Nearby, the pirates stared in stunned silence at the scene before them.
"Whoa! That monster... why is it attacking the Marines?" one pirate rubbed his eyes in disbelief. "Shouldn't it be on the World Government's side?"
His companion's face suddenly paled. "No! Look—"
Before he could finish speaking, dozens of tentacles abruptly changed direction, shooting straight toward the pirate camp!
"Take cover—"
It was too late.
The tentacles pierced through three pirates' bodies, lifting them high into the air like specimens hanging in midair.
"It's indiscriminate attack!" a pirate captain finally realized. "This bastard is trying to kill everyone on the island! No sides matter!"
The slaughter instantly spread to every corner.
The previously clear battle lines completely collapsed.
Marines and pirates lost all sense of enemy and ally in the face of death.
They realized with horror that they and their former enemies were being hunted by the same force.
A Marine vice admiral ordered: "All units retreat! Maintain distance! No attacks permitted! Secure our escape route!"
But carrying out this order proved extremely difficult.
The tentacles' attack range kept expanding, their speed increasing rapidly.
Retreating Marines kept falling, their bodies piling up into small hills.
The Roger Pirates also found themselves in crisis.
"Captain!" Gaban sliced through a tentacle with his sword, but the severed part continued writhing on the ground. "These things are endless!"
Roger's expression darkened.
Watching his crewmates being hunted by the tentacles, flames of anger began burning in his eyes.
"Gaban!" he roared. "Go support them! Take the treasure and get out of here first!"
"What about you?"
Roger drew his sword Ace, the blade glowing with dark red Haki:
"Daring to touch my crew... whatever that thing is, I won't let it get away with this."
Gaban wanted to say more, but seeing the look in Roger's eyes, he knew persuasion was useless. "Don't do anything reckless!"
"Don't worry," Roger grinned. "I'm the man who's going to become the Pirate King."
Elsewhere, Garp grabbed a fleeing Marine, nearly lifting him off the ground.
"What the hell is going on?! Why is there such a monster?!"
The Marine turned pale with fear. "I... I don't know! All of a sudden, Saint Saturn just... just turned into that!"
"The Five Elders..." Garp released the man, looking toward the distant slaughtering monster:
"Is that so? First time seeing the leader of these maggots! He certainly looks the part!"
His fists began coiling with Haki, black lightning arcs dancing between his fingers.
"Vice Admiral Garp! What are you doing?!" his adjutant shouted in panic.
"What does it look like?" Garp strode forward. "I'm going to beat that disgusting thing to a pulp!"
"But that's one of the Five Elders—"
"Five Elders?" Garp looked back, baring his teeth. "You mean that pest that's slaughtering our Marines?"
Ignoring his subordinates' protests, he charged toward the center of the battlefield.
...
Imu's massacre didn't stop, her tentacles clearing a path straight to the battlefield's center.
Finally, she arrived before Rocks.
Their eyes met.
Rocks stared at the creature-fused "human" before him, his eyes showing not fear but icy scrutiny.
"Hey, King of the Sewer Rats. Did you come specifically to kill me this time?"
Imu's gaze focused on Rocks, seeing something deeper—the will flowing through his bloodline, the oath engraved in his soul.
"So it's you, Davy Jones."
Rocks frowned slightly. "You've mistaken me for someone else. I've never even met that guy."
"But you've inherited the will of the Davy Family." Imu slowly raised her arm, tentacles writhing behind her:
"That's precisely why you must be eliminated. Wiped completely from history.
My world... remains unfinished."
"This world doesn't belong to you!"
Rocks struck first!
The moment his Black Blade left its sheath, time itself seemed to be severed.
The sword light transformed into a black crescent, tearing through space with sounds of straining reality.
Tentacles tried to block, but they all shattered upon contact with the blade!
The sword slash cut through Imu's body, diagonally severing both the Ushi-Oni's torso and Imu's upper half in one clean strike!
...
In the distance.
"Rocks is charging toward Saint Saturn!" A lieutenant shouted from the Marine lines:
"Should we provide support—"
"Support who?!" A rear admiral roared beside him, "Support that monster who's been slaughtering us?!"
The Marines fell silent.
"Of course we're supporting him! Get out of my way!"
Garp shoved aside the Marines blocking his path, charging toward the battlefield like a enraged beast.
Wherever he passed, tentacles were shattered by his Haki.
"Roger! Don't steal my prey!" Garp bellowed.
"That's my line!" Roger arrived from the opposite side.
Meanwhile, the chaos in the town center was escalating.
"The pirates are stealing the treasure! Stop them!" A Marine colonel directed his troops to open fire.
Bullets wove a net in the air, but the pirates grew even more frenzied.
"This is priceless treasure!"
"Celestial Dragon collections! Something you'd never see in your lifetime!"
Pirates carried treasure chests while dodging through the hail of bullets.
One chest was overturned by gunfire, spilling gold jewelry and gemstone necklaces across the ground.
The pirates ignored the danger, scrambling on the ground in a mad rush to grab everything.
Captain John stood at a higher position, wearing a greedy "I want it all" smile.
"Enough noise. Ready to move out?"
"Ready, Captain John!" His subordinates stood by.
John looked toward Rocks battling Imu in the distance and murmured to himself:
"Farewell, Rocks Pirates. From today onward, I, John, will establish my own pirate crew."
...
Dragon ran through the forest carrying Little Shanks.
"What's happening? Those screams are terrifying!"
The entire island was shaking.
The clashing of Conqueror's Haki, the eruptions of Devil Fruit powers, and that nauseating dark presence...
Dragon had never experienced such chaotic battlefield conditions.
But he didn't stop running. The coast was ahead—if they could just reach the warship—
"I see it! The Marine ships!"
Hope was within reach.
Yet when they were just a hundred meters from the shore, an irresistible force suddenly seized him!
"What—?!"
Dragon's body flew uncontrollably into the air!
He clung desperately to Shanks, trying to resist the force, but it was as futile as an ant fighting a hurricane.
Not only people, but even treasures were flying!
"Wait! The treasures!"
The pirates watched in horror as the treasure chests they had obtained flew into the air one by one, as if pulled by invisible strings.
Gold, jewels, weapons... all metal objects trembled and then soared into the sky!
On the Roger Pirates' side, Gaban tightly held onto a treasure chest: "It's magnetic force! The metal is reacting! Don't let them be taken!"
--Enjoying the story? Want more chapters? Check out my Patreon and support me for 40+ advance chapters.
Just search for "LegendaryTL" on Patreon!"
Thanks!