Under the stunned eyes of the Marines, the towering Gate of Justice was blown apart by the Kyūbi's Bijūdama.
Not just a "hole"—the entire gate had been ripped and twisted to pieces.
At its center yawned a crater that swallowed two-thirds of the door, the remainder warped like twisted iron.
"For a first test, not bad... but next time, maybe I should infuse a little Haki into it..."
Inside the body of the golden, complete Kyūbi, Naruto's expression was thoughtful as he studied the ruined gate.
Busoshoku Haki wasn't just for coating the body—it could also be fused into ranged attacks.
Like the world's greatest snipers, who could kill a man from hundreds of miles away.
Or like Whitebeard's Gura Gura no Mi, whose shockwaves could injure even Logia elementals.
All of it was the power of Haki—a buff that elevated attacks to a higher level.
Having considered it, Naruto's lips curled into a grin.
"The Gate of Justice, symbol of order... is that all?"
He released the Kyūbi's chakra, dropping lightly back onto Isobu's shell. He jabbed a finger forward.
"Let's go. Follow the current!"
"ROAR!"
Isobu bellowed and surged ahead, limbs propelling it along the deep-sea stream.
"The Gate of Justice... has been destroyed!!!"
In Marineford's monitoring room, officers gawked at the feed, horror etched across their faces.
"That fox... it's too terrifying. Could it be some mythical Zoan!?"
"It's over... they're coming through... Hasn't Fleet Admiral Sengoku been warned yet? Where's Garp-san!?"
"The Gate of Justice didn't stop them at all..."
Riding the current, Naruto suddenly stiffened, his eyes narrowing toward the blue skies above.
"No way... that guy too!?"
Thinking a moment, he called to Izumi:
"Izumi, look to the sky. Tell me exactly what you see."
She nodded quickly, her Mangekyō Sharingan spinning as she gazed upward.
Her pupils dilated in shock.
"Naruto-sama... in the sky... I see an island. It's floating... and there are countless beasts upon it..."
She knew the pirate world was strange beyond compare. But an island in the heavens?
A mass so heavy, yet drifting like a ship across the clouds—and faster than their own pace by several times.
"As I thought..." Naruto's grin deepened, eyes locked on the heavens.
"Shiki, the Golden Lion..."
"This war... just keeps getting better. All the monsters, all the old legends, gathering in one place. I wonder how this mess will end..."
Izumi asked quickly: "Naruto-sama, should we bring that island down?"
"No need. It's ten thousand meters above—too much trouble to drag down. Besides, I've no grudge with him. Let the Marines deal with it."
He smirked. "And knocking it down... would probably take several Bijūdama."
Marineford—on the raging battlefield.
Once, Sengoku's golden Buddha had stood imposing, radiant. Now, his head was half-buried in the ground.
"Ku-lalala..."
Whitebeard pressed a hand to his skull, the other lifting his fist high.
"What's wrong, Sengoku? Your power weaker than before? Are you just an old man waiting for death?"
He slammed his fist down.
CRACK!
Space itself shattered, shockwaves exploding across Sengoku's skull, twisting the Buddha's head grotesquely.
Sengoku coughed blood—if not outwardly, then inwardly. Rage surged as curses stormed through his mind.
Where the hell is everyone!?
Is no one coming to save me? Can't you see I'm about to be beaten into paste!?
Just as Whitebeard reared to strike again, the high platform stirred.
At last, Akainu stood. His gaze was ice as it locked upon the pirate.
"Whitebeard... this isn't your New World. Submit, or burn."
In a flash, his magma-fueled body blurred, reappearing at Whitebeard's front, molten fury surging from his fist.
"Dai Funka!!! (Great Eruption!!!)"
His right arm erupted, a titanic magma fist crashing down like a volcanic god's wrath.
Whitebeard glanced at the flames, laughing coldly.
"Magma, huh? Little brat... with tricks like that, all you're good for is lighting candles at a feast..."
"Gura Gura: Shōgeki!!! (Quake: Shock!!!)"
His quake fist struck—the air splintered, and the magma was ripped apart, scattering into embers.
But in that same instant—
Pinned beneath him until now, Sengoku finally seized the chance.
The Buddha's golden hand slammed into Whitebeard's chest, detonating with a shockwave.
BOOM!!
Whitebeard grunted, his body hurled back seven or eight steps, only halting when his naginata bit into the ground.
Sengoku rose, Buddha form looming, his face black with fury.
"Whitebeard... prepare yourself. By daring to storm Marineford for the sake of one man... you've written your own epitaph."
He and Akainu locked eyes—then lunged in unison.
BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!!
The battlefield roared again. Shockwaves and magma rained destruction, shaking all of Marineford to its core.
The plaza crumbled into ruin—only the flashing silhouettes of three titans remained locked in deadly combat.
And yet...
Even the strongest man in the world was beginning to slow.
Whitebeard's eyes hardened as he focused on Sengoku.
He cared little for Akainu's blows—those wouldn't bring him down.
But Sengoku... this old comrade matched him strike for strike, forcing openings for the admiral.
At this pace... he could truly be pinned here.
Then, Sengoku's eyes narrowed.
"It's time."
(End of Chapter)
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