Chapter 204: Everyone Takes Action
CRASH!
Towering tsunami waves surrounded Marine Headquarters from both sides—as if sea and sky had inverted—terrorizing countless onlookers. Some Marines were paralyzed with fear, their bodies going limp.
If waves of this magnitude actually crashed down, likely every Marine below Vice Admiral rank would be instantly obliterated.
This was the power of the Yonko—Edward Newgate, Whitebeard, the World's Strongest Man!
"Indeed..."
Rhodes sighed as he observed this spectacle. It wasn't merely the power of the Gura Gura no Mi, but also Whitebeard's overwhelming presence and mastery.
Rhodes didn't believe the Tremor-Tremor Fruit hadn't existed before Whitebeard, yet there was only one man in history who'd wielded it to this degree—which explained everything.
At the peak of the waves, just as they seemed poised to engulf Marine Headquarters entirely, Aokiji suddenly moved from beneath the execution platform.
Whoosh!
Aokiji, his expression frigid, flashed into the air between the tsunamis.
Then he generated irregular white ice lances in each hand, thrusting them into the towering waves from either side.
"Ice Age!"
In an instant, terrifying freezing power spread like an unstoppable plague, transforming the sky-covering tsunamis into two mountain-sized ice walls standing sentinel on either flank.
"This is... the power of a Marine Admiral!"
The Marines recovered from their shock, expressions filling with awe and renewed determination, their morale surging dramatically.
"Aokiji, you brat." Whitebeard chuckled, observing the figure suspended in midair, his eyes full of disdain, seemingly unconcerned by the development.
Aokiji met his gaze without flinching, simultaneously conjuring several ice spears in the air and hurling them toward Whitebeard.
"Ice Block: Partisan!"
Whitebeard's lips curled into a smile as he sidestepped casually, then punched the air beside him.
CRACK!
With a deafening boom, the atmosphere shattered instantly, and terrifying shockwaves radiated outward, pulverizing the ice spears and reaching Aokiji's position in the sky.
"Ara ara..."
Aokiji evaded the attack by transforming into his elemental form, then deliberately plunged toward the sea below.
Just before impact, Aokiji unleashed a burst of freezing power, solidifying the surface where he landed.
This freezing energy spread rapidly, instantly transforming the entire harbor into solid ice, preventing the Whitebeard Pirates from advancing by ship.
Seeing this, Rhodes knew the most brutal close-quarters combat was about to commence.
Although Whitebeard had used tactics to penetrate directly into the harbor, Aokiji single-handedly prevented the Whitebeard Pirates from charging straight onto the plaza, allowing the cannons deployed throughout the bay to continue operating.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Under the control of Marine gunners, the heavy cannons positioned around the harbor swiveled their barrels, unleashing devastating barrages upon the Whitebeard Pirates.
These heavy cannons possessed incredible destructive power—a direct hit could threaten even pirates with bounties exceeding one hundred million berries.
However, their accuracy was poor; the occasional successful strikes were easily deflected by the Whitebeard Pirates' division commanders.
Flashes of fire and billowing smoke filled the frozen harbor.
Under this relentless bombardment, the Whitebeard Pirates were forced to abandon their ships and charge forward on foot.
"Yeah! I'll lead the charge!"
"Let Marine Headquarters witness our strength!"
The Whitebeard Pirates' commanders and crew members leaped from their vessels, charging toward the Marine forces.
"Fire! Keep firing!"
Faced with the enemy's assault, the Marines showed no intention of engaging in immediate close combat. They deployed only a small contingent of elite Marines to hold the line while heavy cannons continuously spewed fire, gradually depleting the enemy's numbers.
Among the charging Marines, Rhodes spotted Tashigi, Smoker, Tina, and others. Tashigi remained as relatively weak as ever—without Smoker protecting her, she would likely have fallen already.
Of course, Rhodes kept her locked within his Observation Haki's range, ensuring her safety.
I wonder where Ain and Zephyr are right now?
Rhodes's eyes flickered as he thought of them—perhaps they weren't even participating in this war.
Meanwhile, the Whitebeard Pirates began returning artillery fire. Though their numbers were far fewer than the Navy's, the Marines' dense formation made their counterfire devastatingly effective.
