted."

Whitebeard's grip at the glaive was firm enough to snap quality blades in half. The smouldering eyes came with a wave of Haki that sent Phantom to the floor.

If not for the thuds of Kong, Sengoku and Garp arriving, there was a good chance of Saturn being torn apart.

…

Thud!

On Whitebeard's side was also some support in the form of a roughed-up Damien.

He was constantly massaging his left jaw. 'Garp's fist is like being run over by a train pulling a dozen mountains. That bastard actually developed his own version of Black Bones off me!'

In fact, Damien cared little for Garp's 'Black Knuckles.' He was probably the only man in the world who could learn it with his unmatched talent in Armament Haki.

"It's a pity I couldn't take Kong's head," he sighed, looking up to meet Whitebeard's eyes. "Anyways, Newgate-san, I have a plan."

The older pirate raised an eyebrow, already shaking his head. "No plan's good enough to walk away from this. I'll just sink God Valley, and we'll let the seas decide our fate."

Damien chuckled, shaking his head in return. "Don't be so dramatic. I told you, I'm not done with God Valley. There are bigger things at play here… but I do need you to get the others out."

There was a flicker in Damien's eyes, something hidden beneath his words. It was as if the battlefield itself wasn't his real concern. Something deeper was driving him, a move that no one else could see yet. Whitebeard caught that glimmer and frowned but didn't press further.

He spared a glance at the silent Pablo next to Solomon, who carried an unconscious Indra over his shoulders. Turning back to Damien, he saw the familiar crimson pupils shining bright with ambition.

In Newgate's eyes, Damien was a rather unique pirate. 

His ambition matched that of Rocks, and he had decent enough morals that a man like Whitebeard could nod at, an anomaly in one of the most dangerous eras in known history.

Finally, he gave a tired sigh. "Fine."

He glared at the distant Kong, slowly walking up to the pirates, followed by Sengoku and Garp.

Damien's hand went to a pocket, taking out two things. One was a transparent water bottle with the Suicidal Rambo inside. While the other was a heavy bag of what seemed to be rocks.

The Drug Lord looked at his Commander with questioning eyes.

"Throw the bottle in the sea, and it'll transform into a bigger one," Damien explained. "As for that," he glanced at the inconspicuous bag, "it's the legacy of the Fourth Division, alongside yourself."

Pablo clenched his jaw, knowing what was awaiting his Commander. "Patrón…I, too, am willing to die like my brothers!"

Damien hummed at the outburst, his eyes curious. "Rahaha! Don't throw your life away to look brave, Pablo! Those four died to let me get up, so it only gives me more reason to go through with my plan."

He placed his massive hand on the drug maker's shoulder; after all, Damien was almost twice Pablo's height. "The Fourth Division lives within you now."

Pablo saw his Commander nod toward the bag in his hand and nodded with a heavy heart. "Don't worry, Patrón. I'll take good care of it."

.

Damien then turned to the silent Solomon with a probing gaze.

"It's eerie to see you so quiet. Anyways, get a move on."

The Wendigo user blinked under the casual orders but couldn't form any words.

Damien turned around to face the Navy side, sparing a final few words to the Extinct: "I promised you all that I would come back to Mortem, didn't I?"

"You…did."

Damien hummed, still staring down at the monsters in the distance. "I'm counting on you to remind the girls of that, too. No more than a month."

Solomon, with a defeated sigh, could only nod. He felt the weight of the unconscious Indra and relented to the orders.

Whitebeard slammed his glaive with a bang, forcing the Navy to shift its focus from Damien's subordinates.

"Good luck, kid." He decisively turned around and walked away with firm footsteps.

"Wait for me, Newgate!" a bubbly voice boomed from a distance, coming from a gorgeous blond Stussy. She frantically waved, skipping across the hellacious lands of God Valley.

"..."

Kong narrowed his eyes, looking at the band of pirates walking away. Letting them get away would stain his career, but this was beyond his control.

