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Chapter 203: War Ends
Chapter 203: War Ends
Lida had already sprinted over the moment Kuro was wounded, and almost instantly, her Palm pressed against him.
"Energy Drain!"
"Essence Feedback!"
With Lida’s physical strength, healing these wounds wouldn’t have been easy, but Kuro’s physical strength made it effortless.
The shoulder wound that had been sliced halfway to the bone was now gradually knitting itself closed.
With Sengoku and Garp guarding him, no one could get close enough to strike.
Beckman knew this well, so he’d planned to bypass them entirely—until Lucius Kro appeared, launching a Light-Speed Kick at Beckman’s already rattled form.
"Told you already, the old man’s here—you’re not going anywhere!" Lucius Kro chuckled.
"Not bad at all", Kuzan remarked, glancing back before turning toward the Red Hair Pirates’ officers. His icy aura intensified as frost crystallized on his face. Exhaling a chilling breath, he said coldly, "At this rate, I might just bury you all here."
"Crimson Lotus!"
Akainu abandoned his assault on the Whitebeard Pirates, throwing a single punch. Lava coalesced into a monstrous, snarling beast that surged toward Shanks, who lay clutching his heaving chest.
This was the perfect moment. Eliminate Shanks, and another of the Four Emperors would fall. Once the upper echelons of the Navy were free to act, two Emperor factions would be wiped out here today.
The Great Pirate Era would finally end!
A wisp of black-pink slash streaked forward, neutralizing Akainu’s lava blast.
Akainu’s pupils constricted as he turned toward Shanks’ direction, where the sudden attacker had appeared.
"Hawk-Eye", he growled.
"Dracule Mihawk!"
Sengoku’s voice cracked with shock. The former combatant Dracule Mihawk had reemerged in front of Shanks, the slash his doing.
Dracule Mihawk blocked the path with his blade, indifferent. "Miscalculation—I hit the wrong target."
"Shadow Horn Spear!"
A shadow streaked toward Lucius Kro, piercing his body. Lucius Kro dissolved into light, reforming nearby with a head scratch as he eyed the attacker’s battle stance. "Gecko Moria, what’s this?"
"Shishishii, my bad", Gecko Moria said, spreading his hands with a grin.
Meanwhile, the Vice Admirals locked in combat suddenly faltered, their weapons frozen mid-swing.
Aokiji’s hair lashed out, morphing into an arm that cleaved through several threads from behind. Clenching his cigar, he glared at the man stretching his fingers with a sinister grin.
"Donquixote Doflamingo."
Doflamingo glanced at the officers who’d used the Vice Admirals’ hesitation to flee toward Shanks. With a flick of his fingers, he severed the Parasite Threads controlling them.
"Kshhhkshhkshh, sorry—miscalculation. My target was always the Red Hair Pirates."
"Pirate!"
Smoker’s Jutte sent a charging pirate sprawling as he cast a grim glance. "Unreliable, as expected."
The sudden intervention of the Seven Warlords stalled the battlefield slaughter, allowing the Red Hair officers to regroup around Shanks.
"Captain!"
Benn caught Shanks, his heart lurching at the massive chest wound.
This injury wasn’t just superficial.
"Ah, sorry, Beckman—slight miscalculation there", Shanks coughed, blood spilling as he grimaced.
It wasn’t merely the blade’s fault. Garp’s punch had ravaged his internal organs, and Sengoku’s shockwave had left his head reeling. Three attacks at once—hardly something to endure easily.
"Thanks, Dracule Mihawk", he added with a wry smile toward Hawk-Eye.
"Buy me a drink next time", Dracule Mihawk replied flatly.
Sengoku’s glasses glinted coldly as he surveyed them, his expression unreadable. "You people…"
He understood their motives perfectly. Eliminating two Four Emperors here would shift the world’s balance, cementing the Navy’s dominance.
Something pirates couldn’t allow.
The Seven Warlords’ mechanism would become obsolete, their influence suppressed.
Hence, they’d intervene here.
If the Seven Warlords joined the fray, victory might slip away.
"Kshhhkshhkshh, Sengoku—this was a miscalculation, but if you insist on fighting, I guarantee more ‘miscalculations’ will follow." Doflamingo pointed at Sengoku. "How about taking an urgent call instead?"
"Fleet Admiral!"
A Navy officer seized the moment, rushing to Sengoku. "Orders just came through—we’re to end the war."
"What?!" Sengoku’s eyes widened. "What’s the World Government planning?!"
The officer handed him the call device. Sengoku stormed off to a corner to speak.
"Kuro, how are you?"
Lida had been flooding Kuro’s essence, watching his shoulder mend. Now she withdrew her hand.
Kuro rolled his shoulder, nodding. "Restored as good as new, though it drained me."
Not designed for healing, his Devil Fruit ability had consumed a third of his strength just to repair the wound. But it was worth it.
Shanks’ blade—if left untreated—would’ve left scars and lingering aftereffects.
Surveying the battlefield, Kuro noted the Marines had halted their lower ranks due to the Seven Warlords’ intervention, creating a tense standoff.
He glanced at Sengoku, still arguing nearby. "The war’s ending."
Typical of the World Government to cite "balance" now. With the Seven Warlords’ interference, continuing the fight made no sense.
Even if the Navy triumphed, the casualties would cripple them, leaving openings for rising pirates and the New World’s remaining Emperors.
This was unwinnable.
"Puhahahaha, Shanks! Did your scheme fail so badly you ended up injured?!" Garp roared, laughing.
Shanks just tightened his lips, silent.
Honestly, it was unforeseen.
Not from that Navy officer Kuro, but from the sudden arrival of those mysterious Navy forces—that was the real game-changer.
But now…
In his current state, even with the Seven Warlords’ aid, fighting the Navy head-on would be reckless. Their goal was balance, not mutual annihilation.
"I understand."
Sengoku seemed to hear something decisive. He slammed the call device shut, storming back with a throbbing temple.
"Are we calling it off, Fleet Admiral?"
Shanks smiled. "Let me say this—we’re done fighting. Do me a favor and stop. Or are you ready for massive casualties?"
This wasn’t just Sengoku and Shanks’ conclusion. The Vice Admirals were thinking the same.
The enemy had regrouped—scattering them now would be impossible. Especially the moderate and neutral officers who’d already been reluctant since that pink-haired kid’s outburst. Their strategic goal was achieved; prolonging the war was senseless.
Seeing the Navy’s silence, Shanks continued, "Hand over Ace and Whitebeard’s bodies. The world already knows the outcome—you’ve no need to parade their corpses."
"What?!" Doflamingo snapped. "Only displaying their bodies proves Navy’s total victory! You can’t just hand them over!"
"Fine", Sengoku waved him off. "I’ll take responsibility. You can have them."
"My apologies—I never wanted conflict with you", Shanks said, meeting Sengoku’s gaze before glancing at Kuro, now fully healed and smirking with a mocking grin.
"See you in the New World, Navy."
He barked to his crew, "Men, gather up Whitebeard and Ace—we’re leaving!"
"The war… ends now!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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