Blood burst from the wound and splashed into the surrounding seawater.
Kuma's enormous body swayed slightly, pain finally breaking through his otherwise composed expression.
Yet the determination in his eyes never faded.
He did not retreat.
He was still prepared to keep fighting.
Then—
Before anyone could fully react, a dazzling golden pillar of light suddenly erupted forward like divine punishment descending from the heavens.
It pierced straight through Kuma's abdomen.
The light was so intense that it hurt to look at.
When the brilliance finally subsided, a horrifying wound had been left behind.
A massive hole had been burned clean through his body from front to back.
The flesh around it was scorched black, thin trails of smoke still rising from the edges and filling the air with the acrid smell of charred flesh.
"Ghh...!"
A deep groan escaped Kuma.
His mountain-like body shook violently.
Blood immediately poured from the terrible wound, spraying through the air before falling in crimson droplets around him.
Even after suffering such catastrophic damage, however, Kuma still did not fall.
His modified body displayed astonishing endurance, but more than anything else, it was sheer willpower keeping him upright.
His eyes widened, burning with stubborn defiance.
Then Kuma raised one of his enormous palms again.
Pop!
A massive paw-shaped shock wave erupted from his hand and slammed toward one of the knights attacking from his flank.
Caught off guard by Kuma's sudden counterattack, the knight was forced backward several steps and nearly lost his footing.
"Still resisting?"
Saint Garling's eyes were colder than ice.
"Finish him completely!"
He exchanged a glance with the other knights.
They understood immediately.
Almost simultaneously, all five began concentrating their power.
Their Haki, strange sacred energy, and overwhelming spiritual pressure converged above the battlefield.
Gradually—
an enormous spear began taking shape in the air.
Sacred flames raged across its surface, crackling violently as though they wanted to set the very sky ablaze.
These were no ordinary flames.
They carried an unmistakable will of purification and destruction, like heavenly fire created specifically to erase anything deemed sinful.
The gigantic spear locked onto Kuma.
By now, his presence had weakened almost to nothing.
"Divine Judgment!"
Saint Garling raised one arm high.
His voice rang out like a god pronouncing sentence upon a criminal.
Then the enormous spear shot forward.
It tore across the battlefield like a blazing meteor, carrying enough power to distort the surrounding air and make the sea beneath it tremble.
Kuma slowly raised his remaining arm.
His muscles tightened.
He gathered everything he had left into one final attempt to defend himself.
But against that nearly absolute force—
it was not enough.
BOOOOOOM—!!!!
The explosion shook the entire sea.
Blinding sacred light erupted outward like a newborn sun.
The devastating radiance swallowed Kuma's massive figure completely.
Bartholomew Kuma.
One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
The man once feared throughout the world as the Tyrant.
He had chosen to reveal his true allegiance and fight in order to preserve the flame of revolution—to protect the hope of freedom and give Dragon a chance to escape.
But surrounded by the World Government's most elite fighters and subjected to their combined assault, even Kuma could endure no longer.
His consciousness faded.
His enormous body collapsed amid the ruined battlefield.
Kuma had fallen.
...
Only after confirming that Kuma had been completely defeated did the God's Knights finally release some of the rage that had been building within them.
Even so, they did not immediately pursue Dragon.
Their mission involved something they considered even more important than personal vengeance—
preserving the World Government's absolute authority.
Anyone who dared rebel had to understand the consequences.
Saint Garling's cold gaze shifted toward the Revolutionary Army's captured senior officers.
They had been gathered together under heavy guard.
Every one of them was wounded, their clothes soaked with blood.
Yet despite their condition, they stubbornly held their heads high.
Sabo stood among them, his battered face marked by the brutal fighting but his eyes still filled with resolve.
Ahiru was similarly injured, her hair disheveled, yet the fighting spirit in her gaze had not weakened.
Morley.
Karasu.
Betty.
None of them lowered their heads.
Even in defeat, they remained defiant.
To Saint Garling, these people represented the core strength of the Revolutionary Army—
a disease buried beneath the foundations of World Government rule, constantly threatening its authority.
There was no trace of mercy in his eyes.
"Transfer these criminals to Marine Headquarters."
His voice was low and cold.
Then he turned toward one of the knights responsible for communications.
"Send the order immediately."
Garling's tone became even harder.
"Tell Fleet Admiral Sengoku that this is not a request."
