Chapter 275: The Decisive Battle (6)
Hearing that voice echo across the battlefield, Marco's massive form suddenly froze in midair.
Shock flashed through his eyes—
Then instantly transformed into hope.
"The opportunity… has finally come!!"
His voice trembled with suppressed excitement.
Without another moment of hesitation—
The enormous azure-gold phoenix spanning hundreds of meters became a condensed streak of light that shot across the battlefield at incredible speed.
First, Marco swept past Jozu's severed arm, wrapping the barely conscious giant in phoenix flames and lifting him gently into the air.
Then he flashed toward the battlefield where Vista and Shiryu were still locked in combat. A precise burst of phoenix fire forced Shiryu backward while Marco's claws snatched up the exhausted Vista, who had been fighting through sheer willpower alone.
Immediately afterward, he raced across the ruins, rescuing the scattered Whitebeard commanders one after another from the Blackbeard Pirates' assaults.
The entire rescue operation was smooth and lightning fast.
The officers of the Blackbeard Pirates froze for a full second from the suddenness of it all.
Then, once they realized their prey was escaping, furious roars exploded everywhere.
"DAMN YOU, MARCO—!!!"
"Stop him!! Don't let them escape!!"
"—!!!"
"NOT A CHANCE—!!"
BOOM!!
A massive figure leapt upward from the rubble.
It was Jesus Burgess, who had barely managed to crawl back up after being smashed away by Jozu.
His eyes were bloodshot as he gathered all his strength and Armament Haki into his right fist, throwing a devastating upward punch capable of shattering mountains.
"STAY THE HELL DOWN—!!!"
Marco didn't even bother looking downward.
He casually swung one enormous flaming claw.
BOOM—!!!!!!!
The awakened phoenix claw coated in advanced Armament Haki struck first.
Burgess' vicious punch collapsed instantly upon impact.
"GRAAAAHH—!!!"
His furious expression twisted into horror and agony.
An overwhelming force crushed him downward once again, smashing him deep into the ruins below.
Marco protected all the rescued commanders within his phoenix flames and transformed into a streak of azure light racing directly toward the sea.
Seeing this scene unfold—
Blackbeard Teach nearly exploded with rage.
The prey he had already trapped…
Had escaped right before his eyes.
And at this moment—
There was nothing he could do to stop it.
If the one arriving had merely been a Marine Admiral, Teach was confident he could stall them with his awakened Dark-Dark Fruit.
But the one who came…
Was Monkey D. Garp.
This old monster possessed no weaknesses whatsoever.
Pure physical strength.
Pure Haki.
Pure combat power.
Unlike Devil Fruit users, Garp's fists relied on absolutely nothing external.
And that made him one of the worst possible opponents for the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Within the entire Marines—
The two people Blackbeard least wanted to face directly were Garp and Akainu.
One was overwhelmingly powerful without flaws.
The other was completely insane without restraint.
"Damn it…!!"
Blackbeard growled through clenched teeth as fury and calculation flashed rapidly through his eyes.
Within half a second—
He made the decision most fitting for a true scheming tyrant.
"No choice!!"
He raised his head and roared toward his subordinates, who were either being suppressed by cannonfire or attempting to pursue Marco.
"Men—!!!"
"Forget the remnants!!"
"Prepare to retreat—!!!"
Though filled with rage and unwillingness, preserving his forces and avoiding direct conflict with the Hero of the Marines was the most rational option available.
At the front of the Marine warship.
Garp casually picked his nose and flicked something away before narrowing his eyes toward the fading azure streak in the distance.
"Tch… ran pretty fast. Didn't even bother greeting me."
"I came all the way here to help, you know!"
The next moment—
His gaze shifted toward the island still engulfed in darkness.
The lazy atmosphere around him vanished instantly.
In its place rose overwhelming pressure capable of suppressing everything.
"HEY—!! YOU PIRATE TRASH ON THAT ISLAND!!"
"THIS LITTLE SHOW IS OVER!!"
"Surrender quietly and come enjoy a nice vacation in Impel Down!!!"
CRACKLE— BOOM!!!
Before his words even finished—
Crimson-gold Conqueror's Haki lightning erupted violently from Garp's body.
At the same time—
His aura began rising endlessly, completely defying logic.
The air distorted violently around him.
The warship beneath his feet groaned under unbearable pressure.
Even the ocean itself caved inward from the invisible force.
"HAAAAH—!!!"
With a deep shout, Garp stomped down violently.
BOOM!!
The reinforced deck exploded beneath his feet.
His body launched skyward like a rocket, instantly piercing through the clouds and arriving hundreds of meters above the island.
His Justice coat fluttered violently behind him.
BUZZ—!!!
Even more terrifying Conqueror's Haki surged toward his right fist.
A brilliant star-shaped flare erupted from his knuckles.
"Fist Bone—"
Garp's deep voice echoed across heaven and earth.
"GALAXY IMPACT!!!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM—!!!!!!!!!
He punched downward.
In that instant—
Light.
Clouds.
Even sound itself—
Seemed dragged toward the overwhelming destructive force contained within that single fist.
Then—
A colossal crimson-gold torrent of destruction erupted downward from the center of that singularity.
"What?!"
On the island below, Blackbeard's pupils shrank instantly.
A deadly instinctive sense of danger flooded through him like ice water.
"Dark Vortex: Full Power — Dark Barrier!!!"
BUZZ—!!!!!!!!!
Massive waves of darkness exploded outward from Teach at unprecedented intensity.
Layer upon layer of thick black shields formed above him, rotating with spiraling dark vortices in an attempt to block the descending galaxy of destruction.
RUMBLEEEEEEEEE—!!!!!!!!
Galaxy Impact and the Dark Barrier collided directly.
At that moment—
The heavens shattered.
The sea roared.
The earth itself cracked apart like brittle glass as gigantic waves of stone and debris exploded outward in every direction.
BOOOOM—!!!
The devastating shockwave swept across the battlefield without discrimination.
Near the battlefield's edge—
Catarina Devon, the Crescent Moon Hunter…
And "Death God" Doc Q…
Were erased instantly before they could even react.
Their bodies were torn apart into blood mist and dust by the overwhelming force.
…
After a long while—
The blinding light and smoke finally dispersed.
At the center of the island—
A gigantic crater over a kilometer wide and hundreds of meters deep had appeared.
Crimson-gold Conqueror's Haki lightning still crackled wildly around the edges.
And from the center of the energy storm—
A massive figure draped in a torn Justice coat slowly walked forward step by step.
Monkey D. Garp.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the crater—
The darkness gradually receded.
Blackbeard Teach emerged once more.
He looked battered.
Burn marks covered his body.
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
His breathing had become unstable.
And behind him—
Darkness coiled around the unconscious body of Jesus Burgess like tentacles.
Though Blackbeard was ruthless, greedy, and cruel—
At the moment destruction descended—
He had instinctively used part of his darkness to protect the subordinate closest to him.