"Looks like you were left behind, Sin Incarnate. Now, there is no escape," Saturn scoffed with disdain. His words were also an order for the top Marines to move.

Damien slightly smiled, his Haki picking up the colossal presences surrounding him like an iron triangle.

To his left was Admiral Sengoku. To his right was Vice Admiral Garp. And in front of him was Fleet Admiral Kong.

'Escape? If only this old geezer knew how easy it was to escape,' Damien scoffed.

As fun as dropping two Big Bangs and swimming away sounded, there was something else he was after, and the Marines were the key.

Now, as a target for three absolute monsters, the pirate did what any pirate should do—he grinned. Meanwhile, the bright light of dawn flooded the God Valley, bathing the sole threat with warmth and marking the tenth day since the war began!

.

Saturn looked past Kong, his voice ever-confident. "The Rocks Pirates have been destroyed, and Hachinosu should be in flames as we speak. You will follow suit."

"Hehe, It's nice to see one of you in the flesh finally," Damien laughed, peaking around Kong's burly figure to tease the Supreme Authority that was an Elder. "Should I consider this an honour?"

Saturn scoffed with annoyed eyes. "An element of disorder like yourself cannot be allowed to persist; your end is nigh."

The words were blunt and carried an air of authority, leaving the Marines silent.

"Rahahaha!"

Ryushi bubbled with crimson vapour, matching its master's ridiculing laugh. It was a blasphemous scene, disparaging the almighty words of an Elder.

The Supreme Blade was then pointed at the aged man, caring little for the iron triangle around him.

"Don't get too comfortable on your golden pedestal, Saturn," Damien blandly declared. "The Authority of the World Government spans a long chapter over history, not the story's end. Seeds of rebellion have already been sown in the ashes of the Rocks Pirates. The story will continue, and its twists will forever defy your control."

Such words uttered to a force that had survived for over 760 years could be considered laughable, but to Saturn, they were a grim reminder of the cursed clan they had tried too hard to surmount.

The grip on his cane grew stronger as cracks formed, conveying Saturn's anger.

"Enough!" he roared, seething with the Colour of Supreme Kings. "Kong, I shall away to Mariejois. I leave the task of his capture in your hands."

With that said, Saturn resolutely walked into Phantom's portal, visibly angered.

.

"Your fate has been decided, Sin Incarnate," Kong spat. His stump still throbbed with pain even after being cauterized with fire.

Sengoku remained silent, but his mind was working hard. He was stuck figuring out what Damien was after.

'He should still have Jigoku Ore with him that he can surely use to escape... so why doesn't he?'

The Resourceful General studied the expression of his foe. 'I know that look... Just like Roger and Rocks, he fully intends to fight us here. But why? Why go through the trouble of having Xebec killed only to enter a fight he has no hope of winning?'

While the Admiral remained quiet on the outside, the same could not be said for everyone.

"Psst, Kong-san, the three of us aren't needed here. Why don't I go chase down Newgate?" Garp hissed from the side, ignoring the Elder's orders.

A thick vein popped across the Fleet Admiral's face. "We have orders, Garp, follow them!"

The Vice Admiral crossed his arms, turning to the side with a frown. "It will leave a bitter taste in my mouth to gang up on a kid around the age of my own boy!"

Kong gnashed his teeth from the abject insubordination.

"You heard the intel. The world is in chaos! The Celestial Dragons' transport is under attack, while Shiki has left Mariejois wide open. If not for the Nobles, at least do it for the era of peace that's to come with the destruction of the Rocks Pirates!"

The soon-to-be Hero clicked his tongue, seeming quite annoyed by the orders. He looked at Damien with an apology on his face: "Sorry about this."

The pirate returned a tired smile, "Do what you gotta do."

Kong scoffed, bursting with power. A giant, one-armed ape soon appeared, followed by an equally glorious Buddha. Garp clenched a fist, flooding it with incredible Haki.

Damien deeply exhaled and held up Ryushi. One pirate against three powerhouses of the Navy Headquarters!

