TYPnovel Chapter 575 - 575
Chapter 575 - 575
Nusjuro, as the only one among the Five Elders who wielded a weapon, was also the only one still standing.
But he could no longer maintain his Devil Fruit transformation.
He used the scabbard of the First Generation Shodai Kitetsu to support his lower back, then, though his hands were aged and trembling, he still tightly gripped the hilt of the First Generation Shodai Kitetsu.
"Gurararara! Nusjuro, I never expected you to be the toughest among the Five Elders!"
Whitebeard held Murakumogiri as a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.
The long slash wound stretching from his left shoulder across his entire body to his right abdomen was still bleeding.
But for Whitebeard, this was hardly a fatal injury.
After all, he had lost count of how many times he had suffered similar wounds.
And truth be told, the injuries Nusjuro before him had sustained were far more severe.
"Theoretically, the final clash between you and me should have shattered every bone in your body..." Whitebeard took two steps forward, staring intently at Nusjuro.
"So... are you now forcibly lifting your sword solely with your tattered muscles?"
"No matter what, he is a Devil Fruit Power user of the Mythical Zoan type, and in his Skeletal Horse Form at that. He must have some ability to repair and forcibly manipulate bones..." Zephyr clutched his chest, exhaling deeply before continuing.
"Supporting himself with muscles after all his bones are shattered... just thinking about it seems impossible, doesn't it?"
When facing Nusjuro, Whitebeard and Zephyr were bound to get injured.
In terms of sheer offensive power alone, Nusjuro, who wielded the Supreme Grade Sword First Generation Shodai Kitetsu, was undoubtedly the strongest among the Five Elders.
Even Whitebeard would inevitably be wounded in a head-on clash.
But...
This was Whitebeard.
The man once known as the world's strongest.
Even though Nusjuro had previously received enhancements from Lily, he never truly believed he could be a match for Whitebeard.
Even without his Devil Fruit Power, Whitebeard was undeniably an "Emperor of the Sea."
Now, perhaps he was growing a bit old...
But he remained a monster nonetheless.
"Whitebeard... why does a monster like you exist in this world?"
After a long silence, Nusjuro slowly let out a heavy breath.
And with that release of breath, the last vestige of life he had clung to dissipated.
He...
Had given up.
Eight hundred years of life...
Had left him somewhat weary.
"You call me a monster?" Whitebeard raised an eyebrow, an unusual glint flashing in his eyes. "My hometown was an island so poor it couldn't even afford the Heavenly Tribute, a lawless land without a name... and the country it belonged to perished when I was still young..."
"If you call me a monster... Nusjuro, then it is a monster of vengeance... forged by your World Government."
Finally, Whitebeard no longer felt guilt or shame when speaking of the past.
He slowly raised Murakumogiri, then without hesitation, brought it down from above, severing Nusjuro's last thread of life.
Whitebeard did not wait for Nusjuro to die of old age, nor did he wait for him to bleed out... Instead, he gave him the most honorable death a swordsman could receive...
To die on the battlefield, beneath an opponent's blade.
Beside them, Zephyr looked at Nusjuro, now headless yet with eyes slowly closing, and let out a long sigh.
As a former Admiral, he had interacted with the Five Elders on numerous occasions...Among the Five Elders, Nusjuro, despite sharing the flaws inherent to the Celestial Dragons...
Could actually be considered a decent leader when not afflicted by his usual issues.
This was in stark contrast to that bastard Saturn.
"Having lived for eight hundred years and controlled the world until now... you should have no regrets left in life, right?" Zephyr murmured softly, then reached out.
Armament Haki instantly enveloped his hand as he grasped the First Generation Shodai Kitetsu.
"As for this sword of yours... I happen to know someone suitable to inherit it."
The First Generation Shodai Kitetsu emitted a mournful hum, almost like weeping.
As if lamenting the death of its master.
...
This war, in which the Angel Alliance and its allies jointly overthrew the World Government and the Celestial Dragons, ultimately ending in victory, came to be historically known as the "Celestial Dragon Fall."
In this conflict, virtually all Celestial Dragons either perished in battle on the main front or were captured... remarkably, none managed to escape.
After all, due to over eight centuries of maintaining "pure bloodlines" through constant inbreeding, most ordinary Celestial Dragons suffered from significant intellectual deficiencies.
And after receiving the "power" and "immortality" bestowed upon them by Lily, their arrogance swelled to unimaginable heights.
Thus, they all fought the Angel Alliance to the death on the battlefield.
And they indeed inflicted considerable casualties upon the Angel Alliance...
But such... is the nature of war.
War claims lives.
Dragon and Sakazuki sighed repeatedly as they reviewed the endless stream of casualty reports flowing into the command center after the war.
Yet they knew this was the minimal price that could be paid.
With Michael present, anyone who still drew breath could essentially be saved.
Those who died instantly... truly, there was nothing to be done.
These heroes would never be forgotten... this was also Michael's greatest demand for them.
Although the main conflict, the "Celestial Dragon Fall," had drawn to a close, the remnants of the World Government did not scatter like birds and beasts.
Instead, they fragmented into smaller units and swiftly withdrew from the territories formerly held by the World Government.
And when they reappeared...
They had become subordinates of Blackbeard.
Upon acquiring these forces, Blackbeard established a government-in-exile known as the "Demon Remnants."
Moreover, many former world nobles and royal families who had fervently pursued and studied to become the new Celestial Dragons, before being fully purged by the Angel Alliance, absconded with their wealth.
For a time, the scale of the "Demon Remnants" grew rapidly.
Though no longer capable of confronting the Angel Alliance head-on, they remained a dark cloud looming over the seas.
But all of this was now a settled matter.
With Michael and Lily having "mutually exhausted each other," eliminating the "Demon Remnants" led by Blackbeard was clearly an impractical endeavor.
Furthermore...
With the World Government and the Celestial Dragons having just been completely overthrown...
This world needed a new government to lead it from chaos back into the embrace of order.
Thus, at Pangaea Castle atop Mary Geoise, the former seat of the World Government, all high-ranking members of the Angel Alliance and representatives from all nations supporting the alliance gathered.
A new world order was quietly born here.