Sengoku's taut nerves finally relaxed slightly, and he narrowed his eyes, staring at the two Four Emperors confronting each other in the distance, a sneer unconsciously appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Staff Officer Tsuru gently pushed up her glasses, her eyes behind the lenses glinting with shrewd calculation.
"It seems we're going to be the fishermen today," Tsuru said in a low voice, her fingertip lightly tapping the tactical board, "Let these two Sea Emperors fight it out first..."
Garp, however, still frowned deeply. He grabbed a handful of senbei, stuffed them into his mouth, and chewed loudly: "Don't be happy too soon. That madman Kaido never acts reasonably."
His gaze swept over Ace on the execution platform, then looked at the Whitebeard Pirates arrayed in the distance, his fists unconsciously clenching.
At this moment, the situation on the sea had become extremely delicate. Kaido's true form, the Azure Dragon, hovered in mid-air, its scales gleaming with a cold metallic luster under the sunlight.
The Whitebeard Pirates' fleet had adopted a defensive formation, while Marco, transformed into a phoenix, faced the giant dragon from afar in the sky.
"Gurararara..." Whitebeard suddenly burst into laughter, slamming Murakumogiri heavily onto the deck, "Kaido, do you think you alone can take on my Whitebeard Pirates?"
A hint of savagery flashed in the giant dragon's vertical pupils, and Kaido's voice boomed like thunder: "Old man, do you think you're still the 'Strongest in the World' from back then?" The flame clouds beneath his dragon claws suddenly surged, "Today, your era will finally end!"
Just as the three factions were about to clash, the entire sea suddenly fell eerily silent.
Even the surging waves seemed to freeze in mid-air, and a suffocating sense of oppression swept in from the flank of the battlefield.
"That is...!" Marco's phoenix eyes suddenly constricted.
A quaint, two-masted sailing ship, like a ghost, broke through the mist, the red dragon crest on its bow glowing with a bloody light under the sunlight.
The sails of the Red Force flapped loudly, and the one-armed figure in a black coat standing at the bow made everyone who clearly saw his face involuntarily hold their breath.
"Red Hair... Shanks!" Sengoku frowned, what exactly was going on here?
Why had all the Four Emperors come one by one?!
Was Marineford destined to be destroyed today?
"...."
Shanks slowly raised his head, his originally gentle eyes instantly becoming sharp as blades. He took a step forward, and in an instant—
Boom!!!
Heaven and earth changed color!
Centered on the Red Force, dark red Conqueror's Haki erupted like a tsunami.
The materialized shockwave pressed the sea surface down into a thousand-meter-diameter depression, and a huge gap was torn in the clouds above.
On the nearest Marine warship, hundreds of soldiers simultaneously rolled their eyes and collapsed to the ground, not even having time to scream.
"This... this is..." Vice Admiral Onigumo knelt on one knee, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
Hawkeye Mihawk, among the Shichibukai, showed a serious expression for the first time. His hand unconsciously gripped the hilt of his Black Blade, Yoru. This guy was too reckless; even he was affected by the Conqueror's Haki.
And Kaido's Azure Dragon, which had been flaunting its power in the sky, now had to lower its altitude, a hint of apprehension flashing in its dragon eyes. Why had Shanks come? But it didn't matter; they could just fight together!
"Ara... you're kidding me..." Aokiji lifted his sunglasses, the corners of his mouth twitching twice: "This level of Haki..."
On the Whitebeard Pirates' side, even the commander-level officers had to assume defensive stances.
Jozu's diamond body emitted a creaking sound under the strain, and Vista's twin swords trembled in defense. Only Whitebeard himself remained standing, although he was surprised by the appearance of the rookie from Roger's ship. However, anyone who stopped him from saving Ace was an enemy!
Just fight!
Shanks' voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reverberated across the entire battlefield: "Could you give me some face and stop the war!"
Every word struck like a heavy hammer in everyone's hearts. On the nearest Beasts Pirates warship, the Gifters warriors fainted in droves, their artificial Devil Fruit abilities useless in the face of this overwhelming Haki.
Garp's cape flapped wildly, agitated by the Haki. He stared intently at Red Hair in the distance: "This rookie... has he grown to such an extent?"
Shanks slowly drew griffon, and where the tip of his sword pointed, space began to distort: "Kaido, you can still leave now." His gaze swept across the entire field, "This war... should end."
As the last word fell, another wave of Haoshoku shockwave swept out.
This time, even the sturdy walls of Marineford began to crack, and the supports of the execution platform emitted a grating groan.
Two Admirals simultaneously released Armament Haki to resist, while nearly thirty percent of the ordinary Marine soldiers had already fallen.
Amidst this world-shattering power, Shanks stood alone at the bow of his ship, observing everything with a cold gaze!
Just then,
A Marine command post observer suddenly exclaimed: "Report! The main fleet of the Beasts Pirates is approaching!"
Sengoku's face turned grim again. He sharply turned to Staff Officer Tsuru: "Immediately re-evaluate the battle situation!" Tsuru's fingers moved rapidly across the tactical board, her expression growing more serious: "The situation has changed... Kaido is probably planning to..."
On the distant horizon, dozens of warships flying the Beasts Pirates flag were sailing majestically. Most unsettling was that the deck of every ship was filled with the Gifter army, those ruffians enhanced by artificial Devil Fruits roaring with bloodlust.
The members of the Whitebeard Pirates all changed color, Jozu's diamond body reflecting a dazzling light: "Pops, we're surrounded!"
Marco, transformed into a phoenix, circled in the air: "That madman Kaido... he's going to..."
Whitebeard slowly raised Murakumogiri, the fighting spirit in his eyes growing more intense: "It seems I'll have to stretch these old bones today." He turned and shouted towards Marineford, "Sengoku! It seems your plans are going to fall through!"
Cold sweat seeped from Sengoku's forehead; he realized the situation was about to spiral out of control. How many people had Kaido brought?!
The planned execution was turning into a Four Emperors free-for-all that could change the world's power balance.
Even more terrifying,
In this melee, Marineford itself might become the biggest casualty...
Akainu's lava fists were already poised: "Fleet Admiral, we can't hesitate any longer!"
Aokiji rarely showed a serious expression: "This is really troublesome~ having to deal with two Four Emperors at once..."
Just as the entire field was awestruck by Shanks' Haoshoku, an unusual ripple suddenly spread across the sea.
"Gurgle..."
Accompanied by a low roar from the sea, a gigantic Sea King slowly swam across the surface.
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