Marineford.
Fierce fighting could be seen everywhere in the frozen harbor.
"Brothers, don't worry about what's behind us! We'll follow Little Oars Jr., charge into the plaza, and save Brother Ace!" Several team commanders shouted, leading the charge.
Since Luffy had been captured early on, the Prison Break Alliance hadn't unexpectedly arrived. The Whitebeard Pirates were surrounded by Marine and the Pacifista Corps, and they had already suffered heavy casualties. Their only chance to break the deadlock was to break through the defenses, rush into the plaza, and disrupt Marine's strategy. Thus, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, who had been strategically placed by Sengoku on the harbor walls, became the first line of defense.
Rumble!
Horrific explosions sounded one after another. Mihawk, with his casual attacks, unleashed terrifying slashes. The Empress didn't distinguish between friend and foe; anyone who dared to get within ten meters of her was instantly petrified. The mechanical tyrant, Kuma, who had lost his Paw-Paw Fruit ability, used his "laser scrolls" to continuously strike with precision. And Doflamingo used his Parasite String to play with the Whitebeard Pirates, making them kill each other. Except for a few powerful captains, the other pirates were no match for these people at all. The pirates' relentless offensive immediately ground to a halt.
"You damned Warlords, get out of my way!"
"Slave Arrow!"
A group of pirates yelled, rushing toward the Empress. But even as they were hit by the pink arrows, they were instantly turned into statues. Unlike her Mero-Mero Mellow, the Slave Arrow would petrify its target regardless of whether they were attracted to her or not. But it wasn't just the pirates; even a large number of Marines were not spared from this indiscriminate attack.
"Damn it, you dare to attack the Marines? Have you forgotten what side you're on?"
Faced with a Marine soldier's question, the Empress gracefully sat back on her pet snake, Salome, and scoffed with extreme pride. "I have always treated all men the same, except for Adrian. Anyone who dares to approach will be punished. And even though I promised the World Government I would fight Whitebeard, that doesn't mean I'm on Marine's side. Is that clear enough?"
Despite the Empress's bad attitude and disdainful words, the marines below were still in a state of infatuation.
"Clear enough! Thank you for your hard work!"
"We know! You're so beautiful..."
They were powerless against the Empress's beauty. Even her slightest movement could mesmerize them. But her beauty was also her deadliest weapon. In the next second, a dozen Marine soldiers were instantly petrified. The surrounding pirates were so frightened that they immediately changed their targets, not daring to get close to her.
"Fuffuffuffu, how interesting. I really don't know what kind of man can subdue a woman with such a horrible personality," Doflamingo said, withdrawing his gaze. He then turned to Little Oars Jr., who was nearly 60 meters tall and was charging toward him. A cruel smirk appeared on his face.
Swish!
Before Little Oars Jr.'s great sword could slice down, Doflamingo's body shot into the air. With a flick of his fingers, several sharp, almost-transparent strings shot toward Little Oars Jr.'s thighs.
But at that moment, a terrifying, massive slash cut through the sky. A strong sense of crisis instantly hit Doflamingo's heart.
"Damn it!" It was too late to pay attention to Little Oars Jr., and Doflamingo quickly retreated.
Pfft!
Like a golden crescent, a 100-meter-long, terrifying slash directly split Little Oars Jr.'s huge body in half. Blood instantly rained down, dying the ground red. The aftershock of the slash continued forward, carving a deep, hundreds-of-meters-long trench in the frozen harbor before finally disappearing.
The noisy battlefield suddenly became eerily quiet. Everyone focused their eyes on the tall figure that was slowly descending from the sky.
"That slash just now..." The world's greatest swordsman, Mihawk, finally broke his calm facade. The so-called layman watches the show, while the expert watches the skill. He knew better than anyone the horror of that slash. But what truly surprised him was that the person who had created it was a black-haired young boy.
What kind of talent is this? It won't be long before my title as the world's greatest swordsman is stolen by him.
"Hmph, you only just arrived. After the war is over, it will be time to deal with this group of traitors," Sengoku said on the execution platform, letting out a long sigh of relief when he saw that it was Adrian. He then waved his hand and shouted, "Don't just stand there dumbfounded! That is Adrian, the newly promoted Warlord, the 'Corpse Collector'! He is an ally of Marine! All soldiers, evacuate the ice immediately! Don't let the pirates get onto the plaza!"
With Sengoku's order, the battle resumed.
"Borsalino, is this the guy who beat you up at Sabaody?" Akainu asked, crossing his legs.
"Don't say it so harshly. This little brother is very strong, aside from his foul mouth. Why don't you try fighting him yourself?" Kizaru replied with a wretched expression.
