"How is that possible? Gecko Moria lost? But he's one of the Seven Warlords!"
The Marines stared blankly at the defeated Moria, collapsed on the ground and unable to move, their eyes filled with disbelief.
"Useless fool," Fleet Admiral Sengoku, far away in Marineford, cursed under his breath as he witnessed Moria's defeat.
Through the video feed from the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku could clearly see every detail of the battlefield, allowing him to command the Marine forces effectively.
"Quickly! That guy Moria can't die yet," Sengoku ordered the soldiers through the Den Den Mushi, trying to get them to stop Enel.
But with such a vast difference in power, how could they possibly stop him?
Gecko Moria's death seemed inevitable.
"Farewell."
After speaking his final words, Enel prepared to deliver the final blow to Moria's large, onion-shaped head.
Moria lay on the ground, neither happy nor sad, calmly facing death.
"Ursus Shock!"
The cold and silent Bartholomew Kuma finally made his move, just as Enel's attack was about to land.
"Damn you, Bartholomew Kuma! Are you trying to save him? Since when were you two so close?" Enel dodged Kuma's attack and turned to him, demanding an answer.
Anyone would be furious to be interrupted so suddenly.
On the ground, Moria clutched his arm in pain, but a glimmer of light had returned to his eyes. If he could avoid it, he didn't want to die. Kuma's intervention had given him a chance at survival. Although he didn't know why the man had saved him, he would remember this debt.
Kuma instantly appeared before Moria and asked flatly, "If you were to travel, where would you like to go?"
"Me?" Before he could finish, Moria vanished with a swat from Kuma's paw.
Ignoring Enel completely, Kuma calmly finished his task and turned to face him.
Enel was furious at Kuma's actions and immediately launched an attack without courtesy.
A new clash between Warlords had begun.
Sengoku, watching this, felt a small sense of relief. It was good that Moria wasn't dead. It wasn't his time yet. The balance of power the World Government worked so hard to maintain could not be broken. The New World was in turmoil, and the Warlord system was more crucial than ever.
Besides, they hadn't even managed to gather a full roster of Seven Warlords yet. And there was currently no one who could replace Moria. He couldn't die—at least not here. If he did, it would be a slap in the face to both the Marines and the World Government.
Crocodile and Hancock watched Moria's downfall calmly, but an unavoidable trace of sorrow rose in their hearts. Perhaps this, too, would be their end.
"Hmph."
They both casually executed a nearby pirate, venting their frustrations.
As one battle concluded, another was rapidly approaching its curtain call.
The fight between Diamante and Mihawk had finally reached its final moments. Diamante, who was no match for Mihawk to begin with, had only managed to hold his own through sheer willpower.
Decisive, sharp, ruthless, focused—this is what Diamante saw in Mihawk's sword.
He had learned much from this battle, but he was now in extreme danger. If no one helped him, his road would end here.
"Hah... hah..." Diamante panted heavily, feeling the exhaustion in his body and the relentless pressure of his enemy's attacks.
He tightened his grip on his sword once more and charged at Mihawk with all his might.
BOOM!
Unsurprisingly, Diamante was knocked back, his body covered in bleeding wounds.
He fell to the ground but struggled to rise again, charging at Mihawk once more.
BOOM!
The same result. No matter how many times he tried, it would be the same.
"What will drives you to keep fighting? You could have stayed on the ground. I would have let you live. After all, I have no interest in those who have already been defeated," Mihawk said, moved by the sight of Diamante struggling to his feet yet again.
"Hah... Doffy... will become the king. I will see him reach the pinnacle. If I fall now, I'll never get back up again. This is the pride of a swordsman... Don't you look down on me!" Diamante said with great effort.
"Very well. I acknowledge your will. You are a good opponent. In that case, I will send you on your way with this, the world's strongest black blade," Mihawk said, looking at Diamante with satisfaction. Such an enemy, such a will—it had moved even him.
"Come on!" Diamante struggled into his stance, his sword held horizontally before him, his eyes filled with unwavering resolve.
Like a shooting star, Mihawk streaked past Diamante.
With a sickening tear, a massive gash was opened across Diamante's chest, so deep that flesh and bone were clearly visible.
Clang!
The sword in Diamante's hand shattered, its pieces falling uselessly to the ground.
Thud.
Diamante collapsed, defeated.
"Diamante!"
"Lord Diamante!"
Seeing this, the members of the Donquixote Pirates gritted their teeth in fury and rushed toward Mihawk.
With a single slash, just one, an incredibly powerful wave of sword energy shot toward them.
"Get out of the way! I'll handle this! Bepo, go check on Diamante!"
Gladius stepped forward without hesitation, standing before his comrades and taking the full force of the blow.
Following his orders, Bepo rushed to Diamante's side. With a trembling heart, he reached out and carefully checked for a pulse and breath.
"He's alive!" Bepo was overjoyed. It was a good thing Diamante was alive, but this was a battlefield! How could a severely wounded man survive? There were no doctors here!
Bepo panicked. He was at a complete loss. He was just a pet! It wasn't a good thing for him to be the one making decisions.
In a moment of desperation, Bepo pinned all his hopes on Doflamingo. He took a deep breath and screamed at the top of his lungs, "Young Master! Diamante is dying! If he doesn't get help now, he's really going to die!"
The cry was piercingly loud. All the members of the Donquixote family on the battlefield heard it, and they, too, grew anxious.
