Eneru tossed the half-eaten apple into the sea, raised his staff, and pointed it at Kuzan from afar:
"Enough nonsense! Let me see just how powerful a Marine Admiral truly is!"
Lafitte sighed helplessly.
Their objective was only to delay. From the start, Lafitte had never intended to defeat an Admiral. If they could stall through words alone, that would have been ideal.
But Eneru had already shattered that perfect plan.
"What a reckless fellow"
"It seems I'll have to witness an Admiral's strength after all"
The sea beneath Kuzan froze solid, and Eneru had already closed the distance, faster than expected.
The black staff, coated in Armament Haki, struck Kuzan's chest three times in rapid succession.
Kuzan neither dodged nor flinched. Ice formed instantly over his chest, blocking the lightning-fast blows.
Seeing no effect, Eneru launched a relentless barrage.
Kuzan still did not counterattack, only defending as he retreated, even deliberately exposing a weakness at his right shoulder. As expected, the staff tip tore a piece of his cloak.
At the same time, scattered ice crystals thickened the frozen sea beneath him, allowing it to drift along the waves.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out. The beam of light condensed in Borsalino's hand collided with a sneak attack bullet, melting it midair into liquid that dripped onto the ice with a sizzling sound.
"How scary Young people these days are so impatient But it can't be helped"
Lafitte held his cane in one hand and a pistol in the other:
"After all, he is the notorious monster Vice Admiral of the Marines I wouldn't dare be careless~"
His pistol fired continuously, Armament Haki-coated bullets streaking toward Borsalino's brow.
Borsalino transformed into light and moved instantly. The ice beneath him reflected seven bullet trajectories, neatly cutting off Eneru's pursuit path toward Kuzan.
Standing on a nearby chunk of ice, Borsalino raised both hands in mock surrender:
"What a coincidence Truly a coincidence"
A strange battle unfolded.
Everything was proceeding exactly as expected. Whether it was Eneru and Lafitte on the scene, or Black and Dragon far away in Mary Geoise, all had accurately judged Kuzan and Borsalino.
When it came to reinforcing Mary Geoise, neither would go all out.
As long as they had a reasonable excuse, they could be held here.
Dragon had planned to persuade Kuzan first, then have a cadre stall him.
Black, however, had no intention of letting them reach Mary Geoise at all.
…
Near the Third Plaza of Mary Geoise, the battle between the Revolutionary Army and CP0 had already erupted.
The leading agent activated his ability first. Hexagonal force fields instantly divided the battlefield.
Mori tried to move the ground with the Push-Push Fruit, but found the terrain within the barrier completely fixed.
"Let me!"
Crow transformed into a coal-ash tornado, only to be blocked by a seven-colored light curtain. Refractions ignited the ash into flaming meteors.
"It's the Hive-Hive Fruit and the Prism-Prism Fruit. Be careful."
Dragon's voice fell, and his Conqueror's Haki erupted, suppressing CP0's movements.
"Death Wink!"
Ivankov's shockwave refracted, but he deliberately aimed it at the ground. The explosion shattered three prisms.
"Finger Pistol!"
A short CP0 agent suddenly appeared before Ivankov, aiming at his throat.
Ivankov blocked and charged forward:
"Newkama Kenpo: Swan Lake!"
Elsewhere, a white coffin rose from the ground, attempting to trap Crow.
Though unfamiliar with the ability, Crow knew better than to be sealed. The coffin instantly turned pitch black, filled with coal ash.
"Too slow."
He materialized behind enemy lines, his Armament Haki fist blasting the agent into a wall.
Mori identified the weakness of the Hive-Hive Fruit each restructuring created a brief pause.
As the user activated it again, Mori grinned:
"Push-Push: Earth Flip!"
The street lifted like a carpet, collapsing the force field.
"Dragon Claw Fist!"
With a thunderous impact, the ground shook violently. Burning buildings collapsed one after another.
Dragon sent a CP0 agent flying. The remaining Prism-Prism user, unable to fight alone, was quickly defeated.
Dragon turned toward the most intense battlefield nearby, hesitating.
That was where Christopher and Garin clashed.
Should he intervene?
There were clearly irreconcilable contradictions between them but Dragon could not determine Christopher's stance.
If Christopher still upheld Celestial Dragon rule, he might join Garin and attack the Revolutionary Army.
Alternatively, they could strike the Room of Authority and eliminate the Gorosei. That could cripple the Celestial Dragons' rule.
But if Christopher lost, the Revolutionary Army might be caught in a pincer attack.
Both options carried risks.
After a brief pause, Dragon chose to support Christopher.
Even if Christopher turned hostile, at least their retreat wouldn't be blocked and Dragon was confident he could lead most of them away.
Soon, the Revolutionary Army entered the battlefield.
The area was already in ruins. No intact buildings remained. Even the flames had been blown away by the battle's aftermath.
Boom!
Garin and Christopher's swords clashed violently.
Elsewhere, the Slave army fought fiercely against the God's Knights.
As Dragon's Conqueror's Haki swept across the field, all paused, turning toward its source.
Maffy covered her mouth and chuckled lightly:
"Isn't that the brat from back then? You were lucky to survive, yet you've come to the Holy Land to die again?"
Air currents swirled violently around Dragon as storms rose:
"No! I came to shatter this corrupt world!"
Garin, furious, burst into laughter instead:
"Good! Good! Good!"
"All the traitors are here today, I will bury every single one of you!"