The approaching fist grew rapidly in Buggy's pupils. His expression changed drastically—he wanted to split apart to dodge, but they were already too close. It was too late.
Thud!
With a muffled thud, Buggy let out a miserable scream as his body flew upward like a kite with its string cut. He skidded across the ice, carving out a trench dozens of ters long, before his eyes rolled back and foam dribbled from his mouth.
He passed out on the spot.
Everyone who witnessed this—Marine and pirate alike—was stunned, minds going completely blank.
"H-H-How…?"
"A Warlord of the Sea was one-shotted… by a pirate who isn't even a division commander?!"
"So strong!"
A Marine Rear Admiral locked in battle nearby narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth.
"Damn it… Is this the depth of the world's strongest pirate crew, the Whitebeard Pirates' main force…"
Strong, my ass!
Blackbeard looked at the unconscious Buggy with near-tears in his eyes. Once he recovered from shock, he actually felt like cursing aloud.
He never planned to risk his life in this war—his plan was to hide in the back, slack off, and slip away the mont things looked bad.
But this idiot just had to co at him—
And he turned out to be THIS weak?!
He couldn't even survive one punch?
Just how did garbage like this beco a Shichibukai?!!
"Teach…"
16th Division Commander Izo happened to be nearby. He turned and gave Blackbeard a long, aningful look.
"Never thought it… You really were hiding your strength this deeply, huh?"
"Commander Izo! I-I can explain—!"
Teach reached out anxiously, but Izo was already caught up in a swarm of attacking Marine officers, forced to fight while withdrawing—no ti for Teach at all.
Teach glanced back toward the Moby Dick.
Whitebeard was standing there with his massive Naginata, eyes slightly narrowed, staring thoughtfully in Teach's direction…
Crap.
No matter how this war ends, there's no way he can keep lying low on Whitebeard's ship anymore.
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he beca. Teach angrily kicked the unconscious Buggy on the ground.
However—
Most mbers of the Whitebeard Pirates didn't have ti to think so deeply. Many beca fired up, raising their blades and rallying their comrades for another charge.
"Warlords of the Sea, ha ha! They're nothing special after all!"
"Keep charging, brothers! Break through their defenses and rush onto the plaza!"
…
Whitebeard had fourteen division commanders. Even though half were blocked by the Warlords of the Sea, seven still broke through the first defensive line and reached the border between the frozen bay and the plaza.
"They're about to tear open a gap."
Yamakaji, cigarette in mouth, narrowed his eyes at the advancing front.
"The Warlords can't stop all the Commanders. It's ti for us to step up."
"Indeed," said Momonga with a nod.
"Been waiting for this," Onigumo grinned fiercely, drawing his sword.
Beside them, Doberman, Dalmatian, Mozambia…
Nine Marine Vice Admirals in total bit down on their cigars and drew their blades in unison.
Then—
Swish! Swish! Swish!
A series of sharp wind-tearing sounds echoed out.
Eleven Vice Admirals used Soru simultaneously, sprinting in different directions to plug the gaps in the defensive line.
In an instant—
Around the entire Crescent Bay, battle cries rose to the heavens.
The fighting was chaotic, brutal, and evenly matched—no sign of either side yielding.
…
This ti, the Marine Headquarters deployed sixteen Vice Admirals to the war.
There were still five Vice Admirals who remained in the rear, unmoving.
Each had their own assigned duties. Until the defensive formation was completely broken or Sengoku issued a direct order, they were required to stay in place and hold their positions.
anwhile, the three Admiral Candidates—Kizaru, Gion, and Chaton—were designated as mobile forces in the battle plan. They could act freely and provide support wherever needed.
"Goodness… how terrifying…"
Watching the battle grow fiercer and fiercer, Kizaru stroked the stubble on his chin and clicked his tongue in a tone that sounded like he was talking to himself.
"As expected of Whitebeard's division commanders… one by one, they're monsters…"
Gion and Chaton, standing beside him, turned to glance his way but didn't bother responding.
