High in the sky, Doflamingo and Enel watched the squabbling between the Warlords and the Marines as if it were a joke.
Doflamingo glanced at Crocodile and the Pirate Empress. He hadn't expected those two to actually answer the summons and wade into these muddy waters. But so what if they were here? Doflamingo was confident he could make them hold back, or even cooperate.
While the pirates were enjoying the spectacle of Vice Admiral Doberman's humiliation, his fellow Marines felt the sting of disgrace. They would not allow these filthy pirates to insult the justice they upheld.
"Desert Spada!"
Crocodile's expression was grim as he attacked Doberman again. He clearly intended to make an example of the first man who stood out, venting his frustration with the World Government on him.
Though Doberman was in a sorry state, he was representing the Marines. His own humiliation was a small matter, but the honor of the Navy could not be tarnished.
"Crocodile, you dare challenge the authority of the Marines? Do you no longer want your position as a Warlord?" Vice Admiral Doberman shouted, parrying Crocodile's attack with his sword.
"You don't represent the World Government or the Marines," Crocodile retorted, his tone icy as he puffed on his cigar, completely ignoring Doberman's rebuke. "I just want to test your strength on behalf of the Marines, to see if you have what it takes to protect justice. After all, strength is what matters here. Spare me the empty talk."
"Damn pirate! You're all cut from the same cloth," Doberman said with hatred.
"Guhahaha! I hope your strength is as tough as your mouth. Crescent Cutlass!" Crocodile laughed, his attack never slowing.
"Dammit!" Doberman could only continue to defend himself.
"Ice Time Capsule!"
Aokiji finally couldn't help but intervene. The real enemy hadn't even appeared, and now the Warlords—who were supposed to be on their side—were fighting the Marines. What kind of mess was this?
Sand and ice collided in front of Vice Admiral Doberman, the two attacks canceling each other out, leaving nothing but a patch of ice shards and sand on the ground.
"Have you had enough fun?" Aokiji appeared lazily at Doberman's side. "This is not a place for you pirates to run rampant. If you still intend to follow the World Government's orders, then get to work."
Though he looked sluggish, his eyes were cold. It was clear that Crocodile's actions had angered him.
"Guhahaha, Admiral Aokiji, is it?" Crocodile sneered, his attitude completely nonchalant. He wasn't about to be intimidated just because an admiral had shown up.
"Admiral Aokiji," Vice Admiral Doberman said softly, expressing his gratitude.
Aokiji gave a lazy, dismissive wave. Doberman understood and stood by his side, awaiting the admiral's command.
"So, what is your choice?" Aokiji's voice was cold as he glanced at all the Warlords present.
"Kishishishi, as expected of an admiral. A place this exciting? Of course, I'll participate," Gecko Moria was the first to speak.
"I, too, shall obey the World Government's orders," Hancock said, feeling the immense pressure emanating from Aokiji. She was forced to go against her conscience and say what would satisfy him.
Hancock knew how to read a situation; she was no fool. She reined in her usual arrogance and capriciousness. She knew very well how to treat different kinds of people.
Only a fool sees the Empress's arrogance, willfulness, and beauty. A true powerhouse sees something more.
Become a powerhouse, and you can even win over the Empress.
"Naturally, I will follow the World Government's orders," Kuma said cooperatively. With an admiral making a personal appearance, it was a sign of respect.
"A bunch of spineless cowards," Crocodile grumbled internally as he watched the other Warlords declare their positions.
Outwardly, however, he couldn't show his frustration. He simply unleashed his attack into the fray where the pirates and Marines were fighting.
"Desert Spada!"
His action spoke for itself. Aokiji had no choice but to let it go. With a great battle looming, he had no time to clean up his own backyard.
"Aaargh!"
Wherever the Desert Spada passed, both pirates and Marines were indiscriminately cut down, resulting in countless casualties.
Crocodile didn't care if they were Marines or pirates. As far as he was concerned, he had acted. It was just a matter of not controlling his aim.
"Crocodile, you—" Vice Admiral Doberman was furious at the sight. This was a blatant disregard for the Marines.
Aokiji's brow furrowed, but he said nothing.
"Shut up. I'm acting on the World Government's orders. If those Marines died, it's because they were too weak," Crocodile said, growing impatient with Doberman's questioning.
"Doberman," Aokiji stopped the Vice Admiral before he could say more.
Doberman had no choice but to drop it. If an admiral wasn't going to say anything, what could he do?
