"Hey, hey, hey... Isn't this a bit too much?"
Blackbeard looked up, his mouth still curled in a grin, but his eyes brimming with wariness.
Four Logia Devil Fruit Users... and all of them Marines?
Was he dreaming?
This wasn't some one-on-one duel between masters...
This was a large-scale battlefield with countless combatants!
In such a setting, the destructive potential of Logia abilities was amplified infinitely!
"Everyone, prepare for battle! We must break through their blockade!"
...
"The Cloud-Cloud Fruit, the Sand-Sand Fruit, the Smoke-Smoke Fruit... all excellent Logia abilities."
"And unless I'm mistaken, the last one to appear was the legendary strongest Logia... the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, right?"
Redfield looked up at the peculiar sight in the sky, his tone almost... admiring.
Yet his eyes remained utterly calm.
After all, those who came from their era... never placed too much importance on Logia-type Devil Fruits.
Beyond the fact that the strong all possessed formidable Haki...
More crucially, no truly renowned Logia users had emerged in those early years.
Instead, Paramecia-types had dominated the scene.
"Times change, Redfield," Bullet clenched his fist, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "In this era... every single Logia user... is a monster."
"Is that so?" Redfield nodded belatedly. "So that means... we've run into some tough opponents this time?"
"At the very least, those so-called allies of ours won't be enough to get past this," Bryndy World spread his hands and said.
"We'll have to step in ourselves."
...
"That's... the SWORD Forces!"
Gecko Moria stiffened, clearly not expecting the appearance of the SWORD Forces.
In his eyes, they hadn't leaked any information...
So how did these guys get wind of it?
If others only had superficial knowledge about the SWORD Forces, he knew far more details.
After all, as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, he had enjoyed a rather long honeymoon period with both the SWORD Forces and Michael.
So...
An involuntary thought of retreat rose in Gecko Moria's heart.
But the moment this thought emerged, Moria suddenly slapped himself hard across the face.
His crew members were startled.
What madness had seized their captain? The battle hadn't even started, and he was already slapping himself?
Was he getting off on it?
Yet after that self-inflicted slap, Moria's demeanor noticeably improved.
"Kishishishi, what was I even thinking?"
"To consider running away at a time like this?"
"Even that bastard Kaido isn't retreating! How could I shrink back now!"
"Men, arm yourselves! Bring out everything we've got!"
As soon as Moria finished speaking, the pirates on board all stared at him in shock.
"C-Captain, are we really bringing out that thing now?"
"Didn't you say we should only use it in life-or-death situations?"
Moria looked at his bewildered crew and gave a cold smile.
"Trust me... this is our greatest obstacle."
"Once we overcome this, the entire sea will be beneath our feet from this day forward!"
Hearing this, his loyal pirates exchanged silent glances before each retrieved a wax pill from various hiding spots.
Each pill bore Moria's emblem.
Inside every wax pill were several shadows...
The exact number had been adjusted by Moria based on each person's physical condition.
All maintained near their critical limits.
This would grant them combat power increases ranging from several times to dozens of times.
"But if we fight the Marines like this... it means we're voluntarily giving up our positions as Warlords."
"What are you talking about... After Michael was expelled by the Marines, the Seven Warlords system became completely meaningless in everything but name!"
Moria raised his ever-present greatsword and pointed it toward the distant sea.
"Right now, we're nothing but pure pirates!"
...
"What a bunch of clueless fools..." Wang Zhi sneered.
"Just a group of element-manipulating clowns! Against true mastery of Haki and physical combat, Logia users are nothing but trash!"
"R-Report, Captain! A ship has emerged from the sandstorm and clouds ahead!"
"A single ship?" Wang Zhi frowned. "Only one ship approaching us at a time like this? So Wano Country plans to defend their homeland, with a single ship?!"
"What should we do? Sink it immediately?"
"Put away your guns and cannons, lads!" Wang Zhi laughed heartily. "This battle can no longer be settled with gunpowder!"
As he spoke, his massive frame rose from his throne.
With a swing of his enormous sword, he bellowed.
"Since they haven't fired a warning shot and are sailing straight toward us, let's give them a chance to board us!"
"All hands, hear my order! Advance toward them!!"
Wang Zhi's fleet was second only to Kaido's Beasts Pirates in terms of sheer power.
During this surprise attack on Wano, Wang Zhi's fleet had been spearheading the vanguard.
As for Blackbeard's orders... Wang Zhi naturally scoffed at them.
If Kaido commanded, Wang Zhi might still comply out of old friendship and respect for Kaido's strength.
But Blackbeard?
Wang Zhi couldn't stop sneering.
'A traitor from the Whitebeard Pirates?'
'Who the hell do you think you are?'
'I, Wang Zhi, have decades of history with the "Old Man" you speak of!'
'Listening to him? Not a chance.'
Thus, Wang Zhi's fleet moved to encircle the unremarkable steel warship.
"You're brave—daring to provoke an entire fleet with just one ship!"
"State your names! I'll grant you the honor of challenging the King of Hachinosu!"
Wang Zhi's voice carried an arrogant tone.
After all, in his view... How many people could possibly be on a single ship?
Surely not every one of them could be among the strongest of the strong?
What kind of terrible luck would that require?
"How... tiresome."
A cold voice rang out from the unflagged steel warship.
The next moment, an absurdly massive Flying Slash tore through the air.
The two leading ships were instantly cleaved in half.