"Scorching Heaven!!!"
Admiral Hazard moved with deadly precision, his body a blur as he unleashed a devastating attack. The air around him crackled with energy as he summoned the full power of his Plasma Logia Devil Fruit, one of the rarest and most destructive of all Logia fruits.
A massive discharge of plasma erupted from his body, a searing wave of superheated energy that cut through the battlefield like a blade. The attack was so intense that it melted the dozen or so pirates surrounding him, their bodies reduced to nothing but ash in an instant.
The massive ship beneath them liquefied, turning into molten waste as the plasma consumed everything in its path. The once-proud galleon they had fought to protect was now nothing more than a twisted, glowing skeleton of charred wood and molten metal.
Hazard barely paused to admire his handiwork. With most of the pirate powerhouses pinned down by the relentless assaults of the Marines and Cipher Pol agents, Hazard had taken it upon himself to cull their numbers, reducing the pirate ranks to nothing more than smoldering corpses.
But his work was far from done. His eyes, sharp and unforgiving, turned to the other galleons, still desperately trying to flee the scene, its crew scrambling to escape the monster that Hazard had become.
"Tch, pathetic," Hazard muttered under his breath, his voice laced with disdain. He raised his hand, channeling the raw energy of his devil fruit into a single point. The air around him shimmered with heat as the energy condensed, taking shape.
"Plasma Dragon's Wrath!!!" Hazard roared, unleashing the pent-up energy in a cataclysmic blast. The attack morphed into a colossal dragon made entirely of plasma, its body a swirling mass of white-hot energy that radiated an intense, blinding light. The dragon shot into the sky like a massive beam of destruction, its roar echoing across the battlefield as it descended upon the fleeing pirate ships.
The pirates barely had time to scream as the Plasma Dragon engulfed them. The ships were vaporized in an instant, the intense heat reducing wood, metal, and flesh alike to nothingness. The sea beneath them boiled and evaporated, leaving a patch of barren, steaming ocean floor where the ships had once sailed. The sheer power of the attack left no trace of the pirate fleet, not even a wisp of smoke remained as the last vestiges of their existence were erased from the world.
Hazard floated above the devastation, his gaze hard and unyielding as he surveyed the scene.
"Tch, how did so many of these pirates get past our blockade? Where the hell are those World Government ships?" he growled, frustration boiling over as he scanned the horizon. The island, once a bastion of the Sorbet Kingdom's people, now lay in ruins, with more than a third of its population reduced to collateral damage in the chaos.
But despite the devastation, Hazard's Observation Haki detected something far more troubling—only a dozen or so Celestial Dragons' life signatures still remained on the island. Though the Sorbet Kingdom was vast, Hazard's Haki could easily cover the entire island, a testament to the power he had gained from consuming the Plasma Fruit.
And in the brief moment it had taken him to destroy the pirate ships, one more Celestial Dragon, located near the shore where he had been fighting, had vanished.
His thoughts were interrupted by the urgent ringing of his emergency transponder snail. Hazard's brow furrowed as he picked up the call, his instincts telling him that something was wrong.
"Hazard!!! Evacuate the island NOW!!! Have all of our men retreat as far away from the island as possible!" Fleet Admiral Sengoku's voice exploded from the other side, filled with a desperation and urgency that Hazard had never heard before. The normally composed and unflappable Sengoku sounded frantic, his words a mixture of panic and command.
"Fleet Admiral, we still have things under control here. There is no need..." Hazard began, trying to reason with Sengoku, but he was abruptly cut off.
"You bastard!!! Do you not understand what I just said? Retreat! Just retreat! Save as many Marines as you possibly can! The World Government has decided to sink the entire Sorbet Kingdom along with the island!"
Sengoku's voice was a mixture of fury and fear, a combination that shook Hazard to his core. The gravity of the situation finally began to sink in, and Hazard realized the terrifying truth. The World Government had decided to sacrifice the entire island, along with everyone on it—Marines, pirates, and civilians alike. This wasn't just a battle; it was a massacre waiting to happen, and the order had been given to bury the island under the sea.
"What about the Celestial Dragons on the island?" Hazard asked instinctively, his mind struggling to piece together the magnitude of what was about to happen.
