"Quick—"
"Retreat!"
"Take the wounded!"
"Vice Admiral Kuzan, woo woo..."
Countless Marines scattered, running wildly in groups of three and four. Some didn't hesitate to abandon their weapons and ammunition, prioritizing the evacuation of the injured. Meanwhile, powerful generals like Dalmatian, Momousagi, and Tea Dolphin held the line, blocking scattered pursuers, fighting as they fell back.
At the edge of the ice, a large troop carrier and numerous submarines stood ready.
"Meteor Volcano!"
As most of the Marine personnel rushed aboard, Sakazuki, his face grim and magma surging, spun around. He unleashed a furious barrage of punches, not at the Big Mom Pirates, but directly at the ice ahead.
"Shhhhh..."
Piercing and howling sounds ripped through the air. To the shocked eyes of thousands of Marines, incredibly violent volcanic bombs, carrying immense heat and astonishing impact, rained down like a storm.
They shattered everything.
"Boom..." Pieces of ice exploded. The intense heat instantly melted vast stretches of ice into seawater, completely severing the pursuit.
Blood smeared on his face, magma churning around him, Sakazuki looked ferocious as he roared, "All survivors, board the troop carrier immediately!"
"Yes, Vice Admiral Sakazuki!"
Akainu slammed his foot down, moving like an afterimage past countless people. He arrived before Momousagi and Caribou, who were about to board the ship, and stated in a deep voice, "Gion, Kake... you two board the submarine!"
"What?"
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki..."
Momousagi and Tea Dolphin couldn't help but change their expressions, a sense of unease washing over them.
"Time is short. I don't have time to explain; this is an order," Sakazuki said, his expression blank as he looked in Aokiji's direction. He clenched his fists tightly and continued in a low voice, "This is also Aokiji's last wish... he told me to bring you back no matter what. The Marine's losses are already severe enough!"
With that, he turned and left without a backward glance. There were things he, the Naval Headquarters Vice Admiral and deputy commander of the expedition fleet, couldn't say aloud.
The troop carrier was likely to be relentlessly pursued by the Big Mom Pirates, and no one could say how many would return alive. And facing the onslaught of the entire Big Mom Pirate group, how long could Aokiji possibly last? Especially with powerhouses like Big Mom and Katakuri involved.
Once Charlotte Wilhelm, who had been lured away by Borsalino, turned around and came back, that kid's peculiar ability alone would be incredibly difficult to counter. Even Fleet Admiral Sengoku couldn't do anything against it, let alone Akainu now.
Thinking of this, Akainu clenched his fists, veins throbbing. "Big Mom, Charlotte Wilhelm..."
Just a few months ago, the fledgling Charlotte Wilhelm, with her unstoppable dual-sided fighting style, had left many permanent scars of shame on his body. In the previous battle with Big Mom, even though he had gone all out, he was easily suppressed the entire time. The successive blows had made Sakazuki, who was immensely confident in his own strength, feel as though he had been slapped hard and hot, shattering his pride and complacency.
As if awakened, he clearly realized there was still a massive gap between himself and true monsters. An indescribable urgency to improve his own strength gnawed at him.
"Vice Admiral Kuzan..."
Momousagi and Tea Dolphin were stunned. Their eyes reddened slightly as they clenched their fists, gritting their teeth and making up their minds. They both followed Sakazuki.
At this moment, without warning, a sound ripped through the air.
"Sigh, chirp, chirp..."
The entire sky lit up, becoming incredibly pale, dazzling with electricity. It made Sakazuki and the others' expressions change.
"Hoo----" A beam of terrifying lightning brazenly struck down.
A massive troop carrier was ruthlessly pierced through. There was no time to stop it.
Ask for flowers...
"Boom..."
"Clatter..."
"Damn it, get on board..."
"Boom"
"Clatter~~~Clatter~~"
On the distant horizon, a sky-shattering roar echoed over the sea. The dazzling light made it impossible to look directly at. Wave after wave of monstrous waves formed an unimaginably huge tsunami, sweeping in all directions.
"Ahem..." Borsalino, pale, coughed up blood. Staring blankly at the blade piercing his heart, he let out a miserable laugh. "You won!"
"You sacrificed yourself with this move. It's truly powerful. If you were Katakuri's big brother or your mother, you definitely would have been able to escape smoothly..."
Astonishing electricity continuously flickered, raging and destroying Borsalino's body along the gorgeous blade. Wilhelm said calmly, "But my Observation Haki is very special. Even if it hasn't reached the height where the future can be foreseen, it can completely lock onto you..."
"If I wasn't at least 70% to 80% certain I could kill you, why would I risk letting Aokiji, Akainu, and the others escape? I wouldn't hesitate to chase and kill an Admiral with a broken arm like you."
If he hadn't been sure he could get rid of Kizaru, he might as well have given up the pursuit and let the monkey slip away, prioritizing Aokiji and Akainu instead.
"Ahem.....Really?"
The extremely weak Borsalino smiled bitterly. His eyes closed unwillingly, and he fell silent.
On Wilhelm's left hand, an ordinary fruit transformed at a visible speed. In a blink of an eye, an oval fruit with a convex spiral pattern and a golden-yellow body replaced it. He put away the Logia-type Devil Fruit, the Glint-Glint Fruit.
"Clatter..."
Gazing at the rough sea below, with Borsalino's body still in the air, Wilhelm pulled out a Life Card. He watched it move slightly in his palm, pointing out the direction. He continuously flickered, flying towards the direction of the battlefield.