This protracted war, which had shaken the entire world, finally seemed to be approaching its end. Yet even now, the true victor remained undecided.
The balance of power had indeed tilted toward the pirate side. However, after witnessing so many abrupt reversals, no one was willing to declare the outcome based on a mere temporary advantage.
The World Government had not issued a retreat order. Sengoku and the others had not admitted defeat either. Their morale surged as they continued to hold their ground, especially since they had only recently entered the battlefield. None of them had yet reached the point of exhaustion.
To them, the battle had only just begun. As long as they endured, as long as reinforcements arrived, victory was still within reach.
That belief, however, depended on something that never came.
They could not know that the World Government itself would become the greatest limiter of their survival, as the Celestial Dragons refused to release hidden forces that might have changed everything.
Teach, for his part, had not fully anticipated this either. He had expected reinforcements from the World Government and had constantly adjusted his plans around that uncertainty. In fact, had he known Sengoku would leave Marine Headquarters so decisively, he might have prepared an ambush to strike at its weakest point.
Marine Headquarters, stripped of its strongest defenders, would have been an easy target for devastation, a blow that could have crippled Marine prestige across the world. If he had been even more aggressive, he would have extended that chaos toward the Holy Land itself.
But that was not the priority now.
His goal was simple, end this war before reinforcements could arrive and force a conclusion before the balance shifted again.
His gaze shifted downward across the battlefield.
"The final move will devour all hope."
His expression remained calm, almost indifferent, as he looked past the strongest fighters and focused on the tens of thousands of Allied Forces still engaged in combat below.
The pirates had already transitioned into a defensive withdrawal, a decision implicitly allowed by Teach himself. That retreat had not been a mistake. It had been preparation.
War was never decided by only the strongest individuals. Armies were the foundation of control over the seas. Without them, even victory meant nothing in the long term.
The World Government could not afford another war of this scale.
That was why Teach's objective had always been clear.
Eliminate the Allied Forces.
One CP0 agent fell in an instant, his neck snapped with brutal precision. The remaining agents reacted immediately, but their coordination only made the outcome more desperate.
The Gentleman and the Red Masked CP0 agents fought with everything they had, yet even they could not reverse the situation. Darkness spread like living flame around Teach, forming a defensive and offensive domain that warped every attack that came near.
The Dark-Dark Fruit granted terrifying suppression. Anything touched by darkness risked being dragged into an infinite crushing space. Even without fully activating that ability, the pressure alone distorted the battlefield.
The agents were careful, painfully so, avoiding direct contact with the darkness. They were not Devil Fruit users, which reduced some of its effects, but it did not make them safe.
Each exchange carried growing despair.
Teach suddenly disengaged and rose into the sky.
The CP0 agents hesitated for a moment, uncertain whether he was retreating or repositioning. That hesitation was all he needed.
Higher and higher he ascended, until his figure vanished into the clouds thousands of meters above the battlefield.
Below, confusion spread.
Then, something shifted.
A suffocating pressure spread across the sky.
Redyat, still engaged elsewhere, immediately sensed it.
"That idiot did not even warn us."
His curse was sharp, but his understanding was immediate.
He trusted Teach's judgment, but this kind of move, unleashed over the sea itself, was dangerously unpredictable.
At the same time, Redyat transformed and unleashed his command across the battlefield.
"All pirates, retreat. Get as far away as possible."
His voice carried urgency that froze even experienced fighters. The pirates obeyed without hesitation, disengaging from every battlefield at once. Cannons were abandoned, formations broken, momentum discarded entirely.
Even those who did not understand instinctively followed the order.
Kong's voice followed almost instantly.
"Everyone, retreat immediately."
A chilling sense of danger had already reached him. Whatever was coming was not a normal attack.
And then the sky changed.
Lightning tore through the clouds. The atmosphere darkened violently as pressure condensed above the entire battlefield.
A calm voice echoed through the heavens.
"Star of Destruction."
Teach's voice carried no emotion, no hesitation.
Above the battlefield, a glowing blue sphere began its descent.
It was beautiful.
It was catastrophic.
The moment it fully detached from his control, instability began to spread through it. Energy leaked in thin strands, each one distorting space where it touched.
The falling sphere appeared slow, but that was only due to its impossible height. In reality, it would reach the ground in less than half a minute.
And where could tens of thousands escape in that time?
The trajectory had already been calculated. The landing zone was the center of the Allied Forces' formation.
Panic spread instantly.
"Stop it!"
Kong's roar shook the battlefield as he attempted to intervene. But Shiki intercepted him with brutal precision, a massive slash sending Kong crashing into the ice.
"You should worry about yourself first."
Shiki laughed as he pressed the attack, keeping Kong fully occupied.
Elsewhere, Kuzan attempted to assist in interception, but the scale of the attack made coordination meaningless. Any attempt to disrupt it risked triggering premature detonation.
That was the true horror.
The closer one approached, the more unstable it became.
At that moment, a figure moved forward.
Violent Bear advanced rapidly through the air using Moonwalk, ice pillars rising beneath him to support his approach. Each step shattered the ice as he pushed forward, accelerating toward the descending sphere.
Redyat noticed immediately and scoffed.
"Foolish."
Even he could feel it. That thing did not reward resistance. It punished proximity.
Teach watched from above, his expression calm.
"So that is your choice."
Violent Bear continued forward without hesitation.
The battlefield held its breath.
Then, Teach spoke again, quietly.
"You will demonstrate exactly what this move means."
The Star of Destruction continued to fall.
And the world prepared for impact.