"Just fucking forget them! For all I know, they're bait left there to lure all those pirates! They're planning to bury everyone!" Sengoku's voice roared through the transponder snail, the urgency in his tone palpable.
"Fuck! What the hell are those bastards thinking...?" Hazard cursed under his breath, realizing that this was more than just a battle—it was a cold, calculated execution orchestrated by the World Government. The implications were horrifying.
The World Government wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice everyone—nearly a hundred thousand Marines and countless others—if it meant achieving their goal. The truth of it made Hazard's blood run cold.
There was no time to waste. Hazard immediately activated the emergency communication channels, barking orders for a full retreat. He had no idea what the World Government was planning, but the way Sengoku had spoken, it was clear that this was a matter of life and death.
Luckily, the majority of the Marine forces were positioned on the perimeter, forming a blockade on the sea, which meant only about ten thousand Marines were actually on the island itself. The rest were still at sea, but even they were in grave danger if they didn't evacuate immediately.
Hazard's gaze swept over the island, his eyes narrowing as he took in the sights of the ongoing battles. Shiki was still locked in combat, his legendary power tearing through everything in his path.
Zephyr was holding his ground against Big Mom, one of the most dangerous pirates in the world, while Vice Admiral Sakazuki was engaged in a fierce battle with Jack from the Golden Lion Pirates. Hazard's Observation Haki didn't detect Admiral Agana's presence, which meant she had likely already evacuated with the remaining Celestial Dragons. That left him with a difficult decision: who to assist first?
Hazard knew that engaging Big Mom at this stage wouldn't make much of a difference; her power was immense, and even with his own strength, pushing her back would be no easy feat. Instead, he decided to first support Sakazuki. If they could defeat or at least push back Jack, they might stand a chance of aiding Zephyr and escaping the island before it was too late.
But time was running out. The World Government had made its move, and the looming threat of destruction hung over them all. Hazard felt the weight of his responsibility pressing down on him. He had to act quickly, or they would all be buried in the World Government's ruthless purge.
With a final glance at the battlefield, Hazard shot forward, plasma crackling around him as he made his way toward Sakazuki. The clock was ticking, and the fate of thousands rested on his next move. The island was a powder keg, and the fuse had already been lit. Now, all that remained was the explosion.
The air was thick with tension as the Marines across the Sorbet Kingdom began to receive sudden, urgent orders for a full retreat. The confusion spread like wildfire, with whispers of uncertainty and disbelief rippling through the ranks.
Men and women who had moments ago been engaged in fierce combat now found themselves frozen in place, their weapons lowered as they exchanged bewildered glances.
"What the hell is going on?" one Marine demanded, his voice tinged with panic as he watched his commanding officer bark orders into a transponder snail. The officer, a grizzled veteran of many battles, looked pale and shaken as he relayed the command to fall back.
"Retreat? Why are we retreating? We've got the pirates on the run!" Another Marine shouted, his voice rising above the chaos. His words were echoed by others who couldn't understand why they were being pulled back just when it seemed like they were gaining the upper hand.
"I don't know!" The officer snapped, his eyes wide with urgency. "The order came directly from Fleet Admiral Sengoku! We're to pull back immediately and evacuate the island!"
"But—" a younger Marine started, but the officer cut him off with a fierce glare.
"That's an order! Do you want to question the Fleet Admiral's command? Do you want to die here?" The officer's words silenced the protests, but the fear and confusion lingered.
Marines began to move, albeit hesitantly at first. Those on the frontlines looked back at their comrades, unsure if they should continue fighting or follow the retreat.
Some struggled to disengage from battles, with their opponents seizing the opportunity to press their attacks. The orderly ranks of the Marines dissolved into chaos as officers struggled to maintain control and lead their troops back toward the shore.
"Something's wrong," muttered a Marine as he shouldered his rifle and fell back with his unit. "This doesn't feel right."
"No kidding," his comrade replied, sweat beading on his brow. "It's like they know something we don't. What could be so bad that we're abandoning the island?"
"Doesn't matter. We've got to get out of here, fast," the first Marine said, his voice grim as they joined the growing stream of soldiers retreating toward the coast. The ominous sense of dread hung over them like a dark cloud, and though they didn't know what was coming, they could feel it in their bones—it was something far worse than the pirates they'd been fighting.
