The battlefield had completely turned into a meat grinder.
At the center of the plaza, Blackbeard, who had stolen Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability, stood atop the ruins. The moment his palms pressed against the ground, the entire island trembled violently, cracks spreading like spiderwebs.
Behind him, his pirate crew clashed with Sengoku and Garp. The golden giant Buddha form of Fleet Admiral Sengoku flickered in and out of the smoke and dust, the thunderous impacts of his fists intertwining with Blackbeard's maniacal laughter.
Garp's fists, clad in Armament Haki, shattered the ground with every strike, yet Blackbeard withstood them using his dual Devil Fruit abilities. The airwaves from their close-quarters battle sent debris flying in all directions.
On the ice, Aokiji's freezing aura and Kizaru's lasers wove a deadly net.
Aokiji glided across the ice, leaving walls of frost in his wake, sealing off the Whitebeard Pirates' retreat layer by layer. Kizaru, transformed into a streak of golden light, darted between them, his laser beams precisely targeting every pirate attempting to break through. Together with the endless waves of Marines and PX Robots, they pushed the remaining pirates toward the edge of the cliff.
The ice was stained crimson, screams rising one after another.
Amid the chaos, Buggy, utilizing his Chop-Chop Ability, carried the unconscious Jimbei and Luffy, scrambling desperately through the barrage of cannon fire. By sheer luck, Trafalgar Law's submarine broke through the ice and surfaced nearby.
Meanwhile, on another stretch of the frozen battlefield, Bahr and Akainu's battle had reached its climax. Every clash between the Black Sword Autumn Water and Akainu's Magma Fists erupted in a shower of sparks and steam.
Bahr moved like a ghost through the gaps in the magma, his blade strikes cunning and precise. Akainu, like a walking volcano, melted the ice and shattered the earth with every punch, determined to reduce the "Blasphemer" before him to ashes.
"Clang—!"
The Black Blade and the magma fist collided with tremendous force, instantly shattering the ice beneath their feet and creating a crater dozens of feet wide.
Bahr used the recoil to leap backward, while Akainu was forced half a step back by the Blade Aura, a shallow cut now visible on his magma-covered face.
Shaking his slightly numb wrist, Bahr looked at Akainu, whose aura remained as ferocious as ever, and curled his lips into a complicated smile. "Not bad. No wonder you hold the rank of Admiral."
Even after being beaten bloody by Whitebeard, he still had this much strength—truly befitting a veteran Admiral.
Akainu snorted, magma once again gathering around his fists, the heat distorting the air around him. "Die!"
Just as the two were about to clash again, a figure suddenly stumbled between them from the side. Wearing a Marine recruit uniform, his face streaked with tears and dirt—it was Koby.
"E-enough!" Koby sobbed, his voice cracking but resolute as he spread his arms wide. "Stop fighting! The war has gone on long enough! Too many people are bleeding!"
Bahr frowned at the pink-haired recruit blocking his path, his eyes flashing with undisguised disdain.
Wasn't this the "King of Deserters" who had been paralyzed with fear during the Summit War?
Koby, oblivious to Bahr's gaze, continued shouting hoarsely at Akainu and Bahr, his voice breaking with emotion. "We've already achieved our goal! Why must this continue? How many more have to die? Stop this! End the war!"
Bahr sneered at these words, a mocking curve lifting the corner of his mouth.
From the perspective of so-called morality and humanity, stopping the slaughter might seem right—but this was war, a battlefield of life and death!
As a Marine, didn't Koby understand that exterminating pirates was their duty? Their side had suffered heavy casualties, true, but letting these ruthless pirates escape would only bring more suffering to civilians.
Using "Marine lives matter" as an excuse was pathetic. Once you put on this uniform, you should understand the responsibility it carries. If you can't uphold that duty, why even become a soldier in the first place?
He didn't even grasp the principle of striking a drowning dog, yet he dared to spout nonsense here. As a soldier, he was utterly unqualified.
Moreover, disrupting the momentum of battle at such a critical moment was practically handing the enemy a knife. If the pirates regained their footing and counterattacked, it would only lead to more Marine deaths.
For that alone, Koby's actions were no different from betrayal on the battlefield.
Did he really expect these blood-soaked pirates to show humanity? That was just plain stupidity!
In chaotic times, the most dangerous thing was this kind of naive bleeding-heart mentality. The battlefield was even less forgiving than the chaos of the world. Someone like Koby, who only got in the way, should be the first to be cleared out.
How laughable—that a trembling "deserter" like him could be seen as the future of the Marines?
Then again, he'd make a perfect future Fleet Admiral. After all, this obedient, naive fool was exactly the kind of puppet the Celestial Dragons would love to prop up on stage.
Just as Bahr was thinking this, he noticed Akainu's face darkening like storm clouds, magma-like fury boiling in his eyes. Clearly, Koby's words had enraged him completely.
His smoking fist slowly rose, aimed squarely at Koby, who stood in his way. The intent was unmistakable—to crush this reckless rookie and his naivety into dust.
Bahr raised an eyebrow, making no move to intervene.
Akainu might be insufferable, but when it came to dealing with idiots who disrupted the battlefield, he wasn't wrong.
Besides, at this moment… Bahr's instincts suddenly flared. He sensed an overwhelmingly powerful presence approaching rapidly from afar—steady, domineering, and radiating undeniable pressure that seemed to freeze the very air of the battlefield.
Sure enough, just as Akainu's fist was about to strike Koby, a figure appeared as if from thin air, shielding the young Marine.
With a sharp metallic screech, an ancient-looking sword blocked Akainu's fist, its blade gleaming coldly in the firelight—Griffin.
The edge held firm against the magma fist capable of incinerating everything. No matter how much force Akainu exerted, the magma couldn't advance past the blade. Drops of molten rock sizzled against the steel, instantly vaporizing into white smoke.
"One after another, all of you just love getting in my way, don't you?" Akainu's voice was icy, his gaze sharp as a blade, locked onto the figure who had suddenly appeared.
But when he finally saw the man's face, a bead of sweat unconsciously formed on his forehead, and his clenched fist faltered slightly.
Bahr's eyes also settled on the newcomer—a black coat billowing in the smoke, a familiar scar etched across his face. It was none other than Red-Haired Shanks.
He was inwardly startled. The aura emanating from Red Hair was far more unfathomable than the rumors suggested—a majesty tempered through countless battles, incomparable to ordinary powerhouses.
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