A massive, booming roar echoed across the plateau.
Gremmy widened his eyes slightly and looked toward the sky.
The mountain he had imagined into existence had been shattered in an instant, turning into a rain of debris that scattered in every direction.
Though he knew his enemies were powerful, he hadn't expected them to be capable of blocking his attacks so effortlessly!
And this wasn't even the enemy's leader taking action—just the strength of one or two subordinates was enough to reach this level!
He couldn't help but wonder exactly how powerful that boss truly was.
"So, the attack failed."
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, the cascading stones from the mountain's collapse vanished instantly.
Surprisingly, Gremmy felt no anger. Instead, a surge of inexplicable joy welled up within him.
He felt no particular loyalty to Yhwach, and whether Yhwach lived or died was of no concern to him.
Ever since he gained consciousness, he had been acutely aware of one thing.
He was the strongest!
This wasn't about proving himself better than others; it was simply a fundamental fact.
That was why both Yhwach and Haschwalth feared his power and kept him locked away.
It was only now, as the empire stood on the brink of destruction, that Haschwalth had finally released him.
He didn't care about the survival of the Quincy, but seeing such powerful enemies before him sparked a thought he had never had before.
'Could there actually be someone in this world who can rival me?!'
The moment that thought surfaced, an unprecedented surge of excitement washed over him.
A smile returned to Gremmy's face, and he found himself feeling a rare sense of gratitude toward Haschwalth.
"Releasing me... you actually did one thing right, Haschwalth!"
"Show me what you've got, enemies!"
Could they even reach him?
Whether it was one-on-one or a group fight, it didn't matter to him.
All he wanted now was to vent the soaring excitement currently raging within him!
Looking at the enemies before him, Gremmy's fighting spirit reached a fever pitch!
Just as he was about to move, he sensed something and snapped his head around.
A massive fist filled his vision!
Bam!
A sound like clashing steel rang out. Gremmy felt a burning pain in his face, and his expression shifted.
The force of the punch was immense. Even though he considered himself the strongest, the blow sent him reeling back, his feet carving two long furrows into the ground!
His nose felt sore and congested; when he touched it, his hand came away stained crimson.
Looking at the blood on his hand, he shifted his thoughts. The blood vanished instantly, and the injuries on his face disappeared, restored to perfect condition.
He looked up to see a towering figure.
The middle-aged man was built like a tank, wearing a white Justice coat that fluttered in the wind. He had short, salt-and-pepper hair, a stitched scar near his eye, and an overwhelming, surging aura.
Monkey D. Garp!
"Hahaha! As expected of the man Great King Ren called the strongest. To take a punch from this old man and remain unharmed—impressive!" Garp laughed heartily.
Gremmy said with surprise, "In that split second, I imagined my body was made of steel, yet I still took damage from your strike. You truly are a remarkable warrior."
Garp clenched his fist and held it before him, full of pride.
"Of course! How could mere steel hope to withstand my seasoned Iron Fist!"
Two more figures in red descended from the sky, landing on the plateau and kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Old man, you're as spry as ever!"
"Hashirama, don't be careless. The enemy is far from ordinary!"
Amidst the clanking of armor, the two figures stepped out of the dust.
Hashirama Senju's honest face grew serious, his eyes gleaming with solemnity.
On the other side, Uchiha Madara stood with his arms crossed, his long black hair flowing, looking solitary and proud.
His Mangekyo Sharingan was already active, radiating an ominous aura.
After the two appeared, another tall figure walked over from the distance.
His physique was exceptionally sturdy, and waves of heat radiated from him with every step, making his Justice coat sway.
Beneath the brim of his cap, his expression was calm and his eyes sharp.
It was Sakazuki!
"Eliminating the enemy is our top priority right now!"
Sakazuki and the other three took up positions at the four cardinal points, completely surrounding Gremmy.
"Are you the four your boss sent to deal with me?"
Gremmy looked around, eyeing the four men surrounding him.
Every one of them radiated confidence—an absolute certainty in their own strength.
Without a doubt, all four were powerhouses.
