Above the endless ocean, the Qin's Nation army moved with the restless waves, spreading out across the water.
Slowly, deliberately, they began to form a sweeping semi-circle, patiently coiling around the remaining Marines huddled on a shattered corner of the ice field. Their movement was unhurried, yet with every ripple they created, the invisible, suffocating pressure on the Marines intensified.
"We've lost."
Sengoku stood on a broken slab of ice, his sigh heavy. The natural disaster they had anticipated had instead become the enemy's ultimate weapon, decisively crushing the war effort. Most of the fleet and soldiers had been scattered, swallowed by the waves. Now, all that remained were the tireless Qin soldiers and their terrifying Experts, countless in number.
Gazing up at the cold, indifferent King floating effortlessly in the sky, a profound sense of despair settled over every heart. This war was now nothing but a slaughter, a foregone conclusion where no one would survive.
"Ha..."
Sengoku took a deep, steadying breath, a flicker of hardened resolve igniting in his eyes. Beside him, Garp's face was equally grim.
"Sengoku, what's the move? We have to decide now! They're closing in!"
As Garp spoke, the Qin's Nation army running across the water surged forward, their advance accelerating rapidly.
"Shanks is here!"
A weak voice cut through the tension. Hawkeye Mihawk, stooped and leaning heavily on his massive sword, staggered forward. The world's greatest swordsman had somehow clung to life after that horrific attack, severely injured but still breathing.
"Red-Haired Shanks..."
Sengoku glanced over his shoulder. A pirate ship, cutting through the swells with aggressive speed, was bearing down on them.
"He's one of the Yonko, what in the world is he doing here?"
"I don't know, but that aura... he's definitely not here for a visit!"
Kizaru twisted his head, his usual languid demeanor replaced by acute alarm. Surrounded by the Qin Army ahead and now facing a Yonko from the rear, the situation had gone from disastrous to utterly hopeless.
The remaining Marines looked around, their morale utterly shattered. The tsunami had wrecked their warships and swept the rest far away. All that remained was the endless ocean and the advancing Qin forces. Escape was an impossible fantasy.
The Red-Haired Pirates ship approached at full tilt, eating up the distance to the stranded Marines. Fifty meters away, it suddenly spun, slamming broadside into the water directly in front of the assembled officers.
"I'm here to end this war!"
Shanks' voice rang out, sharp and utterly serious. He slowly drew his Western sword, pointing the tip directly at the advancing Qin's Nation army.
"Marines! Get on board, and be fast about it!"
"You're not dying here, not yet!"
Sengoku's eyes narrowed. The Yonko and his crew were already armed and spread across the deck and rigging. Their faces were solemn, but a palpable, fierce hunger for battle radiated from them.
In that instant, Sengoku understood. He felt a complex tug of gratitude and obligation. I'll remember this debt, he thought.
He took a final, deep breath, letting go of all hesitation. His commanding voice, the voice of the Fleet Admiral, cut through the chaos.
"Marines! Obey my command! Board Red-Haired Shanks' ship immediately!"
He paused, closed his eyes for a brief, heavy moment, then roared:
"Retreat!"
The remaining Marines reacted instantly, their shock melting into urgency. Not a single person questioned the order. The battered officers and soldiers turned as one and sprinted toward the pirate ship.
"Hurry up! Retreat!" Sengoku bellowed again, his cry galvanizing the few remaining, stunned soldiers into action.
Standing here was pointless. If they could just get away, there was still a sliver of hope! This battle was a brutal loss, but the Marines themselves still had a future.
On the restless water nearby, aboard his own pirate ship, Donquixote Doflamingo's sunglasses glinted, a cruel smirk curling his lips.
"Truly disappointing... I didn't expect the Marines to fold so fast."
He felt no sorrow or despair at the defeat of his nominal allies. Instead, his mind was a storm of calculations and scheming.
"They've all retreated. We should move on too," a member of his crew muttered.
"Oh, but this is getting interesting," Doflamingo purred, spreading his arms wide. "This world is about to be consumed by a storm. We'll simply watch quietly for now."
His eyes gleamed, a look of twisted, mad relish on his face. "Let's see just how much chaos this newly born King will unleash upon the world!"
The more the world descended into anarchy, the more he thrived.
However, just as Doflamingo's ship drifted a mere few dozen meters, a sharp, terrible crack tore through the air.
Whoosh!
The sound was ear-splitting, making the very sky seem to tremble. Doflamingo's eyes snapped up, his pupils instantly shrinking behind his shades.
"Why... attack me?" he whispered, disbelief coloring his voice.
A dark, terrifying radiance slammed into his ship the very next moment.
BOOOOM!
Flames erupted everywhere. Doflamingo, his family, and the entire pirate ship were atomized, scattered as fragments across the churning water.
"I heard you're a Tenryuubito... you'll be the first to go!"
Not far away, traversing the sea as if it were solid ground, Madara sneered, his expression cold and unforgiving. He had zero patience or tolerance for the so-called Celestial Dragons.
On the other side of the battlefield, Gecko Moria and his crew had just scrambled aboard their vessel.
"Hurry up! We need to leave! Another second here and we're dead!" Moria yelled anxiously to his subordinates.
But a moment later, a calm, authoritative voice cut through his panic.
"Sorry, you're already surrounded. Surrender immediately!"
"Otherwise, under His Majesty's orders, all rebels will be executed!" a Major-General in a rigid military cap shouted.
From all sides, Qin's Nation troops, led by a massive ship, suddenly surged up out of the waves. Moria's eyes locked onto the shadowy, ponytailed opponent he had faced earlier. His pupils constricted, and he let out a long, defeated sigh.
"We surrender!"
Qin Yi hovered high in the air, gazing down at the chaos on the sea. He was still a comfortable distance from the Marines' last stand.
"Red-Haired Shanks... I didn't expect you to wade into this mess."
His calm voice carried across the vast expanse of water, echoing over the waves.
"I admired you... so why choose such a foolish path?"
"To shed the old and embrace the new, to reform is the very essence of progress. This principle... do you truly not grasp it?"
Shanks, his sword gripped tight in one hand, suddenly let loose a terrifying, concentrated wave of Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki).
Buzz...
The churning sea instantly stilled. Qin's Nation soldiers charging across the water near the pirate ship were struck by the invisible force; their eyes rolled back, and they collapsed, unconscious.
"What a domineering man!" Hashirama exclaimed from a distance, feeling the sheer pressure of the Haki, his gaze sharpening with respect and caution.
Shanks lifted his head, his own eyes burning with intensity.
"King of Qin's Nation! The world needs change, but..." He paused, his voice ringing with conviction. "It doesn't need an ambitious tyrant like you! The future has a better master waiting for it!"
Qin Yi's eyes narrowed slightly, his expression utterly indifferent to the praise or the challenge.
"You dare oppose me?"
The calm query carried the full, terrifying weight of a true king's dignity. As he spoke, the entire sea around them seemed to respond, spontaneously churning into countless large and small vortexes.
"Then... leave them all behind!"
(End of Chapter)
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