Dimon was pummeling the Chief Warden like a storm given fists.
Elsewhere—Judicial Tower, temporary command post.
"That just now…"
Vice Admiral Tsuru frowned. She'd seen Columbus carried off and shot beyond Enies Lobby in a single blink. Those pitch-black wings tugged at an old memory.
A Lunarian?
The World Government kept that race under "special care." Ten years ago, they'd captured a Lunarian child—only for the Rocks Pirates to snatch the kid during transfer.
"Columbus is a Devil Fruit user. On the sea, that puts him at a disadvantage… but it's fine. He's also an immortal."
For the moment, Tsuru had no time to worry about him.
Two years ago, Sengoku obtained a bottle of Immortality Wine—four cups in total.
Three cups went to Kong, Sengoku, and Zephyr.
The last cup was meant for Garp, but he refused to drink "that sort of thing."
In the end, the Chief Warden caught wind of it. When it came down to a contest for the final cup, Tsuru ceded it to Columbus.
The World Government didn't even know at first. By the time they did, the wine had already been divided. What could they do—punish four pillars at once?
"The situation is barely contained. The real key is Sengoku's side."
Tsuru turned toward the Bridge of Hesitation. Compared to the fighting on the main island, the battle there was a hundred times more savage.
"Aramitama!"
Roger's blade bit into Garp's abdomen; Garp's iron fist smashed into Roger's face without mercy.
Both men flew back.
"Out of my way, Garp! I'm not in the mood to play with you today!"
"I'm still a Marine, Roger!"
They roared, charging yet again.
Conqueror's Haki collided in midair—an instant detonation. The Bridge of Hesitation shuddered and split, boulders crashing into the sea and flinging up a wall of white spray.
Not far away, Jabba cleaved an axe across Zephyr's chest, carving a fresh wound—
—and watched it close in seconds.
"Undying bodies are a pain!" Jabba shouted to Rayleigh. "How's yours?"
Rayleigh caught the golden Buddha's punch on his blade and laughed.
"Also immortal on my side! Looks like only Garp is a 'normal person'…"
"Normal?"
Sengoku snorted. One palm pressed forward through the air.
A compressed shockwave punched out; the stones beneath Rayleigh shattered, and the Dark King was swatted into the sea.
A heartbeat later—black-red lightning burst.
Rayleigh rocketed up through the surf, shouldering the shockwave aside. He flashed in close, his blade shaving sparks across the Buddha's belly—and failing to bite.
"Hard…!"
Rayleigh cursed under his breath. He flooded his blade with Conqueror's coating; the dark lightning blazed red.
With a shout, a crimson crescent slashed the golden Buddha and hurled it a hundred meters back.
Even so, he still hadn't pierced Sengoku's monstrous defense.
Zoan — Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Daibutsu.
"It's useless, 'Dark King' Rayleigh. Even if you crack my guard, you still won't lay a finger on me!"
Sengoku glared like an angry Vajra. The golden Buddha opened its mouth and roared.
The shockwave narrowed into a lance and fired.
Rayleigh flashed aside; the beam raked clean across the Bridge of Hesitation—from one end to the other.
In an instant, the bridge split like tofu.
The sea beneath tore open into a trench so deep the bottom vanished. Water from both sides lunged inward and still couldn't fill it.
With each bombardment, the bridge lost more stone. Safe footing was dwindling.
Back-to-back, Jabba and Rayleigh took a breath.
"This is a headache. If this drags on, they won't die—and we'll drop from exhaustion," Jabba said, grimacing.
Rayleigh couldn't help a jab: "Blame Dimon. How did his wine end up with the Marines?"
Jabba bared his teeth. "I've got an idea."
"What? Make it quick."
"I'll stall Zephyr and Sengoku. You break for the courthouse, grab Shakky, and we bolt."
Rayleigh didn't hesitate. Years of fighting shoulder-to-shoulder meant they barely needed words.
The next second, both moved at once.
Jabba charged Zephyr with his axe; Rayleigh vaulted past Sengoku in a single stride, aiming straight for the Judicial Tower.
"Don't even think about it!"
Sengoku moved to intercept—
—and Jabba's left-hand axe whistled past Zephyr, while Jabba himself changed angles and cut Sengoku off first.
"Axe Rhapsody!"
Both hands clenched on a single axe, Jabba swung—a strike crackling with Conqueror's lightning.
It could have split a mountain.
Sengoku's face tightened; he crossed both fists to guard—
—but the cut wasn't aimed at him. It sang straight over his head.
"The Judicial Tower…!" A sinkhole opened in Sengoku's gut.
The supreme axe stroke sheared the tower on the bias.
The upper half toppled away—tilting toward the yawning black hole at sea.
In that flicker of opportunity, Rayleigh became a bolt of lightning and cleared the Tower of Justice.
His Observation Haki fanned out, seeking Shakky's presence.
"Nothing? Where? I don't have time for hide-and-seek…"
Cool, focused, he swept again—still no Shakky.
Then, from beneath the World Government flag dangling off the collapsing spire, a ribbon shaped like an arrowhead snapped out.
It lashed Rayleigh's ankle and yanked, slinging him back toward the broken bridge.
"Holy Knights." Only then did Rayleigh spot Gunzi—expression cold, wordless, playing the aloof master.
"ORA ORA ORA!"
Dimon drove his fists into Columbus's face, pounding the features into a swollen blur.
The undying flesh knitted even as new blows landed. Hurt, heal, hurt again—
—until Dimon's last strike thundered in.
With a boom, Columbus tumbled into the sea. Dimon exhaled, almost disappointed.
Figures. An immortal of his own making doesn't die easy.
Wings beat. Columbus stopped a breath above the water's skin and began to climb. By the time he'd risen a few meters, his face had already smoothed back to pristine.
"You're immortal too—you get it, don't you? Immortality doesn't increase combat power, but it makes you unbeatable at taking hits."
Aside from the part where it hurts like hell, there aren't many downsides.
Dimon chuckled.
Boasting about immortality to a devil is like showing off in front of the red-haired Emperor—someone's losing an arm.
"You haven't had that body for long, have you? Let me show you its flaw."
He raised his hand. Devil's power condensed—
—forming a blade as black as a moonless sea.
A dark flash. He crossed past Columbus in an eye-blink.
Confident in his immortality, Columbus didn't even bother to dodge.
One exchange later, his left arm spun into the air; blood fanned out like red rain.
Slowly, Columbus turned. His gaze locked on Dimon—on the severed arm now held in Dimon's hand.
"Watch closely. This one's fun."
Dimon smiled. He willed it—and Devoured.
This time, the target wasn't Columbus's body—but the severed arm itself.
The stump writhed in his grasp, then crumbled, dissolving into smoke-fine dust—and vanished.
A dead weight dropped in Columbus's gut. An enormous, nameless fear washed over him.
He didn't know why. He just knew.
That arm… would not grow back.
Impossible.
How could that be?!
—To be continued…
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews.
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
patreon.com/MugiwaraTL