Kizaru's face was unusually serious, his body glowing with radiant yellow light.
"What a troublesome brat… I'll send you straight to hell!"
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
A swarm of light bullets materialized in the air around him, each blazing like miniature suns. At his command, they streaked forward at light speed, raining down toward Ashveil.
Beside him, a chilling sound resonated. Aokiji released a surge of frost, cold air engulfing the battlefield as the ground beneath his feet froze solid.
"Ice Age!"
The devastating cold spread in all directions, freezing not only the plaza but even the waves of the sea nearby.
Marines across the battlefield gasped in horror, their voices trembling.
"The Admirals… they're fighting seriously!"
"A battle between monsters… this is terrifying!"
From the command post, Sengoku narrowed his eyes, his expression taut with tension.
"I hope the Admirals can suppress that boy this time… otherwise, we old men will have to step in."
Garp and Tsuru exchanged grim looks, both watching the clash with heavy expressions.
Even the Shichibukai reacted.
Hancock's eyes widened slightly, her voice laced with disbelief.
"The combined might of the Admirals… it truly is overwhelming."
Gekko Moriah cackled with dark delight.
"Fufufu! This is what happens when you cross the Marines! They are the true overlords of this sea!"
But Doflamingo's grin had faded, his expression hardening with focus. Mihawk remained calm, though his hawk-like eyes glinted with insight. He had witnessed Ashveil's terrifying power firsthand. To him, even the Admirals together might not be enough.
Ashveil, for his part, smiled faintly as he watched the attacks converge.
"Now this is more like it."
The blinding light bullets and crushing waves of frost closed in, shaking Marineford to its core.
When the attacks struck, the ground shattered, rubble flying high into the air. Dust and smoke engulfed the battlefield.
But Ashveil didn't resist directly. Instead, he relied on his Appearance Fruit, crafting the illusion of being gravely wounded. He let himself fall to the ground, body slack.
Performing in front of the world's strongest fighters was exhausting… now he would allow himself some rest.
Eyes closed, he appeared to drift into unconsciousness, lying motionless among the debris.
The smoke cleared, revealing Ashveil's prone figure. The Admirals, panting heavily, finally exhaled in relief. If someone could still rise after taking the brunt of their combined strongest attacks, they would have had no idea how to proceed.
Far behind, Sengoku's rigid expression softened slightly.
"At least… the Marines won't lose face today."
If two Admirals and one Vice Admiral had failed to suppress a single upstart, the shame would have been unbearable. Picking up the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku issued new orders.
"This boy is too important to execute here. He must be delivered to Impel Down, Level Six, and secured. Hand him over directly to Magellan himself!"
The plan was clear—after the war, Ashveil would be handed to Vegapunk for research, much like Bartholomew Kuma had been.
Around him, reactions rippled.
Doflamingo tilted his head, puzzled. Had Ashveil really fallen so easily? Was justice's hand truly unshakable, the Marines the unchallenged rulers of the sea?
But Mihawk's sharp eyes flickered. He knew better. Ashveil's strength was far deeper than what he had shown. If the boy was down, it was because he allowed it. Everything was proceeding according to his plan.
"Interesting…" Mihawk murmured, waiting.
As Sengoku's voice echoed, squads of Marines rushed forward. They carried armfuls of Sea-Prism Stone cuffs, snapping them around Ashveil's wrists and ankles until he was bound like a cocoon.
To any observer, the prisoner was completely helpless.
But inwardly, Ashveil found it amusing. Shackles? Meaningless. His Conqueror's Haki dwarfed ordinary Haki a hundredfold. With his control, he could force his will into the very Sea-Prism itself, rendering its suppression useless. No matter how many layers they bound him with, it would never hold.
Sengoku's tone brooked no argument as he gave his final instruction.
"Yamakaji! You'll personally escort him. Don't rest until he is locked in Level Six of Impel Down."
"Aye, Sengoku-sama!" Vice Admiral Yamakaji answered firmly, saluting before overseeing the transfer himself.
The warship prepared to depart, carrying Ashveil bound in shackles, guarded on every side.
With his removal from the battlefield, the Marines turned to their next crisis. Twenty thousand soldiers still lay unconscious, struck down by Ashveil's Conqueror's Haki. No treatment could awaken them for at least three days.
The war against Whitebeard had not even begun, and already one-fifth of Marineford's strength was gone. Sengoku's head throbbed with the weight of it.
Repair crews scrambled, but the massive gates of Marineford had been shattered beyond quick repair. The once-impregnable fortress now stood scarred, its defenses weakened.
Sengoku raised his binoculars, eyes locked on the horizon where the sea stirred ominously. His face hardened.
The Whitebeard Pirates were coming.
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