The intense pain stimulated Charlotte Linlin's nerves. Her eyes were bloodshot, seemingly on the verge of losing control, but they quickly regained clarity, now filled with terror.
She couldn't fight anymore. She definitely couldn't win!
This thought, at this very moment, flooded Charlotte Linlin's mind.
That guy, Rayleigh, who suddenly appeared, was now sealed inside a Planetary Devastation by Diarmuid. He was likely finished and couldn't be counted on.
That old man, Whitebeard, also performed abysmally. Despite his huge name and title as the Strongest Man, he was utterly defeated by Diarmuid.
It made Charlotte Linlin regret poking Newgate with that one cut earlier. He probably wouldn't have lost so quickly otherwise, would he?
Now, she herself had lost an arm to that bastard Diarmuid. Without a doubt, this was a severe injury.
In contrast, Diarmuid seemed to have suffered almost no losses.
Continuing the fight would not lead to victory, only a more tragic defeat!
Thinking this, Charlotte Linlin stopped hesitating. A look of ruthlessness and determination flashed in her eyes.
Her soul energy violently erupted, and a look of surprise flashed in Diarmuid's eyes. He seemed to realize something, his expression changing: "Damn it, that old hag is giving us the gift she saved for Whitebeard!"
Kuzan's figure had just solidified from the ice shards and hadn't fully grasped the meaning of Diarmuid's words.
The ground beneath him instantly shattered, and a fierce explosion immediately engulfed Kuzan.
The next second, the entire Jam Island trembled. This tremor originated from beneath the ground. It looked normal, but a terrifying aura was continuously leaking out from below the surface.
Diarmuid didn't say a word. He instantly became weightless and shot straight into the sky.
He had barely ascended ten meters when the entire Jam Island suddenly exploded like a giant powder keg.
The blinding firelight seemed to ignite both the sky and the sea, turning the entire world a fiery orange hue.
In truth, Diarmuid inwardly looked down on the so-called 'Dyna Stone,' despite claims that it could rival an Ancient Weapon.
In his impression, Dyna Stone had never displayed overly remarkable power; it hadn't even killed Zephyr.
But when he personally experienced the terrifying explosive power accumulated by hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of Dyna Stone blocks erupting from deep beneath an island's surface, destroying the earth itself, Diarmuid had to admit that calling this thing "a power comparable to an Ancient Weapon" wasn't just empty bragging!
This incomparably fierce explosion not only destroyed the entire Jam Island but also triggered violent tsunamis in the surrounding sea, flipping over many pirate battleships in the area.
Diarmuid's figure shot out of the firelight. Even though he used extreme Haki, Gravity Repulsion, and a series of other defensive measures at the most crucial moment, he still looked somewhat disheveled. There were scorch marks all over his body, and half of his Justice coat had been burned away. He strained to fly through the air for a while until he finally found a wrecked battleship, landing on the deck, where no one else was present.
"Kughk..." Diarmuid spat out a mouthful of old blood.
His expression quickly eased. His internal organs were only slightly concussed by the violent explosion, but the injury wasn't serious.
With a sizzle of static, Gion's figure, carrying the hapless Kuzan, also landed on the deck.
Kuzan looked far more wretched than Diarmuid. His already somewhat fluffy hair was now completely an afro of ash.
"Cough, cough, cough..." Kuzan spat out two plumes of black smoke, then looked at Diarmuid: "This must have been your plan, wasn't it?"
Diarmuid's gaze was fixed on the distant Jam Island, which was still sinking and burning with raging flames. Then, a grin spread across his lips: "A perfect conclusion that suits the Marines' interests, isn't it? The Dyna Stone problem is no longer a problem, and it also gives us a reasonable excuse to let them go opportunistically..."
Kuzan also looked up at the burning island. After a long silence, he murmured: "Yes, but as Marines, to let these pirates go at a moment when we could have captured them all..."
Diarmuid gave Kuzan a strange look. If I recall correctly, in the original story, when you encountered the Straw Hat Pirates, you let them off the hook so many times it almost equaled the entire East Blue, didn't you?
During the Marineford War, you were able to freeze an entire sea area instantly, but you couldn't keep up with Trafalgar Law's submarine. How impressive!
However, Diarmuid didn't bother to explain anything to Kuzan. He waved his hand: "If you have any doubts, questions, or dissatisfaction, you can report back to the Fleet Admiral. After all, this was his order."
"That's not necessarily true. With such a violent explosion, perhaps they were all killed? After all, Whitebeard was already severely injured. Even if they weren't killed by the blast, this ocean might bury them. I think Kaido became the biggest winner?" Gion said, somewhat doubtfully.
After a brief pause, Gion asked in surprise: "Smoker?"
Diarmuid: ???
Kuzan: ???
"Smoker wasn't with you?" Diarmuid asked, slightly surprised.
Just then, a cloud of white smoke shot out from the flames of the distant Jam Island. Smoker quickly flew toward them.
He didn't seem to realize that everyone had forgotten him. Compared to Diarmuid and Kuzan, Smoker looked completely unharmed, as if flames and explosions posed no threat to him.
In fact, this was true. His Smoke-Smoke Fruit was quite reliable in certain situations.
