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As promised, Byakuya led the members of the Night Organization, soaring through the sky toward Mary Geoise.
The World Government had long since prepared, stationing its forces in place.
The Five Elders appeared before the world for the first time, seated at the highest position within the inner ranks.
This was a battle that would decide the fate of the seas. Below them, Garp and Sengoku stood side by side.
Garp turned to Sengoku and asked, "Sengoku, are you planning to fight Byakuya to the death?"
Sengoku glanced at Garp and replied, "What choice do we have? We are Marines, after all."
"Don't say I didn't warn you, but Byakuya's true strength may far exceed ours. If we old men face him, we'll probably end up like Whitebeard—killed in a single punch."
"If the World Government doesn't have some hidden trump card, this battle is already lost."
Sengoku sighed. "Do you think I don't know how powerful Byakuya is? But in this situation, if we don't take action, the World Government will eliminate us first."
Garp nodded repeatedly. The World Government's stance this time was indeed unyielding.
As they spoke, Byakuya led the Night Organization from the New World, flying toward Mary Geoise.
Byakuya had always favoured an elite fighting force, leaving behind the weak and expendable.
Yet even with this select group, the Night Organization's lineup was formidable.
With the addition of Kuzan, they now had five Admiral-level fighters: Zephyr, Issho, Kuzan, Tatsumaki, and Sonic. Lucci, Enel, Law, and others were near the Admiral level.
When Byakuya and his followers appeared clad in black robes, they immediately drew the attention of everyone present.
The contrast between the two sides was striking. Numerically, the World Government had an overwhelming advantage—every member of the Night Organization was up against tens of thousands of Marines.
Byakuya looked down at the Five Elders and chuckled. "Did you need to bring so many Marines just to send them to their deaths?"
Commander-in-Chief Kong rose to his feet and barked, "Byakuya! Just because you defeated three Emperor-level pirate crews, don't think you can look down on the World Government!"
Byakuya feigned surprise. "Me? Look down on you? I could have come alone and handled this, but I brought all these people instead. Isn't that proof of how seriously I take you?"
Since revealing his identity as the leader of the Night Organization, Byakuya had only grown more brazen.
But he had every reason to be—no one could do anything about it. Kong snorted coldly.
Seeing that the Five Elders had no intention of engaging in conversation, he immediately ordered, "Attack!"
"Hold it!"
Byakuya interrupted, turning his gaze toward Sengoku and Garp.
"Former Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Vice Admiral Garp, there's no need for you to be involved in this battle."
"I was once a Marine myself, and I have no desire to slaughter Marines unnecessarily. If you take those unwilling to fight and leave before the battle begins, I will guarantee their safety."
Zephyr and Kuzan also stepped forward to persuade them.
Byakuya's words darkened Kong's expression as he shouted, "Sengoku! Garp! You have served as a Marine for decades! Don't forget your duty and mission!"
Byakuya didn't care how they would choose. He had already given them a chance—if they didn't take it, he wouldn't show mercy.
After all, this was also a source of World Energy for him. From Garp and Sengoku's expressions, it was clear Byakuya's words moved them.
Many Marines who had no desire to fight against Byakuya, Zephyr, and Kuzan also hesitated, as if they were waiting for Sengoku and Garp to move before following suit.
Fleet Admiral Sakazuki hadn't expected Byakuya to say something like this.
He immediately gave the order to prevent Sengoku and Garp from making an irrational decision.
"All Marines, attack!"
"Attack!" Byakuya commanded coldly in response.
The battle erupted as fighters from both sides clashed. Kizaru and Green Bull had no choice but to engage.
Issho stepped forward to hold off Kizaru while Kuzan confronted Green Bull. Zephyr approached Sengoku and Garp—not to fight, but to convince them to stand down.
"At our age, our bodies aren't built for this kind of struggle," Zephyr remarked.
Tatsumaki and Sonic led their forces against the nineteen elite Marine Vice Admirals, including formidable candidates like Momousagi and Chaton.
Both sides fought fiercely, evenly matched in strength. Meanwhile, standing before Byakuya were Sakazuki, Kong, Reichi, Shanks, and Benn Beckman.
Byakuya turned to Shanks and sneered, "So, the little rat finally decided to show himself?"
Shanks remained calm despite Byakuya's taunting. "Do you know what I regret the most these past few days?"
"What?" Byakuya asked.
"That I didn't go all out to kill you when we met in Foosha Village. If I had crushed you before you could grow, the world wouldn't be in such chaos now."
There was deep regret in Shanks' voice.
Byakuya chuckled. "You don't seriously think I couldn't have beaten you back then, do you? I simply chose not to reveal my true power, so I wouldn't disrupt my plans."
Shanks shook his head. "There's no point in talking now. Let this battle decide our fates."
"Correction," Byakuya said, smirking. "Only yours."
