"Such a foul mouth, that guy! Heheh~ So, what's your answer? Will you return to the fold?" Doflamingo smiled carelessly.
He had known the "Crocodile" had a rotten mouth ever since their Den Den Mushi conference call for the Seven Warlords Alliance.
"Return to the fold, huh…"
A ripple of emotion crossed Crocodile's otherwise contemptuous eyes, and he looked at Doflamingo with a deadpan expression.
"Fufufufufu~ Yes, the era dominated by these old-school pirates like Whitebeard is about to end!"
"Aeridar said the new era is about to dawn; in the future, the seas will belong to us! You know the power we control. After all, you were one of us! Don't you want a piece of the action?" Doflamingo stuck out his tongue, licking his lips.
"Wouldn't you say my offer is quite good?"
"Hmph."
Crocodile snorted, his face impassive, but he was clearly deep in thought.
After so many years of cooperation, he knew that while the alliance wasn't exactly ironclad, the combined power they wielded was formidable. Even with his arrogance, he had to seriously consider Doflamingo's words.
"Although you were stripped of your title, we still kept your position reserved. At the end of the day, you're still a Warlord," Doflamingo continued.
Originally, Doflamingo hadn't understood why Aeridar would keep Crocodile's position open even after his title was revoked. Now, it seemed like a brilliant move to recruit every possible strength before the coming of the new era.
Jozu, restrained by the strings of the String-String Fruit, frowned as he listened to their conversation. While angered by Doflamingo's talk of the 'end of the Whitebeard Era,' the underlying information was vast.
At the very least, these two individuals in front of him seemed to belong to the same organization, and even the man, Golden Ring Aeridar, appeared to be a member of their group.
What kind of organization was this? To have three powerful Warlords join it was truly shocking!
"Hmph~ Since that guy kept my position, I never said I was quitting!"
Crocodile said flatly, "However, what I choose to do is my business. You bastard, keep your nose out of my affairs!"
"Fufufufufu~ Don't misunderstand, Crocodile. I just wanted to confirm." Doflamingo flashed a wicked smile.
He then shifted his gaze to Jozu beneath his feet, his tone turning cold. "You've heard enough. It's time to send him on his way, wouldn't you say, Crocodile?!"
Crocodile's brow furrowed before relaxing. He said coldly, "Fine. Let's send him off properly."
"But afterward, I don't want to see the Marines getting all cheerful."
"Fufufufufu~ Suit yourself. We're allies, aren't we? Hahahahaha" Doflamingo roared with laughter.
"Desert Spada!"
Crocodile didn't waste any time. His arm turned into a sand blade, which he violently swung down toward Jozu.
Boom!
A massive sand blade swiftly shot out, crackling with purple arcs of electricity. It tore the ice ground and struck directly at Jozu's diamond body.
Zzzzzzzzz…
A grating, ear-shattering sound of cutting metal rang out, and Jozu was sent flying backward by the sand blade.
"Fufufufufu~ Goshikito!"
Doflamingo flew into the air, and before Jozu could regain his balance below, he swooped down.
He formed a claw with his five fingers and raised his arm. Simultaneously, five almost transparent, thin threads of string shot out from his fingertips, forming a rake-like shape, and descended rapidly onto Jozu's head, intending to pierce him from the crown.
"Damn it!"
Jozu didn't have time for any countermeasures. He could only turn his head, using his diamond-hardened neck to block the attack.
Facing a simultaneous assault from a former and a current Warlord, even Jozu was momentarily pushed onto the defensive.
Clang!
The strings scattered. Jozu only felt a numbness in his neck.
"Tsk tsk~ What hard defense!"
Doflamingo flipped in mid-air, shaking his head as he looked at the uninjured neck.
In truth, the five threads had managed to penetrate the diamond, but the diamond's hardness was so great that they only managed to scratch the surface.
Just then, a powerful, invisible slash quickly crossed the sky over Marineford. The very world seemed to change color for a moment, turning almost monochrome.
Crack!
A faint splitting sound.
A long crack appeared on a towering ice wall nearby.
CRASH!
In the next moment, the gigantic, mountain-like ice wall was practically cut in half. The narrow, airborne section immediately shattered, falling from the sky in pieces as big as houses.
"That was just one swing!"
"That mountain-like ice wall…"
"T-This is the power of the World's Strongest Swordsman?!"
"The ice is falling!"
Boom, boom, boom, boom…
The ground was a mess. Waves dozens of meters high were kicked up, and not a few people were caught in the blast and killed.
Aeridar rubbed his forehead and muttered, "Honestly, is it really necessary to go through all this trouble just for one Straw Hat Kid?"
To be honest, if Mihawk truly wanted to kill Luffy, he wouldn't need such an exaggerated display. It was clearly a performance for the Marines, a way of warning Whitebeard that if he didn't send someone to stop him, his favored Straw Hat Kid would die by Mihawk's sword.
Sure enough, 5th Division Commander Vista the Flower Sword moved out. With his signature rose petals swirling around him, he directly intercepted Mihawk. The two began a swordsmanship duel, with Mihawk finally having his hands full, diverting him from causing trouble for Luffy.
Beep, beep, beep, beep… Beep, beep, beep, beep…Shoo, shoo, shoo, shoo…Boom, crash, boom, crash…
Suddenly, a barrage of lasers struck the bay, continuously destroying several pirate ships.
Thump, thump, thump, thump… thump, thump, thump, thump…
From within the smoky dust, numerous large figures emerged into the view of the astonished pirates. Over twenty figures that bore a striking resemblance to Bartholomew Kuma.
They were the Marines' Pacifistas! The legendary human weapons!
"You bastards! We've been waiting a long time for this!"
Sentomaru, shouldering his large axe, spoke impatiently.
"What are those?"
"Why are there so many Bartholomew Kumas?"
The pirates at the bay entrance were utterly shocked and bewildered. What the hell was this?
The Pacifistas' bodies were incredibly tough, protected by a new type of super-alloy steel. Swords broke upon striking them, clubs shattered, and even cannon fire seemed useless. The surprise attack by the Pacifistas instantly put the Whitebeard Pirates on the back foot. While the Pacifistas weren't a match for the heavy-hitters, they were an overwhelming force against the weaker pirates.
The battlefield was pure chaos. Doflamingo and Crocodile were ganging up on Diamond Jozu. Flower Sword Vista was facing off against Mihawk. Marco in the sky was tying up Kizaru. Kuzan was attempting to strike Whitebeard directly but was intercepted by other commanders. Sakazuki, meanwhile, was nowhere to be seen.
Naturally, Aeridar wasn't idle either. Chinjao and Moria were fighting him with a seemingly endless, death-defying fury, and the three of them were locked in a tangled skirmish.
As for Hancock, she was "slacking off" on the sidelines, dealing with only small-fry, and her attacks often hit both friend and foe, causing the Marines a massive headache.