Scorching magma suddenly bloomed in the sky.
Kuzan looked up at the scattered rain of molten rock falling and frowned.
This was the assembly signal Sakazuki had arranged.
He remained silent for a moment before turning and walking toward the direction where the magma had erupted.
After regrouping with Sakazuki, Kuzan's expression grew solemn.
Apart from him, only Vice Admirals Onigumo and Doberman had responded to the signal and gathered.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku's latest orders..."
Sakazuki's gaze swept over the three men before him, his expression grim.
Ten elite Vice Admirals from Marine Headquarters had landed on the island less than ten minutes ago, yet four had already been captured within minutes of arrival. Of the remaining six, three more had been taken prisoner on their way to regroup.
This was a disgrace!
Onigumo, after hearing the report, growled in frustration, "That bastard is too cunning. We won't find him like this."
The uninhabited island Reddy had designated as the battlefield wasn't large, but it wasn't small either.
Splitting up might have allowed them to locate their target.
But now that they had regrouped, searching for a target skilled in concealment across such a wide area was practically impossible.
"Admiral Akainu, I suggest mobilizing all forces to sweep the entire island."
Doberman was the second to speak, and his words immediately made Kuzan frown. "As long as we maintain communication, any unit that encounters an attack can be reinforced immediately, cutting off his escape route."
"Let me handle it."
Knowing Sakazuki's temperament, Kuzan couldn't bear to let other elite Marines die in vain and stepped forward.
Without waiting for Sakazuki's approval, he activated Ice Age.
In an instant, ice spread from beneath Kuzan's feet, freezing the entire island in a matter of seconds.
"There's one on the mountaintop."
Kuzan turned his gaze toward a distant peak and shook his head. "Jinbe, Mihawk, Crocodile, and Doflamingo are still on the island... Boa Hancock, Kuma, and the clones are no longer here."
"Damn it!"
Onigumo felt suffocated by frustration.
The enemy was elusive, striking unpredictably.
Unable to split their forces, unable to pinpoint the target... How were they supposed to fight this war?
Sakazuki calmly stated, "He hasn't attacked the lower-ranked Marines, which means his target is us. So let's give him that opportunity!"
"What opportunity?"
Hearing this curious voice, Sakazuki's expression changed slightly as he immediately turned toward the source.
By then, a door had already opened in the air nearby.
Reddy stepped out, hands in his pockets.
Behind him, nine clones—excluding Invis, who was currently fighting Crocodile—followed him through the doorway.
"Ara ara, I didn't expect you to show yourself willingly, Dr. Reddy."
Kuzan was surprised that Reddy had abandoned his overwhelming advantage and appeared before them.
"Sakazuki, Kuzan... and so on. Excellent."
Reddy's gaze swept over the faces of Sakazuki and the others one by one. Smiling, he snapped his fingers.
The nine clones instantly vanished.
"Your biggest mistake is underestimating us!"
Doberman sneered, slashing backward with his sword.
The blade struck a pair of arms coated in Armament Haki.
Mon, who had teleported behind Doberman, blocked the strike with crossed arms, standing firm.
Doberman, shocked by the clone's unnaturally strong defense, didn't hesitate to swing again.
But then a whip-like kick came from the side.
Caught off guard, Doberman was sent flying, crashing into a protruding boulder hundreds of meters away.
The rock shattered instantly, fragments scattering everywhere.
Meanwhile, Onigumo was also overwhelmed by two clones and sent flying.
Kuzan was about to intervene when a figure suddenly appeared in front of him.
"He's the key."
Sakazuki also had a clone blocking his path, but he remained calm. His gaze bypassed Ray 1 and locked onto Reddy's face. "As long as we capture him, the Marines win this war."
Kuzan frowned, glancing at Doberman and Onigumo.
The two Vice Admirals weren't just fighting one clone each—they were being completely suppressed by three.
In less than half a minute, Doberman was already covered in wounds, while Onigumo could barely hold on with his Life Return-enhanced Eight-Sword Style.
"Kuzan, no distractions on the battlefield!"
Sakazuki was unusually composed. He knew Doberman and Onigumo were as good as defeated. The only way to turn the tide was to capture Reddy.
"Sorry."
Kuzan exhaled a frosty breath. The ice beneath his feet creaked and thickened.
Meanwhile, Sakazuki's right arm had turned into scorching magma, the surrounding temperature rapidly rising.
The clash of heat and cold created a starkly divided landscape.
"Going all out so soon?"
Reddy kept his hands in his pockets, his lips curling slightly.
This was his second objective.
During his brief clash with Garp, the clones had memorized the advanced applications of Armament Haki with their bodies.
The benefits of that battle had been fully demonstrated when ambushing the Vice Admirals earlier.
But this was far from enough to satisfy Reddy.
Clones with a Bloodline Factor rating of LV13 were theoretically on par with Admiral and Emperor-level fighters.
Yet before encountering Garp, the clones had been textbook cases of high stats but low combat effectiveness—their Armament Haki was strong in theory but always fell short against true top-tiers like Garp and Borsalino.
So when he learned the Marines were launching an assault, Reddy had set his sights on Sakazuki.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku, however, had given him a pleasant surprise.
Not only had Sakazuki come, but Kuzan had arrived as well.
These two were perfect sparring partners.
A deafening explosion suddenly rang out.
Neither Sakazuki nor Kuzan turned to look.
They both knew either Doberman or Onigumo had been defeated.
"Meigo!"
Sakazuki struck first, his magma-covered fist lunging forward with devastating speed, closing in on Ray 1 in an instant.
At the same time, Ray 1's right arm was coated in Armament Haki, and he punched with equal speed.
A thunderous explosion followed.
Molten rock scattered like rain.
Ray 1 shattered Meigo with a single punch and immediately pressed forward.
Meanwhile, Kuzan condensed an ice ball and hurled it with even greater speed than Sakazuki's Meigo.
Ray 2 reacted just a fraction too late and was struck, instantly encased in a massive block of ice.
A faint crack sounded.
The first fissure appeared, followed by countless others, spreading across the ice like a spiderweb.
Then, the ice shattered!
Kuzan, not overconfident, had already formed two ice spears.
The moment Ray 2 broke free, the spears shot toward him.
Another explosion.
Ray 2 countered with both fists, smashing the spears apart.
In this brief exchange, Ray 2 was clearly overwhelmed, unable to counterattack as Kuzan's relentless assault forced him into pure defense.
"Don't waste time on these clones!"
Seeing the usually lazy Kuzan fighting with unusual intensity, Sakazuki roared and launched another Dai Funka at Ray 1.
Ray 1's earlier counter against Meigo had made Sakazuki realize the clone's formidable strength, so he had no intention of engaging in a prolonged fight. He only wanted to push past and capture Reddy, the primary target of this operation.
Dai Funka not only packed considerable force but also served as crowd control.
The magma-formed dog head clamped onto Ray 1 and flung him aside.
With the path now clear, Sakazuki charged toward Reddy at blinding speed.
But just then, a massive slash suddenly flew in from afar, striking Sakazuki head-on.
"Damn you, Hawk Eyes!"
Sakazuki was furious.
The slash momentarily staggered him. Though his Logia body remained unharmed, Reddy had already retreated, widening the gap again.
Mihawk approached, offering an insincere apology. "My apologies. I meant to finish him off."
Three figures materialized in front of Reddy.
Sakazuki's expression darkened, but he didn't waste time arguing over Mihawk's obvious interference.
Mihawk stopped nearby, raising his black blade Yoru toward Reddy. "As an apology, I'll take him on myself."