"Byakuya! Today, you die!" Sakazuki's right fist transformed into searing magma, droplets of molten rock dripping onto the battlefield below.
Sakazuki's magma fist crashed into the ground, melting a deep crater.
"Hellhound!"
His magma-infused arm rapidly extended, taking the form of a massive hound's head, charging forward with terrifying speed and power.
This very technique had once blown off half of Whitebeard's head, a testament to how desperately Sakazuki was fighting.
Yet, as the Hellhound neared Byakuya, it was abruptly halted by an invisible force.
Byakuya calmly retrieved a pair of gloves from his coat and slipped them on, murmuring, "I was hoping to have a little chat, but if you're in such a rush to die, I won't stop you."
Kong, known as "Steel Bone," possessed the powers of the Steel-Steel Fruit, which allowed his entire body to transform into indestructible steel and granted him immense strength.
His right fist gleamed with a metallic sheen, further reinforced by a dark purple layer of Armament Haki, as he launched a ferocious punch at Byakuya.
This was the former Marine Commander-in-Chief's first full-power attack in over a decade.
"Byakuya seems to have some kind of invisible barrier," Sakazuki warned.
"We need to break through it first!" Ben Beckman raised his rifle with his left arm and fired a golden bullet straight at Byakuya's head, clearly using one of his trump cards.
Shanks, wrapping Gryphon in a dense layer of Conqueror's Haki, struck with an attack as swift as lightning.
Meanwhile, the silent Reichi suddenly crouched down, pressing both hands to the ground as he whispered, "Rock Wall!"
Instantly, the earth beneath Byakuya's feet trembled violently, and four massive rock walls, each over a hundred meters wide, surged upward, sealing him in on all sides—except for one, left open to focus the combined assault of the five warriors.
Compared to the other Admiral-level battles raging around them, this clash against Byakuya was by far the most intense.
Observing the rising rock walls, Byakuya chuckled and said,
"The World Government has ruled the seas for so long… I suppose you do have some tricks up your sleeve. But after today, none of that will matter anymore."
He casually lifted his right index finger and pointed toward Ben Beckman.
A thin energy beam shot out, instantly vaporizing the golden bullet midair before continuing its deadly path toward Beckman's forehead.
Feeling an overwhelming sense of danger from the incoming attack, Beckman's eyes widened, but the beam moved at a speed beyond his comprehension.
Shanks' expression changed drastically as he tried to intercept it but was too late. The energy beam pierced through Ben Beckman's skull in an instant.
The beam didn't stop there—it continued into the distant Holy Land of Mary Geoise, striking deep within the sprawling palace complex.
"Boom!"
A massive explosion erupted, sending a towering mushroom cloud into the sky. Countless palaces crumbled, and even the Red Line itself trembled.
Watching the scene unfold, Byakuya raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. "Huh, I must say, Boros' Collapsing Star Roaring Cannon is quite impressive."
"I even toned down the power to 10% only, yet it still left quite a mark."
This was expected—Boros' full-powered attack could level the surface of a planet if not outright destroy it.
Even with minimized power, it annihilated an Emperor-level warrior effortlessly and triggered a massive explosion.
The sheer gap in strength between Byakuya and his opponents was staggering. Shanks, staring at Ben Beckman's lifeless, headless body, let out a furious roar.
His presence became even more menacing as killing intent radiated from him. "Byakuya, I'll kill you!"
Gryphon, now infused with such an intense layer of Conqueror's Haki that the blade itself was no longer visible, slashed down with all his might.
However, to everyone's shock, Byakuya did not use his invisible psychic barrier to block the attack as he had before.
Instead, he chose to take Shanks' full-force strike head-on.
As Gryphon struck Byakuya's shoulder, the other three warriors' eyes lit up with hope, and even the Five Elders watching from above tensed with anticipation.
This was the furious, full-powered strike of an Emperor like Shanks—an attack even they would struggle to withstand.
Yet Byakuya had arrogantly chosen to take it directly. If this attack could injure him, it would shatter the myth of his invincibility and boost their morale.
But when Gryphon connected with Byakuya's body, Shanks' expression twisted in horror.
His strongest attack had only managed to slice a shallow tear into Byakuya's black cloak.
It hadn't even left a white mark on his skin, alone inflicted any real damage. Feeling an overwhelming sense of crisis, Shanks instinctively tried to retreat.
But in the next instant, Byakuya's hand shot out and seized him by the throat, lifting him effortlessly into the air.
Under Byakuya's monstrous grip, Shanks could barely move, his body utterly powerless.
Byakuya's cold voice rang out, "As of today, the era of the Four Emperors ends by my hand."
With those words, he tightened his grip—and Shanks' neck snapped with a sickening crack. His lifeless body fell limply to the ground.
The Four Emperor Era end with the death of Red Head, Shanks.
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