As Mansherry's tears healed Bege's wounds, he strode towards Andrew. The defeated man lay in the large crater, the fire of rage in his eyes hot enough to burn through the sky.
"It's over, Andrew. Your throne is mine now," Bege said, looking down on him, his laughter wild and unrestrained.
"Brat, you will never ascend to the throne of an Emperor of the New World. You'll spend the rest of your life in Impel Down."
Suddenly, a cold, powerful voice echoed from the distance. Bege's head snapped in its direction, only to see a stout figure slowly walking towards them.
Bege's eyes narrowed, his expression turning grim.
Then, in the distant sky, countless giant fists of magma appeared, turning the heavens red. The magma fists rained down like meteors onto the battlefield, shattering the earth and transforming that section of the warzone into a sea of fire.
"Akainu."
That unique magma attack could only belong to one person: Marine Admiral Akainu, Sakazuki.
But the man standing before him was the opponent who truly struck fear into Bege's heart.
The Hero of the Marines, Garp.
"Hahaha! Brat, you won't escape this time either! You can die with me!" Andrew laughed maniacally, the movement aggravating his wounds and causing blood to gush uncontrollably from his mouth.
"So the Marines have interfered after all," Bege said, taking a deep breath. He turned to Mansherry.
"Mansherry, use the Healing Dandelion."
Mansherry cupped her hands, and her crystal-clear tears gathered, forming a soft dandelion flower.
Suddenly, a terrifyingly immense pressure washed over them. Garp leaped forward, appearing before Bege in an instant. His blackened fist shot out, breaking the sound barrier as it came straight for him.
The immense pressure of the punch descended on Bege like a great mountain, tearing open his newly healed wounds and sending blood spraying into the air.
"Did you really think I'd give you the chance, brat?"
CRACK... Bege's face changed. He crossed his swords to block, but he felt a colossal force, vast and profound, erupt and then crush him with swift, domineering power.
His swords were instantly pressed against his body, and he was sent flying like a beam of light. With a series of deafening booms, every obstacle in his path was obliterated. Two large mountains were pierced straight through before they collapsed.
"I don't like taking advantage of a situation like this, but I gave Sengoku my word. I won't let you escape this time," Garp said grimly, holding his punching posture as he stared at the spot where Bege had vanished.
"Hah... hah..." The dust settled, revealing Bege embedded in the earth of a deep crater. The light in his eyes was dim, and blood gushed from his body like a fountain. One by one, his shadows took the opportunity to escape, and Bege was powerless to stop them.
As a result, his body began to shrink rapidly.
Mansherry jumped out from the castle within his body, holding the Healing Dandelion as she landed on him.
Bege's body began to recover at an astonishing rate. His grievously wounded, powerless frame was rapidly revitalized.
He leaped out of the crater, snatched his swords from the ground, and stretched his limbs. Although he hadn't fully recovered, he had regained at least eighty or ninety percent of his strength.
This was the power of the Healing Dandelion. It could provide a miraculous, super-recovery, but this power had its limits. It would only last for a few minutes, after which his body would return to its original state.
To think he could defeat Garp in just a few minutes was pure fantasy. He had already been severely injured just from taking down Andrew. Garp was on another level entirely.
Even at his absolute strongest, Bege had no chance of winning.
And this time, it wasn't just Garp; Akainu was here too. There were certainly more Marine powerhouses present.
After the fierce battle with the Fear Pirates, his crew was surely suffering heavy losses. Facing the full, prepared force of the Marines, Bege had no confidence he could withstand their siege.
"Life or death, I have to fight for it," Bege thought, his gaze sharp and cold.
"Kabbu, take Mansherry and go heal the others!" Another member of the Tontatta tribe flew out from the castle within him. He was a warrior who had eaten the Bug-Bug Fruit, giving him the ability to fly.
Mansherry rode on Kabbu's back, speeding towards the distant battlefield. If her Healing Dandelion could restore Moria and the others to fighting strength for a short time, with their power, they could even hold off a Marine Admiral.
But even if they could, what then? Could they really escape in just a few minutes?
Bege took a deep breath, his mind racing with frustration.
A sound of tearing air came from behind him. Garp was in pursuit.
"I have to find a way to escape," Bege gritted his teeth. Two figures flew out from the castle within him. As they emerged, their bodies swelled rapidly, transforming into behemoths tens of meters tall. When they landed, the very earth trembled.
One was a bear-like monstrosity, its body covered in bulging muscles.
The other was a minotaur-octopus hybrid, its hands the scythe-like arms of a praying mantis and its lower body a mass of tentacles. It was a bizarre and grotesque sight.
Both monsters radiated a sky-high murderous aura, their eyes filled with malice.
These two behemoths were the strongest of the fused monsters from the sky island.
"Kill him," Bege ordered, pointing at Garp. The two fused monsters charged towards the Marine Hero without hesitation.
Bege himself turned and shot towards the battlefield near the square, intending to regroup with his men.
The two monsters roared as they charged Garp, surrounding him.
Garp's brow furrowed. He could feel the violent, ferocious aura emanating from these creatures. A suffocating, domineering wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from him, sweeping towards the two monsters.
"Get lost!"
Fear flashed in the monsters' eyes, and they took two steps back. But they were not intimidated into submission. A sharp glint appeared in the bear-monster's eyes, and its gaze became even more savage. Its murderous aura swelled, and with a roar to the heavens, the long fur on its body stood on end. It was the first to attack, throwing a punch that shattered the air.
Garp's expression hardened. The muscles on his right arm bulged, and a terrifying power flowed through them. His iron fist shot out violently. The two fists, one large and one small, smashed together. A terrifying shockwave swept out, and the entire island groaned, shook, and shattered. The ground beneath Garp's feet instantly exploded, forming a massive crater from which countless fissures shot out, causing the broken earth to collapse even further.
Garp's face was impassive. The power of the bear-monster's punch had exceeded his expectations.
ROAR!
The bear-monster let out another furious howl, its chaotic, savage aura erupting as it raised its fist and smashed it towards Garp again, unleashing its explosive power upon him.
Garp balled his fist again, his entire arm turning black as ink, a terrifying power coiling around it.
"Don't get cocky."
"Bone Meteor Fist!"
Garp's punch met the descending giant fist. An earth-shattering, terrifying force crushed the bear-monster's power. The monster was sent flying into the air, its right arm exploding, torn to shreds by the immense force. It crashed to the ground dozens of meters away.
The other humanoid minotaur monster immediately made its move. Its mantis-blade arms swung, unleashing a series of terrifying slashes.
Countless blade shadows cut through the air, slashing towards Garp.
Garp threw a punch into the air, the terrifying pressure of his fist blasting away all the blade energy. His figure flickered, and he appeared above the humanoid monster, his hands grabbing one of the horns on its head. With a sudden shout, he fell backward, pulling the minotaur-monster down by its horn. He then executed a shoulder throw, slamming the monster heavily onto the ground.
The impact shattered the earth, and hundreds of meters of ground collapsed once more, creating a massive crater. Countless stones were crushed into dust. The scene was utterly devastating.