'Although with more bumps in the road than expected. At least we finally got to this point.'

No pirate in living history could stand against their combined might; one could say that the outcome was obvious. Yet such a force only brought out a grin across the unruly pirate who rushed into hell itself.

BOOM!

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Ten days of conflict at God Valley, two at the Pirate Paradise. It was a tandem attack: Kong would ensure the annihilation of the Rocks Pirate at the Cradle of the Gods, while Kurojū would do the same at their home base.

And he certainly did not fail.

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[Hachinosu]

Two days of war had left the Pirate Island in ruins.

Once rich with the essence of piracy, the streets were nothing but rubble. Corpses were laid out everywhere, all belonging to pirates. There had to be thousands of them!

As the camera moved closer, it became evident that this was done by a handful of personnel under the Navy Headquarters—no more than a handful!

…

Clang!

A hardened fist landed on a young pirate with magenta-coloured hair.

"Devil Fruit user," the boy, Katakuri, muttered.

His enemy had black hair and was wearing dark marine attire.

*Fwooo* Powerful winds raged around the fist, swallowing the creamy-white substance coming out of the boy's body.

Katakuri crashed into a wall, pain echoing through his back.

"Your mother can spare you from our raid only so much. And your Mochi certainly isn't enough to take me down."

The panting pirate gazed up and roared defiantly, "Monkey D. Dragon, I won't let you hurt my siblings any longer!"

BOOM!

Another fight took place nearby.

Perespero licked a candy staff while launching candy arrows at his enemy. Yet every projectile rotted away before meeting its target.

"Shinrai, the user of the Fix-Fix Fruit, what did you do to my candy, Perorin~?"

The star rookie waltzed forth, a glob of pink still on his fingers. "Your candy has too much sugar, so I fixed that problem."

The gelatinous substance rotted away from his hand at the drop of his words, sizzling out of existence.

…

Nearby, various ill intentions were aimed at a sole marine.

"Damn marines, let me slice you up!"

"Once I kill you, I'll take you to my quarters and make you play my favourite tunes!"

"Leave the woman for me!"

Hundreds of pirates soaked in sweat and blood raged on. They were like a pack of rabid dogs; their eyes were red in fury, and their mouths foamed up from their vile spirit.

They belonged to the Seventh Division, each rushing toward one of the three primary invaders—a rare and delectable treat for any lust-driven pirate—a female marine.

The woman was blond and beautiful, with shoulder-length hair and olive skin colour. Her face was that of a woman in her thirties, quite lovely at that.

She wore a black-coloured sarong skirt along her hips, with a yellow design down the left side. A black bra wrapped around her chest, connected to the skirt with a fishnet cloth piece.

She held a pipe in one hand, smoking elegantly. 

"I don't like persistent men~!" The woman gave a sultry smile past the pipe she elegantly smoked. Her untainted appearance stuck out like a sore thumb with so many scum nearby.

The woman put the pipe to her mouth, gently inhaling smoke. Without further ado, she exhaled the smoke in a hissing cloud. 

*Fuuuuu* The weirdest part of the smoke was that it was purple and moving around like it had a mind of its own! Within moments, an amethyst blanket up to the pirates' knees appeared.

And suddenly, the pounding gravel, the rowdy roars and the heavy footsteps all stopped at once.

"..." 

Nearly 200 men just froze, their heads buckling forward and eyes shut. Resounding snores echoed out as they all had fallen asleep!

"You," the woman pointed at a random sleeping pirate, seductively asking him to take a few steps ahead. "Do you know who I am~?"

The man slowly nodded and spoke dreamily, "Yochou Reina…an Admiral Candidate of the Navy Headquarters…user of the Dream-Dream Fruit… Holding the position as the Head of the Torture…and Interrogation Division."

The woman smiled beautifully, but her gaze betrayed a cruel grin. "Then why don't you use your dagger to pry out your eyes and eat them?"

"Okay…"

The man raised his blade, fully intending to do it.

