Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sound of artillery fire and explosions echoed through the sky.
Lucifer stood atop a boulder with his arms crossed, overlooking the battlefield below.
The battle had been raging for over an hour, and he had maintained this posture the entire time.
As the situation evolved, a satisfied smile gradually appeared on Lucifer's face.
In contrast, Whitebeard, standing in the distance with his naginata in hand, wore an increasingly solemn expression.
Because, even without Lucifer, Whitebeard, or the Red Earl personally stepping in, the Nether Pirates had already gained the upper hand.
In terms of high-level combatants, Lucifer had powerhouses like Weevil, Enel, Katakuri, Shiryu of the Rain, Avalo Pizarro, Vasco Shot, Catarina Devon, Queen, Gild Tesoro, Smoothie, San Juan Wolf, and more. Each of them possessed strength at the quasi-Admiral level.
On the other hand, the Whitebeard Pirates had far fewer top-tier fighters.
Whether it was the captains with bounties exceeding 500 million berries or the overall combat strength of their lower-ranking crew, the Nether Pirates were clearly superior.
It was only natural that the Whitebeard Pirates were falling into a disadvantage.
"Brat! Go to hell!"
Shiryu of the Rain swung his sword, unleashing a blood-soaked slash that struck Ace directly in the chest, sending him flying thousands of meters across the battlefield.
Ace crashed into the ruins at the rear, buried beneath the rubble.
For a long moment, there was no movement.
Taking such a devastating hit, even if he survived, Ace was already severely injured—his combat power was gone!
On another side of the battlefield, San Juan Wolf swung his massive fist—as large as a hill—and sent Little Oars Jr. flying with a single punch.
The steel armor Oars had used for protection shattered instantly. Blood spewed from his mouth as his gigantic body crashed down, flattening a group of pirates beneath him.
With Ace and Oars both defeated, Whitebeard's forces suffered another major blow.
And San Juan Wolf hadn't even activated his Shima Shima no Mi (Isle-Isle Fruit) ability yet.
Meanwhile, Katakuri and Marco clashed fiercely, their battle locked in a stalemate.
Their strengths were evenly matched, making it difficult to determine a victor anytime soon.
On another front, Avalo Pizarro, wielding the Magu Magu no Mi (Magma-Magma Fruit), rampaged across the battlefield, incinerating everyone in his path—whether friend or foe.
The sheer destructive power of the magma fruit was terrifying.
His opponent was Diamond Jozu.
Although Jozu could resist Pizarro's attacks using his diamond-coated body, he was still being overpowered. It was only a matter of time before he fell.
Elsewhere, Enel clashed with Vista.
But against Enel's relentless lightning strikes, Vista struggled just to defend himself, unable to launch any meaningful counterattack.
Just like Jozu, Vista was on the defensive the entire fight.
In other areas of the battlefield, the captains of the Whitebeard Pirates were falling one by one.
Blenheim, captain of the 6th division, had been defeated by Weevil.
Rakuyo, captain of the 7th division, had been sniped by Simon—his chest pierced, leaving him severely injured.
Atmos, captain of the 13th division, had fallen to Cavendish.
Speed Jiru, captain of the 14th division, was crushed by Jack.
Besides them, over a dozen more captains under Whitebeard's command had already lost their ability to fight.
At this rate, if Whitebeard didn't make a move soon, his crew would be completely annihilated.
Meanwhile, out at sea…
A large Marine fleet remained stationed at the outskirts of the desert island.
On the main warship, a Marine officer stepped forward and saluted.
"Marshal Sengoku! Lucifer and Whitebeard are at war!"
"Don't waste time with nonsense!" Sengoku replied coldly. "What's the current situation?"
"The battle is fierce," the Marine reported. "Both the Nether Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates are fully engaged."
"However…" the Marine hesitated before continuing, "so far, only the commanders from both sides are fighting—Lucifer and Whitebeard haven't made a move yet!"
"That said… the Nether Pirates have already gained the upper hand. The Whitebeard Pirates are starting to collapse.
"At this rate, they won't hold out for much longer."
Hearing this, Sengoku's expression darkened.
Although he had expected the Whitebeard Pirates to struggle, he hadn't anticipated that they'd be this outmatched.
The battle had only been going on for an hour, yet Whitebeard's side was already falling apart.
And worse—Whitebeard still hadn't joined the fight.
But then again… neither had Lucifer nor the Red Earl.