Amid the chaos, Shiki, the Golden Lion, stood on a small floating island fragment, his eyes narrowing as he observed the sudden retreat of the Marine forces. The battlefield had been a tempest of violence just moments before, but now the tides had shifted inexplicably.
Marines were withdrawing en masse, and the realization struck him like a lightning bolt—this was no ordinary retreat.
"Something's wrong," Shiki muttered, his sharp eyes scanning the horizon. His instincts, honed by decades of combat and cunning, screamed at him that this was a trap. The Marines had them pinned down, the fight was in full swing, and yet now they were retreating? It made no sense unless...
Shiki's eyes darted to the massive form of the God's Knight standing before him, an opponent who had been tenaciously keeping him in check. The warrior's imposing form, which gleamed with a beastial aura, was battered but still formidable. The Golden Lion had been pushing him back, but the knight's relentless assault had kept Shiki from breaking free.
"Trying to keep me here, huh?" Shiki growled, a scowl twisting his features. He could feel it in the pit of his stomach—something was coming, something catastrophic, and he needed to get out of here. But the God's Knight wasn't giving him the chance.
"So you finally seem to understand what's going on, ha!!, Golden Lion Shiki?… Not Bad! You are not as dumb as you seem to be," the god's knight taunted, but Shiki's gaze was set elsewhere.
The knight, sensing Shiki's distraction, launched another attack, a powerful swing of his massive claws that cut through the air with lethal precision. Shiki barely had time to react, raising his dual swords to block the blow. The impact sent shockwaves through his arms, but he held firm, teeth gritted.
"You're not going anywhere, Golden Lion," the God's Knight said, his voice echoing with a cold, calculating authority. "You'll die here, along with the rest of these fools."
Shiki's mind raced as he parried the knight's attacks, each strike pushing him further back. He needed to break free, but the knight's relentless assault was making it impossible. Shiki's Observation Haki flared as he tried to sense what was coming, but all he could feel was an overwhelming sense of impending doom.
"Damn it…!!!" Shiki cursed under his breath, his frustration mounting. The pieces were falling into place in his mind, but without a clear way to escape, he was trapped. "They're going to sink this whole damn island!"
The realization spurred Shiki into action. He couldn't afford to waste any more time. He needed to retreat, regroup, and figure out what the Marines were planning. But the God's Knight was a wall he couldn't break through, at least not easily. Shiki's thoughts turned to his crew, his subordinates, who were still engaged in battle. If he couldn't escape, neither could they.
"Enough!" Shiki roared, summoning the full power of his devil fruit. The floating islands around him began to tremble as he exerted his will over them, the chunks of land rising into the air. The God's Knight braced himself, preparing for the onslaught.
But as Shiki unleashed his attack, he couldn't shake the feeling that it might already be too late.
On another part of the battlefield, Big Mom, one of the current Emperors of the Sea, was locked in a ferocious battle with Marine Admiral Zephyr. The clash of titans had been going on for what felt like eternity, their immense powers tearing the landscape apart.
Zephyr, though outmatched in raw strength, was holding his own through sheer tenacity and experience, refusing to give Big Mom any ground.
"Zephyr! You think you can hold me back?!" Big Mom roared, her massive figure towering over the battlefield as she swung her blade with terrifying force. Zephyr met the attack head-on, his black-coated armament Haki clashing against the Yonko's might.
But even as she fought, a nagging feeling began to creep into Big Mom's mind. Something was off. The way the battle was progressing, the sudden retreat of the Marines... it didn't add up. Big Mom was no fool. She might be a brute force of nature, but she was also cunning, and her instincts were screaming at her that something was very wrong.
"Why would they retreat now?" She muttered, her eyes narrowing as she parried another blow from Zephyr. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. "It's a trap! They're trying to lure us in!"
Her eyes darted around the battlefield, taking in the chaos. Pirates were still pouring into the island, oblivious to the danger they were walking into. Big Mom knew she had to act fast. If the Marines were retreating, it meant something catastrophic was about to happen, something she wanted no part of.
"We need to retreat!" Big Mom bellowed to her crew, who were fighting nearby. "Get out of here, now!"
But Zephyr wasn't about to let her go that easily. "Leaving so soon, Charlotte?" he taunted, his voice gruff as he lunged at her, trying to keep her engaged. "What's the matter? Afraid of a real fight?"