"Go to the corner. I hate blood on my clothes."

"Yes…"

The man strolled away; his steps were wobbly.

Reina bloomed into a comfortable smile. If not for her inhumane orders, one would think her to be a fairy: "The rest of you, go dig yourself a grave and lay there till you die."

They rushed to the dirt fields without any hint of disagreement and began digging. 

.

A distinguished voice tore then broke the enchantress' eyes from her fine work: "Reina-chan, you really are a rose with sharp thorns; no mercy at all."

The words earned a scoff from Yochou, "I'm helping the vegetation grow with their corpses, Gomon."

The older gentleman sighed, shaking his head with a smile. "I suppose this setting is a little beyond me; I'm used to my office."

He was a bespeckled man in his late fifties with long silver hair pulled in a ponytail. The man donned a finely crafted black suit with a silver-coloured shirt inside. Oddly enough, a cybernetic pattern on the left side of his face, including the eye, almost as if it were a tattoo.

Such a design was found also on his fingers and the cane he used with his left hand.

His tone of speech made it evident that he was of the same rank as the woman. Codename: Ginrou, another Admiral Candidate!

He held the position of the Navy's Minister of Internal Affairs.

[Yochou Reina Image (in Discord)]

[Ginrou Gomon Image (in Discord)]

[A/N: "Yochou" meaning "Night Butterfly"; "Ginrou" meaning "Silver Fox."]

…

[Later that Day]

"Ma-Ma-Mam-Ma!"

The towering Linlin stood alongside her self-proclaimed younger brother, Kaido. The two were huge, casting a giant shadow upon their three Marine opponents.

"You killed ten thousand of our men. Did you line up so that I could kill you?" Big Mom questioned with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

The lead marine stood a foot in front of the other two.

He was fully concealed, his body covered in black clothes and armour, a hood draped over his head that hid the gas mask.

Deep breathing echoed out from the mask, adding to the creepiness of the man, his burning eyes doing the rest. An Admiral of the Navy Headquarters—Kurojū!

"Looks like Damien really broke you, WORORORO!"

Though the atmosphere turned morbid fast as Linlin thundered, "Ginrou, return my children now!"

The woman was beyond angry, pointing Napoleon, her weapon, at the much smaller silver-haired man.

Ginrou raised a hand and seemed to tap the air.

*Purrup* *Kurrrr* The air began to warp, turning into a mix of green and dark green. The space revealed the voices of dozens of children, though the noise seemed to originate from lines of symbols and numbers:

"Mama!"

"Save us, Mama!"

"It's so weird here. I feel like I'm going to vomit!"

Charlotte Linlin growled after hearing her wailing babies. She slashed her weapon with rage.

.

"Ikoku Sovereignty!"

.

The attack came at supersonic speeds, blazing at the man without mercy. 

"Oh my, such devastating power reminds me of the comfort of Mariejois," Ginrou said. His calm eyes turned sharp as his hand shot out, grabbing at the coming attack.

A green hue emanated from the extended arm. *Kurururu* As the attack went on, it began to lose power, slowly dissolving away into tiny green-coloured bits of symbols.

"Not bad for an Admiral Candidate," Linlin cackled. "A digitizing human, was it?"

Ginrou landed back in his position next to his fellow veteran soldiers.

He wiped a few dust marks over his monocle while matching the Evil Spirit's gaze. With a curt bow, he introduced himself, "Your chain of information is said to rival the Black Death's—you are indeed correct. I ate the Cyber-Cyber Fruit and became a Digitizing Human. I can digitize anything I touch and lock it away in my Cyber World." 

Gomon's gaze sharpened, allowing an ominous flash of light to reflect off his monocle. "Would you like first-hand experience with being turned into a string of data, young lady?" 

To Be Continued…

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Author's Corner.

You have now met the last two of the three Admirals Candidates, the first being Zephyr. Meanwhile, a defiant Damien has butt heads with an Elder, now facing the team-up of Kong, Garp and Sengoku. What do you think his plan is?

Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q