Led by Marco, Kaido, Big Mom, Dragon, and the main cadres from all four sides, the group advanced toward the entrance of the Red Line.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku shouted loudly.
"Everyone, attention! The strongest man in the world is here!"
The moment his words fell, Marco was already descending first, landing directly inside the Marine formation.
Two hundred thousand elite Marines and two hundred thousand Holy Land guards stood in formation. It had to be said, the World Government had deployed an absurd amount of troops.
Even so, Marco understood something clearly.
This was not even their full strength.
In front of a user of Conqueror's Haki, numbers meant very little.
Elite or not, they were still just soldiers on the battlefield.
Marco's mythical level Conqueror's Haki erupted instantly.
A violent wave of Conqueror's Haki spread across the entire entrance of the Holy Land.
In an instant, Marines and Holy Land guards alike rolled their eyes and collapsed unconscious.
Out of four hundred thousand troops, three hundred and ninety five thousand were knocked out immediately.
Even Vice Admirals could not resist it. At close range, not even Admiral level fighters could withstand Marco's Conqueror's Haki pressure.
With a single release of power, the entire defensive line carefully prepared by the Marines and the World Government collapsed.
Only less than five thousand soldiers remained conscious.
Marco did not even look at them twice. He knew they had only fainted and would recover later.
At the rear command position, Sengoku's expression darkened completely.
He had not expected Marco's strength to reach this level.
Sengoku also possessed Conqueror's Haki, but what Marco had just displayed was on an entirely different level.
"Monster..." Sengoku muttered, his voice slightly trembling.
He had spent decades rising from a simple soldier to the highest position in the Marines. He had seen countless powerful figures across the sea.
But never anyone like Marco.
Not even Whitebeard, Roger, or Rocks could be compared in this moment.
Behind the battlefield, the Five Elders and the God's Knights who were observing were also shaken.
They had fought Marco before, but every time they faced him, he seemed to grow stronger.
Now, his presence felt dangerously close to Imu.
"Damn it, what kind of power did he obtain?" Saint Nusjuro said with a grim expression.
Just from that Conqueror's Haki burst alone, he understood something.
They could not handle Marco.
Even if all five of them joined forces, victory was not guaranteed.
"We leave him to Imu-sama," Saint Warcury said coldly.
Any earlier intention of personally resolving this crisis was now abandoned.
Marco had surpassed what they could control.
Soon after, Kaido, Big Mom, Dragon, and the others landed on the Red Line.
Looking at the collapsed sea of unconscious Marines and guards, Kaido exhaled slightly.
"Worororo, you're getting stronger and stronger, Marco."
Sengoku suddenly looked forward and shouted.
"Kuzan!"
Aokiji stood calmly among them and replied with a serious expression.
"Mr. Sengoku, please do not interfere in this battle. Even if the World Government falls, the Marines will still exist. There is no need to keep fighting for them."
Saint Peter's voice turned cold.
"Kuzan, you traitor. So you have fully become a pirate now?"
Aokiji glanced at him with icy eyes.
"Pirate or Marine, it is all just the World Government's control system. Your corrupt rule ends here."
"Enough nonsense!" Kong, the General Commander, stepped forward.
"Kuzan, I thought you simply left because of Sakazuki. It seems you were already rotten to the core. Good thing you were never made Fleet Admiral, or it would have been a disaster."
Aokiji fell silent for a moment, visibly irritated.
At that moment, Marco stepped forward.
He looked at Kong with a cold expression.
"You ignorant fool, we start with you."
The next instant, Marco moved.
That was the signal.
Both sides surged forward into full war.
As General Commander, Kong could not retreat. He removed his coat and rushed forward.
"Today I will represent justice and eliminate all pirates!"
"Steel Bone Fist!"
His fist smashed forward with overwhelming force.
But Marco met him head on.
The moment their attacks collided, reality broke in an instant.
What was expected to be a world shaking clash ended immediately.
Marco's Phoenix blade hand slash tore through Kong's arm like paper.
Without slowing down, the strike continued through his body.
Kong was split cleanly in two in a single motion.
The battlefield froze.
Marines and Holy Land guards who had been charging all stopped at once, unable to process what they had just seen.
"General Commander Kong..."
"How is this possible... that was Kong..."
Shock spread rapidly through both sides.
Kong was not just a commander. He controlled the Marines, the Holy Land guards, and all major intelligence operations.
He stood at the very top of the World Government's military structure, second only to the Five Elders.
And yet he had been killed instantly.
Before anyone could react further, Marco grabbed Kong's head and raised it.
His voice was cold.
"My target is only the World Government. Surrender, and you live. Resist, and this is your fate."
He then threw Kong's head directly toward Sengoku's position.