The massive lion head descending from the sky blotted out the heavens in an instant.
Below, the Red Hair Pirates had already prepared their attacks, yet what made the situation even worse was what followed.
At the very center of the lion's face, a large-scale layer of Armament Haki suddenly spread across it.
Behind the gigantic construct, Bullet, Enel, and Soter pressed both hands against the rock as their stamina drained like a floodgate opening. All three of their Armament Haki gathered at a single point and surged toward the center of the lion's face, stacking together.
The battlefield had been balanced until now, but Soter's sudden entry became the final straw that crushed the Four Emperor's side.
The large-scale coverage left Shanks and his crew with no way to escape. Once the Red Hair Pirates were defeated, the freed Bullet would support the other Admirals, and under a chain reaction, the Marines would take the lead in victory.
The howling wind roared like the fury of heaven and earth as the lion head, formed from several islands, dove downward with unimaginable pressure, like a meteor crashing straight toward them. Facing this sight head-on, no one among the Red Hair Pirates dared to relax.
In the blink of an eye, the distance shrank to less than a thousand meters. Shanks took a deep breath.
"Attack!"
Red Conqueror's Haki's lightning flashed across Gryphon's blade, wrapping around the flying slash as it shot into the sky.
Bullets carrying compressed airflow, projected Armament Haki, and roaring sonic attacks followed close behind, gathering into a massive energy column nearly a hundred meters wide that blasted straight toward the descending lion's face.
Boom!
The red energy column pierced into the massive lion head, constantly grinding away at the Armament Haki pressing down from the three behind it.
The lion head paused slightly, then continued without stopping. Even as the incoming beam pushed deeper inside, it could not halt the overwhelming force crushing down.
The beam finally exploded at the center of the lion's head, shattering it into countless fragments. Yet the roaring maw still seemed to bite toward the Red Hair Pirates' ship, forcing them down into the sea.
Rumble!
Huge chunks of debris crashed down, sending waves dozens of meters high surging outward as the sea churned violently for a long time.
* * *
In the sky, Soter applied buoyancy to the clothes of the other two men, allowing them to float in midair. Enel looked down at the turbulent sea.
"Fools looking for death."
Bullet grinned. "They should retreat now. Go back and hold the line. If they dare come again, notify us immediately, and we will make sure they never leave. I will head to Kaido's side with Soter."
Enel smiled. "Understood."
Soter nodded. "Then we are off, Enel."
Enel gave a slight nod. "Mm."
Under the effect of buoyancy, Bullet and Soter shot off into the distance. Enel glanced once more at the churning sea and snorted before turning into a flash of lightning and vanishing with a crackle.
As for whether this strike could wipe out the Red Hair Pirates, that was clearly impossible.
Still, forcing them to retreat was not an issue. They were islands after all; once the Armament Haki coverage was gone, the loosened and shattered rock and soil could never kill monsters like them. At most, the gathered gravity would press them into the sea, but not to their deaths.
However, it was the key to ending this New World War.
* * *
New World. Allen Port.
Evening.
Boom!
A massive mushroom cloud rose into the sky, reaching a thousand meters high as the three fighters separated once again.
This was the battlefield where Kaido had been fighting Borsalino and Issho.
Just a few days ago, the land below had been a Marine base, but after days of destruction, the island had turned to dust. Only the raging sea remained, roaring without end.
In the sky, Kaido, in his human-dragon form, bore several shattered scales and a few deep sword wounds carved by Issho. His dragon eyes locked onto the two men opposite him, and a trace of irritation flashed through them.
Their abilities had completely stripped him of aerial control. The yellow monkey's speed was already troublesome, but the blind man floating on a meteor could control gravity. He was even faster than Kaido, and worse, that gravity was invisible. Kaido could only feel it when it was already crushing down on him.
He had no choice but to remain over a thousand meters in the air to stay relatively safe. Otherwise, he would have nearly been forced into the sea several times.
Across from him, Borsalino remained completely unharmed. After five days of battle, very few attacks had managed to touch him, and he looked relaxed as he glanced at Issho.
"Issho-san, how are things going?"
Standing on the floating meteor, Issho looked battered. His Admiral's coat was torn in many places, and he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"I am fine. I can continue fighting."
Boom!
A thunderous explosion echoed across the sky as Kaido suddenly seemed to suffer a heavy blow and plummeted downward at high speed.
Borsalino let out a long breath, still looking at ease. "Looks like reinforcements have arrived."
Issho also released a quiet sigh of relief. The two of them truly could not kill that man alone, but with support, perhaps it would be possible. He directed the meteor downward, diving toward the tumbling dragon below.
Borsalino shook his head slightly. "Really~ Everyone is so fired up~"
* * *
As he fell, Kaido instantly transformed into his azure dragon form, his massive body twisting in midair. Flame clouds wrapped around him as he forcefully halted his descent and shot upward again.
The previous attack had come too fast. He had not even known who had struck him, but he had to get out of low altitude.
Suddenly, his pupils shrank.
Above him, a meteor hammer as large as a mountain appeared, crackling with the lightning of Conqueror's Haki and coated in pitch-black Armament Haki. A blue figure swung it down with a savage grin.
There was no time to dodge.
Bang!
Blazing flames burst from Kaido's body and in an instant covered him completely before surging toward his head.
"Rising Dragon: Flame Bagua!"
It was like a meteor colliding with the earth.
Crack!
A thunderclap split the sky as wild waves of Conqueror's Haki clashed and tangled together, crushing the dark clouds overhead apart.
A gigantic blue demonic phantom formed from Conqueror's Haki roared forward, colliding with an ancient beast-like killing intent.
The blue demonic phantom belonged to none other than the arriving Bullet.
After the Red Hair Pirates were forced back, the chain reaction had begun. In this great war, the pirates' defeat was now unstoppable.
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