If, in the original story, the protagonist of the pirate side is Luffy, then on the Marine side, Koby is undoubtedly the protagonist.
After all, Koby's growth speed is outright cheating.
In the original work, he later even participated in the attempt to arrest Hancock. Whether he led the mission or not is another matter… but the point remains: his rise was meteoric.
And precisely because of that, Koby was one of the Marines Elior found the most irritating.
Originally, Elior could barely remember this minor character. But since Koby appeared right in front of him, Elior wasn't about to show mercy.
He sliced off Koby's head with one effortless motion. Blood spurted from his neck in a violent arc as the headless body stumbled forward, swayed, and then collapsed onto the ice.
A red pool began spreading quickly.
Even after losing his head, Koby's body trembled.
In Elior's hand, Koby's severed head stared wide-eyed, frozen in disbelief and agony.
In this world, people don't die instantly just because their head is removed.The stronger they are, the more stubbornly their life lingers.
This wasn't the world of Elior's previous life.
But after a few seconds, Koby's consciousness finally faded completely.
His last thought was simple:
He regretted ever approaching Elior.
"You mean to tell me Elior won't even spare a young Marine?!"
Tsuru screamed with fury. Her voice shook with grief.
Koby — dead like this.
His head torn off.
Elior smiled and tossed Koby's head toward her, letting it roll on the ice just twenty meters away.
"If you feel that strongly, you can keep it."
Elior's smile was pure and gentle — yet it looked more demonic than anything the Marines had ever seen.
Another roar erupted, along with a burst of white smoke — Smoker, now a Rear Admiral. He charged forward with his seastone jitte, face twisted with rage, moving at full speed.
Boom!
But Elior didn't even glance at him.
A blade of ice, coated in Armament Haki, appeared in Elior's left hand and pierced straight through Smoker's heart in one clean thrust.
Smoker's furious eyes went wide. His entire body froze mid-charge as the icy blade stopped him cold.
Agonizing pain tore through him. His life leaked away rapidly.
"Rear Admiral Smoker!"
"Smoker!"
"Damn it!"
Countless Marines roared in grief. Tsuru's heart clenched. She rushed forward and, when just two meters away, unleashed the full power of her Wash-Wash Fruit.
But an ice barrier rose instantly in front of Elior, blocking her ability entirely.
At the same moment, Elior pulled the ice blade out through Smoker's throat and, with a single casual swing, severed his head.
Blood sprayed into the air. Smoker's head rolled across the ice, completely separated.
"Still don't get it? You're insects. And insects die when they annoy me."
Elior stepped forward. His right leg shattered the ice barrier — and then crashed into Tsuru's abdomen with brutal force.
She was kicked more than a hundred meters away.
Elior had no intention of killing the old woman — but only because she was Gion's adoptive mother.
And Gion was the woman he cherished most.
If Tsuru died, Gion would be devastated.
Elior had compassion only for Gion — no one else.
Gion was, in Elior's eyes, the perfect wife.
All other women were mere amusement.
Gion, however… was different.
And she had asked him, many times, directly and indirectly:
"No matter what, please don't kill Tsuru."
She wasn't Tsuru's biological daughter.
As a five-year-old war orphan wandering the streets, she had been taken in by Tsuru — given a home and a future.
That was why Gion begged Elior not to kill Tsuru.
Elior was willing to spare her — for now.
But after the war, Gion would have to convince Tsuru.
If Tsuru refused and continued defying him, Elior wouldn't hesitate to finish the job.
After witnessing Smoker's death, Tsuru's heart cracked. To her, Smoker, Koby, and Hina represented the future of the Marine.
Now Koby and Smoker had been brutally slaughtered.
The emotional pain eclipsed any physical injury.
Tears fell.
For the first time, Tsuru hated herself for not being strong enough — just like the day Aokiji was killed by Elior.
If only she were stronger…
She crashed across the ice where Elior had kicked her.
Smoker's severed head and headless corpse lay motionless nearby, blood painting the ice red.
And once again, Elior rushed into the Marine ranks.
The Marines, furious yet trembling, recoiled instinctively.
They were not Admirals or legends.
How could they possibly stand against him?
Elior had killed three colossal figures today:
Shanks.
Garp.
Zephyr.
People trembled at the mere thought.
Even the troops of the Yonko Alliance felt a chill — grateful they weren't Elior's enemies.
Smoker's death shook countless Marines… including his adjutant Tashigi and his old classmate Hina.
Both women burned with fury — but neither dared to get close.
Elior was cruelty incarnate.
At that moment, Redfield was overpowering Black Viper.
The legendary monster of the old era — now restored to peak strength — completely outclassed Black Viper.
He pressed the Admiral into the ground, grinding him mercilessly.
Yet Black Viper's fruit was terrifyingly strange — even Redfield had to be cautious.
His ability could drain a person's lifespan, aging them instantly.
Even so, after fighting for so long, Black Viper was ragged and disheveled, his clothes shredded.
While Elior's battlefield was a massacre, the Marines had already lost two of its elite pillars…
But Black Viper only cared about killing Redfield.
He was determined — a man who would use any means, honorable or vile, to eliminate his target.
But just as he prepared to strike again—
Elior appeared behind him and slammed his head into the ice.
Boom!
The frozen ground exploded.
Elior stepped onto Black Viper's back, pinning him down. Then he seized Black Viper's long hair, yanked his head up, and smashed it into the ice.
Again.
And again.
Ten times in a row — each impact carving deeper craters into the frozen battlefield.
Black Viper's head didn't shatter, but he looked utterly disfigured.
The Admiral roared in fury.
"Elior! He's my opponent."
Redfield frowned, clearly displeased.
He was strong, but not overwhelmingly so — his battle with Black Viper was evenly matched.
"In a moment, I won't interfere when you go after Kong," Elior replied calmly.
"But this one? I'm dealing with him."
And Elior ignored the Redfield's irritation.
Black Viper's ability was troublesome — and Elior always prioritized eliminating the most dangerous abilities first.