On the side of the Demon Slayer Fleet.
The soldiers had all boarded, and one by one, the warships accelerated towards the outside of the island.
Sakazuki stood on the ship, gazing towards the center of the island where the battle grew increasingly ferocious, visibly intense. The fighting was even causing the island to slowly crack.
Sakazuki knew time was running out. Such a fierce battle would accelerate the eruption of the volcano. He stomped his foot, and his figure instantly vanished.
A blur of afterimages flashed, appearing at the stern of the last warship. This warship had not moved; it was to stay behind and provide cover for everyone.
"Vice Admiral Sengoku, I will stay behind to provide cover."
"My ability is magma, the least risky."
"This... alright, be extra careful, Sakazuki."
"Don't worry, Vice Admiral Sengoku."
Sengoku hesitated for a moment before agreeing to Sakazuki staying behind to provide cover. As Sakazuki had said, as a Logia-type Devil Fruit user with magma powers, he was the best choice to handle such a situation.
He then handed the communication Den Den Mushi to Sakazuki and jumped onto an adjacent warship, slowly sailing away from the island.
Sakazuki watched Sengoku leave, then stood motionless at the stern of the ship.
He recalled the beam of energy that had pierced the heavens, which he had seen earlier.
No one on the island possessed the corresponding ability, so... was it that super warship?
Plans do not keep up with changes. Originally, the plan was to use magma to engulf Rocks and the Ancient Weapons, obtaining a large amount of Origin Points. Little did they expect the Ancient Weapons to be destroyed, leaving only Rocks...
Gazing at the sky torn asunder in the center of the island, Sakazuki frowned.
Clang!
Hiss—!
Clang!
Hiss—!
Clang!!!
The sounds of metal clashing reverberated continuously, accompanied by the lightning from the collision of countless Conqueror's Haki.
Rocks, on one side, punched Cap off. Kong and the burly Gorosei then pressed their attack. Before they could be repelled, Rayleigh and Roger, among others, swung their swords.
Rocks, like a trapped beast, was gradually forced into a trap by everyone.
Outside the deep pit, Rocks was sent flying here.
At this moment, the heat rising from the deep pit was enough to easily burn the skin. Even with Armament Haki, everyone still felt uncomfortable.
Blood flowed from Rocks' chest, but as soon as it emerged, it was vaporized into gas, leaving behind dry bloodstains.
"Hoo... hoo..."
Rocks panted heavily, looking at the figures encircling him, sweeping his gaze over them: the two Gorosei, Kong, Roger, Cap, Sengoku, Rayleigh, and Scopper Gaban.
"I have lost."
"However, the will of the D will one day shine upon the entire world."
"Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!"
Rocks stated calmly as he looked at everyone, then suddenly burst into an inexplicable laughter.
"There's no point in saying more."
The Gorosei wielding a sword, their blade wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, looked at Rocks and spoke calmly, as if pronouncing a sentence.
"Heh."
"This decadent world ruled by a bunch of pigs is truly..."
Hearing the words of the Gorosei with the sword, Rocks slowly quieted down. He looked at the Gorosei with the sword, sneering lightly, and spoke.
Then, he calmly looked at Roger, as if accepting his impending fate, with no lingering resentment.
"And you."
"Take care of yourself, Roger."
With that, Rocks' body erupted with an endless surge of blood qi, entwined with Conqueror's Haki, burning his life away, his expression becoming frenzied and ferocious.
"I!"
"Am!"
"ROCKS D. XEBEC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Boom!
The entire world seemed to be shaken. The clouds in the sky were crushed and scattered, the sea churned restlessly, and the island trembled and cracked madly.
***
From Sakazuki's perspective, an endless white light first illuminated the sky, followed by a colossal explosion. Moments later, thick smoke billowed from the island.
Dark red magma surged towards the heavens, carried by the rolling black smoke.
Accompanying a deafening roar, the magma column that shot into the sky visibly thickened and spread outwards.
Lava, several times larger than the Meteor Volcano, plunged from high above, leaving millions of fiery trails across the smoke-covered sky.
The island was shattered by immense force, and endless magma erupted from the earth.
The entire island turned into a volcano, a boundless mushroom cloud filling the heavens and earth.
The sea also became violent, with hundred-meter-high waves crashing outwards layer after layer.
Accompanied by hurricanes, volcanic ash rained down like blizzards. It was foreseeable that all living creatures within a radius of tens of thousands of miles would perish.
With a volcanic eruption of this magnitude, the temperature in the West Blue would not be too high for the next year, as volcanic ash would shroud the sky, blocking out the sun.
On the violently shaking warship, Sakazuki stood steadily on the deck, watching this world-ending spectacle.
"The power of a natural disaster..."