At this rate, even if Whitebeard stepped in now, it would make no difference.
"Ohhh~ Scary, scary!"
Admiral Kizaru pursed his lips, watching the battle unfold on the monitor.
"Is Whitebeard really about to lose?"
Standing nearby, Admiral Aokiji frowned slightly, his expression grim.
"The Nether Pirates…" Aokiji murmured, "have expanded far beyond what we expected."
He let out a breath, frost condensing in the air.
"I've heard plenty of stories about Lucifer's strength," Aokiji muttered, "but now that I see it firsthand…
"The real Lucifer is even more terrifying than the legends say."
Admiral Fujitora opened his eyelids forcefully, revealing only a pair of pure white pupils as he turned toward the desert island ahead. Though he could see nothing, his mind was already aware of the countless presences scattered across the battlefield.
Fujitora's Observation Haki was so strong that it had enveloped the entire island.
The overwhelming killing intent radiating from the battlefield was unmistakable, and the aura belonging to Lucifer made Fujitora feel an unsettling sense of dread.
"This can't go on... Marine has to act!"
Sengoku had originally planned to wait until the Nether Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates had weakened each other before making his move.
However, from the way things were progressing, neither Lucifer nor Whitebeard intended to give Marine that opportunity.
The reason the two of them hadn't fought yet was simple—to prevent Marine from striking them from behind.
"If we intervene now, we risk making both pirate crews our enemy!"
Vice Admiral Tsuru said with concern.
"I don't have the luxury to care about that anymore."
Sengoku's voice was cold, and his eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
"We cannot allow the Nether Pirates to completely annihilate the Whitebeard Pirates. If they secure a landslide victory, eliminating them later will become even more impossible!"
"Pass my order—Marine forces will launch a full-scale assault on the island!"
"The primary target is the Nether Pirates!"
"Tell the Shichibukai to suppress or even eliminate the key officers of the Nether Pirates!"
"In this battle, they must fight with everything they have! If anyone dares to hold back, they will lose their title as Shichibukai!"
Sengoku was prepared to put everything on the line to eliminate Lucifer.
This was a battle where victory was the only option. There was no room for failure, no time for hesitation.
As he issued his commands, Sengoku glanced at Kizaru. The meaning behind his gaze was obvious.
Kizaru's heart skipped a beat, but he pretended not to notice.
Although his expression remained indifferent, internally, he was cursing.
Why are you looking at me?!
Does the old man look like someone who slacks off?!
I've been working overtime every day without extra pay!
Why don't you look at Aokiji?
He's lazy too!
Just because he was your subordinate before, and you favor him as the next Fleet Admiral, you treat him differently?
That's not fair!
MMP, maybe I should just resign. Being a Marine Admiral is too dangerous. One wrong step, and I'm dead!
Of course, Kizaru wanted to fight recklessly and dominate the battlefield.
But he knew that the moment he made a move, Lucifer's attention would lock onto him.
Even after all this time, Kizaru still had lingering fear when it came to Lucifer.
After all the battles they had fought, Lucifer had imprinted his presence deep into Kizaru's subconscious.
"Move out!"
With Sengoku's order, the massive Marine fleet began advancing toward the island.
As soon as they reached the shore, thousands of Marine soldiers stormed the battlefield. At a glance, they resembled a swarm of ants, densely packed and overwhelming.
Finding the battlefield was simple—just follow the deafening sounds of gunfire and explosions.
Leading the charge were the six Shichibukai, moving ahead of the Marine forces.
The Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock, had been left with no choice but to comply with Marine's summons.
Though she detested following orders, she had to consider the safety of Amazon Lily.
"So this is an all-out war between the Nether Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates... What a sight to behold," Hancock murmured, gazing at the battlefield with an unreadable expression.
"Ahahahaha!"
Don Chinjao rubbed his smooth head and let out a sinister laugh.
Even in his younger years, he had never witnessed a battle of this scale.
Dracule Mihawk, the World's Strongest Swordsman, remained silent.
His sharp, hawk-like eyes scanned the battlefield, searching for a worthy opponent.
And then—his pupils shrank.
Across the chaotic battlefield, he spotted Lucifer standing with his arms crossed, surveying the carnage below.
In that instant, Mihawk felt something awaken inside him.
His blood boiled, and a shiver ran down his spine.
A powerful fighting spirit surged through his body, igniting every fiber of his being.
Before he realized it, his hand had already gripped the hilt of Yoru.
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