Big Mom snarled, her eyes blazing with fury. "Out of my way, Zephyr!" she roared, her voice shaking the very air around them. She swung her sword with all her might, forcing Zephyr to retreat a step, but the veteran Marine was relentless.
"You're not going anywhere, Big Mom," Zephyr said, his tone deadly serious. "Not until I've taken you down."
But Big Mom's mind was already racing, weighing her options. She needed to get her crew out of there, but Zephyr was a formidable opponent, and disengaging from him wasn't going to be easy. But Big Mom wasn't one to be cornered. She let out a deafening scream, summoning her homies to her side.
Prometheus, the living sun, flared brightly, ready to unleash hell, while Zeus was already relaying the message of retreat to the rest of the Big Mom pirates. Luckily, they had come here on one massive ship, so most of them stayed near the ship during the assault.
"You dumb idiot, Zephyr!!!, Don't you see what's happening around you? The Marines are retreating in haste. Why do you think that is? And have you forgotten there are still so many marines left behind on the island?"
Big Mom roared, channeling her fury into a massive attack. But even as she engaged Zephyr with renewed ferocity, her thoughts were focused on escape. She couldn't afford to be trapped here, not when the entire island was about to be wiped out.
Zephyr's focus had been razor-sharp, fully immersed in the fierce battle against Big Mom. Linlin's monstrous strength and relentless attacks demanded every ounce of his attention, and for a time, the rest of the battlefield faded away. His world had narrowed to the clash of steel, the raw power of Haki, and the searing pain of each blow exchanged.
But then, something changed. A flicker of movement caught Zephyr's eye—Marines, once resolute in their positions, were now retreating in haste. It wasn't an orderly withdrawal; it was a panicked, desperate flight. Confusion rippled through him, but he didn't have the luxury to dwell on it. Linlin's enormous fist came crashing down, and he barely dodged it, the ground shattering beneath the impact.
"Zephyr!" Big Mom roared, her voice like thunder. She pressed her attack, unwilling to give him a moment's respite. But even as he parried her blows, his mind raced, trying to piece together what was happening.
Then, with a sudden surge of clarity, Zephyr stretched out his Observation Haki, extending his senses far beyond the immediate battlefield. What he felt sent a chill down his spine. The scattered presence of the Celestial Dragons, the rapid retreat of the Marines, the fear and urgency in the air—it all pointed to one horrifying conclusion.
"Damn it," Zephyr muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing as he fully grasped the gravity of the situation. The World Government had decided to sink the entire island, burying everything and everyone on it—Marines, pirates, civilians, and even the remaining Celestial Dragons. The retreat wasn't a tactical maneuver; it was an evacuation before the island was obliterated.
Meanwhile, deep within the island, a group of Celestial Dragons continued their twisted game, hunting the remaining civilians of the Sorbet Kingdom with gleeful abandon. Their laughter echoed through the streets as they watched their prey run in terror, oblivious to the true danger lurking around them.
Zephyr's heart pounded as he turned his gaze toward the island. There were still thousands of Marines scattered across it, many of them unaware of the impending disaster. Every instinct in him screamed to act, to save as many of his comrades as possible before it was too late.
He knew he had no time to waste. "Linlin!" Zephyr shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos. Big Mom paused, momentarily taken aback by the intensity in his tone. "This fight is over."
Without waiting for her response, Zephyr disengaged from the battle, his powerful legs propelling him toward the island with a speed born of desperation. His Observation Haki swept the landscape, pinpointing the locations of the Marines still within the island.
"Look at them! Run! Hahaha! Pathetic worms!" One of the Celestial Dragons sneered, his face hidden behind the ornate helmet that marked his status. "They think they can escape us!"
But even as they reveled in their sadistic pleasure, a sense of unease began to creep in. The streets, once filled with the sounds of battle, had grown eerily silent. The civilians were still there, of course, but the sounds of combat between the Marines and pirates had faded away.
"Where did all the noise go?" one of the Celestial Dragons asked, his voice tinged with confusion. He looked around, noticing for the first time that the Marines who had been so prominent, were nowhere to be seen.
"Where are the others?" Another Celestial Dragon demanded, looking to his fellow nobles. "Weren't we supposed to be with the main group? Why have they left us here?"