"Charlotte Linlin was retrieved by Kaido's forces. I couldn't find Whitebeard. He might be dead," Smoker said, his expression one of helplessness.
It turned out he had been using his Devil Fruit's advantage to observe the situation on the island.
Diarmuid nodded, then said: "The rest is up to fate. Whether that old man Newgate dies or not depends on his own luck..."
"You didn't arrange a contingency plan?" Gion looked at Diarmuid skeptically.
Diarmuid smirked: "Guess?"
Kuzan didn't dwell on it, murmuring with some melancholy: "We gained nothing..."
"Who says?" Diarmuid retorted, then pointed to the sphere of earth and rock high in the sky: "The Dark King is still imprisoned up there. It's perfect to take him back and report the mission complete!"
If Rayleigh knew the entire sequence of events and realized the Marines never intended to annihilate all the pirates here, and that this was all a scheme and plot orchestrated by that bastard Sengoku, he would probably spit out three mouthfuls of blood in anger.
In the end, was he the only one who was actually going to be captured by the Marines?
Traveling a thousand miles to deliver my head, a light gift but heavy in sentiment?
Am I the clown?
Meanwhile, in a patch of seawater near Jam Island, Teach suddenly surfaced, gasping for two quick breaths of air. He then violently yanked the unfortunate Marco out of the water.
Marco was clearly on the verge of drowning. After Teach pulled him out, he greedily sucked in two breaths of air, then panicked: "Where's Pops? Quickly, save Pops!"
"Hold on tight!" Teach violently tossed Marco onto a piece of broken debris from a small boat, clearly a 'relic' from the earlier great sea battle.
After settling Marco, Teach dove back into the sea, frantically searching for his Pops's figure.
But after repeated attempts, he couldn't find him.
A sense of despair was subtly rising in his heart!
At the same time, in the seawater, not too far but not too close to Teach, Newgate's massive, tall body was slowly sinking into the deep sea.
Massive amounts of blood flowed from his wounds, continuously staining the surrounding seawater red.
The feeling of suffocation did not cause Newgate to panic, nor did he struggle frantically in the sea. It was as if he had accepted his fate, quietly accepting and awaiting his death.
He had originally been carried by Teach, attempting to escape Jam Island, but just as they neared the shore, the entire island exploded. The violent shockwave flung both him and Teach into the sea. Then, the current caused by the explosion's surge swept Newgate away.
In this daze between life and death, Newgate suddenly recalled a conversation he once had with Diarmuid.
'The sea always favors the brave. The sea also always favors the wise brave...' Newgate thought to himself.
Was this truly the end of his journey?
In this moment of genuine impending death, Newgate asked himself again: Was he unwilling?
On the island, his answer had been no.
But at this very moment, he felt a sense of reluctance.
It wasn't fear of death, nor was it regret. He just felt that his death was too ordinary, lacking the grandeur and fanfare he wished for.
If possible...
I really want a grand funeral!
Just as Newgate's consciousness was about to plunge into darkness, he vaguely saw a figure rapidly approaching from the distance...
It wasn't an illusion. The next second, Newgate felt himself being grabbed and pulled upward.
The person's swimming speed was extremely fast. In a brief moment, Newgate was dragged out of the sea. Instinctive survival made Newgate desperately suck in two deep breaths. It was then that he truly saw the figure who had saved him.
"Jinbe!?" Newgate said with surprise.
But his voice was extremely weak.
"Whitebeard, Pops..." Jinbe looked at Newgate with a complicated expression.
That's right. Diarmuid had indeed left a contingency plan, and that plan was Jinbe.
Jinbe owed Whitebeard a great debt of gratitude, and this mission was a chance for him to repay it, killing two birds with one stone.
Of course, Diarmuid had only arranged this casually. If it hadn't worked, then Newgate's luck was simply bad, and his story would have ended there.
His debt would have been naturally settled upon his death, and Jinbe would not owe anyone any further favors.
Although Sengoku's intention was to inflict pain on them, he also wanted to ensure their survival to maintain the stability of the New World. But... a little bit of fate was necessary.
As it stood, Smoker was the biggest winner. His forces could quickly sweep up the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates, the Beasts Pirates, and the Big Mom Pirates in this sea area.
This undoubtedly greatly reduced their manpower and influence, falling squarely within the goal of 'inflicting pain.'
At the same time, although Kaido hadn't suffered a major loss, Newgate's current injuries would take at least a year or a year and a half to heal. When he did recover, his strength would undoubtedly drop significantly.
As for Charlotte Linlin, having an arm severed by Diarmuid would certainly have a major impact.
All of these fell under the category of 'inflicting pain.'
Looking at it this way, Diarmuid seemed to have perfectly executed Sengoku's strategic plan?
On the shattered deck, Diarmuid held a Den Den Mushi, speaking to Stussy.
"Yes, regarding the Dyna Stone incident, I will send you the relevant reports later. Just coordinate with me to report it, stating that this was an emergency measure taken to annihilate the pirates. Then, send people to investigate the final battle situation." Diarmuid instructed softly.
After Stussy affirmed, Diarmuid hung up the Den Den Mushi, stroking his chin: "Find a seaworthy ship. It's time for us to withdraw..."