On the other side of the battlefield, Malha continued his fierce struggle against Aeridar and Enel.
"Luminous Forge!!"
Bright arcs of electricity erupted from Enel's palms. The high-temperature lightning instantly melted the golden staff in his hands, allowing him to reshape the liquid metal at will.
As the blinding light faded, a brand-new golden trident was gripped in his hands. Radiating searing heat and crackling with lightning, he thrust it forward in a rapid-fire assault toward Malha.
The sharp prongs pierced the air with a high-pitched whistle. Wary of the trident's scorching temperature and lethal voltage, Malha focused entirely on evasion, weaving through the strikes.
BOOM!
Enel slammed the trident into the ground, burying the blades deep into the earth.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Malha kicked the air three times in rapid succession, white rings of vapor exploding beneath his feet. Using Geppo, he leaped into the air and descended like a falling star, his palms glowing with a green light so intense it was blinding. He pressed his hand down toward Enel's head.
"Great Decomposition Palm!!"
Crackle!
Lightning flashed. Enel didn't meet the blow head-on, instead transforming into a bolt of lightning to zip away.
However, the moment Enel vanished, the air rippled. Aeridar appeared instantly in Enel's place, his jet-black, metallic right arm swelling in size as it met Malha's palm with ferocious force.
"Armament Hardening: Bear King Pillar!!"
BAM—!
A dull thud echoed as a terrifying amount of physical force erupted from Aeridar's fist. A ring of distorted air rippled outward from the point of contact, followed by a violent shockwave that swept across the battlefield.
CRACK.
The sickening sound of bone snapping followed.
An instant later, Malha cried out in agony. Clutching his arm, he was sent flying backward for nearly a hundred meters before hitting the ground with a heavy thud. He skidded another dozen meters, smashing through the stump of a fallen tree before finally coming to a halt.
"That was close..."
Aeridar looked at his fist, clicking his tongue in realization. The Armament Haki on his knuckles had been partially decomposed by the opponent's ability. If his Haki hadn't been sufficiently strong, he likely would have lost the hand entirely.
In a flash, a bolt of lightning materialized above Malha's head. The golden trident, wreathed in blinding sparks, was thrust downward with lethal intent.
"Damn it...!"
Malha barely had time to catch his breath. Sensing the sharp wind from above, he desperately rolled to the side.
KABOOM—!
The sharp prongs bit deep into the earth, sending jagged rocks flying as the impact kicked up a wall of dust.
"Missed?"
Thwack!
Enel raised an eyebrow, spotting the rolling Malha, and followed up immediately with a kick. His right foot, trailing sparks of electricity, slammed into Malha's guarding left arm. The sheer force sent Malha tumbling once more.
Groaning from the pain in both arms, Malha flipped in mid-air and landed heavily on his feet.
"Sss—!"
He hissed through his teeth as waves of pain radiated through his limbs. He quickly assessed the damage: his left arm, which took Enel's kick, was bruised but functional. His right arm, however, had definitely been broken by Aeridar's punch.
At that moment, Mina flapped her massive bat wings and descended from the sky, shouting urgently, "Captain! A Marine fleet is approaching!"
"What?!"
Aeridar, Enel, and Oliver were all stunned. Why would a Marine fleet show up here?
Suddenly, a golden beam of light shot across the sky like a falling star. It streaked past the horizon and, in a surreal display, slowed down to hover right behind Mina's back.
"To think I was spotted by such a beautiful lady... how clumsy of me, ne~"
The golden light coalesced into a human silhouette, finally solidifying into a tall, thin man wearing a yellow-and-white striped suit and tinted sunglasses.
"Who goes there?!"
Mina's heart skipped a beat at the voice behind her. She spun around instantly.
"You... Admiral Kizaru!"
The moment she saw the man, her eyes widened and her breath hitched. She instinctively retreated several meters.
"How scary... you're all monsters, aren't you~?"
Borsalino looked down at the ruined landscape of the cliffside before descending to the ground. Seeing this uninvited guest, everyone simultaneously halted their combat.
Aeridar glared at Borsalino and asked in a low voice, "Kizaru, what are you doing here?"
"Now, now, Aeridar-sama... surely you don't think a pirate has the right to interfere with a Marine mission?" Borsalino said, tilting his head lazily.
Then, he turned toward Malha and gestured with a pout. "Malha-sama... I don't quite understand how you convinced the World Government to give me these orders, but your ride has arrived. Please, come with me."
The faces of Aeridar, Enel, Oliver, and Mina all fell. Kizaru was actually here to protect their target.
"I am truly grateful to Admiral Borsalino for making the trip. It is my absolute pleasure to board a Marine Admiral's ship," Malha said, a sinister smirk spreading across his face.
"Yohehehe~ looks like we're done for today!" Ryūkawa laughed triumphantly, leaning his blade on his shoulder and wiping blood from his cheek.
"Not so fast, you yellow monkey. I might let you take a corpse back, but that's it!"
Aeridar stepped forward, staring coldly at Borsalino.
"What an impolite way to address someone~"
Kizaru raised an eyebrow and spread his hands helplessly. "Are you planning to oppose the Navy and the World Government, Aeridar-sama? Aren't you afraid of losing your title as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
Aeridar roared back, "It's not that I want to, it's that you people are forcing my hand!"
A terrifying aura erupted from Aeridar, affecting the very atmosphere as a sudden wind began to howl.
"Conqueror's Haki... how troublesome, ne~" Borsalino frowned, a flash of wariness crossing his eyes behind his sunglasses.
"Sorry, but you're not going anywhere!"
"Die!"
Oliver gave Ryūkawa a savage grin and slashed forward without warning.
"You lunatic...!"
Ryūkawa was taken aback, hastily raising his blade to parry. Clang! The weapons locked. Ignoring everyone else, the two resumed their frantic duel, sparks flying as steel met steel.
"My, my... this is a bit much. Are you really going to ignore the Marines?"
Seeing Ryūkawa and Oliver back at each other's throats, Borsalino's expression finally darkened.
"Hmph. Do whatever you want, but I'm not letting you take him!" Aeridar snorted. With a heavy stomp, he charged straight at Malha.
"Oh no!"
Malha paled. He raised his left hand, and green beams the thickness of a thumb erupted from his fingers. In an instant, dozens of decomposition rays rained down like a deadly storm.
"Decomposition: Rain Wave!!"
Aeridar halted his charge, deftly dodging the rays. Where the green beams struck the ground, rocks, and trees, they left thumb-sized holes of nothingness.
"Interfering with my mission right in front of me... I might actually get angry. Ama no Murakumo!!"
Borsalino looked displeased. He clapped his hands together, light gathering in his palms before he pulled them apart, dragging out a long sword made of pure radiance. He prepared to intercept Aeridar.
"Bastard, don't ignore me!"
Enel flickered into Borsalino's path, his golden trident carving a glittering arc as it swung toward the Admiral.
CLANG—!
The light-sword and golden trident collided, emitting a crisp, metallic ring of energy. Simultaneously, the force of the impact exploded, sending violent gales sweeping across the battlefield.