One Piece: Holy Light Swordmaster

As he rubbed the golden crystal in his hand, Wright sighed before turning his gaze toward the figure standing atop the encircling wall, draped in a blood-red cape.

"I wouldn't mind sending another veteran to join Whitebeard."

Sengoku, Garp, Issho, and the others all braced themselves as if facing an imminent catastrophe.

At the moment of Whitebeard's death, the enigmatic "Red the Aloof"—Patrick Redfield—who had been lurking in the shadows, finally emerged.

"This old man merely came to witness Newgate's final battle, to see him give his all before his curtain fell."

Leaning on his umbrella, Redfield gently shook his head.

"To be honest, we old relics rarely get the chance to depart this world in our prime..."

"From that perspective, I should thank you, Marines..."

"At the very least, for Newgate to depart without regrets—that is the most comforting conclusion."

Casting a deep glance at Wright, whose form radiated with golden light, Redfield revealed a faint smile.

"An intriguing young man..."

"Until we meet again... or rather, farewell forever, Newgate."

With a flash, Redfield vanished into a streak of crimson shadow, leaving Wright and the others to let out a silent sigh.

"That old man... If he goes berserk, it'll be another massive headache."

Muttering to himself, Sengoku then turned his gaze back to the battlefield. "Now then, the Whitebeard Pirates should meet their end."

Ace and Sabo had unknowingly halted their battle, their eyes fixated on Wright delivering the final strike to Whitebeard, utterly entranced.

That was Whitebeard... Uncle Wright is truly too strong!

Sengoku's eye twitched as he glanced at the Revolutionary Army members standing idly by, then gritted his teeth and glared at Garp.

"Damn you, Garp! Those guys are from the Revolutionary Army! You had better make your stance clear this time!"

"Ahahaha! What's that got to do with me? Oh, suddenly my neck feels stiff... must've slept wrong last night... Ouch, ouch..."

"GARP! YOU BASTARD!"

...

The three Admirals unleashed their wide-scale attacks, unique to Logia users, to halt the Whitebeard Pirates' retreat.

Tears streamed down the faces of Marco and the remaining commanders, yet they dared not look back—they feared that a single glance would betray their father's final wish, leading them all to die here.

Under normal circumstances, even against a formidable Admiral like Akainu, Marco would fight to the death to reclaim Whitebeard's body. But now…

With Wright, this monster, present, the Marine high command remained nearly unscathed!

Casualties among the rank-and-file Marines were negligible!

How could they possibly win?!

"Go! Take our wounded and escape!"

Marco roared. "Don't let Pops' final wish go to waste! Don't let the Marines have their way!"

"Oh~ that's going to be a problem for me~"

A laser beam shot through Marco's body. He grunted in pain, his azure flames flaring up to heal the wound.

"Kizaru!"

"Are you really going to wipe us out?!"

"Hmm~ weren't you the ones~ who declared~ you'd take over this place~ just a moment ago~?"

Kizaru squinted at the fleeing Marco. His usual nonchalant tone seemed to waver slightly.

"I had just gotten some time to relax~"

Akainu stood firm at the breach in the encircling wall, his molten hellfire already consuming many pirates attempting to flee. He glanced in Whitebeard's direction and gave a slight nod.

Whitebeard was dead. Now, the complete eradication of the Whitebeard Pirates was only a matter of time. Feeling the continuous surge of healing energy flowing through him, Akainu unleashed his power without restraint—

After all, as long as the Marines could be healed, there was no need to hold back when exterminating pirates!

Aokiji scratched his head. At some point, Diamond Jozu had thawed from his ice prison and was now leading the remaining commanders and pirates in a desperate charge against Akainu's blockade!

"Arara... Maybe I went too hard on them."

Many Marines who had tried to intercept Jozu's group had been caught in Akainu's indiscriminate attacks. If not for Wright's aura, they would have either suffered severe injuries or perished outright.

"Hold back on the pursuit… Just herd the pirates toward Akainu!"

Aokiji had to shield the Marines from the raining volcanic projectiles.

"Sakazuki! Watch where you're aiming!"

"Hmph! It doesn't matter, as long as they don't die! This is our best chance to eradicate the Whitebeard Pirates!"

"You bastard…"

Aokiji gritted his teeth and glanced in Wright's direction—just in time to see him flying toward the thawing Byrnndi World.

"Whew… Almost forgot. That guy—Sakazuki's volcano nearly melted the ice."

Realizing World was about to break free, Wright acted immediately, reinforcing the melting ice with a Holy Light Prison.

Just as World regained consciousness, he found himself sealed within a golden "coffin," roaring in fury:

"Damn Marines! I'll—!"

A colossal blade of "Ashes" impaled World's chest, causing him to cough up a mouthful of blood.

"You…"

"What? You want to die?"

Wright coldly withdrew "Ashes." Having just escaped Aokiji's ice, World's madness remained unchecked—but Wright had no intention of showing mercy to the wielder of the More-More Fruit.

"Since you're out, there's no need for you to return… Kuzan-senpai was too lenient. Did you really think I'd give you another shot at attacking Marineford?"

Two Holy Light execution blades descended from the sky. "World Destroyer" Byrnndi World became history.

"Hunt down the pirates! Wipe them out completely!"

Akainu's roar echoed alongside the deafening explosions of magma.

"Pirates must never be forgiven!"

Fueled by Whitebeard's death, the Marines were overwhelmed with fervor. The Whitebeard Pirates' declaration to "conquer Marineford" still echoed in their ears, and now, with the threat eliminated, their exhilaration reached a near-madness!

Even with Wright's aura keeping them somewhat lucid, the Marines were slipping into a state of bloodthirsty frenzy!

"Snap out of it!"

Wright's sharp voice cut through the battlefield. The Marines' mental state was dangerously unstable—despite the aura's influence, the psychological whiplash from Whitebeard's overwhelming power had been too severe. The high-ranking officers could withstand it, but the regular soldiers' eyes were bloodshot, their breathing ragged, nearly losing themselves in Akainu's rallying cry.

"All personnel, listen up! Assist the Admirals and Vice Admirals in capturing the pirates—do not recklessly pursue! Beware of counterattacks!"

"Your survival is the priority—if you die, not even I can save you!"

"Yes, Admiral Wright!"

By this point, Wright's prestige among the Marines had surpassed even the Admirals. Some might even argue he had eclipsed Garp himself.

Wright no longer needed to exert himself in battle. His aura intensified, and as the Marines regained clarity, they finally realized the truth—

Never chase a cornered beast. In a full-scale war, fewer Marines had died than those now being slain in reckless pursuit of the retreating pirates.

As Wright had said—injuries could be healed. But death was irreversible.

After all, the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates had become nothing short of madmen.

"That Wright…"

Akainu scowled but said nothing more.

These pirates still needed to die!

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