Of course, if Akainu had been there, there would have been no idle talk. He was a man of action. In the time they had wasted arguing, he would have already dealt with these pirates.
The other Warlords watched with strange expressions. Crocodile's actions had opened up a new world of possibilities for them. It was a great idea.
They, too, began to attack. They had made their move; they couldn't be blamed for the consequences.
"Kishishishi, Brick Bat!" Gecko Moria attacked with a cackle.
"Ursus Shock!" Kuma unleashed his simple but devastating attack. A transparent, paw-shaped bubble of air appeared before him, its compressed power terrifying to behold.
"Slave Arrow!"
The Empress was not idle either. She touched her fingers to her lips, creating a massive pink heart, which she then drew back like a bow, firing a volley of pink arrows into the melee of Marines and pirates.
"Aaaah!"
Caught in the Warlords' attacks, a huge number of Marines and pirates were killed or injured.
"Dammit! These damn pirates have no intention of helping us!"
The smarter Marines had long known the Warlords were unreliable. But they were small fries, powerless to resist. They could only vent their frustration in their hearts.
"Still no sign of Doflamingo? If he doesn't show up soon, his crew members are all going to be wiped out by us," Kizaru remarked, enjoying the show. The deaths of so many pirates and Marines didn't concern him in the least.
But with so many Marines dead, he had to at least make a show of doing something.
"Now, which one should I choose?"
A brilliant yellow light gathered in Kizaru's hand. He aimed it at the Donquixote officers, feigning difficulty in his choice.
"Oh, well. I'll just kill them all," Kizaru muttered to himself. Beams of light shot out, instantly appearing beside Gladius, Monet, and Bepo.
BOOM!
The three of them sensed the power of the attack and dodged without hesitation.
The ground erupted, kicking up a thick cloud of smoke. Following the law of "no harm if there's smoke," the three emerged from the dust, their expressions grim as they warily watched Kizaru.
"Ooooh, how scary. The Donquixote Pirates. You mean I didn't kill you?" Kizaru said lazily.
The next moment, his figure flickered and appeared before the three of them, landing a kick on each.
"Speed is weight. Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
So fast, was the thought that flashed through all three of their minds.
They quickly moved to defend. Gladius used Armament Haki. Monet, who didn't know Haki, relied on her Snow-Snow Fruit to escape harm. As for Bepo, with his thick fur and hide, it wasn't a major blow.
"I'm just a pet! Do you have to go this far?!" Bepo lay on the ground, looking at Kizaru with an expression of grief and indignation.
A Marine Admiral fighting a pet with a 10-beli bounty. Kizaru, have you no shame? Where's your dignity?!
Seeing Kizaru make his move, Aokiji decided to act as well. He didn't know what trick Doflamingo was planning, but if his crew members were captured, he would surely appear.
He breathed out a stream of cold air. Ice shards formed around his body, and the ground around him began to freeze over, the ice spreading rapidly toward Monet and the others, determined to trap them.
Bepo, who had just fallen, was about to get up when he felt a bone-chilling cold wash over him.
What did I ever do to deserve this?! First, it was Bepo versus Admiral Kizaru. A moment later, it was Admiral Aokiji versus Bepo. I, Bepo, must be a real big shot!
Bepo scrambled to his feet, refusing to be frozen.
Monet had just used her Logia form to dodge Kizaru's attack. Aokiji's attack, being ice-based, wasn't as threatening to her. Though she was weaker than Aokiji, in this icy environment, she wasn't at a disadvantage.
"Explosion!" Gladius quickly detonated the ground to counter Aokiji's surprise cold attack.
"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!"
Aokiji had no intention of letting them go. Once he attacked, he showed no mercy.
"Let me handle this! Snow Wall!" Monet stepped in front of her two comrades, quickly creating a wall of packed snow to block Aokiji's attack.
"A Logia-type, the Snow-Snow Fruit?" Aokiji's expression was unreadable as he looked at Monet's attack.
Kizaru, of course, wouldn't miss such a golden opportunity to end this once and for all. He transformed into light and flew into the air, beginning his own moment to shine.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
Kizaru unleashed an indiscriminate attack, determined to execute the three of them.
Caught in a pincer attack by two admirals, the three were in a perilous situation. The other family officers were busy fighting their own opponents and were unable to help.
They were in danger.
But the three of them showed no joy, no sorrow, no fear.
"Fuffuffuffu... Hurting my family like this... I don't think I can allow that."
"Yahahahaha! I can't stand to watch this anymore either!"
Their family had arrived.