"I can feel it. You're all very strong."
"It seems your boss really does value me."
Garp nodded and said, "Sengoku said you were the strongest of the lot, so he arranged for the four of us to come!"
The two strongest ninjas, combined with the two strongest Marines—Garp and Sakazuki—this was arguably the most powerful force their army could mobilize!
Hashirama said seriously, "To deal with you, Great King Ren even granted Madara and me significant power!"
"You won't be a match for us alone. Surrender now, and Madara and I can put in a good word for you with Great King Ren to spare your life."
"Hashirama, leave me out of this!"
Uchiha Madara's lip curled in annoyance.
"I never asked for that guy's power!"
"Ren... the Great King?" Gremmy realized. "So that's your boss's name."
He paused, then found he didn't really care.
At this point, knowing the enemy boss's name meant nothing to the Quincy.
Anyone with eyes could see that the empire had lost this war.
The battles involving himself, Askin, and Gerard were merely the final, desperate struggles.
Gremmy didn't know exactly what Askin and Gerard were thinking.
But he knew that he remained here to fight not just to fulfill his promise to Haschwalth, but mostly for himself!
"Come!"
Gremmy roared at the four.
The moment his voice fell, magma erupted, and a rolling wave of heat hit them.
"Words are useless. Eradicate the enemy!"
Sakazuki's raspy voice was bone-chilling, carrying a murderous intent.
Seeing Sakazuki strike first, Garp and the other two followed suit, launching their assault on Gremmy!
"Damned Sakazuki brat, always trying to look cool."
"Madara, let's go!"
"I told you not to order me around, Hashirama!"
The battle exploded!
Ren stood on the auspicious clouds, scanning the three battles erupting on the plateau.
Askin, Gerard, and Gremmy—the last three powerhouses of the Quincy!
Now that Yhwach and Haschwalth had been erased by him, the Quincy would have no more resistance once these three were removed!
This war would finally come to an end.
He thought for a moment and then said to Kaido and Linlin nearby, "Go and help Newgate. His opponent is that giant of miracles; he's not to be underestimated."
"Ma-ma~ ma-ma! I understand."
Linlin laughed loudly, lifting Napoleon.
The thundercloud beside her moved under her feet, lifting her massive frame into the air.
"Who would have thought that after all these years, I'd have the chance to fight alongside that old man Whitebeard again!"
Kaido, however, looked a bit reluctant. "That bastard Whitebeard snatched my prey. It would have been better to leave him to me—"
Before he could finish, Linlin slapped him across the face.
"Enough, Kaido! Stop whining like a spoiled child!"
"We've been fighting that 'Miracle' guy for so long; he's not an opponent that can be handled by one person alone!"
"You old hag, what are you doing? You want to fight?" Kaido stood on his cloud, gripping his mace with a look of resentment.
"Solve the enemy first, then I'll have a proper death-match with you!"
Linlin ignored Kaido's bluster, grabbed his cloud, and dragged him toward Whitebeard's direction.
Watching the two leave, Ren rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
"With the combined strength of Newgate, Big Mom, and Kaido, no matter what kind of miracle occurs, there's no chance of a reversal!"
"As for the Gremmy side, with Garp, Sakazuki, Hashirama, and Madara, that should be more than enough to win."
Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara had joined Ren relatively late, so their current Spiritual Pressure wasn't particularly strong.
Therefore, Ren had specifically shared a portion of his own power with them, enough for them to fight to their heart's content.
"That just leaves the poison guy..."
Ren had left that person to Marco.
Marco's fruit ability was extraordinary, granting him something near immortality.
Combined with the powerful Spiritual Pressure Ren had bestowed, he could handle Askin, but achieving a decisive victory was still a bit out of reach.
He turned his head to look at Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
"Mayuri, go and help Marco. You can handle that poison guy, right?"
Ren had brought Mayuri along originally to deal with the Left Arm of the Soul King.
But despite searching for so long and even erasing Yhwach's body, he hadn't encountered that arm yet.
That arm had been used by the Monk of the Royal Palace to seal Yhwach's power.
