One Piece: New Order-Chapter 62: Battle of Sgri (5)

Aboard the Oro Jackson.

Zephyr once again smashed Rayleigh away with a punch. Without missing a beat, he turned and swiftly took down another crew member. But then, a furious roar erupted from the sea beside the ship.

"Fish-Man Karate Secret Technique: Vagabond Drill!"

Sunbell burst from the ocean, water swirling in his palm as he glared at Zephyr with fierce determination. He lunged forward, his body twisting midair as he aimed to deliver a devastating palm strike.

Zephyr stood in place, unmoving. Just as the strike was about to hit him, he calmly raised his left hand. A faint blur flashed through the air.

In an instant, he had clamped down on Sunbell's wrist, halting the fish-man's charge cold. Then, with a tap from his right hand against the elbow and force applied from his left, Zephyr redirected the attack.

Sunbell's own technique—one that harnessed unstoppable force—was turned against him. In his wide, terrified eyes, his own palm edged closer and closer to his chest...

Boom!

A deafening impact followed. Sunbell collapsed onto the deck, motionless. A gaping hole had been blasted through his chest, blood and torn flesh spilling onto the wooden boards.

His life was gone.

Suddenly, a blinding flash lit up the sky. A surge of overwhelming danger triggered Zephyr's nerves. He spun around, arms crossing as dark Armament Haki surged across them to block the incoming attack.

Clang!

A wild slash tore through the air and hit his arms directly. The sheer force of the blow sent him flying, smashing through the railing and hurtling off the ship.

Midair, Zephyr regained his balance. One arm braced against the slash while the other, pulsing with Haki, struck forward.

Crack!

The sword strike shattered with an explosion. Turbulent air currents blasted outward, forcing Zephyr back several steps before he finally steadied himself. A sonic boom rang out beneath his feet as he pushed forward once more, charging through the winds toward the deck.

At the same time, Roger landed back on the ship after launching that slash. His eyes burned with fury as he looked over his crew—nearly half of them dead or injured.

From the rear, Sengoku approached. From the front, Zephyr closed in. The two Marines advanced together, aiming to crush the Oro Jackson.

...

Elsewhere.

Shiki soared several hundred meters into the sky, rushing toward Whitebeard while wildly slashing with both swords. Waves of golden energy rained down like a storm, striking at Kong and Garp below as they ascended quickly in pursuit.

Though the attacks disrupted them, they didn't cause any real damage. In the blink of an eye, the two elite masters of physical combat had already reached him.

Shiki's arrogance faded. Eyes narrowing, he muttered,

"Lion: Valley Slash."

His blades, Oto and Kogarashi, were instantly coated in flowing Armament Haki. Slashing downward with immense strength, he tried to drive the both men back.

Clang!

The trio collided in midair. For a few intense seconds, they remained locked in a triangular clash, the air crackling with pressure.

Boom!

Shiki was blasted backward, spiraling through the sky. The force of the impact tore through the air in chaotic streaks. After flying back several hundred meters, he stabilized.

Looking at the two charging at him, he grumbled, "Tch, what a pain."

Then, without another word, he rocketed upward, shooting straight into the clouds above. Once he reached the cloud layer, he turned and flew toward the place where Whitebeard and Sakazuki were locked in combat.

Below, Kong and Garp scoffed at his shamelessness. Without hesitation, they also turned and shot toward the distant battlefield.

...

The battlefield between Sakazuki and Whitebeard.

The seafloor rumbled as endless waves of magma erupted under Sakazuki's command. Lava surged upward, forming a huge, blackened landmass that hovered above the sea like a scorched island.

There, on the burning ground, the two most heavily wounded combatants clashed in brutal combat.

Sakazuki swung his magma-forged sword at Whitebeard. From behind him, the molten rock parted as several serpents of lava burst forth, following the blade and pressing forward.

Clang!

Their weapons collided, sparks flying. For a brief moment they were locked in place, but then the magma serpents caught up, slamming into Whitebeard.

Boom! Boom! Boom!...

The explosions swallowed them both. Whitebeard let out a low grunt. Wrapped in searing magma, he activated his Devil Fruit.

A giant hole exploded open, revealing his battered figure, breathing heavily. He looked at Sakazuki in the distance, a smirk forming at the corner of his mouth.

"Gurarararara. Out of steam already, little magma brat?"

Sakazuki also looked tired, though not nearly as battered as Whitebeard. He sneered back. "Your Armament Haki's not half as tough as your mouth."

With that, he took a deep breath, and slammed both hands into the ground as he shouted harshly.

"Volcanic Burial!"

At his roar, the ground transformed into churning lava, rising into a towering wall of molten rock several hundred meters high.

Layer after layer of molten mass came crashing down at Whitebeard.

The pirate looked up at the burning tide, descending like the sky itself was collapsing. A trace of seriousness flashed through his eyes.

He stabbed his naginata into the ground, clenched both fists, and pulled them in toward his abdomen.

Then he swung outward with force.

Crack!

The air shattered as the muscles on his arms burst open once more, spraying blood. The shockwaves twisted the space around him. The massive waves of magma were shredded bit by bit.

But the next wave came right after the last, crashing down without pause, layer after layer, pounding the space apart.

Just then, a wild, thunderous voice echoed across the skies.

"Lion's Threat: Earth Bind!"

Shiki arrived before the others, landing on the battlefield. The instant his feet touched the ground, he activated his Devil Fruit. The blackened surface of the scorched land surged and reformed.

"Roar!"

Six enormous black lion heads, each over a hundred meters tall, took shape and charged at Sakazuki and Whitebeard.

Whoosh!

A tearing sound rang out through the air.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Garp's figure appeared, fully covered in Armament Haki. In mere moments, he demolished four lion heads with crushing blows.

Just as he was about to smash the fifth, Shiki manipulated his ability. The fifth lion head detonated violently, and the resulting blast of air knocked Garp slightly off balance.

The final lion head didn't go for Sakazuki—it slammed straight toward Whitebeard, who stood at the heart of the lava tide.

Boom!

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