"You shouldn't lose focus in battle, old woman!" At that moment, Redfield sneered coldly and struck the distracted Tsuru with a palm, sending her flying.
The death of Black Viper was already difficult for Tsuru to accept, and now, Marine had once again lost an Admiral. No matter how one looked at it, this was a devastating blow to the entire Marine. Garp, Zephyr, Ryokugyu... one top-tier combatant after another had fallen in battle. Tsuru had no doubt that she herself might die here today.
Meanwhile, the Marine's mid and lower-ranking forces had suffered catastrophic losses. On the other hand, the Three Yonko Alliance, commanded by Elior, was completely unstoppable. Their morale was soaring. Aside from injuries, the alliance's top combatants had suffered no fatalities. The reason was simple: Elior was too powerful. He was so overwhelmingly powerful that he alone had consumed the Marine's highest combat strength. If Elior did not possess such terrifying power, this war would never have become so disastrous for the Marines.
The war was not yet over, but the balance of victory had already tilted decisively toward Elior. It was impossible for Tsuru not to lose her composure. Her strength was not at the level of an Admiral, and due to her advanced age, it had already declined. Tsuru was a strategist, the brain of the Marine, not a frontline combatant. Among the so-called Iron Triangle of the Marine, Tsuru, Garp, and Sengoku, it had always been Garp and Sengoku who carried the burden of direct combat.
In this world, no matter how capable women might be, very few could rival men in pure combat power. Monsters like Big Mom were exceptions, and truly powerful women were extremely rare. Now that Redfield had returned to his peak, Tsuru was no match for him at all. The only reason Redfield had not killed her was because Elior had quietly instructed him not to. This old woman was the elder sister of one of Elior's women. Thinking about it, it was rather interesting.
Redfield had also noticed the woman known as an Admiral candidate. That woman was Gion. She appeared to be in her thirties or forties, and yet Elior wasn't even twenty. Among all the women present, Gion was undoubtedly the most beautiful. More importantly, she was Elior's subordinate. Redfield did not dwell on their relationship. A man as aloof as Redfield had no interest in women whatsoever. Instead, his attention shifted to another Admiral candidate: Tokikake.
At that moment, Tokikake had transformed into a colossal ape. Standing nearly sixteen meters tall, his entire body was covered in golden fur. He possessed the Ancient Zoan, Monkey-Monkey Fruit, Model: Golden Ape. The ape Tokikake transformed into was a species Redfield had never seen before. Worthy of being an Ancient Zoan, its defensive power and regenerative abilities were astonishing.
Redfield gripped the sword in his hand and charged forward. His swordsmanship had long reached the realm of a Great Swordsman. The blade he wielded was one of the Twelve Supreme Grade Swords, Thunder Shadow. Any Supreme Grade Sword was among the most powerful weapons in the world, and anyone capable of wielding one was, without exception, a renowned monster.
"A body this large only makes things easier for me." Redfield snorted coldly. His blade flashed. Two massive white slashes crossed through the air, forming a devastating X-shaped attack. The violent slash struck the abdomen of the golden ape head-on. Blood sprayed everywhere. Tokikake screamed in agony and was sent flying.
"Another one losing focus," Redfield said disdainfully. "Do you have a death wish?"
Elsewhere on the battlefield, the death of Ryokugyu caused Akainu, Sengoku, and the others to falter for several seconds, and those few seconds cost them dearly. Tsuru, who had been blasted away by Redfield, crashed down not far from Gion. The moment Tsuru saw her, her heart clenched. Top-tier fighters were falling one after another, and fear inevitably took hold. She was terrified that something might happen to Gion.
Gion was the one Tsuru had practically raised herself. Now, she was beautiful, powerful, and standing at the forefront of the battlefield. The devilish Elior had already captured three beauties from Marine, and only Gion remained. Tsuru had no doubt that Gion would be next. If she fell into Elior's hands, Tsuru couldn't even imagine the consequences. She didn't care if she herself died, but what she feared most was harm coming to other Marines, especially Gion, whom she regarded as her own sister.
But perhaps Elior wouldn't even spare Gion. Perhaps she would be killed, just like the others. Fear pounded violently in Tsuru's chest. She understood now that Marine was no match for the Three Yonko Alliance. This war had been wrong from the very beginning. The Marine had no chance of victory unless Elior was killed.
But was that even possible? Tsuru looked despairingly toward Elior in the distance. He was a young man, calm and composed. Who could have imagined that he had been born only months ago? And yet, in less than half a year, he had grown into such a terrifying existence. No one dared to imagine it.
"Sister Tsuru..." Gion looked at her. "Sister Tsuru, don't attack him. Don't provoke Elior."
Gion helped Tsuru to her feet. Tsuru couldn't hold back her tears. The ice ahead was littered with the corpses of Marines, pirates, and the Germa army. The air was thick with the stench of blood.
"A demon beyond our strength. When this darkness completely envelops the world, will it be even more desperate than the era ruled by the Celestial Dragons?" Tsuru murmured softly to herself.
Gion heard every word but remained silent. Elior was her man. No matter what Elior did, she would support him. As for Elior sparing Tsuru's life, that was already the absolute limit. Gion held a high position in Elior's heart, but not to the extent that he would grant any request. Elior's only condition was simple: as long as that old woman did not interfere with him, she would live. Otherwise, she would be killed without mercy.
On the other side of the battlefield, Elior finally made his move. Bullet's killing of Ryokugyu had genuinely surprised him. He had originally expected to act personally and hadn't anticipated that Bullet would be this overwhelming. However, Elior still needed to plunder a Special Paramecia ability and the power of the Wood-Wood Fruit. Thus, Elior appeared instantly beside Ryokugyu's corpse.
Devil Fruit powers were closely tied to the heart. Even though Ryokugyu's head was gone, it didn't matter.