Barton's last strike never landed.
Anthony's voice rang out, sharp and final,
"Six Styles Secret Art: Six King Gun - Exploding Bear!"
The impact ripped through Barton's chest, shattering bone, piercing his heart.
"Impossible…" Barton's eyes widened in disbelief as blood poured down his chest. His crimson domain flickered, then dissolved into nothingness. The towering pirate crumpled to his knees, his body no longer obeying him.
The great scourge of the New World, Blood Scythe Barton, was dead.
Anthony collapsed to the ground beside him, exhausted and bleeding, his breath ragged. Teach stretched with a groan, cracking his neck.
"Vice Admiral Anthony," he called, still grinning through the pain.
Anthony raised his head wearily. "What is it, pirate?"
Teach's expression sobered. "The New World hasn't even reached its most chaotic days. When that time comes, Marines won't have a foothold here. You've seen the truth yourself, the power that pirates wield." He turned, already walking away. "Think about what's most precious to you. Protect that."
Anthony said nothing. Only the faces of his wife and daughter came to mind.
He watched Teach's back disappear into the ruins. "What a terrifying brat…" Anthony muttered. Teach's final two moves burned in his memory.
Even at that age, he had surpassed many.
Anthony clenched his fist. Am I already growing old?
At dawn, the battlefield lay silent. Annie and the others rushed to the edge of the ruins as a familiar figure approached.
"It's Boss Teach!" Mobius shouted, eyes shining. "I knew he'd win!"
"Zehahahaha! My queen, I did not fail you!" Teach's booming laughter echoed as he strode forward.
"Teach, my dad...?" Annie asked anxiously.
Teach waved her worry away. "He's battered, but alive. No need for tears."
The war was over. The Blood Scythe Pirates were no more.
Yet joy was tempered by grief.
The Marines had lost half their thousand-strong force. Families wept in the streets. The island, scarred and smoldering, gathered in mourning.
The Blood Scythe survivors were hunted down, some by Marines, others by vengeful islanders and rival pirates. The crew that had terrorized the seas was erased in a single night.
But the victory was pyrrhic.
At Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Kong's face filled the Den Den Mushi.
"Well done, Anthony! You annihilated Barton and his entire crew. A great victory for justice!" His smile was rare, genuine. But then his tone hardened. "Anthony, return. You're too deep in the New World. We can't support you out there."
Anthony sat in silence. Sengoku, Garp, Tsuru, and others crowded around, their relief turning uneasy.
Finally, Anthony spoke: "I'm sorry, Fleet Admiral. I plan… to retire."
The room erupted.
"What?!" Sengoku leapt to his feet. "You're still young! You can't...!"
"I've served since I was thirteen," Anthony interrupted, voice calm but firm. "Thirty-two years in the Marines. Half a life dedicated to justice. I'm tired. I've guarded Seth Island for thirteen years, it's my home. From now on, I'll protect it as a man, not a Marine."
He closed the line.
Silence fell across the office. Sengoku's fists trembled as golden light began to flare across his body. Two Vice Admirals sneered from the corner.
"Selfish coward," one muttered. "Disregarding the Marines entirely."
"I say we dispatch forces to eliminate him..."
"Enough!" Sengoku roared. The table exploded under his fist as his Conqueror's Haki crushed the room. "The two of you, trash! You drove Anthony away with your incompetence and petty politics.
In my eyes, ten of you don't equal one Anthony!"
Fleet Admiral Kong intervened before Sengoku struck them down. "You two. New World duty. Two years. No excuses."
The Vice Admirals paled. The New World had already chewed them up once. To be thrown back in was a death sentence. But they dared not refuse.
Sengoku's fury slowly subsided, but the wound remained. The Marines had lost more than a Vice Admiral, they had lost the loyalty of an entire branch.
On Seth Island, the people gathered in candlelight vigils. Their voices rose not for the Marines but for Anthony.
"Lord Anthony!"
"Our protector!"
"Mayor Anthony!"
The title spread quickly. Anthony had become more than a soldier, he was their guardian, their leader.
At home, long after the crowds dispersed, Anthony finally pushed open the door of the dessert shop. The lights were still burning.
"Dad!" Annie leapt from the sofa, rushing into his arms.
"Anthony!" Fanny's tears fell as she wrapped both of them in an embrace. Anthony held them close, his smile weary but full. "I'm home. And I'm not leaving you again."
Far from the warmth of family, Teach trained alone under the moonlight. His body screamed from battle, but he laughed through the pain.
In the shadows, Mobius mimicked his every movement, wincing but refusing to stop.
By morning, the port was half rebuilt. Teach's small boat lay in splinters, destroyed during the battle, so he prepared to board a merchant ship heading for the next island.
"Teach, you must come back!" Annie waved, tears threatening.
"Zehahahaha! Of course! Next time, I'll return as a great pirate feared across the seas!"
He paused, turning back one last time. "Annie, remember the name you gave my future ship?"
"Huh?" She blinked.
"It's decided. My ship will be called the Queen Annie's Revenge! She'll thunder across the seas with me at her helm! Zehahahaha!"
Annie froze, then smiled despite her tears.
From the shadows, Anthony smoked quietly, listening.
"The Queen Annie's Revenge… I'll be waiting to see it."