The amusement park had become a graveyard of twisted metal and scorched earth.
Among the rubble, Ronn stood quietly, sipping his drink, watching Sengoku stride into the shattered carousel.
Then—
the carousel started moving again.
No one touched it.
No one could explain why.
["What's your daddy's daddy called…"]
That cheerful tune, warped by static and blood in the air, began spinning through the wreckage.
Inside, Conqueror's Haki and sword intent clashed violently, shredding what little remained.
Rayleigh wanted Blackbeard dead.
Sengoku wanted him alive.
And when two legends disagree—words are useless.
The carousel exploded.
From the dust, a golden giant rose—a shining Buddha radiating power.
Opposite him stood Rayleigh, sword in hand, one boot pressing down on Blackbeard's chest.
"The Navy will win this war, no matter the cost,"
Sengoku's deep voice rumbled like thunder.
"Killing him or capturing him changes nothing.
You can't keep fighting ghosts of the past."
The golden Buddha's eyes softened for a moment.
If he killed Rayleigh here, the Roger Pirates would rise again, and the seas would drown in fire.
Rayleigh's reply was low but unwavering.
"I promised Shendu. Blackbeard must die."
"No more talk. Let's see what decades of justice have taught you."
Lightning crackled along his sword as Conqueror's Haki burst forth.
He swung.
A blade of black and crimson cut the air itself.
Sengoku answered in kind, palms glowing with divine power.
They met in a blinding detonation.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The shockwave tore through the amusement park, hurling debris skyward.
Rayleigh's eyes flicked—just a glance, a twitch.
Sengoku saw it.
"Don't look away in battle."
In a flash, he lunged, golden hand poised.
"Shockwave!"
Rayleigh spun to block, but before he could—
Golden motes shimmered beside Blackbeard's body.
They gathered, coalescing into a tall, lean man of light.
Kizaru.
He'd been waiting, silent, unseen—saving his shot for this moment.
"Moshi moshi~ Rayleigh-san," he said, index finger glowing.
The old pirate was cornered—between Buddha and light, death and justice.
He didn't flinch.
Instead, he drove his sword straight down.
The blade pierced Blackbeard's throat.
SHHHHNK—
A gout of blood splattered across Rayleigh's face.
Blackbeard's eyes snapped open.
No sound came. His crushed windpipe could only gurgle.
He stared upward, eyes wide with pain, fury… and something like peace.
He'd schemed, killed, betrayed—all for this moment of "freedom."
Thirty years without sleep.
A lifetime of clawing toward a dream no one else understood.
And now—
he could finally rest.
His hand, once clenched so tight the knuckles bled, slowly relaxed.
Maybe now… I can sleep.
And then his light went out.
Kizaru and Sengoku's combined attacks slammed into Rayleigh a heartbeat later.
The explosion tore through the park once more, flinging him across the wreckage.
He hit the ground hard, tumbling, rolling, crashing through a railing.
When the dust cleared, the old pirate lay crumpled but breathing—barely.
Kizaru glanced once, nodded to Sengoku, and turned away.
"Time to go~ gotta help Sakazuki with Ace.
Busy day, huh?"
His voice trailed lazily as he became light again and vanished toward the battlefield.
Ahh… after this, definitely a visit to No.8 massage hall, he thought with a sigh.
Gotta reward myself for working so hard.
Sengoku exhaled slowly, looking down at the broken man before him.
"Why, Rayleigh?" he asked quietly.
"Blackbeard's dead. You can't escape capture now.
Couldn't you have just… retired?"
He meant it.
Killing Blackbeard was a blow to the Navy's plans.
But capturing the Dark King alive?
That could spark a legend, a rallying cry for justice.
Of course, it would also ignite the wrath of the Roger remnants.
Rayleigh chuckled, blood pooling at the corner of his lips.
"You should take your own advice, old man."
From the sidelines, Ronn leaned against a broken beam, watching it all unfold like a spectator at a play.
"If you ask me," he called out cheerfully, "Impel Down has better beds than the ground.
You'll live longer there."
Rayleigh shot him a look sharp enough to cut steel.
He wanted to swear, but he swallowed it down.
"One Devil Fruit," he said through gritted teeth.
Ronn tilted his head.
"Not interested."
"Mythical Zoan," Rayleigh added.
Ronn's smile widened instantly.
"Deal."
He turned toward Sengoku.
"Unless, of course, you want to top that offer. Two Mythical Zoans, and he's yours."
Both old men froze.
Their expressions mirrored the same emotion—pure disbelief.
"You really… have no shame, do you?" Sengoku muttered darkly.
"Doesn't your conscience hurt making money like this?"
"Nope," Ronn said brightly. "Mine retired years ago."
Sengoku sighed and waved him off.
"He's not worth the price."
And with that, the golden light faded from his body as he turned to leave.
Two Mythical Fruits for one aging pirate? Not a chance.
That kind of investment was better spent raising the next generation.
Ronn stretched, brushed the dust from his coat, and helped Rayleigh to his feet.
"Come on, old man. Let's go.
Shendu's probably breaking something by now."
And in the next instant, both vanished into the air—
leaving behind only silence, rubble…
and the hauntingly cheerful carousel tune looping endlessly.
["What's your daddy's daddy called…"]
It echoed over Blackbeard's lifeless body—
as if mocking him, or perhaps… sending him off.
Far from the chaos, the sea itself began to stir.
The calm surface rippled. Then—
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Dozens of ships rose from beneath the waves, shedding the shimmering soap-film of their coating.
The first were whale-shaped, their hulls gleaming as the water cascaded off.
Flags snapped in the salt wind—black and white, with a skull wearing a crescent mustache.
Every pirate, every smuggler, every merchant on the docks froze in terror.
Behind the lead ships came forty-three more—a fleet vast enough to blot the horizon.
At their head stood a titan of a man, one hand gripping his massive naginata, the other resting on the rail.
Scars crisscrossed his chest like rivers carved by time.
A single crescent of white shone against his jawline.
He smiled.
"Gurararara… Come on, sons."
"Let's bring Ace home."
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