Therefore, the Navy was forced to deploy Vice Admirals for defensive purposes.
"Vice Admirals..."
Observing the giant Vice Admirals and countless other Marine officers of that rank, Rhodes's eyes gleamed slightly, fighting spirit stirring within him.
On such a vast battlefield, the weak would feel terror, trembling and lost.
But the strong would only feel their hearts and blood boiling with battle lust.
"If I remember correctly, the Whitebeard Pirates have several powerful swordsmen who've mastered various sword techniques—fire, lightning, even flower petals."
Gazing across the distant battlefield, Rhodes's eyes flickered as he searched for suitable opponents.
Just then, Navy and pirates finally clashed. In an instant, blades flashed and shadows danced—men fell one after another, blood spilling and staining the ice crimson.
Some unfortunate combatants were struck by errant cannon fire, their bodies instantly obliterated, flesh and blood spraying everywhere.
This was a true battlefield—a genuine war zone where corpses littered the ground and the stench of blood permeated the air, presenting a horrific tableau.
Before Rhodes could identify a suitable opponent, he suddenly sensed an incredibly powerful sword intent emanating from his side.
"Hawkeye?"
Observing his movements, Rhodes instantly understood what the man intended, and anticipation appeared on his face.
The World's Greatest Swordsman.
Perfect—he could gauge how far his swordsmanship lagged behind this legendary figure.
"I just want to measure the distance between that man and ourselves."
With that declaration, Hawkeye drew his black blade, Yoru, and slashed downward with tremendous force.
WHOOSH!
Nothing could adequately describe the sharpness of this strike!
This slash seemed to cleave heaven and earth in two—countless eyes filled only with a magnificent emerald sword wave.
The sword energy sliced through the incredibly dense ice as easily as a heated knife through butter.
In an instant, it reached Whitebeard's position, seemingly poised to cleave the Moby Dick in two.
"The World's Greatest Swordsman's strike!"
The entire arena held its collective breath, and the pirates all looked toward Whitebeard, worry flickering in their eyes.
But Whitebeard merely smiled—a domineering, arrogant smile playing across his lips. He wasn't concerned about the attack whatsoever, because he trusted his family implicitly.
Sure enough—
In the next instant, Rhodes witnessed a figure radiating brilliant light rush toward the emerald sword energy.
BOOM!
When the sword wave collided with the figure, a terrifying shockwave erupted, shaking the entire battlefield.
"HAH!"
With a roaring battle cry, Hawkeye's strike was abruptly deflected, slashing toward the sky and cleaving through a massive iceberg on the perimeter.
"That kind of power and technique..." Hancock murmured in genuine admiration.
Jozu's ability to block Hawkeye's strike wasn't solely due to the extraordinary defensive properties granted by the Kira Kira no Mi—the Diamond-Diamond Fruit.
The crucial factor was his own incredibly refined martial arts technique, which redirected Hawkeye's world-class slash in another direction rather than absorbing it head-on.
"That slash..."
Rhodes knew the outcome beforehand, so he focused entirely on Hawkeye, attempting to uncover some secrets of a Great Swordsman's technique.
But he couldn't detect anything unusual.
Perhaps Hawkeye's mental state was too stable, concealing everything perfectly—even a casual slash constituted a full-power attack for him.
Returning to simplicity? Unity of man and blade?
Rhodes pondered silently. Everyone's path to becoming a master swordsman differed, and he could only explore it gradually through his own journey.
Or perhaps it's this level of sword intent—almost tangible, nearly affecting physical reality?
He observed the ground beneath Hawkeye's feet, noting subtle tearing marks in the ice, his eyes flickering with uncertainty.
Vice Admiral Momonga and Hawkeye possessed similar sword intent—both amplifying their slashes—but their strength levels were incomparable, differing by orders of magnitude.
Momonga's sword intent existed primarily in the mental realm, at most making ordinary people feel vaguely uneasy.
But Hawkeye's sword intent alone was potent enough to injure people invisibly, affecting the physical world.
This was like comparing ordinary Conqueror's Haki to Shanks's Conqueror's Haki—they existed in entirely different leagues.
(End of Chapter)
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+10 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Review!
P*atreon/Soulforger (30+ advanced chapters)
Buy me coffee - ko-fi*com/soulforger01