"So that ans…"
Kizaru ignored their lack of reaction. He slowly shifted his gaze from the battlefield officers to the massive Moby Dick in the distance, mumbling leisurely:
"If we want to minimize losses, then we'll have to capture the king first to seize his subordinates..."
As soon as he said this—
Gion's expression remained calm.
But Chaton's face changed. He turned toward Kizaru, about to stop him—
—but a dazzling golden light erupted before his eyes, forcing him to squint.
When he glanced to the right again, Kizaru was already gone.
"Mr. Kizaru!"
Chaton quickly looked up toward the sky.
He could just make out Kizaru's transford, glowing body—like a golden laser beam—shooting across thousands of ters of sky, streaking straight toward the distant execution platform.
SWOOSH!
His speed was overwhelming. The air trembled in his wake, and the brilliant golden flash drew the attention of the entire battlefield, causing countless people to look up.
"So blinding..."
"Is that... Admiral Candidate Kizaru?"
Realizing the golden beam was heading toward the direction of the Moby Dick, many of the Whitebeard pirates were stunned for an instant, then their expressions drastically changed.
"Not good—he's going for the Moby Dick!"
"Damn it, is he trying to attack Pops?!"
"Stop him!"
Panic rippled through the pirates, but Kizaru's speed was simply too fast. Even those who wanted to take to the air couldn't catch up.
All they could do was watch helplessly as the golden light streaked overhead.
In just a heartbeat, Kizaru arrived at a point dozens of ters above the Moby Dick.
The light receded, and Kizaru's form solidified in midair.
Tilting his head slightly, he looked down at Whitebeard. Without even greeting him, he raised both arms, and from between his interlaced fingers—golden light began to gather.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
Chi! Chi!
With a low murmur, countless golden shots burst out like a brilliant fountain, endless and overwhelming. In an instant, half the sky shimred with a soft golden hue.
However—
Whitebeard only lifted his head and glanced up indifferently.
He then shifted his gaze back toward the battlefield, as if he hadn't even acknowledged Kizaru's existence.
Chi, Chi, Chi!
The Yasakani no Magatama rained down, closing the distance to Whitebeard—
—but just before reaching him—
A figure wreathed in eerie, deep-blue cold flas suddenly materialized in front of Whitebeard.
Its crossed, fla-wreathed wings ford a shield, blocking every single golden beam.
"Who the hell is that?!"
"He actually blocked Mr. Kizaru's Yasakani no Magatama?!"
Many Marines turned their shocked, bewildered gazes toward the scene.
In the next instant, the blue-fla wings unfolded, and the pineapple-haired, dead-fish–eyed man lifted his head.
"How could I..." Marco grinned. "Let a guy like you attack our 'King' right away?"
As he spoke, the holes in his body, which had been pierced by the Yasakani no Magatama, blazed with ferocious blue cold flas. In a mont, they were completely healed.
"First Division Commander, Marco…"
"He blocked Mr. Kizaru's attack so easily… As expected, this guy is on a whole different level than the other commanders!"
So Marines recognized Marco and their expressions changed, murmuring stiffly.
"In that case…"
"In that case,"
Kizaru raised an eyebrow, looking at Marco blocking his path.
"It seems the surprise attack failed, huh... Ugh, what a headache. A Mythical Zoan ability is rarer and more terrifying than a Logia..."
"It does hurt, you know," Marco smiled.
"Don't lie…"
Kizaru clicked his tongue and lifted his index finger, golden light sparkling at the tip.
But an instant later, he hesitated.
He lowered his finger—
and instead brought both palms together, forming the brilliant blade of the Ama-no-Murakumo sword.
"To deal with a troubleso guy like you, little probing attacks won't cut it."
Marco's expression turned solemn.
Kizaru, however, smiled pleasantly.
"As expected, when I make a move… I've got to do it at full power."
SWOOSH!
His body vanished from midair—
and in the next second appeared behind Marco, slashing horizontally toward Marco's neck!
"He changed?"
On the Admirals' platform, Nao's eyes flashed slightly.
