416-420

*Chapter 416: Retreat*

The two of them clashed, exchanging blow after furious blow, a truly intense battle. Those watching around them even forgot about their own fights, completely captivated. Meanwhile, citizens all over the world were watching with boiling blood and surging hearts, continuously cheering on Yoru, hoping he could defeat the 'evil' Whitebeard Pirates!

In the blink of an eye, three hundred blows had been exchanged!

“BOOM!”

Suddenly, a teal-blue blur shot backward at high speed, slamming heavily into the bay wall, causing a tremendous crash. But everyone present widened their eyes in utter disbelief! Because…

“No way, Captain Marco… did he lose?!”

Looking at Yoru, who stood his ground, merely a bit disheveled and slightly out of breath, the Whitebeard Pirates' crew widened their eyes in utter disbelief. The one who'd been sent flying was none other than Marco! What's more!

“Captain Marco actually got hurt!”

“Am I really seeing this? It's simply unbelievable!”

“His Phoenix form is supposed to be immune to damage, so how could he be so heavily injured?!”

Seeing Marco covered in burns and torn wounds, even the other Division Commanders couldn't believe it was real.

“Cough, cough,” Marco gasped. “That guy's attack temperature is too high. My Devil Fruit's immunity just couldn't keep up! Be careful, he's even stronger than before!” Marco stood up, activating his ability. His injuries healed instantly, but he had clearly expended a significant amount of stamina. “And what's more, he has the same ability as me – he can rapidly recover from all damage!”

Hearing Marco's words, the Whitebeard Pirates were once again greatly astonished.

“Pursue Fire Fist Ace!!!”

“Don't let them escape!!”

On the Marine side, seeing how capable Yoru was, they immediately pressed their pursuit of 'Fire Fist' Ace and Straw Hat Luffy, who were attempting to flee.

“Fire Fist Ace, I will not let you succeed!!”

“Don't think you can escape!” Akainu appeared once more, roaring, “Crimson Hound Bite!”

A massive, dark-red magma hound shot out at incredibly high speed in pursuit, causing Ace's whole body to tense up.

“Gurara, Magma Brat, do you think I'll let you get away with that?!” Whitebeard charged forward, punching the air with a devastating crack, unleashing terrifying Tremor-Tremor power. It collided with the magma hound, blocking the attack.

“Watch your back, Whitebeard!” Kizaru, like a ghost, appeared behind Whitebeard once more, firing lasers from his hand.

“Who are you underestimating, Borsalino…?” Whitebeard grinned, swinging his bisento. Once again, a fierce wave of Tremor-Tremor power erupted, forcing Kizaru to retreat.

“If I let you escape, it'll be too much of a hassle!” But right behind 'Fire Fist' Ace, Admiral Aokiji was also in pursuit.

“Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!”

He unleashed an ice bird with the power to freeze anything, hurtling through the air with a chilling tremor.

“Flame Commandment: Mirror Flame!” 'Fire Fist' Ace wasn't one to be trifled with either; he unleashed a powerful wall of fire, which collided with the ice bird.

“RUMBLE!”

Marineford trembled once more. Aokiji's ice bird, surprisingly, couldn't break through 'Fire Fist' Ace's defenses. The two of them ended up in a deadlock!

“He's actually on par with Admiral Kuzan? You've got to be kidding me!” Many Marines exclaimed in shock at the sight.

“Pops!!!” Seeing this unfold, 'Fire Fist' Ace couldn't help but shout out in worry.

“Go, Ace, don't let… don't let Pops' resolve be in vain!” Marco, the Immortal Phoenix, said, clearly fighting back tears.

“DAMN IT!!!” 'Fire Fist' Ace heavily punched the ground, hating his own weakness. If only he were a bit stronger, he could help Whitebeard!

*Chapter 417: Whitebeard, Your Era is Over*

"Bang!"

"Boom!"

"Run, we're no match for this monster at all!!"

The Marine soldiers cried out in terror, utterly powerless against Whitebeard!

In this world, who dares to stand tall like a drawn sword, radiating such brilliance? Only Whitebeard, Edward Newgate! Truly, a force of one man, unstoppable by thousands!

"He's truly terrifying, Whitebeard!"

"Ara ara, guess we can't just watch you run wild anymore!"

Kizaru and Aokiji, two of the Admirals, charged towards Whitebeard, aiming to stop his rampage.

