Chapter 196: The World's Strongest Man
The battle was fierce, the smoke thick.
The once boundless grassland had been ignited by the tall, flame-wreathed figures after the war began. The scorched earth spread to the horizon. The entire land was devastated, transformed into a desolate landscape, as if it had been struck by a meteor shower.
News Coos, wearing military caps and carrying Video and Camera Transponder Snails, flew over the battlefield, cutting through the searing flames to capture everything.
One by one, burly figures, like small giants, formed a charge formation, crashing into the tens of thousands of pirates like a tsunami. Deadly iron spears and giant halberds cut perfect arcs, sweeping with the force of a thunderbolt and sending swathes of pirates flying.
The terrifying arm strength, comparable to that of giants, and the agility that surpassed that of giants, were brought to their fullest potential by the formidable Buccaneer warriors. Each swing of their heavy weapons, which were unique to the West Blue, suppressed the New World pirates to the point where they couldn't even lift their heads.
Whether it was a pirate with a bounty of over 100 million or a famous pirate captain under Whitebeard's flag, when faced with such a tsunami-like charge, their pupils trembled violently, and they were drenched in sweat.
The Buccaneer warriors plunged straight into the army. Wherever they went, pirates were sent scattering into the sky, crashing to the ground with screams. When the pirates struggled to get up from the ground and once again gripped their weapons, the cavernous mouths and sharp claws that followed immediately dug into their flesh, tearing them to pieces.
The giant dogs, which were originally gentle, had now transformed into terrifying killing machines, following closely behind the Buccaneer troops, tearing apart any pirate who tried to get up.
This scene made the pirates standing in front dumbfounded, cold sweat streaming down their faces.
In the midst of the battlefield, the allied pirate captains who had fallen back saw this and gritted their teeth, shouting to their subordinates, "Everyone, gather to me!" Similar commands echoed throughout the battlefield.
For a moment, the pirates under the Whitebeard flag gradually gathered by their respective crews, using their familiar coordination and command to deal with the dual assault from the sky and the ground.
In the very center of the battlefield, a giant dinosaur with relatively short horns on its head stomped its massive feet, heavily pounding the earth and sending hundreds of pirates flying into the air. Its long tail swept out, and in addition to sweeping away one pirate after another, it directly sent the twin brothers, who were wielding cat paws, flying. For a time, piercing screams echoed throughout the battlefield, chilling people to the bone.
Marco and the others, who were pulling back, saw this and gritted their teeth, temporarily giving up on those abnormally tall people. Those guys could be temporarily and barely handled by the allied captains and their subordinates. But these giant beasts that the giants had transformed into... they were beyond their scope.
However, just as they were about to move, one after another, figures with jet-black wings and bodies wreathed in flames descended from the sky, directly blocking the path of Marco and the others.
"This area is off-limits," a mature female voice sounded, announcing an absolute prohibition to the commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates.
"The Lunarian race!!" Diamond Jozu looked at the several flame-wreathed figures before him and asked with a grim face, "You have the power to manipulate flames! Were you the ones who cruelly murdered Brother Squard?!"
Although he had asked a question, Diamond Jozu's voice was filled with certainty. It was clear that he already had an answer he believed to be correct in his heart.
To this, Asmodai, whose attire was different from the other tribesmen from the Calm Belt, replied nonchalantly, "You mean the one who died on the beach? If we had done it, the scene left behind wouldn't have been so... 'clean'."
"Besides... didn't you all come to Dressrosa with tens of thousands of people precisely to attack us?" Asmodai tilted her head slightly, a smile filled with endless malice appearing on her grim face. "Since both our sides were going to fight, what does it matter if we were the ones who killed that person?"
Nearby, Artemis, dressed in a pure white toga that showcased her tall figure, slowly drew the cruciform greatsword from her waist and slashed it out, wreathed in flames. "There's no need to explain to them! Attack!"
As her words fell, the group of brown-skinned, white-haired figures all attacked at the same time. In an instant, searing flames, shockwaves, and slashes covered the dozen or so division commanders.
Marco and the others, who had been listening to the woman's words and had fallen into a brief thought, saw this and frowned, each using their own methods to block the attacks.
"Phoenix Seal!" Marco spread his wings and flew straight into the searing flames. As he approached the enemy, he quickly sidestepped and thrust out a talon. Highly concentrated flames spun rapidly, compressing like a small sun as they attacked the face of the white-haired woman in front of him.
Immediately after, the flames behind Marco exploded. A tall man, his entire body transformed into shining diamond, burst out of the sea of fire amidst the sputtering sparks. He swung his diamond-transformed iron fist, smashing it toward the body of another woman.
With a series of astonishing sounds, the other division commanders also tore out of the sea of fire, swinging their respective weapons to launch a counter-attack.
