Looking at the distant sun, which was shrinking more and more, Captain John's face was a tangle of anger, unwillingness, and confusion.
He lowered his eyes to the two swords in his hands, Phantom and Star.
He had once been one of the great figures of these seas, a Grand Master who had reached the highest peak of swordsmen in the world.
Though he hated to speak of that period when he had served under someone else, his time with the Rocks Pirates had indeed been the most exhilarating chapter of his life. It had felt as if the whole world lay in the hands of the Rocks Pirates, as if they were the true rulers of the sea.
In that era, he had seen countless monsters stronger than himself, learned many of the world's secrets, and experienced just how vast this world really was.
It was precisely because of those experiences that he had surpassed nearly every swordsman in the world, become a Grand Master, and forged these two Black Blades.
But now, all of it seemed to be turning false, as if everything he had gone through with the Rocks Pirates had been nothing but a lie, as if he had only ever been a tool in someone else's hand.
Lillilu, however, did not stop. She continued,
"Why be angry? Shouldn't you have expected this long ago? When Master recruited you, he already said that what he wanted was not companions, only collaborators. As for who would eventually climb to that position, that would depend on their own ability."
"Yeah..."
John, too, remembered the words that man had spoken after defeating him and extending a hand.
Hadn't he himself never truly considered himself a member of the Rocks Pirates?
But even so, being used was something he could not forgive.
With that thought, he looked coldly at Lillilu in front of him, then at the fireball behind her, now already half its former size.
"I've given you enough time. So now, if you still insist on standing in my way, then I'll have no choice but to send you to the underworld as well!"
Lillilu turned to look behind her and sighed.
"Looks like this is all I can do. From here on, you'll have to rely on yourself."
As soon as the words fell, flames wrapped around her, and Lillilu vanished from where she stood.
At that moment, though dawn had not yet arrived, a blazing sun had already risen over the sea.
Its dazzling light made the whole world look as bright as day, and its scorching heat baked the ocean surface, with steam rising visibly into the air.
"So, a masterpiece?"
Looking at the enormous fireball before him, which still radiated a terrifying heat like the core of the sun even from this far away, John felt emotions too complicated to put into words.
"The youngsters on this sea really are becoming more and more impressive."
"But don't think we'll just hand this world over to you so easily!"
At that moment, powerful Armament Haki coiled around John's body, then poured completely into Phantom and Star in his hands as he took the stance of drawing his blades.
"Then let me use this strongest slash to see for myself what this so-called greatest masterpiece really is!"
In an instant, even though John himself had not moved, the surface of the sea split in two as if an invisible slash had already appeared, cutting straight toward the sun above the ocean.
The massive fireball in the distance trembled at once. Flames scattered, splashing onto the sea, boiling the water and sending up clouds of steam.
And then John moved.
At a speed almost like teleportation, following that slash that seemed to stretch between heaven and earth, John pierced through space itself and arrived at the edge of the giant fireball.
The twin blades at his waist were drawn at a speed the naked eye could not follow. Like a streak of black light, as if tearing a giant crack through the world itself, they struck the massive fireball.
"Star Fission."
At that moment, the gigantic fireball began to split open before the naked eye, like a great wave being cut apart.
The black Haki slash and the scorching fireball struggled against each other in a desperate clash.
As the flames were cleaved apart, Yemu appeared before everyone once more.
Only now, he had completely changed.
The clothes on his upper body had long since burned away, leaving his torso bare. Through his veins flowed golden and crimson fiery blood, visible to the naked eye. His originally red hair was now burning like flame, streaming upward.
Around his body drifted countless red flame-clouds like ribbons, while behind him trailed a golden-and-red stream of fire like a tail of flames. And on each of his shoulders was a flowing spiral pattern, one gold, one red.
Seeing Yemu in this form, like a god descended to the world, John's heart shook violently. Without even realizing it, he once again muttered those same four words.
"The greatest masterpiece...?"
And just then, the black slash had already reached Yemu.
Yemu merely raised an arm and caught the black slash in his hand.
Then, under John's disbelieving gaze, the slash he was proudest of actually began to burn.
"Impossible..."
The sight left John dumbfounded.
"There's nothing impossible about it."
Wrapped in flame, Yemu took a deep breath, and all the surrounding fire was drawn completely into his body.
At last, the crimson light filling heaven and earth faded, and Yemu's godlike body floated above the sea, standing on flame.
"This is the true power of the new fruit I possess now, the Hito Hito no Mi, Mythical Zoan, Entei Model. Burning. The power to bring all things to an end through burning."
"Burning?!"
"That's right. So now, let me use this newly gained power to end things with you once and for all."
As soon as the words fell, John watched in shock as Yemu reached out and grabbed at the space around him.
Visible flames instantly began sweeping across the entire world. But this time, it was no longer Yemu using the Mera Mera no Mi to create flames from his own body. Instead, he was setting the surrounding air itself on fire. And when those flames spread to the sea, even the ocean began to burn.
Then, with a sweep of both hands, a long flaming sword appeared in Yemu's grasp.
The moment that flaming sword appeared, all the fire that had just ignited throughout the world seemed to come alive, surging toward the blade in Yemu's hand.
"Now, let me be the one to end this battle!"
As he raised the flaming sword high, an enormous blade of fire appeared, one so huge it seemed capable of splitting heaven and earth apart.
Then he brought it crashing down toward John.
In that instant, the whole world was swallowed by blinding light. Heaven and earth were split in two by flame, and sea and sky were completely severed...