"Whitebeard Pirates, don't even think about escaping!!"

Led by Sakazuki, a group of Vice Admirals chased after the members of the Whitebeard Pirates! So many lives had already been sacrificed; letting them just get away easily now would make it all for nothing.

"If the island were undamaged, maybe we could activate the surrounding wall... but now it's severely damaged. Whitebeard, did you even plan for this?!"

Sengoku watched Whitebeard fighting, thinking to himself.

"Aokiji, go freeze the sea! Don't let them have a chance to leave!"

Sengoku roared at Aokiji, who responded and prepared to move.

"Gurarara! Kuzan kid, do you think this old man is just for show?!"

Seeing this, Whitebeard grinned, his hands seemingly grabbing at the air before he violently pulled downwards!

"Whoosh!"

A deep hum echoed through the air.

The next moment, everyone felt a sense of weightlessness.

Aokiji immediately retreated, while Kizaru turned into light to evade. Even Sakazuki, who was in pursuit, had his body turn into magma and was twisted around!

The sky, a twisted mess!

The ground near the Marine forces in Marineford split into massive, uneven chunks, all flipping over. Countless Marine soldiers cried out in panic, sliding into the ocean.

"Whitebeard..."

Seeing this, Sengoku struggled against the disturbance, his eyes filled with extreme gravity. Dealing with this guy was truly not an easy task. And when this guy is dead set on doing something, there really isn't anyone who can stop him!

"Could it be... the Marines are going to lose?"

Witnessing Whitebeard's chaos, with the Marines seemingly helpless, people all over the world thought with great alarm. If Whitebeard wasn't defeated, didn't that mean they would continue to suffer pirate invasions in the future, living in fear every single day?!

"Cut the video Den Den Mushi signal!"

Sengoku gave the order to the person in charge of the broadcast to cancel the live feed. The latter half of this war didn't need to be broadcast to the whole world anymore!

"Hmhmhm, Whitebeard is about to fall on this island, huh? How exciting!"

Doflamingo crawled out from the rubble, chuckling excitedly.

"The scent of a new era... it was this close?!"

He raised his hands, looking impatient!

"Whitebeard, you bastard, die!"

In Whitebeard's moment of catching his breath, Sakazuki charged forward furiously, unleashing a Dai Funka (Great Eruption) punch.

"Magma brat, don't get ahead of yourself..."

Whitebeard met the attack with a punch without hesitation.

"Ara ara, while a group attack is quite unfair and laughable, if the opponent is you, then maybe there's nothing wrong with it!"

Aokiji's voice echoed from behind Whitebeard, a chilling aura sweeping in.

"Whitebeard, your era is over..."

Kizaru appeared above Whitebeard, shining brightly, his hands crossed, emitting a wild aura: "Yasakani no Magatama..."

A rain of light with terrifying destructive power poured down.

*Chapter 418: Kurohige, Your End Has Come*

Even Shirohige, as powerful as he was, just didn't have enough left in him while facing the simultaneous assault of the Three Taishō. After half his body was frozen, Kizaru's Yasakani no Magatama ruthlessly pierced him right after.

"Shirohige, farewell!"

Then Sakazuki, burning with scorching magma, unleashed a giant dog-shaped attack, the Meigō, which mercilessly punched through the chest of the blood-spitting Shirohige who had just been knocked back.

"Oyaji!!!"

In the distance, Ace and the others who had already boarded the ship saw this and their faces twisted in grief.

"Gurarara, that was truly an exhilarating and satisfying battle!"

Shirohige seemed to not even feel the pain in his body. He planted his Bisento on the ground, pulled his right arm back again, and unleashed his Tremor-Tremor power once more.

"He still has life in him!"

The surrounding Marines were utterly shocked by this sight. What kind of monster was this?!

"My sons, set sail!"

Shirohige's voice was incredibly strong. With one punch, the tide surged, powerfully sweeping all the pirate ships, pushing them far into the distance!

"Oyaji!!!"

Seeing this, Fire Fist Ace and the others were absolutely heartbroken!

"What a truly enjoyable life..."

Shirohige leaned on his Bisento, his energy rapidly weakening. Then he heavily fell to his knees, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Shirohige, it seems your life has reached its end!" Sakazuki said, his face stern.

"Gurarara... Magma... brat... you... won..."