The realization that they had been left behind started to sink in. The Celestial Dragons, for all their arrogance and cruelty, were not accustomed to being abandoned. They had always been the ones giving orders, not the ones left in the dark.
"Something's wrong," one of them muttered, his eyes narrowing as he looked around. "Why does it feel like... like we've been forgotten?"
The thought was horrifying to them. They, the gods of this world, could not comprehend the idea that they might be considered expendable. And yet, here they were, left behind in an island now almost devoid of their kind.
"Impossible," one Celestial Dragon hissed, his voice laced with disbelief. "They wouldn't dare leave us here. We're Celestial Dragons!"
But the creeping suspicion grew stronger. They had been told this was a hunt, a game to amuse themselves with. But now the game seemed to have ended, and they were still here, alone.
"We need to contact the others," one of the Dragons said, pulling out a transponder snail. "There must be some mistake. We'll demand an explanation!"
But even as he spoke, the first tendrils of fear began to take hold. The thought that they might have been used, that they could be bait for a trap, was unthinkable. But the more they tried to dismiss it, the more it gnawed at them.
The situation of the soldiers and servants of the celestial dragons who had already evacuated was the worst, as they had no idea what was happening. These unfortunate souls, bound to serve the whims of the nobility, had been nervously observing the situation.
First their masters had been taken away, then they had seen the Marines retreating, the chaos spreading across the island, and the growing confusion among their ranks.
At first, they didn't understand what was happening. They had been following orders, herding the civilians, and keeping the Celestial Dragons entertained. But as the minutes ticked by and the situation grew more dire, they began to realize the full extent of the danger.
"Something's not right," whispered one of the soldiers, a young man who had been conscripted into service. His hands trembled as he clutched his rifle, his eyes darting around as if expecting an ambush at any moment. "Why are the Marines retreating? What's going on?"
"We're being left behind," another soldier murmured, his voice heavy with dread. He had been serving the Celestial Dragons for years, and though he despised them, he had always believed that they were untouchable, protected by the World Government's power. But now... now it seemed like they were being abandoned, left to fend for themselves.
The servants, those who had been forced to carry out the Celestial Dragons' every twisted desire, began to share uneasy glances. They had seen their masters act with impunity, with the knowledge that they were above the law. But now that certainty was crumbling.
"They're leaving us," one of the servants whispered, her voice barely audible. "The Marines, the World Government... they're leaving us to die."
The realization hit like a hammer blow. The servants and soldiers, who had lived in fear of the Celestial Dragons, now felt a new fear, one that was even more terrifying—being left to the mercy of whatever fate awaited the island.
"They're using us as bait," one of the soldiers said, his voice shaking with anger and fear. "We're nothing to them. Just pawns in their game."
As the truth sank in, panic began to spread. The soldiers and servants who had once been bound by duty and fear now found themselves questioning everything. They had always known that the Celestial Dragons were cruel, but now they understood just how expendable they were in the grand scheme of things.
"We have to get out of here," a servant urged, her voice filled with desperation. "We can't stay here. We'll die if we do."
But escaping wasn't so simple. The Celestial Dragons, still confused and unwilling to believe they had been abandoned, were demanding answers, forcing their servants to stay by their side.
"Don't be ridiculous!" one Celestial Dragon snapped at a trembling servant who dared to suggest retreat. "We are the Celestial Dragons! We're not going anywhere! Now, fetch me that civilian—I want to finish this hunt!"
But even as the orders were given, the fear in the eyes of the soldiers and servants grew. They knew, deep down, that this was the end of the line. The Marines were gone, the island was falling into chaos, and they were left behind with masters who still believed they were invincible.
As the minutes passed and the tension continued to build, the first cracks in the Celestial Dragons' arrogance began to show. Their servants, no longer willing to follow orders that would lead them to certain death, started to hesitate, to look for ways out.
And as the Marines continued their retreat, leaving the island to its fate, the soldiers and servants realized that they had been abandoned—not just by the World Government, but by the very system that had kept them in chains. The world they had known was collapsing around them, and there was no one left to save them.
In that moment, the true horror of their situation became clear. They were nothing more than pawns in a game they couldn't understand, and now, as the island descended into chaos, they were being left to die along with the Celestial Dragons who had once ruled over them with an iron fist.
*****
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