On Doflamingo's side, Bepo's cry caused his focus to waver for a critical instant.
Kizaru and Aokiji would not miss such a golden opportunity. Seizing Doflamingo's lapse, they each landed a blow.
"You were careless, Doflamingo," Kizaru said, his laser beams never ceasing their assault.
Aokiji's cold energy was also terrifyingly powerful, striking Doflamingo's body.
"One Hundred Million Volt... Discharge!"
Struck by both attacks, Doflamingo immediately unleashed his lightning to force them back.
He wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. The anxiety in his eyes was unavoidable, though his sunglasses hid it from Kizaru and Aokiji.
For them, Doflamingo's carelessness was a godsend. They both wanted to thank Bepo for giving them such a perfect opportunity.
Doflamingo tried to turn and leave, wanting to check on Diamante.
"Not so fast, Doflamingo," Kizaru fired a laser, dissipating Doflamingo's retreating form. A sly grin was plastered on his face, clearly pleased with his work.
"Ara, ara... Don't think you can leave so easily, Doflamingo," Aokiji appeared behind him and threw a punch.
Doflamingo quickly turned his body intangible to evade the punch and teleported to an empty area. But Kizaru was prepared for this move.
After all, besides Kizaru himself, there were very few who could keep up with Doflamingo's speed.
Kizaru stuck to Doflamingo like glue. Aokiji immediately followed, refusing to let him get away.
"Dammit!" Doflamingo cursed under his breath.
The three were locked in a stalemate.
With Doflamingo unable to break away, the other Donquixote officers grew more anxious hearing Bepo's words.
This was excellent news for Sengoku, who was far away in Marineford. He could almost see Doflamingo's end.
He issued an urgent order: "Concentrate all fire on the Donquixote Pirates! Don't let a single one escape!"
"Yes, sir!"
"For justice! Kill Doflamingo! Annihilate the Donquixote Pirates!"
The Marines' sense of justice was ignited. Their morale soared as they charged forward like a sharp blade aimed at the heart of the Donquixote family.
"This is bad!" Enel, who was fighting Kuma, also grew anxious. In his earlier anger, he had forgotten his mission. He felt a pang of self-reproach.
"Cloud Burst!"
Enel tried to break away from Kuma's attack, wanting to lead the Donquixote Pirates and rally their morale.
But Kuma had a temper of his own. You think you can fight when you want and leave when you want? It's not that easy.
"Teleport!"
Kuma appeared instantly in front of Enel and swatted at him with his paw.
"Damn bear!"
Enel quickly dodged. Kuma refused to let him leave. Like Doflamingo, he was now unable to escape.
"It seems the Donquixote Pirates are finished," Crocodile and Hancock remarked, watching the scene unfold.
The defeat of a core member was a heavy blow to the Donquixote family. If Bepo hadn't cried out, they might not have been in such a passive position. But it was precisely Bepo's unintentional mistake that had created this crisis.
High above, Pica had of course heard Bepo's words. With their deep bond, he would never let Diamante die like this.
Pica, who had been toying with Onigumo, grew serious, his attacks becoming fiercer. All sorts of stone manipulation techniques were unleashed one after another, leaving Onigumo struggling to cope.
"Get out of my way!"
Pica finally revealed himself, his fist coated in Armament Haki, aiming for Onigumo's face, intending to knock him from the sky.
"As if I'd let you pass!"
Onigumo also realized this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He absolutely could not let his opponent leave, or the Marines below would be in danger.
"Dammit!"
The two began to fight hand-to-hand on the massive stone giant.
In his haste, Pica grew sloppy and was wounded by Onigumo's multiple swords, blood flowing freely.
"This is the fate of your Donquixote Pirates. Accept it, you damn pirate!" Onigumo declared, looking at the wounded Pica as if pronouncing his death sentence.
"You've really pissed me off now. Die!" Pica roared in anger.
Onigumo didn't care. He ignored Pica's words and charged at him.
Pica also threw a punch at Onigumo.
The two began their final exchange.
On the ground, the battle between Monet and Doberman was also fierce. With the help of the Snow-Snow Fruit, even though her current strength was lacking, she was able to hold her own against the Vice Admiral. A good Devil Fruit could save its user a lot of effort.
Doberman sensed the urgency in Monet's attacks. He latched onto her, refusing to let her go.
Gladius, having blocked one of Mihawk's attacks, was in a sorry state. The gap between him and Mihawk was just too vast.
Before he could even catch his breath, he saw Mihawk leap towards him.
Doflamingo noticed this, and his eyes twitched. "Mihawk, you dare!" he roared.
Mihawk completely ignored him and struck Gladius with a single slash. Just like Diamante, he was defeated in one blow.
Normally, Mihawk wouldn't be interested in such small fry, but since Doflamingo cared so much, he decided to use it to deal him a blow.
Thud!
Doflamingo was struck again by Aokiji and Kizaru's attacks.
"Gah!"
He coughed up a large mouthful of blood and fell to one knee, his eyes filled with a cold fury.
"How careless of you, Doflamingo," Kizaru taunted.
"Ara, ara... to get distracted while fighting us, Doflamingo," Aokiji added.
Mihawk seized the opportunity and appeared before Doflamingo, forming a three-on-one encirclement.
A great crisis. Surrounded by three peerless powerhouses, even Doflamingo broke out in a cold sweat.
The Donquixote Pirates were in grave danger!