Shirohige actually uttering words of surrender like that... this scene shocked everyone.

"Ze ha ha, Oyaji, are you finally done for? You made me wait so long!"

Just then, from atop the shattered Marineford Headquarters building, a strange laugh suddenly echoed. Everyone looked over and their eyes widened in shock, exclaiming, "The Kurohige Pirates!"

"Shiliew, you scoundrel, what happened to Magellan? What happened at Impel Down...?" Sengoku gritted his teeth, staring at Shiliew of the Rain, who was smoking a cigarette, and demanded answers.

"You can figure that out yourself. Anyway, now I'm gonna team up with Kurohige and cause some chaos!" Shiliew grinned.

"Kurohige, was becoming a Shichibukai just so you could sneak into Impel Down?!" Sengoku then looked at Kurohige, who was laughing hysterically, and asked.

"Ze ha ha, that's right! That was my goal from the start, and this is just the beginning! Mr. Sengoku... you'll understand my full plan soon enough!" Kurohige cackled proudly.

"Is that so...?"

At this moment, Yoru, who hadn't made a move until now, suddenly spoke up. And Sengoku also received a report: two Den Den Mushi had become uncontrollable and started broadcasting again. Because of this, people all over the world could once again see the battle situation at Marineford.

"Kurohige, do you know why I came to this great war...?"

Yoru drew his sword, a dangerously 'sunny' smile on his face. He pointed at Kurohige and grinned, "It was all... for you!"

"No good! Get out of the way!!!"

Seeing Yoru make that move, Kurohige's voice changed completely, filled with terror.

"What?"

Kurohige's sudden panic left Shiliew of the Rain and the others completely bewildered. They didn't understand why Kurohige was so terrified of Yoru.

But they understood immediately!

"Shatter Delusions, crush him!"

As Yoru's calm voice rang out, a light-like cold glint rapidly grew larger in their eyes, then fiercely pierced through Kurohige's body.

Not only that!

The speed of this cold glint was startlingly fast. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen large holes had been shattered through Kurohige's body. Shiliew of the Rain even saw chunks of Kurohige's broken heart.

*Chapter 419: Blackbeard, Die*

"Ah!!!"

The attack from the Demonic Breaking Longblade was not only fast but also incredibly scorching, causing Blackbeard to let out a scream of unprecedented agony and panic.

"Dammit... I won't... be killed by you... like last time... again!"

Blackbeard roared venomously, black smoke starting to rise from him, intending to use his ability to shift Yoru's attack.

"You think... I'd give you that chance?"

Without using his abilities, Blackbeard was like an ant in Yoru's eyes now. But he wouldn't give Blackbeard the chance to use his ability either!

"Pfft!"

A cold gleam pierced directly through Blackbeard's brow, running through his head. Following that, he leaped up, transforming into a fiery red phoenix mixed with golden flames, and spoke mercilessly, "Phoenix Scorching Sun..."

Above his head, a massive blazing sun appeared. Its terrifying light enveloped the entirety of Marineford.

"Sizzle sizzle!"

Instantly, a horrifying temperature descended.

Even the ground melted. The surrounding sea surface rapidly evaporated, violently churning.

The nearby Marine soldiers felt like they were completely melting, retreating in terror. Even Sakazuki was astonished to find himself burned. Even his elemental form was affected, the magma on his body melting and dispersing on its own.

The entire Marineford completely became a scorching ocean under a blazing sun, a field of dark red! Sakazuki saw Blackbeard's crew screaming as they were burned into dried corpses, collapsing weakly. As for Blackbeard, he screamed non-stop as his flesh and blood were incinerated, leaving only a skin-and-bones corpse. From his twisted and contorted face, one could vaguely see his appearance just before death.

As the scorching sun disappeared, the fiery phoenix that Yoru transformed into let out a high cry and actually took all the heat with it, causing the air, which had been distorted and blurred by the burning, to instantly return to normal. The group of Marine soldiers felt as if they had returned to paradise from hell in an instant.

But the ground, after melting, had already crystallized! The entire Marineford turned into an island of crystals, shimmering brightly, polished and gleaming.

"The sea level, it dropped by more than a meter!"

Suddenly, a Marine soldier exclaimed, pointing at the ocean. Everyone looked and immediately gasped. They saw that on the bay's marker, where the level was originally 14.6 meters high, it had now dropped to the 13-meter mark.

