Reddy's "miraculous" marksmanship placed immense psychological pressure on Sakazuki.
Every time Sakazuki blocked the attacks of the clones, he had to divert his attention to guard against the bullets that could come flying at any moment.
Already fighting one against two, with the gap in strength not that large, this distraction made Sakazuki's situation dire.
The clones Pyo and Shadow, controlled by their inhibition chips, lacked emotions and fear, unconcerned about whether bullets might accidentally hit them.
Moreover, their direct commander was Reddy.
Though Reddy had personally joined the fight in his rage, he was not acting recklessly.
His seemingly erratic gunplay was deliberately aimed away from the two clones.
A gunshot rang out.
Sakazuki's heart sank—this was the fourth bullet about to hit him.
At the same time, Pyo and Shadow's attacks closed in like shadows.
"Damn it!"
Sakazuki cursed inwardly, forced to activate his Logia intangibility early to evade the bullet aimed at his chest.
Simultaneously, his fists blocked the clones' strikes.
"Let's see how many you can handle!"
Seeing Sakazuki dodge the bullet again, Reddy smirked coldly.
From the group of four clones fighting Kaido, two immediately broke away and rushed toward Sakazuki's battle.
"I can't let you gang up on one of our Admirals."
Kuzan flashed in front of Control and Invis, instantly erecting a massive ice wall behind him to divide the battlefield.
Bang!
The response was another gunshot.
Kuzan had already predicted the bullet's trajectory and ignored it, focusing on stopping the two clones from surrounding Sakazuki.
"Don't even think I'll hand over the Bloodline Factor to you!"
A momentary distraction caused by Control and Invis's movements left Sakazuki open to a punch from Pyo, his face twisting as he bled for the first time. Before the blood could even leave his body, the scorching heat evaporated it instantly.
"Even if a god came today, you won't leave. That's my word!"
Reddy hardened his resolve, pulling another clone, Specter, from the two battling Kaido and even sending his secretary to join the assault on Sakazuki.
Separated by the ice wall, Sakazuki didn't see Specter and the secretary approaching, but Kuzan did, his expression darkening.
He didn't agree with Sakazuki's absolute justice, but he couldn't let a leading Admiral fall here. He immediately activated his powers.
The icy ground spread beneath the two clones' feet.
In the next moment, the ice surged upward, freezing the secretary and Specter in a block of ice that rapidly expanded.
Within moments, the ice had grown into a small mountain, towering a hundred meters high and still thickening.
Cracks continuously formed inside the ice, only to be refrozen.
Kuzan exerted his full strength, forcibly immobilizing the two clones.
But this distraction gave Control and Invis an opening.
Two named swords slashed at Kuzan from left and right.
A crisp crack sounded.
Kuzan activated his Logia intangibility just in time to withstand the blades.
Yet the force behind the swords erupted, sending Kuzan flying uncontrollably until he crashed into the ice wall behind him.
The towering ice wall shattered, collapsing with a thunderous roar.
Only then did Jinbei and the others notice that Sakazuki's Justice Cape was already gone. Though he showed no obvious injuries, his breathing was labored.
"Two clones can defeat a Marine Admiral?"
The three Warlords—Jinbei, Crocodile, and Mihawk—watched Sakazuki's battle with grave expressions.
They had all witnessed the clones' true combat power before, with Crocodile even briefly clashing with Invis.
But back then, the clones hadn't displayed such terrifying strength.
Not until Kaido and Big Mom combined their attack with "Ocean Sovereignty."
"Incredible learning ability!"
Mihawk's right hand twitched, eager to face these clones himself.
But remembering Reddy's promise to let him experience the swordsmanship of the greatest swordsman from centuries ago, Kozuki Ryuma, he sighed silently.
Fighting the clones wasn't impossible in the future, but experiencing Ryuma's techniques was a one-time opportunity.
With the ice wall gone, Jinbei and the others saw Pyo and Shadow's prowess more clearly.
Shadow wielded the named sword Yuki and, using his Shadow-Shadow Fruit abilities, moved like a ghostly assassin. Whenever Pyo drew Sakazuki's attention, Shadow would emerge from the shadows for a lethal strike.
After each attack, regardless of the outcome, Shadow would retreat into the shadows, patiently waiting for the next opportunity.
What could Sakazuki do?
Pyo alone could barely withstand his offensive. Against Shadow's elusive assassinations, he had no means to counter, forced to rely on early intangibility to avoid damage.
But Pyo and Shadow's coordination didn't end there.
Whenever Pyo distracted Sakazuki and Shadow launched a surprise attack, Pyo would suddenly intensify his assault.
Sakazuki could dodge once, twice, even three times... but he couldn't perfectly evade the clones' seamless teamwork.
"Kaido!"
After taking a punch from Pyo, Sakazuki used the momentum to retreat, evaporating his spilled blood mid-air with molten heat.
The moment he landed, he roared, "Do you really want this guy to get your Bloodline Factor and create even worse monsters?"
Facing only Mon now, Kaido was at ease.
After a frenzied assault, his agitated emotions had cooled. Hearing Sakazuki's shout, he knocked Mon back with his club, his face conflicted.
True, only one clone remained before him, so he no longer had to worry about taking damage.
But if Sakazuki fell... Kaido, who often seemed brutish, was actually shrewd.
Even if he refused to admit it, he couldn't deny that these clones already had the power to defeat him.
That made Sakazuki's survival crucial.
Crucial enough that Kaido had to consider whether he could still win if these clones turned on him next.
Kaido quickly glanced at the other battlefield.
Big Mom was also entangled with two clones, neither gaining nor losing ground.
Sakazuki keenly noticed Kaido's slight hesitation and pressed further, "He's the biggest threat. Let's team up!"
Jinbei and the others were stunned.
A Marine Admiral actively seeking cooperation with an Emperor?
And not just any Admiral—Sakazuki, who always took a hardline stance against pirates?
This was like a cat volunteering to be a bridesmaid for a mouse.
Then again, with two Emperors, one Admiral, and Kuzan—whose strength rivaled an Admiral's—Jinbei and the others fell silent.
Four Emperor/Admiral-level monsters versus nine clones.
Who would emerge victorious in the end?
Original Characters in This Chapter:
[薩卡斯基 - Sakazuki (Akainu)]
[雷迪 - Reddy]
[飄 - Pyo]
[影 - Shadow]
[控 - Control]
[隱 - Invis]
[幽 - Specter]
[秘書 - Secretary]
[凱多 - Kaido]
[庫贊 - Kuzan (Aokiji)]
[甚平 - Jinbei]
[米霍克 - Mihawk]
[克洛克達爾 - Crocodile]
[玲玲 - Linlin (Big Mom)]
[門 - Mon]