"Looks like you've lost the strength to dance, haven't you, Marco?"
"Hateful!!!"
Marco gritted his teeth, burying his head into the ground. He remained silent, unwilling to speak.
A complete fiasco!!!
The Whitebeard Pirates had suffered a crushing defeat.
Whitebeard's plan to sacrifice himself for his crew had failed, and now, every single member of the Whitebeard Pirates had been captured.
At this moment, the fate of tens of thousands rested solely on Lucifer's whim.
"And you."
Lucifer's gaze swept across the others. "Lucky Roux, Yasopp, Limejuice... The core members of the Red Hair Pirates. Each of you is a world-renowned powerhouse."
"But now, you're too weak to dance!"
"Kill us if you want, Lucifer."
Lucky Roux glared at Lucifer, his voice cold. "We're not afraid of death, and we'll never surrender to you."
"Well said."
Yasopp growled, "Lucifer, you're a Yonko. After winning the war, do you really need to humiliate us?"
"Just do it!"
Marco, Jozu, Vista, Lucky Roux, Yasopp, and the others showed no fear of death. They had already accepted their fate.
"Unfortunately, I originally planned to recruit you," Lucifer said casually. "But now, that seems impossible."
The Whitebeard Pirates and the Red Hair Pirates were different from the Beasts Pirates or Big Mom Pirates. Their crews had strong bonds and unwavering loyalty to their captains.
Because of this, even if Whitebeard and Shanks had fallen in battle, their men would never betray them—especially not to Lucifer, their enemy.
"Captain, are you going to kill them?"
Enel stepped forward, his tone indifferent.
"Yeah, if they won't surrender, just kill them all and be done with it," Pizarro added.
"Destroy them, and the New World will belong to the Nether Pirates!"
"Kill them!"
"If they refuse to submit, then they have no place in this world!"
The Nether Pirates' officers spoke one after another, all in favor of wiping them out.
Lucifer smirked darkly. "It would be a waste to kill them now. They still have some use."
"Hold on."
Lucifer had initially planned to execute the captives, but a sudden thought changed his mind.
As he spoke, Shiryu of the Rain, Catarina Devon, and others approached, dragging several more captives and throwing them at Lucifer's feet.
They were former Warlords of the Sea—Boa Hancock, Don Chinjao, Bartholomew Kuma, and Jinbe.
With the exception of the dead and the only remaining Warlord, Dracule Mihawk, all the Shichibukai were now in Lucifer's hands.
With this battle, Lucifer hadn't just annihilated the Marines' elite forces; he had also shattered the entire Shichibukai system, leaving it nothing more than an empty title.
"Has any one of you decided to surrender?"
Lucifer looked down at the captives, smiling slightly.
Boa Hancock was the first to kneel. She had always been obsessed with Lucifer, and she had only fought in this battle because she had no other choice.
Bartholomew Kuma remained silent. He was never one to speak much.
Don Chinjao sighed and lowered his head.
Only Jinbe stood firm in his resolve.
"Just kill me."
Jinbe declared without hesitation, "I may not be a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, but Fish-Man Island owes Whitebeard a great debt. I will never betray him."
"From the moment I chose to fight in this war, I had already accepted my fate!"
Even among pirates, honor and justice still existed. Jinbe was the kind of man who lived by those principles.
Like Marco and the others, he would rather die than surrender.
"Is that so?"
"If that's your decision, then so be it."
Lucifer waved his hand, signaling his men to take the prisoners away.
After that, the Nether Pirates began clearing the battlefield.
"Lift it up."
Lucifer used his Devil Fruit power to raise the entire island into the sky.
After a century of wars, the island was already shattered and on the verge of collapse.
Soon, it would sink completely, disappearing into the sea.
But Lucifer had a new idea, so he raised the island into the sky.
New World – Marine G-1 Branch
A rift tore open in space, and three battered figures were thrown from the void, crashing to the ground.
They were the Marine Admirals—Aokiji, Kizaru, and Fujitora.
Thanks to the Phantom's desperate attack, they had barely managed to escape.
Otherwise, they would have perished along with the 200,000 Marines on the island.
The three Admirals panted heavily, relieved to have survived.
But when they looked around and saw the state of the G-1 Branch, their expressions darkened.
"It seems Lucifer was prepared for this."
Aokiji muttered in a low voice, his breath ragged. "While we were waging war, he sent his forces to attack the G-1 Branch."
Before them lay ruins.
The once-mighty Marine G-1 Branch was nothing more than a wasteland, corpses strewn across the battlefield. Severed limbs, shattered bodies, and rivers of blood painted a grim picture.
The entire base had been wiped out.
Not a single Marine survived—not even a dog remained.
When the war began, Lucifer had sent Waldo to launch an assault on Marineford.
But before heading there, Waldo had also paid a visit to the G-1 Branch.
Clearly, the remaining forces stationed at G-1 had been no match for him.
The entire branch had been annihilated.
"Now is not the time to dwell on this!"
Admiral Fujitora wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said grimly, "We must inform the World Government immediately! They need to prepare before it's too late!"
"Lucifer's power has exceeded all our expectations. The Nether Pirates are now beyond our control."
"With the Marine Headquarters in ruins and the Shichibukai system dismantled, Lucifer's next target…"
Fujitora's voice grew heavy.
"…will be the World Government itself."
Holy Land Mariejois – Room of Authority
The Five Elders sat on a luxurious sofa, their expressions dark, a suffocating killing intent filling the entire room.
They were still seething over Waldo's invasion.
At the same time, they anxiously awaited war reports from the New World.
Since the Marines had departed for battle, all contact with the World Government had been lost—there had been no news at all.
As time passed, the Five Elders grew increasingly uneasy.
They had been confident in their military deployment and battle strategies, but nothing in this world was absolute.
Lucifer was the biggest variable, and until they received a confirmed report of victory, they could not rest easy.
Buru buru buru! Buru buru buru!
Suddenly, the Den Den Mushi on the golden tea table rang.
All five pairs of eyes instantly locked onto it.
The curly-haired Elder reacted the fastest, snatching it up and answering immediately.
"Hello? Is this Sengoku?"
"How did the war end? Is Lucifer dead?"
The Five Elders listened intently, hoping to hear the confirmation of Lucifer's demise.
Unfortunately, they were destined for disappointment.
"It's me, Aokiji," came a deep, weary voice from the other end.
"I'm contacting you to inform the World Government... the crusade against Lucifer has failed."
As soon as these words left his lips, the Five Elders felt their hearts sink.
Before they could speak, Aokiji continued:
"The Marine Grand Fleet was completely annihilated. Aside from me, Kizaru, and Fujitora, no one survived. Everyone else is dead."
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the Phantom, and the three Celestial Dragon princes... all perished in battle."
"Furthermore, Whitebeard, Red-Haired Shanks, and Benn Beckman—"
"They were all killed by Lucifer."
"The Whitebeard Pirates and the Red Hair Pirates have collapsed. In the end, the Nether Pirates emerged as the final victors."
"I'm sorry. No amount of words can describe how I feel right now."
"But there is one thing I must inform the World Government of."
"Lucifer's next target... is the World Government itself. He is about to seize control of the world."
"Prepare yourselves."
When Aokiji finished speaking, the Room of Authority fell into absolute silence.
It was as if the Five Elders had been choked by an invisible force—unable to utter a single word.
At that moment, their minds went completely blank.
It felt as if a bomb had just gone off in their heads, shattering their thoughts into chaos.
Aokiji's words struck like relentless waves, battering their spirits into despair—dragging them into an abyss from which they could not escape.
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