BOOM!!!
Little Oars Jr.'s abdomen instantly caved in. A dazzling white light erupted, and the paw-shaped air bomb suddenly expanded, enveloping an area of two to three hundred meters, destroying everything within its range.
The visible shockwave relentlessly tore up the ice surface, sending large chunks of broken ice flying. Countless people were swept away by the astonishing, hurricane-like blast of air. All eyes were fixed on the exploding white light.
When the compressed power within the air bomb was exhausted, a blood-soaked Little Oars Jr. appeared in the eyes of the onlookers, kneeling in a crater on the ice plain.
"Ace!"
Little Oars Jr. struggled to stand up.
"He can still move. What amazing tenacity!" Aeridar praised. "It seems this body, even larger than a Giant's, grants him the healthy constitution he deserves."
The power of Kuma's attack was formidable. For instance, if a Vice Admiral from Marine Headquarters had been hit by that technique, they would undoubtedly be killed on the spot, or at the very least, be utterly unable to stand.
However, Little Oars Jr. was truly a descendant of Oars the Continent Puller, possessing terrifying physical resilience.
As he struggled to his feet, Little Oars Jr. slowly began to walk forward, but his massive body became a perfect target, continuously bombarded by the Marines' shore defense cannons.
Boom, boom, boom, boom…
The cannon fire was continuous and deafening. Searing black cannonballs ruthlessly slammed into Little Oars Jr.'s body.
In his perfect condition, Little Oars Jr. might have been able to withstand the heavy shelling, but wounded by Kuma's attack, he could no longer endure the firepower of the large-caliber cannons.
Under the continuous bombardment of the shore defense cannons, Little Oars Jr. finally collapsed, stumbling forward.
"I have to take down at least one Warlord of the Sea!"
Little Oars Jr., forcing himself awake from a brief lapse into unconsciousness, suddenly planted his feet and threw a punch down at Doflamingo in front of him.
"Hmm?!"
The area above him darkened. Doflamingo looked up, watching the giant fist descend rapidly, completely blocking out the sun.
CRASH!
The shore embankment was instantly shattered. Air surged, dust scattered, and the stone-built embankment completely failed under Little Oars Jr.'s immense strength.
"Fuffuffufuhahahaha!"
Doflamingo laughed as he flew past Little Oars Jr.'s head. He hooked a finger, and a nearly invisible, crystalline thread sliced through the air.
At that moment, Little Oars Jr. felt something was wrong and involuntarily looked at his leg.
"What's wrong, Demon?" Doflamingo landed, his back to Little Oars Jr., his grin wide. "Fufufufufu~ How amusing. Hahahaha!"
THUD!
A severed right lower leg heavily hit the ground.
"My foot…"
A searing pain hit him. Little Oars Jr., having lost his right shin, half-knelt on the ice plain.
"Oars!"
Ace screamed hysterically from the execution platform.
As if he heard Ace's voice, the disoriented Oars looked toward Ace. He pushed his body into the port, one hand pressing against the Marineford plaza, the other reaching toward the execution platform.
"Just a little more!"
"Ace, just wait a little longer! Just a little more!"
Huff… Huff…
Little Oars Jr. struggled for breath, straining to reach Ace on the execution platform.
"Oi! Oi! Oi! Bastard! Are you ignoring me, Oars the Demon?"
Seeing Oars act this way, Aeridar wore a savage expression. He thrust his right hand forward in a palm strike.
"Impact Slash: Air Blade!"
Shing! Pshhhk!
The air shrieked with a tearing sound. An invisible air blade instantly pierced through Little Oars Jr.'s body, and blood splashed out.
THUD!
Little Oars Jr.'s body convulsed, and he crashed onto the plaza floor with a resounding boom.
"OARS!!"
Ace cried out in agony.
Aeridar's attack was far more potent than Moria's. In the anime, Little Oars Jr. could still move after being hit by Moria's Tsuno-Tokage, though that was due to the attack's excessive piercing power. But Aeridar was clearly on a completely different level from Moria.
"Oars!"
"Captain Oars!"
"Those bastards! Those Warlord bastards!"
The Whitebeard Pirates and Little Oars Jr.'s crew cried out in alarm.
"Oars…"
On the Moby Dick, Whitebeard was silent, like a volcano about to erupt.
Thud
"You're open! Whitebeard!"
Suddenly, a Giant Vice Admiral wearing a huge T-shaped metal mask leaped high from Whitebeard's flank, bringing his great axe down on Whitebeard.
Too bad. There was no way a mere Giant Vice Admiral could succeed against Whitebeard.
Clang! Smash!
Whitebeard shattered the axe in the Giant's hands with a single punch. Then, he grabbed the man's head with one hand and slammed it into the deck. Using his Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability, he instantly shattered the Giant's metal mask. At the same time, blood poured from the man's seven orifices; his brain had clearly been shaken to pieces.
"Vice Admiral Lonz!"
"T-That Marine Headquarters Giant was… defeated in a single blow!"
Seeing the massive body Whitebeard casually tossed aside, many Marines nearly peed themselves in terror. A Vice Admiral from Marine Headquarters, defeated with one blow—it was utterly terrifying!
"Oars…"
Whitebeard sighed, looking at the fallen Little Oars Jr. He then roared, "Advance, over Oars!"
Due to Little Oars Jr.'s massive body, another weakness appeared in the Marine's defensive line. Under Whitebeard's command, the pirates in the bay surged forward, rushing across Little Oars Jr.'s body and swarming into the Marineford plaza.
"You bastard, Aeridar! You actually… I'll never forgive you!" A man with a messy, dark-golden mane of hair angrily confronted Aeridar.
This man was of medium build, with a horseshoe mustache, wearing a dark-yellow coat with a green lining over an open shirt and a green undershirt. He had a red pirate sash tied around his waist and a yellow bandana on his head bearing the Whitebeard Pirates' mark. He closely resembled Captain Jack from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies of a past life. His weapon was a flail.
"Heh heh heh heh~ Whitebeard Pirates 7th Division Commander, Rakuyo." Aeridar let out a cold laugh, disdainfully saying, "To dare challenge me… I don't know if you're fearless or if the name of Whitebeard has just addled your brain."
As a Whitebeard Pirates commander, his strength was not to be underestimated. But in Aeridar's eyes, only the top five commanders were worth his notice. A mere 7th Division Commander was too weak!
"Bastard!"
Rakuyo was furious. He loudly swung his flail forward. The heavy metal ball whistled through the air, heading straight for Aeridar's head.
Pop~
In an instant, Aeridar vanished into thin air. The incoming flail struck empty space.
"Where is he?"
Rakuyo was momentarily stunned.
But at that moment, Aeridar appeared ghost-like behind him. He grabbed Rakuyo's head with one hand and BAM! slammed it hard into the ground. The immense force shattered the brick ground, burying Rakuyo's head within it.
The impact stunned Rakuyo, his head ringing loudly.