Marco, clutching Oden, was pulled through. Oden, with only half of his body left, finally saw what Kozuki Toki was holding in her arms.
The first thing Oden registered was the shock on her face. Then disbelief flickered before transforming into overwhelming grief and fury. A raw, pig‑slaughtering scream tore through the air.
"Momonosuke!!!"
He broke free from Marco's hold and crawled toward Kozuki Toki like a man possessed. Kozuki Toki's eyes were distant and empty, her voice trembling with hysteria as she muttered to herself.
Roger shut his eyes, as though he could not bear to watch any more.
Whitebeard's teeth ground together, veins pulsing with rage across his forehead.
Lloyd, arms folded, watched with blatant interest, a small cruel smile on his face.
Zephyr, who had been tossed aside by Roger earlier, leaped onto the Moby Dick at this moment. At first, he had thought Lloyd was being attacked by both Roger and Whitebeard, but seeing the devastation left him stunned.
He landed beside Lloyd and whispered,
"Lloyd, what happened just now? That child…"
"That was Kozuki Oden's child. I simply killed him in passing, Zephyr‑sensei. Don't you want these Pirates to experience the pain of losing their family? They don't deserve to enjoy such bliss."
Zephyr, already shaken by the tragedy before him, felt those words strike deep. The loss of his own family once tore his world apart, and now seeing this horror again, he could only turn his gaze away, grasping at anything that might dull his pain.
Whitebeard lifted his massive foot and stomped heavily forward, the sound booming like thunder.
His face was half‑shrouded in shadow, a terrifying aura radiating from his colossal form. In that moment, he was a ferocious beast made of pure rage, focused only on one thought — to tear Lloyd apart.
Facing Whitebeard's charge, Lloyd looked utterly unbothered and said,
"Whitebeard, who are you trying to frighten? If you want a fight, let's go. There's still a bunch of trash down there I need to clean up."
That single sentence poured fuel onto Whitebeard's burning fury. With a roar, he unleashed a shockwave toward Lloyd.
Lloyd sneered,
"This kind of move is useless on me."
With a flick and effortless activation of Kamui, Whitebeard's full‑power strike, which could have devastated the Moby Dick itself, barely grazed Lloyd, leaving not even a scratch.
Zephyr, already familiar with Lloyd's overwhelmingly unfair skill, had leaped off the ship long before Whitebeard's attack landed.
Once Whitebeard's assault finished, Zephyr moved back toward Roger. Roger was a reasonable man; he did not wish to see the Moby Dick destroyed, so he led Zephyr away.
Lloyd had no such concern. Turning the Moby Dick into scrap was merely a side task.
However, Akainu and the others still needed support. Lloyd engaged in battle, retreating only when necessary, weaving his abilities to relieve pressure on his allies.
Akainu, though younger than Rayleigh, was already showing signs of strain, his upper clothing charred and torn.
Still, he did not falter. Ignoring his injuries, he launched his Magu Magu Fruit fists straight toward Rayleigh.
Rayleigh was far from relaxed despite his outward calm. The destructive force of the Magu Magu Fruit was terrifying; even with Armament Haki reinforcing his defenses, the magma burned intensely through his guard.
Many of Akainu's attacks were area‑effect, reducing the usefulness of Observation Haki.
Rayleigh parried a fiery fist with his sword, red electricity crackling around him. He roared as he infused his blade with Haoshoku Haki, unleashing a slash that drove Akainu backward.
Akainu desperately dispersed the blade energy, but Rayleigh was already closing in, his sword tip aimed at Akainu's heart.
At that moment, a flash of golden light streaked into view, prompting Akainu to squint.
Clang!
Rayleigh's sword strike was intercepted by another blade of light. He frowned, staring at the humanoid form materializing from the brilliance.
Akainu opened his eyes and the corner of his mouth curled up.
"Borsalino, right on time," he said.
The golden light solidified into Kizaru's form. Locked in a duel with Rayleigh, he managed only to turn his head and laugh,
"Sakazuki, you owe me a big one this time!"
Rayleigh narrowed his eyes, regarding Kizaru's face with steely calm.
"Another Natural System user, huh."
Kizaru struck a dramatic pose, speaking in his usual singsong voice,
"Oh How scary Isn't this Silvers Rayleigh!"
He fired a laser from his palm. Rayleigh tilted his body downward to dodge, then extended his leg in a kick.
Kizaru's leg transformed instantly into pure photons, matching Rayleigh's strike and generating dazzling golden light.
Yet despite the flash and thunder, Kizaru's close‑quarters combat skills could not match Rayleigh's experience. With the short distance, he could not leverage the full advantage of the Glint‑Glint Fruit. After only a moment of stalemate, Rayleigh delivered a decisive kick, sending Kizaru rocketing backward.
Kizaru's defiance lasted less than three seconds. His body became brilliant golden light again as he shot into the forest, exploding violently upon impact.
Akainu's face twisted with fury. His body flared crimson as he punched again toward Rayleigh.
"Hell Hound!!!"
Fueled by his wrath, Akainu's Hell Hound manifested with explosive speed. Rayleigh blocked with his sword, but the magma‑tinged strike forced the blade off‑course and struck his chest.
In desperation, Rayleigh formed a thick layer of Armament Haki, but even so, Akainu's strongest attack hammered through. The scorching magma seared him, thick black smoke rising from his armor.
Akainu roared, driving his fist forward with brutal force, hurling Rayleigh tens of meters away. When Rayleigh rose once more, a charred fist‑shaped mark was burned into his chest, a scorched odor drifting about.
Rayleigh staggered, clutching his chest, brows drawn together in pain.
Before he could recover, golden light burst forth from the forest again. In a blink, a light‑shimmering leg struck Rayleigh in the waist.
Boom!
Rayleigh flew backward again, finally stopping himself by driving his sword into the earth.
As the golden light faded, Kizaru stood there, half of his sunglasses broken, offering Rayleigh a forced grin.
"Hey! That last one hurt quite a bit!"
===
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