"This is the will of the God's Knights—and the unquestionable decision of the World Nobles."
There was no room for refusal.
And from that point onward, events moved rapidly.
...
Before long, several imposing white vessels appeared across the vast sea.
They flew the flag of the World Government high above their decks, the banners snapping sharply in the wind as though proclaiming their authority over the world.
The ships themselves were built to intimidate. Their reinforced hulls gleamed like enormous steel beasts, while the sharp rams mounted at their bows cut effortlessly through the waves, leaving long trails of white foam behind them.
Steady and deliberate, they entered the waters where the brutal battle had only just ended.
The God's Knights immediately began carrying out the prisoner transfer.
Dressed in ornate uniforms and wearing cold, solemn expressions, they treated Sabo and the others with no more concern than ordinary cargo.
The captured revolutionaries were roughly hauled toward the Government vessels with heavy Seastone shackles securing their wrists. The restraints drained their strength, making even simple movements slow and difficult.
Sabo and the others still struggled as much as they could, their bodies trembling with rage and unwillingness.
Almost as one, they turned their heads toward the place where Kuma had made his final stand.
The battlefield there still seemed to carry the lingering heat of his resistance.
Their eyes were bloodshot, grief and fury churning inside them.
Morley bit down hard on his lower lip, almost drawing blood. His brow was deeply furrowed, veins standing out across his forehead as he fought to contain the anguish inside him.
Karasu kept his head lowered, his gaze shifting beneath the shadow of his hood. No one could tell whether he was thinking about the battle they had lost, worrying about what would happen next, or remembering the comrades who had once fought beside him.
Betty continued trying to straighten her back and preserve what dignity she had left.
The Seastone restraints had completely suppressed the power of her Pump-Pump Fruit, leaving her body weak, but the fire in her eyes remained untouched.
Her desire for freedom had not been broken.
Neither had her resolve.
Something had ended here.
The old revolutionary movement that had once swept across kingdoms and challenged the World Government from the shadows was fading from the stage.
An era had reached its conclusion.
The Revolutionary Army, which had fought for years beneath its own banner in pursuit of freedom and justice, was becoming part of history in the form it had once taken.
But its ideals would not disappear.
Nor would the strength it had accumulated.
Those things would continue burning beneath another, far more powerful banner.
In a different form.
On a larger stage.
...
Ron stood silently, his gaze fixed on the proud dragon who had finally lowered his head before him.
Once, Monkey D. Dragon had been one of the most independent and uncompromising men on the seas.
Now, battered by recent events and forced to confront how drastically the balance of the world had changed, even he had made his choice.
A faint smile appeared on Ron's face.
"Good."
His voice was calm but carried unmistakable authority.
Then his expression sharpened.
The relaxed look in his eyes vanished, replaced by a cold edge like a blade being drawn from its sheath.
"Then prepare yourselves."
His voice rang through the hall.
"The God's Knights. Marineford. The World Government."
Ron's gaze hardened.
"Soon enough, they'll understand exactly how heavy the price is for provoking the Divine Kingdom."
Every word carried the promise of an approaching storm.
...
The atmosphere inside the Central Temple was oppressively heavy.
When Dragon finally emerged carrying the document that would determine the Revolutionary Army's future, his steps remained steady, but his expression was grim enough to chill the air around him.
The paper in his hand represented more than an agreement.
Every clause concerned the fate of countless revolutionaries and everything they had spent years fighting for.
Outside, several of the Divine Kingdom's core members were already waiting.
Their reactions varied.
Jozu stood with his powerful arms transformed into gleaming diamond, the facets catching faint traces of light.
As Dragon approached, Jozu gave him a restrained nod.
It was simple, but carried a measure of respect.
His gaze remained attentive, quietly observing the man who had now chosen to stand beneath the same banner.
Crocodile leaned lazily against a stone pillar with a cigar between his lips.
Smoke curled around his face as an unreadable smirk touched the corner of his mouth.
To him, this outcome seemed almost inevitable.
'Should've happened sooner.'
Katakuri stood straight and composed nearby.
His expression remained perfectly calm as his eyes settled on Dragon for a brief moment.
The look was neither hostile nor welcoming.
It was assessing.
As though he were silently measuring the strength, resolve, and character of the newest man who would now be fighting alongside them.
For the first time, the former leader of the Revolutionary Army stood before the core of the Eternal Divine Kingdom not as an outsider—
but as one of their own.
---------
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