In his mory of the original tiline, during the Marineford War, Kizaru had only exchanged a few casual blows with Marco, was knocked away, and then practically loafed around for the rest of the battle.
But now—
Kizaru's presence was sharp, focused, radiating power.
He was clearly fighting seriously—using his true abilities.
In this state, Marco wasn't a match for him.
At best, Marco could stall him briefly.
...
"It's ti."
On the ghost ship, Kaido turned his gaze away from the aerial battle above, speaking coldly.
"Securing a foothold is critical. Charge forward. Follow Whitebeard's n and break open a path."
"Yes, Lord Kaido!"
The Three Calamities behind him obeyed, leading their subordinates off the deck, plunging into the chaos along the blood-soaked route Whitebeard's forces had carved.
"Giant Unit, stop them!"
On the high platform, Sengoku narrowed his eyes and shouted.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!"
The eight Giant Vice Admirals had long been itching for action, watching the fierce battle.
They had only been waiting for this one command.
"Prepare to charge, brothers!"
A Giant Vice Admiral wearing an ancient steel mask raised his dual axes and roared:
"It's ti to support our comrades fighting ahead! Let Kaido's little pirates see the might of the Giants!"
The Marine possessed over a hundred adult giant warriors—each, by birthright, possessing monstrous physical power.
Every single one was at least equivalent to a Marine Headquarters Lieutenant Commander.
For this war, the Headquarters had selected only the most elite among them.
Now, in the southeastern section of the plaza, more than seventy fully grown, battle-hardened giants were gathered.
"Haah!!"
Dozens of giant Marine warriors roared in unison.
Then they marched together onto the frozen battlefield—an overwhelming force like a collapsing mountain flood, unstoppable and imnse.
Every step they took shook the ice violently, creating dense cracks across the frozen surface.
mbers of the Beasts Pirates were mostly tall and muscular—many even reaching five or six ters in height.
But in front of true adult giants…
What did that amount to?
"S–so many giants…"
Many Beasts Pirates stared at the charging Giants Unit, faces pale, feeling the tremors beneath their feet.
Cold sweat dripped down their backs.
So rookies who had only recently joined Kaido's crew trembled uncontrollably.
Before the giants even reached them, they were already stumbling aside in fear.
"Don't panic!"
"Aim for their legs! Focus fire!"
A few battle-hardened officers barked orders, trying to organize a counterattack.
But everything was too rushed.
They couldn't form an effective defensive line.
And surrounding Marine elite forces took advantage of the chaos, causing the Beasts Pirates' formation to collapse almost instantly.
"Useless trash."
King, who had almost reached the shore, looked back with a dark expression.
His black wings flared—
and he turned into a streak of black light, rushing back into battle.
On the other side, Queen and Sena exchanged a glance.
Without hesitation, both activated their Devil Fruit abilities, transforming into dinosaur forms!
One into a brachiosaurus,
and the other into a massive triceratops.
Both of them beca far larger than the giant warriors themselves.
They crashed through everything in their path—while King attacked from above—
and the eastern frontline shifted dramatically once again.
"Just the Giants alone won't hold off the Beasts Pirates."
Chaton bit his cigar and slowly shook his head.
"Mhm."
Gion nodded lightly.
This wasn't unexpected.
In theory, eight Vice Admirals working together could suppress the Three Calamities.
But although the Giant Vice Admirals held the sa rank, compared to veterans like Doberman or Yamakaji…
Their actual combat strength was noticeably lower.
"We have to step in and support them."
Chaton exhaled smoke.
"Gion, I'll take care of Plague Queen. That newcor King should be much easier to handle, so I'll leave him to you—"
"That's already my target."
Gion's face remained expressionless as her slender hand rested on her sword hilt.
"But you're wrong about one thing.
Nao told —
King is actually the strongest of the current Calamities.
Much stronger than the other two."
"Huh? Seriously? Then maybe I should—"
Chaton turned in shock, ready to say more—
But Gion had already activated her Float-Float Fruit.
She shot straight into the sky, drawing her sword Konpira as she sliced toward King!
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