"He is indeed strong," Aokiji said, pushing up his blindfold with a serious expression.
Unlike Marine's calm reaction, the Whitebeard Pirates—especially the division commanders who have been robbed by Adrian—were filled with righteous indignation. What the hell? How dare a Warlord steal from a Yonko?! Fuckhim! The captains raised their weapons, ready to confront Adrian.
"Don't you dare! That guy is mine!" Marco was the first to charge. He was going to put a stop to this bastard and get his lost respect back!
"My foolish sons, don't be fooled by that old fool Sengoku! We have only one goal right now, and that's to save Ace!" A powerful voice, filled with 'calmness', came from the Moby Dick. Whitebeard slammed his hand on the deck, and a booming sound echoed.
BOOM!
The surging airwaves shook the ground.
"I'll deal with that little brat later," Whitebeard said through gritted teeth. If it weren't for the bigger picture, he would have rushed over and hammered the little bastard who dared to rob him. I couldn't eat or sleep these past few days because of this! The more I think about it, the angrier I get. If I don't hammer you, my name isn't Whitebeard!
"Hey, is it true? Whitebeard actually..." When Whitebeard's words spread across the battlefield, everyone—Marine, pirates, and even the audience watching on TV—was shocked. The world's most powerful man, a Yonko, had just said he would personally deal with a boy under 20 years old. The information here was a little too much!
"Is there some deep hatred between the two of them?"
"Did that little brother perhaps... assault Whitebeard's daughter?"
"I didn't know Whitebeard had a daughter."
"It's hard to say, but seeing how handsome he is, maybe something happened..."
"Well, that makes sense..."
"A father like Whitebeard, who is so protective of his children, would never tolerate his daughter being taken by someone. That's why he's so angry!"
"My brother, you've got it right..."
"Hey, if I were Whitebeard's daughter, I'd elope with that little brother. He's so handsome!"
"Mom, please let me go! I like that brother too!"
For a while, all kinds of scandalous rumors about Adrian and Whitebeard's relationship faintly overshadowed the main event of the war.
"Fuffuffuffu, little brat, so you're the new guy," Doflamingo said. A stern look suddenly appeared on his face. He was obviously still shaken by the slash from earlier. "I heard that the Sand Crocodile, the Golden Lion, and that trash Moria all died at your hands... You really like to show off!"
As his voice fell, he jerked his arm downward.
Swish! Swish!
Five almost-transparent, sharp strings descended from the sky.
"Trash! Get out of my way! Perfume Femur!" A beautiful figure rushed behind Adrian like lightning, and a flying kick shattered Doflamingo's "Dropping Ruffian String." She then launched a series of smooth kicks that forced Doflamingo back.
"Hey, Empress, you'd better mind your own business," Doflamingo said, looking furious. He didn't understand why this beautiful madwoman had suddenly attacked him. But what angered him the most was that during the entire process, Adrian hadn't even looked at him.
"You disgusting scumbag! I am so furious right now that anything you say will be treated as a death sentence!" Surrounded by snake, the Empress adopted her signature contemptuous pose and shouted furiously. "You dared to sneak attack my beloved! It's an unforgivable crime... I've never been so angry! I'm going to chop you into pieces and feed you to the dogs!"
BOOM!
The Empress's Conqueror Haki erupted in an instant.
"What?! You said he was your beloved?!" Doflamingo's face was uglier than had eaten dirt. This is ridiculous! I thought this legendary woman hated men and treated them all like trash? How did Adrian become her beloved?
Doflamingo was speechless. Okay, okay, I can't afford to offend you two crazy people. I'll admit defeat. I'll retreat! Faced with the Empress's aggressive and terrifying haki, Doflamingo felt that it wasn't worth it to fight with a fanatical idiot. He was a king, after all. If he really got a beating from a crazy woman, it would be too embarrassing! So he jumped to a safe distance, venting his anger on the members of the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Hancock, come back!" At that moment, Adrian's voice came from afar.
"Yes, Lord Adrian! You called me Hancock again...!" The Empress's expression instantly changed to that of a lovestruck girl. She rushed over to Adrian and, in full view of everyone, sat on the ground like a docile kitten, resting her head on his lap with an intoxicated expression. The happy look on her face could give anyone diabetes.
"He's really the most deadly kind of dog!" Doflamingo, who saw this scene from a distance, staggered and almost lost his breath. He then used his Parasite String to control Diamond Jozu, sending him on an unrestrained rampage through the crowd.
With the shocking slash from earlier and the scene with the Empress, the area where Adrian was became a vacuum, with no pirates daring to approach.