"He's a truly terrifying fellow, the Lightning Killer!"

Kizaru touched the part of his arm that was burned, his expression also quite grim.

"Ara ara, this ability really gives me a headache!"

Aokiji emanated a chilling aura, his face equally serious. This technique was too terrifying! Even he would need to use seventy percent of his strength to block it!

"Even the sky, because of this scorching power, even with enough water vapor rising, can't form dark clouds!"

Sengoku looked up at the deep blue sky, thinking to himself.

"Hmhmhm, a terrifying guy!"

Doflamingo took off his Flamingo Coat, which turned to ash if touched after being scorched, and looked at Yoru with extreme wariness in his eyes. Yoru is not someone to provoke!

Meanwhile, Yoru had already flown towards Blackbeard. In his hand, he held a fruit that seemed to come from nowhere, pressing it onto Blackbeard's skeletal remains. An astonishing thing happened! The ordinary apple in his hand slowly changed color, turning black, and its form also changed, beginning to show patterns. Finally, it turned into a Devil Fruit!

*Chapter 420: Shirohige, Falls*

"Is that... the Dark-Dark Fruit?!" Sengoku couldn't help but be shocked seeing the Akuma no Mi Yoru tucked away into his pocket.

After doing all that, Yoru looked at Sengoku, then glanced at the already exhausted Shirohige in the distance, and said, "Shirohige, it's over now..."

With that, another flash of cold light shot out, definitively ending Shirohige's life.

"Gurarara... brat... don't... do such... unnecessary things... this old man... is... Shirohige... and... doesn't... need... you... to finish me off...!"

Shirohige, incredibly, struggled back to his feet once more, a smile on his face, standing tall with his Bisento.

But this time, he had no next move left.

Shirohige, his breath stopped!

To die with a smile – that's probably the most dignified way to go! After all, the one who delivered the final blow was named Yoru, not some nobody!

Having done all that, Yoru looked at everyone, including Sengoku, and said, "My job is done. The rest has nothing to do with me!"

"So then, if you'll excuse me, everyone!"

With that, he leaped up and transformed into a scorching fire phoenix. Under the gaze of the assembled Marines and people around the world, he soared away.

"This guy..."

Dobelman and the others wanted to stop him, but frustratingly realized they had no way to fight someone airborne.

And Kizaru, after shooting a laser at Yoru and seeing it have absolutely no effect, could only give up.

"Is that the same power as Marco the Phoenix? Just how much power is this guy still holding back?!" The thought of the attack Yoru used to kill Kurohige earlier sent shivers down everyone's spine. That attack, as fast as light, seemed utterly impossible to dodge.

"Even though I really didn't want that guy taking such a dangerous Devil Fruit, it looks like there's nothing we can do about it right now!" Sengoku sighed with emotion, then immediately roared, "This war is over!!"

"All Navy personnel, begin cleaning up the battlefield..."

"Borsalino, head to Impel Down immediately to check the situation!"

"Sakazuki, pursue the remnants of the Shirohige Pirates at once!"

"Kuzan, apprehend Shiliew and those other guys!"

Sengoku issued orders in an orderly fashion!

Meanwhile, all over the world, the public watched Shirohige's body and erupted in unprecedented cheers! Shirohige was finally dead! Next, the pirates' end was surely here!

But—

Had their good days truly arrived? Would the pirates truly be deterred like this, never daring to run wild again?

Of course not!

You could see this immediately from the sudden surge of pirates flooding into the Sabaody Archipelago, intending to pass through Fish-Man Island to the New World. The number of pirates didn't decrease because of Shirohige's death. Nor were the pirates deterred by Shirohige's death.

Instead—

Because Shirohige was gone and the world balance was broken, the pirates became even more rampant! The old era—the Great Pirate Era—had ended! A new era—the New Age of Navigation—had begun! An unprecedented age of chaos descended just like that with Shirohige's departure.

Shirohige's body was eventually taken away when the Red-Haired Pirates arrived! Along with him went the remaining members of the Shirohige Pirates who were gathered near Marineford. Marine Headquarters simply couldn't withstand attacks from two Yonko crews!

Sengoku chose to allow Shanks to take Shirohige's body. For Sengoku, the Shirohige Pirates, without Shirohige, were no longer a significant threat!