At a not-so-conspicuous gap in the encirclement wall.
"Buggy-sama! Your performance just now was brilliant."
"Buggy-sama, are you planning to make your move at the very last moment, waiting until the Admirals reveal their weaknesses before striking them with a thunderous, fatal blow?!"
"That's truly strategic. Buggy-sama clearly could have directly taken out the Admiral, but he didn't. He's giving us a chance to show off, isn't he?"
"That's right. No wonder. I was wondering why Buggy-sama kept waiting, I didn't realize we had failed to live up to his painstaking efforts."
Buggy: "..."
Listening to the cheers all around him, Buggy looked speechlessly at these prisoners who had just escaped from Impel Down.
With this kind of intelligence, how on earth have they survived until now?!
Forget it, the urgent task now is to seize this opportunity to make a name for myself.
With this thought, Buggy was about to turn the real-time projection, but a black-haired figure appeared in his line of sight at that moment.
"Eh!!?" Buggy's pupils suddenly constricted, and countless beads of cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.
This Marine with black hair, blue eyes, and a handsome face is...
"Renji!!!"
Buggy, his face filled with horror, stared fixedly at Renji, countless escape methods flashing through his mind, but they were all rejected one by one.
What is this crazy guy coming to find me for? Isn't he specialized in killing pirates with high bounties?
Don't let his constant busyness with the Marineford War broadcast fool you. The intelligent Buggy, through keen observation, realized that this killing god, Renji, only actively attacked and killed Great Pirates of Captain-level.
Other times, he basically just happened to kill a few unlucky ones when passing by, or only acted when someone like that foolish woman Hancock actively provoked him.
So what does he want by appearing here now? Does he want to take me on? My bounty isn't that high, is it? And it's not even on his way, is it?
After much thought, Buggy still couldn't figure out Renji's reason for appearing there.
"Ah... haha, Renji, what can I do for you?" Buggy said with an awkward expression.
Renji felt the fear in the other party's heart. With a slight smile on his lips, he glanced at the Den Den Mushi in Buggy's hand, saying, "Don't be nervous, I just need your help with something."
Upon hearing this, Buggy finally breathed a sigh of relief. If this living Shinigami wanted to kill him, he probably wouldn't bother with all this talk.
However, the conversation between the two, in the eyes of Buggy's subordinates, turned into a different scene.
"So amazing! Buggy-sama can actually speak to Renji with the tone of a superior."
"That's right. You know, the strength Renji has shown now makes him the strongest person below the Admirals."
"Such a figure would actually actively come to seek Buggy-sama's help. He truly is the man we admire."
"Buggy-sama, we will follow you to the death!"
...
"Kizaru! Don't even think about stopping me!"
Jozu's face was fierce as he looked at Kizaru in his yellow striped clothes. Since the war began, this guy had suffered arguably the lightest injuries, even his clothes weren't very disheveled.
"Ace! Hurry and go! You need to inherit pops' will. Leave the rest to us!" Jozu shouted, his body simultaneously covered in half-diamond.
Kizaru, in front of him, extended a finger, and a dazzling laser began to condense.
"Is it real diamond? I want to try it out."
The curious Kizaru condensed the laser much faster than usual.
Whoosh!
A terrifyingly powerful laser beam shot rapidly towards Jozu.
After the gleaming diamond made contact with the laser beam, it instantly refracted the laser, blasting it into the ground nearby and causing a shocking explosion.
Boom!
As the laser exploded, Kizaru looked at the diamond on Jozu's body and clicked his tongue.
"Indeed, it seems my ability is being countered. It looks like it'll take some effort."
"Damn Admiral! Diamond Crash!" Jozu roared and charged towards Kizaru.
At the same time, Akainu was still closing in on Ace, despite the obstruction of countless pirates, but the latter had now regained his composure.
I must not fail, I must not, I must not let pops and everyone's expectations be in vain.
With this thought in his heart, Ace fled the battlefield with Luffy.
However, Akainu's voice sounded behind him. "Heh heh, a bunch of trashy rats. You just rescued the hostage and now you're tucking your tails and running. That's truly the Whitebeard Pirates' style."
"!!!"
Ace's face immediately darkened upon hearing this, but his fleeing footsteps didn't slow down much.
The pirates were somewhat taken aback by Akainu's words. Is this... trash talk?
Seeing that many pirates were blocking him, and being already heavily injured, Akainu knew he couldn't catch Ace if he continued like this, so he simply stopped.
He took off his hat, revealing a neat buzz cut, and confidently stroked it. Then he smiled slightly and said, "No, I'm just speaking the truth, aren't I? Whitebeard, whom you all praise to the heavens, is nothing more than a failure who was suppressed by Roger his entire life, and even after death, he can only be a mere Four Emperors, a complete and utter loser."
Seeing that an Admiral had started trash-talking, the pirates naturally didn't back down. The Captains of the Whitebeard Pirates' subordinate fleets began to trade insults with Akainu.
"Huh? What are you barking about, you idiotic Admiral?"
"That's right, Akainu. You can't possibly think this clumsy provocation will actually work, can you?"
But upon hearing these words, Ace slowly stopped his steps and turned his head, looking fiercely at Akainu. Flames flickered on his palms, revealing the anger in his heart at this moment.
"Shut up!"
Luffy looked at Ace, who had turned back, and couldn't help but show confusion on his face. "Ace?"
The other Whitebeard Pirates were equally confused.
Akainu was delighted by this. He had just said it casually. He didn't expect it to actually work on Ace, this hothead?
With this thought, Akainu continued in a stern tone, "Heh, what 'Whitebeard's era'? It's nothing more than remnants of the old era. The old man died, and the son ran away. Truly filial."
Ace's fists flickered with flames, and he roared, "Shut up!"
Akainu ignored him, putting his hat back on after stroking his hair, and continued, "A pirate with extremely vile character, playing childish games like 'family' at such an old age."
"Shut up! Pops gave us so much love! He gave us, those who had nowhere to go, a complete home!" Ace roared, his face contorted with rage, taking a step towards Akainu.
"A bunch of harmful sea trash, do you maggots huddling together for warmth even deserve to talk about love? What a joke!"
Seeing Ace no longer fleeing, but instead walking towards him, Akainu's body surged with magma.
Ace stomped the ground, and terrifying pillars of flame erupted from the ground, swirling around him.
"You don't understand anything at all!"
Akainu's expression remained unchanged, magma spewing from his body, the ultimate destructive power already fully brewed.
"I don't understand? Do pirates understand? Whitebeard is nothing more than a criminal enabler who sheltered you trash."
"You are not allowed to insult pops! Pops is the strongest man in the world. He is an Emperors who rules the New World. This era is named Whitebeard!"
Streams of flame, gathered with all his might, coiled and swirled around Ace's right fist. The person who insulted his pops must pay a heavy price.
The pirates, watching Ace dare to turn back and fight, were all shocked, exclamation marks appearing above their heads.
Even Doflamingo, a warlord and a Celestial Dragon, who was observing the battle from a distant ruin, fell silent.