Chapter 64: Chapter 64: Bury Everything
"Let go of my mother!"
"I'm going to chop you all into pieces!"
Seeing Miss Buckingham captured by Groom and the others, Edward Weevil's eyes turned bloodshot with rage.
Summoning all his strength, he activated his Haki and slashed toward Galen with everything he had.
This time, Edward Weevil, pushing himself to the limit, didn't retreat.
However, another gap appeared in his giant sword.
Galen had been waiting for this moment to land his decisive blow.
Despite failing to land a successful hit, Edward Weevil wasn't discouraged. Like a wild beast, his red eyes showed no concern for the state of his sword or even his own safety. He swung the sword again and again, determined to break through Galen's defenses and rescue Miss Buckingham.
Even though Edward Weevil viewed the lives of others as insignificant, Miss Buckingham meant everything to him.
The sound of their clashing weapons filled the air, and the earth cracked beneath them. The force of their blows was so immense that even the clouds were blown away by the sheer power of their battle.
Groom and the other Marines, their hair disheveled and hats sent flying, were knocked back by the shockwaves from the fight between Galen and Weevil.
They stared dumbfounded at the shattered ground and clear sky before them.
Then, they glanced at Galen with awe, watching him clash with Edward Weevil in the distance.
Miss Buckingham, her hands and feet bound, mouth gagged, took the chance to escape.
She fled quickly, knowing this was not a battlefield she should be involved in.
Still, Groom and the others felt a sense of pride—after all, they had managed to capture Miss Buckingham, which had helped Galen avoid distractions.
Though deep down, they knew that capturing someone as weak as Miss Buckingham likely wouldn't make much difference in the grand scheme of things.
If they couldn't involve themselves in Galen's battle with Edward Weevil, how could Miss Buckingham possibly hope to interfere?
Once Galen defeated Edward Weevil, where could someone like Miss Buckingham run? She wouldn't leave without her "son."
Miss Buckingham, gagged and bound, let out a small, pitiful whimper. She had always planned to flee if things went south, but now it seemed hopeless.
She never saw Edward Weevil as her real son.
Edward Weevil wasn't the product of love between her and Whitebeard.
He was just a tool, someone she had carefully crafted using Whitebeard's genes.
As Groom and his team took Miss Buckingham aboard their ship, they could still feel the violent tremors from the island, the earth and ocean rumbling from the ongoing battle.
The fight raged on for an entire day. Edward Weevil, blinded by rage, attacked with all his might, completely out of control. His sword was now only half its original size, his body covered in deep wounds.
He had lost half of his crescent-shaped beard and even one of his right eyes.
Blood soaked his entire body, and his hand trembled as he struggled to hold his sword.
But Edward Weevil kept muttering, "Mom... Mom," over and over again, still launching desperate attacks against Galen.
Galen, with only two minor wounds that were already healing, looked at Edward Weevil with neither joy nor sadness.
He could feel his strength continuing to grow, his stamina not waning but increasing due to his newfound power. With resolve, he declared,
"For justice!"
The next moment, a massive, golden sword appeared above the island, casting a shadow over the land.
Like an asteroid falling from the sky, the sword's tip glowed red as it sliced through the air, gaining heat and power as it descended.
Even before the enormous golden sword touched down, the sheer pressure it exerted caused a massive crater to form in the ground. At the very center of this expanding pit stood Edward Weevil, covered in blood and locked in place by the descending blade's immense power.
Weevil, gazing up at the colossal sword, showed neither fear nor hesitation. Clutching the broken remains of his weapon, he vainly tried to move towards Galen, muttering in a daze,
"Mom... Mommy... Mom is still waiting for me to save her..."
But there was no saving to be done. The force of the golden sword came crashing down, splitting the island in half and obliterating everything in its path. The ground shattered, burying all traces of filth, corruption, and evil deep into the unforgiving sea.
The sea, ever indifferent, swallowed everything—good and bad alike—offering one final salvation for those lost to its depths.
From a distance, aboard the rocking warship, Groom and his fellow Marines stared, their jaws slack in disbelief as half the island vanished beneath the massive sword. They had always known Galen was strong, but this level of strength was beyond their wildest imaginations.
Even Miss Buckingham, still bound like a pig and futilely struggling, fell silent as she watched the island and Weevil's familiar aura disappear.
Despite everything, Edward Weevil had just been a tool she had meticulously crafted.
Yet now that the tool was gone, why did Miss Buckingham suddenly feel so empty inside?
Was wealth truly everything?
For the first time, she found herself questioning it in silence.
Meanwhile, far away, Duke, the man who prized riches, felt a tinge of regret. Whitebeard II's head had been worth a whopping 480 million berries, but now that the Marines had slain him, no bounty could be collected.
After all, it was the Marines' duty to fight pirates, not profit from them.
Still, more than the lost bounty, Duke cared about Galen's well-being and future in the Marines. While he trusted in Galen's strength, Duke couldn't help but worry that if Whitebeard II had ascended in power, perhaps to the level of a Yonko like Luffy, things could have turned out much worse.
That's why Duke had dispatched Seti nearby, ready to jump in if Galen needed backup or if Miss Buckingham suddenly revealed hidden strength. Seti was prepared to help defeat Weevil or even kill Miss Buckingham, if needed. After all, Seti had a knack for dealing with women—young or old—with ruthless efficiency.
But none of that was necessary. Galen had leveled up during the fight, killing Whitebeard II effortlessly, without so much as a scratch.
Back at Navy Headquarters, chaos ensued. Sengoku was already grappling with news of Gangplank's possible recruitment by Big Mom and the arrival of many powerful figures from the West Blue. When he learned that Galen had killed Edward Weevil, he spat tea all over Garp in shock.
Garp, thoroughly confused, hadn't even processed what had happened before Sengoku shoved the latest intel in his face. Upon seeing the news himself, Garp's expression went slack with disbelief.
They had all wanted revenge for Zephyr but had never found the right opportunity—until now. With Galen's defeat of Weevil, his standing with the top brass of Navy Headquarters skyrocketed.
Sengoku, Garp, and countless others were close friends of Zephyr, and nearly all the Admirals and many high-ranking Marines were his students. Zephyr might not have been the strongest Admiral in raw power, but his legacy as a teacher and his influence within the Marines was unparalleled.
Now, with Galen's victory, his future within the Marines was limitless.
As for Duke, he didn't think much beyond Galen's next steps. His only goal? To see Galen rise to the rank of Admiral—or perhaps even Fleet Admiral—one day.