Former Fleet Admiral, Sengoku, was dead. However, aside from Kaido and Elior, no one immediately realized that Sengoku had already died in the depths of that massive crater. As time passed, unease spread rapidly among the Marines. Sengoku, Akainu, and the other high-ranking officers were the spiritual pillars of countless Marines. If something truly happened to them, the Navy would completely lose its backbone.
On the battlefield, Elior straightened up and walked forward calmly, with Kaido following closely behind him.
"Too much consumption this time," Elior silently assessed his own condition. From the moment he fought Shanks until now, Elior had been fighting at full output for over four hours straight, slaughtering multiple top-tier combatants. This was without question the greatest expenditure of stamina and power he had ever endured. Among everyone present, Elior was undoubtedly the one who had consumed the most.
A quick battle was always the best option: overwhelming force, decisive blows, and sending the enemy straight to hell. Now that Sengoku was dead, there was one less enemy to worry about. At Marine, Elior was now fearless. Even if he stood still and allowed them to attack, they would no longer pose any real threat.
What truly worried Elior was the possibility of the World Government intervening. If the World Government dispatched its true experts, the situation would become extremely dangerous. Most of the World Government's hidden masters were tied to the Celestial Dragons, existences at or near Admiral level. This was not to mention the mysterious weapons, the so-called immortal monster, and the even more terrifying presence: Imu. That was what Elior truly feared.
It was impossible to say whether the World Government would send reinforcements this time. Because of that, Elior had always pushed for a swift victory and a fight to the death.
"You... just what kind of monster are you?" Kaido, walking behind Elior, couldn't help asking. "You're completely uninjured, yet you killed Garp and the others."
Elior's upper body was bare. His skin was fair, almost flawless, but his muscle definition was perfect, with every line seemingly packed with explosive power. After countless brutal battles, Elior had faced the strongest enemies on the battlefield head-on. Yet now, there wasn't a single visible wound on his body. That fact alone shocked Kaido. Kaido himself looked fine on the surface, but his internal injuries were severe, and that was only because his defense was monstrous. As for Elior, he looked like he had delicate skin and flesh.
Elior replied calmly, "Is that strange? Could those Vice Admirals really injure me?"
"Vice Admirals? Ants." Kaido shook his head, then suddenly understood. To Elior, Garp and the others were no different from how Kaido viewed Vice Admirals. Which meant Elior was vastly stronger than them. Kaido felt his scalp go numb. Elior was terrifying. Fortunately, he wasn't an enemy. If he were, Kaido knew he would've been crushed into nothingness.
After what he had witnessed today, Kaido also realized something else: Elior had a habit of personally taking the heads of his enemies, such as Red-Hair and Black Viper. Kaido couldn't help but subconsciously think about his own head.
"Still... if Yamato can tie herself to this guy, he'll end up calling me father-in-law eventually!" Kaido smirked internally, forming one of his rare, ridiculous schemes. Of course, Elior would never acknowledge that. To him, Yamato was merely a maid, a battlefield maid, or a special combat maid.
"Elior is coming out!"
"And Kaido's with him!"
The crowd erupted. Then the question rose: where was Sengoku? Many Marines felt a terrible chill crawl up their spines. Earlier, Sengoku had been smashed by Kaido's thunder-wreathed kanabo. Now more than ten minutes had passed, and Sengoku still hadn't reappeared.
"Sengoku..." A Marine's legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed. They understood: Sengoku was dead. Elior would never let him live. Kizaru, Akainu, and Fujitora understood as well. Sengoku's presence and his Haki were gone. Completely gone. Which meant only one thing: Sengoku was dead.
Yet the war itself continued unabated. Casualties kept rising. The shattered ice fields were stained red with blood. Corpses and severed limbs were scattered everywhere, and the air was thick with an overwhelming stench of gore. Wails of agony echoed endlessly.
Akainu's expression was ice-cold. His injuries were already severe, and his battle with Big Mom was ferocious beyond measure. As time passed, horrific burn marks appeared all over Big Mom's massive body. Even the so-called Iron Balloon couldn't escape injury in a battle of this level. But Big Mom didn't fear it. On the contrary, victory was within reach. Her excitement only grew as she fought, just like Kaido.
Akainu grew increasingly irritable. "Sengoku..."
Though they had never gotten along, Akainu felt a deep, bitter ache in his chest. But there was no time to grieve. Big Mom was still in front of him, and she was even more monstrous. Driven by hatred for Elior, Akainu unleashed Hell Hound, blasting Big Mom away. Zeus was nearly destroyed in the process.
But when Akainu turned his gaze, Kaido was already charging straight toward him. Kaido, who had long despised Akainu, attacked without hesitation.
"Akainu! I'll take your life!" Kaido unleashed Boro Breath. Akainu responded with another massive Hell Hound. The two attacks collided, evenly matched. Lava sprayed everywhere, melting the ice beneath them.
As for Elior, he was sitting casually atop a mound of corpses. No one dared approach him. No one even dared smile.
Big Mom, having been knocked away earlier, hadn't expected Kaido to intervene. The moment she recovered, she charged back in. Napoleon transformed into a gigantic blade and slashed downward. Akainu barely managed to defend, but now he was facing both Kaido and Big Mom. It was a two-on-one.
The battle instantly escalated into a nightmare. Fighting one Yonko was already hell; now he faced two. Defeat was inevitable. Akainu stood barely three meters tall. Big Mom towered over eight meters, and Kaido exceeded ten. Akainu was facing two monsters with a mortal body. Even from afar, the sight made countless people tremble in terror.