It seemed that because Yhwach hadn't fully resurrected, the arm hadn't manifested in this world either.
Mayuri grinned, revealing his large yellow teeth.
"Of course. I came prepared for this!"
He knew why Ren had brought him along and had developed many new drugs specifically for this purpose.
It was a pity he hadn't seen his intended opponent yet.
Fortunately, there was another poison user, perfect for testing the effects of his new concoctions!
"Gagaga... I'm so excited, I can hardly wait."
Mayuri cackled and leaped off the auspicious cloud, sensing the complex Spiritual Pressures on the plateau.
After locating his target, he cackled again and used Shunpo, his figure flickering as he sped toward his destination.
Seeing Mayuri vanish, Ren breathed a secret sigh of relief.
"With this, everything is foolproof."
Furthermore, with him personally overseeing the situation, even if the enemy had incredible abilities, they wouldn't be able to cause much of a stir!
"My Lord."
Shisui suddenly spoke up.
Ren snapped back to reality and looked down.
Sengoku, dressed in a white suit with his Justice coat fluttering, stood below, holding a stack of documents.
"I have a report for you regarding the events of this battle."
"Come up and speak," Ren said.
Sengoku didn't waste time and leaped lightly onto the cloud.
Just as he was about to speak, he saw Ren sit down and point to the spot beside him.
"Then please forgive my intrusion."
Sengoku nodded. Once seated, his voice was firm. "My Lord, the outcome of this battle is clear. Victory is within our grasp!"
He looked ahead at the three battles raging on the plateau, where the sounds of explosions were constant.
Pushing up his black-rimmed glasses, Sengoku spoke again.
"In the city below, the enemy's resistance has been entirely crushed. Under the command of Lord Nobunaga and Kuzan, our forces are currently searching for any surviving Quincy."
"Lord Shimazu and Lord Yoichi sustained some injuries, but they aren't in any danger. They are currently assisting Lord Nobunaga in the search."
"The only threatening resistance remaining is these three on the plateau. Defeating them is just a matter of time; it won't be a problem!"
Ren nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the battlefield ahead.
"What are our casualties?"
In his line of sight, at the far end of the plateau, two pillars of light shot into the sky before shattering.
A giant suddenly appeared on the plateau!
Holding a greatsword in one hand and a round shield on the other, the towering figure looked heroic and magnificent, possessing an extraordinary aura!
Gerard's Vollstandig: Aschetonig!
On the other side, a lethal, dangerous aura began to manifest.
It was too far for Ren to see clearly.
It was likely that the poison guy had also entered his Vollstandig!
The two Spiritual Pressures in the distance suddenly surged, creating a violent gust of wind that whipped Ren's robes.
With just a glance, Ren looked away.
He had full confidence in those fighting ahead.
If the Quincy's Vollstandig was only at this level, they were no match for his subordinates!
Sengoku felt the same.
The situation was decided. No matter how desperately these three remaining Quincy resisted, it was merely the final throes of madness.
A comeback?
Not a chance.
Sengoku opened the documents in his hand and gave Ren a general summary.
"The current statistics are not comprehensive; I can only provide rough data. A detailed report will have to wait until after a thorough post-war count."
"As it stands, over a thousand of our soldiers are injured, with over four hundred dead. The enemy's forces, however, have been completely annihilated. It is a resounding victory!"
"To date, nearly 1,200 Quincy have been taken prisoner, including five members of the Sternritter."
Ren's interest was piqued. "We captured Sternritter alive? Who?"
Sengoku flipped to another page. "Let's see... Big Mom and her children defeated several members. Among those lucky enough to survive and be captured are two: 'The Glutton' and 'The Thunder'."
"Kuzan originally captured two as well: 'The Overkill' and 'The Fear'. However, 'The Fear' resisted while being thawed and was killed by our forces. Only 'The Overkill' remains."
"Garp captured 'The Iron', and Hashirama Senju caught a robot, who is likely also a member of the Sternritter."
"The status of the other Sternritter members is here. Please take a look, My Lord."
As he spoke, Sengoku handed Ren a document.
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