Meanwhile, Marco and the others also saw the Marines' deployment.
"Is that the Giant race? There are so many of them." Big Mom stared at the massive army gathered at the entrance of the Red Line, disbelief filling her face.
It was not that she had never seen Giants before, but this was the first time she had seen such an enormous number of them outside of Elbaf.
"Elbaf, those Giants are all from Elbaf!" Dragon exclaimed, his expression turning grim.
"Hmm, most likely," Marco replied.
"Wait a second, something's wrong with them!" Big Mom suddenly shouted.
Kaido narrowed his eyes as he observed the battlefield ahead.
"Hmm, I see it too. Those bastards definitely look different."
The Giants now had fangs protruding from their mouths, black horns growing from their heads, and enormous demon wings and tails attached to their bodies. Their appearances no longer resembled ordinary Giants, they looked like colossal demons.
Marco quickly came to a conclusion.
"This should be Imu's ability. Back on Egghead Island, Imu mentioned wanting to turn Kaido and Big Mom into war slaves. This is probably the same power."
Marco's eyes sharpened as he continued.
"I was struck by Imu's Magic Circle before. Even though I shattered it immediately with Haki, I still managed to understand part of its nature. Imu most likely possesses an ability that can enslave others."
Because the Phoenix Pirates' territory was the closest to Elbaf, they had long heard reports about Giants mysteriously disappearing from the island. At the time, nobody understood what had happened.
Now the answer was obvious.
Those missing Giants had been captured by the World Government and transformed into weapons for this war.
Kaido nodded slightly after hearing Marco's explanation.
"Looks like that's the truth. Those poor fools have become Imu's slaves and were thrown onto the battlefield as disposable soldiers."
"That damn monster..." Ace cursed angrily.
Jozu looked toward the massive forces stationed at the Red Line and could not hide his shock.
"There are too many of them. This already surpasses the forces gathered during the Marineford War."
Marco's expression remained cold.
"I won't give them the chance to rely on numbers. If the Marines refuse to surrender, kill them immediately."
As soon as he finished speaking, black flames erupted around Marco's body as he soared into the sky.
"Let's move. We'll show them that numbers are meaningless before absolute strength."
The moment Marco moved, blue flames ignited around Kaido and Big Mom as well.
At the same time, Aokiji, Dragon, Sabo, the twenty Captains, the two All Stars, and the two Sweet Commanders also released blazing flames from their bodies.
After forming contracts with them, Marco discovered he could communicate with them telepathically. The ability was remarkably similar to the connection shared by the Five Elders and the Holy Knights.
Soon, Marco led the group of powerhouses directly toward the entrance of the Red Line.
"Hmph, Marco, Kaido, Big Mom, and Dragon are charging in personally?" Saint Nusjuro said with visible displeasure.
Saint Warcury stared coldly at the approaching figures.
"Not only the leaders, even their top commanders are attacking immediately. They intend to tear apart the defensive line from the start."
Saint Saturn remained indifferent.
"Hmph, this defense line was never going to stop them anyway. Those insects only need to use their lives to drain the enemy's stamina. That alone gives them value."
The Holy Land guards nearby showed no reaction. They had heard such words countless times before and had long since become numb to them.
The Marines, however, were different.
Hearing themselves described as expendable tools filled many of them with humiliation and anger, but with overwhelming enemies approaching, none of them dared to voice their thoughts.
Sengoku immediately issued the order.
"Attack! Don't let them approach the Red Line!"
Even Sengoku knew the order was meaningless, but he still had to give it.
The Marines had been placed on the front lines specifically to act as shields for the World Government.
Sengoku understood that perfectly, yet he had no power to change the situation. All he could do was follow the orders of the Five Elders.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Countless cannons fired toward Marco and the others, but none of them bothered to evade.
The shells exploded uselessly around them.
At the same time, Marco activated his detection ability to assess the enemy's strength.
"Kong, estimated strength: Low Admiral Level."
"Brogy, estimated strength: Low Yonko Commander Level, Demon State."
"Dorry, estimated strength: Low Yonko Commander Level, Demon State."
Every Giant present had been transformed by Imu's power. Their already monstrous physiques had become even stronger after entering their demonic states.
Among the hundreds of Giants gathered there, the weakest still possessed strength comparable to a Marine Captain.
The strongest among them had even reached Admiral Level.
Marco quickly recognized him.
"Loki..."
The Prince of Elbaf.
Bounty: 2.6 billion Berries.
"Gababababa!"
Brogy suddenly laughed loudly while stepping forward alongside Dorry.
The two Giants lowered their stances simultaneously.
Big Mom's expression changed instantly.
"Be careful!"
That was the Giants' ultimate technique.
If someone took that attack head on carelessly, even Yonko Commanders would suffer serious injuries.
"Elbaf Spear, Hakoku!"
In an instant, the two Giants unleashed a terrifying shockwave. A violent stream of destructive force surged directly toward Kaido, who possessed the largest body among them.
" Worororo... targeting me first?"
Kaido showed no intention of dodging.
Flames and storms rapidly gathered inside his mouth.
"Dragon Breath!"
A massive beam of fire erupted from Kaido's mouth and collided directly against Hakoku.
Boom!
The sky shook violently as the two attacks exploded against one another.
Dragon frowned as he watched Kaido recklessly unleash such power.
"Kaido, conserve your stamina. You're one of our main forces in this battle."
Kaido merely snorted coldly.
"Hmph, stop trying to order me around, Dragon."
===
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