Chapter 324: Drake's Resolve

Drake sank into silence, resembling an orphaned soul wandering through a bustling, vibrant street where no sound could manage to pierce his numb, deadened interior.

Carrying Daolang into the inner hull of the Demon Warder, a wave of bitter regret washed over him. Why hadn't he retained a portion of the treasure to purchase a few extra Senzu Beans?

[Rest assured, he isn't dead yet. He's merely suffering from massive blood loss. If you bring him to Ain for treatment, there shouldn't be any major issues.] The System hurried to reassure him, secretly unnerved by Drake's current expression.

That look carried the terrifying weight of someone willing to burn away everything he had just to make the enemy pay the ultimate price.

It was identical to... to those previous hosts of its who had thrown away their lives in blind, impulsive rage.

The final outcome for all of them had been identical: absolute destruction and death.

Drake gave a faint, mechanical nod. With his Observation Haki, he could naturally perceive Daolang's present condition.

As long as emergency measures were applied swiftly, his life should be secure.

SWISH!

In an instant, Drake vanished into thin air, materializing high above the Red Line.

"Drake!"

His sudden appearance right before the Dragon Flag Pirates' crew brought a wave of relieved gasps, followed immediately by heavy, suffocating expressions.

They had witnessed the entire harrowing spectacle with their own eyes—that the terrifying entity opposing them possessed the face of Drake's mother, who had vanished twelve years ago, was a truth none of them could have anticipated.

"Ain! My... my father. I'm leaving him in your hands," Drake said, gently laying Daolang down before the doctor before rising slowly to his feet.

"I'm heading back in!"

BOOM!

With a concussive blast, Drake tore across the spatial coordinates, reappearing before Im in the blink of an eye.

A colossal spatial sword materialized instantly in his grip, cleaving downward from the heavens.

`[That's it! You must maintain overwhelming pressure to suppress her completely!]* the System shouted from within his mind.

[Remember, you cannot damage her physical vessel! If she is truly still alive, preserving her original body intact is mandatory, or you know damn well what the consequences will be.]

Brandishing an obsidian-black blade, Im threw herself into a desperate defense, throwing everything she had into blocking Drake's onslaught.

BOOM!

The descending strike sent mountainous tidal waves crashing across the open sea below.

"This..." The gathered armies atop the Red Line watched in utter astonishment, but what baffled them most was Drake's unfathomable mobility.

They had no way of tracking how Drake was shifting his position.

One second he was standing firmly upon the Red Line, and the next he was locked in a brutal clash out on the open ocean—it defied all common sense.

Yet Im appeared to have grown accustomed to Drake's spatial maneuvers. She showed no signs of panic, executing her parries with chilling composure.

"Is Daolang going to be alright?!" Members of the Red Hair Pirates swarmed forward anxiously, deeply concerned for Daolang's life.

They had witnessed the whole tragedy unfold. If Beckman hadn't physically restrained them, they would have charged into the fray to tear that monster to pieces long ago.

Even Beckman slowly relaxed his white-knuckled grip on his rifle handle.

Aside from Drake, it was doubtful anyone else alive possessed the combat capability to challenge Im on equal footing.

More critically, that mysterious entity was currently wearing the visage of Yunshang. Everyone present remembered the twelve-long years Daolang had spent imprisoned by grief, unable to move past her loss.

Meanwhile, Kaido and Big Mom had already ceased their skirmishing; their primary objective remained securing the final Road Poneglyph.

A rubbing of the script rested high above, and somewhere deep within Mary Geoise, that crimson slab of history was bound to be hidden.

Exchanging a glance, Kaido and Big Mom charged toward the rear districts of the Holy Land.

With the dark tempest dissipated, the devastation was laid bare before all eyes. Every defensive fortification had been pulverized into nothingness by the apocalyptic cataclysm.

A wasteland devoid of tactical deployment.

Yet the sacred palace grounds inhabited by the Celestial Dragons remained relatively intact.

It was safe to assume Im had done so intentionally to prevent the complete extinction of the World Government's ruling class.

After all, the Revolutionary Army's core crusade was dismantling the noble supremacy of the Celestial Dragons; if Im had accidentally wiped them out in a stray AOE attack, it might have complicated matters.

"Should we pursue them?" Beckman glanced at Shanks, who simply shook his head.

Hunting down that historical text would be no simple task anyway, and besides, they hadn't come here to start a war of conquest.

"We prepare to withdraw!" Katakuri's eyes glowed crimson, his brows deeply furrowed as he glanced toward Brulee standing nearby.

With Brulee's Mirror-Mirror fruit abilities, the Big Mom Pirates could execute an extraction at any moment, independent of external factors.

It served as a reliable contingency plan.

Suddenly, a solitary figure materialized directly in their path, accompanied by the sharp gleam of drawn steel as a vicious slash tore through the air.

BOOM!

Katakuri took a sharp step forward, driving a fist wreathed in advanced Armament Haki straight into the incoming blade pressure. The stone pavement shattered instantly as dense plumes of steam billowed from his fists.

"You're... the Big Mom Pirates?!"

Emerging from the dissipating smoke, Zoro stood with his signature Three-Sword Style unsheathed, purple light flickering fiercely in his eyes as he advanced toward them step by step.

"I heard... you guys gave our captain and crewmates quite a rough welcome back then!"

Zoro's gaze grew increasingly lethal. How could he possibly remain indifferent to everything that had transpired?

If they hadn't crossed paths, that would be one thing. But seeing the sheer agony and torment inflicted upon Luffy, how could he turn a blind eye now?

"You're Roronoa Zoro of the Straw Hat crew?" Katakuri's eyes narrowed slightly.

"A... A bounty of one billion, two hundred and thirty million Berries!" a crewman in the Big Mom Pirates stammered, staring in terror at Zoro's wanted poster.

"Yeah, that's me."

"How about we settle this with a match?" Katakuri offered coolly.

"Oh?" Zoro smirked, instantly exploding forward off the balls of his feet.

BANG!

Katakuri met him blow-for-blow, heavy Haki clashing violently.

"Huh? Where'd Zoro go?" The Straw Hats suddenly exchanged confused looks, realizing their swordsman had vanished without a trace.

"Did he get lost again?"

"Highly likely!"

"Ehh?!" Chopper shrieked in panic. Getting lost in the middle of a warzone was entirely too terrifying for his nerves.

"I swear, that guy is impossible," Nami sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead.

"Forget it, forget it. After all, it's Zoro—getting lost is just part of his natural ecosystem," Usopp waved off dismissively.

"Where the hell did that moss-head wander off to now?" Sanji muttered, hands shoved deep in his pockets as he strolled about, inspecting the surroundings.

Out on the sea, Drake followed up his spatial sword strike with a continuous barrage of heavy punches, executing an unyielding, unbroken chain of maximum-output offense without a single second of respite.

Initially, Im had taken him lightly, confident in her ability to deflect his moves easily. Yet after trading blows, she realized the terrifying reality.

Drake was fighting with total disregard for his own life, pouring his absolute physical and spiritual limits into every single strike.

Right now, a single thought echoed relentlessly in his mind: Only by denying her a single moment to breathe can I carve out a sliver of hope to save my mother.

He had given his promise to that man—to bring her back safely, no matter the cost, even if he had to push past the boundaries of death itself!