To this, Asmodai, Artemis, and the others were unafraid, meeting them head-on. For a time, weapons clashed continuously, sparks flew into the air, and powerful shockwaves spread, tearing open large patches of rock and soil on the already broken ground.
Searing flames spread, surrounding the members of the Whitebeard Pirates. In addition to igniting the air, they frantically licked at everyone's bodies. Despite the protection of Haki, the high temperature, which was almost comparable to magma, still burned everyone until they were red.
"Damn it! Although their strength hasn't reached that level yet, these terrifying flames and their incomprehensible defense are exactly the same!"
"If we get dragged down by them any longer, the allied pirates will suffer disastrous losses!" In the midst of the fierce battle, the 16th Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Izo, fired another shot and said through gritted teeth.
"The Conflagration?" The Lunarian man fighting Izo smiled slightly. He knew of the unseen kinsman from his conversation with Arcordon. King had been evaluated by Arcordon as one of the few powerhouses in the current Lunarian race, second only to the strongest, Artus, the old geezer, and Arcordon himself.
The battle grew more and more heated, with both sides fighting all-out. The members of the Whitebeard Pirates were covered in wounds, and burn marks began to appear on their bodies. In contrast, the Lunarians who were blocking them, apart from panting, had no injuries at all.
In the distance, the roars of the giant beasts grew more ferocious, and the screams of the pirates became more and more piercing. This situation made Marco, Jozu, and the others' faces turn ashen, and their minds raced to find a way to break the stalemate.
CRACK... Just then, a sound like glass shattering was heard.
"Pops has made his move!" The familiar sound made everyone in the Whitebeard Pirates realize that the World's Strongest Man had personally entered the battle.
With a piercing scream, the giant dinosaur that had been rampaging on the battlefield suddenly collapsed. An earthquake-like force, concentrated entirely on the transformed Road, erupted, blasting him until countless wounds burst open all over his body. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed onto the battlefield. Blood flowed along his wrinkled skin, dyeing the earth red.
The countless pirates who had survived the disaster saw this and looked at the tall man standing with his bisento in hand, letting out a thunderous cheer. "Long live Pops!!"
This scene made the withered old man in the distant forest strugglingly turn his head and look at the man beside him, who was still unmoved. "Little brat, you—you're not going to go?"
To this, Amit looked at the distant battlefield, a subtle fluctuation in his eyes. "That child... is almost here."
"ROAD!!" Gerd, in her hybrid-beast form, subconsciously cried out. She swung her battle-axe, cutting down the pirates blocking her way, and then quickly ran in the direction where Road had fallen.
On the battlefield, Yelena swung her heavy war hammer with one hand, casually sending one after another of the pirates in her way flying as she strode straight for Whitebeard.
On the other side, Hajrudin and Goldberg briefly paused their movements, frowning as they looked into the distance. "Road—"
Whitebeard glanced at the giant dinosaur, which was spouting blood, then paid it no more mind and strode straight toward the forest. However, the next moment, a series of gasps from behind him made the World's Strongest Man stop his movements.
"This—this guy isn't dead yet?!"
"Impossible! That was the strongest blow in the world!"
DRIP, DRIP. The sound of liquid dripping was heard, and the smell of blood gradually filled the air. A giant dark shadow gradually covered Whitebeard.
Whitebeard turned his head, a cold look on his face.
The tall, half-man, half-dinosaur giant stood unsteadily with his longsword, his back to the sun, which made it somewhat difficult for Whitebeard to see his face clearly.
HUFF... HUFF... A series of harsh, strained breaths were heard.
"Is this all the so-called Whitebeard has?"
Road, covered in wounds, his vision obscured by blood, raised the longsword in his hand high, aiming it directly at Whitebeard himself.
"Quick! This giant wants to attack Pops!"
"We absolutely can't let him succeed!"
The next moment, the pirates realized Road's intention and, roaring, launched a series of attacks at him. In an instant, countless bullets, cannonballs, shockwaves, and slashes landed accurately on Road's wounds, once again sending blood spraying everywhere.
In pain, Road leaned back, almost falling again. However, the next moment, the images of Hajrudin, who was always concerned about him, and his captain, who had a high opinion of him and had given him a powerful Devil Fruit to choose from, appeared in his eyes.
His friends of decades, and the captain who had never belittled or reprimanded him, but had instead given him the highest approval and respect, gave him strength at this moment.
The gradually falling Road steadied himself again, his blood-soaked eyes becoming more and more resolute.
"This kind of painless power... just obediently become a stepping stone for the Captain!!"
With a series of roars, Road's battered body burst forth with a powerful force. He gripped his longsword with both hands and brought it chopping down directly at Whitebeard's head.
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