No one stabbed the Yonko in the back. Combined with his seemingly full physical recovery, Newgate instantly demonstrated the terrifying true strength of a living legend. Wielding his massive blade and a Devil Fruit said to possess the power to destroy the world, he swept through all opposition. His overwhelming, suffocating presence forced the entire Marine frontline back.
Ordinary officers were no match for him at all. Even Admiral Kuzan could only fight him to a brief standstill, utterly failing to permanently block his relentless advance. When the Third Division Commander launched a diamond-coated charge, Kuzan was sent flying backward in an instant, further clearing the path.
Dante fell silent watching the clash. He highly suspected the ice user was acting, taking a dive to avoid serious effort, but lacked concrete proof for now.
The other Admiral, Borsalino, was practically the MVP of the defense, roaming freely across the chaos as a beam of light. Wherever the defensive line turned dire, he appeared. Though he kept spouting, "How scary,","How rude,","That almost hurt me" and raised his glowing leg with agonizing slowness, never actually kicking a single pirate to death since entering the fray, he still sent quite a few formidable commanders flying. Compared to Kuzan, who went from stalling Newgate to stalling his subordinates, Borsalino was doing remarkably well. While he failed to stop the Yonko's massive steps, he did halt the advance of the allied fleets. In a way, he effectively bottlenecked the invasion.
Judging by how the light user played his part... didn't he notice that even Enel had fallen utterly silent?
At first, the Skypiean was deeply shaken by the terrifying destructive output of the Admirals, but after watching Borsalino lazily kick people around... he felt he could take them on again. Sure enough, having played an invincible god for so many years, Enel still fell drastically short when it came to reading a fighters's true strength. It is normal for human minds to fall into familiar patterns.
As for the Shichibukai... Aside from Gekko Moriah, who was genuinely sweating and trying hard to block the onslaught, the rest... Dante really couldn't bear to watch the farce.
Mihawk swung his black blade a few times at the diamond commander at the start. Upon seeing his casual slashes blocked, he simply stopped, turning around to spar harmlessly with a lesser swordsman. He was putting in zero actual effort.
Hancock was just going through the elegant motions. She unleashed her petrifying beams at the pirate underlings before casually turning around and firing at the Marines, openly attacking both sides with equal disdain.
The only obedient combatant was the portly slacker, Moriah. He used his shadow powers to aggressively impale a massive allied captain. He immediately rushed to block the other commanders, but his physical strength was lacking. He took a severe beating from the elite squad leaders the whole way across the ice, only managing a desperate standstill after encountering the Tenth Division Commander. Of course, compared to Weevil, who got swatted into the ocean by a single casual strike from Newgate, and Jinbe, who was actively fighting his way closer and closer to the scaffold alongside the invaders, Moriah's frantic performance could genuinely be called the MVP of the warlord faction.
The battlefield situation grew increasingly deadlocked, and the bloody chaos intensified. Casualties mounted rapidly, the frozen harbor lay littered with shattered weapons and broken bodies. It wasn't just the HQ veterans, even the East Blue soldiers watching from the safe zone couldn't help but show raw horror and fear. Thanks to their rigorous training and chemical enhancements, their overall physical strength was solid, but their mental experience was far lacking. Compared to the minor pirate skirmishes of the weakest sea, this was a true, apocalyptic war.
The rank and file on both sides wore expressions of deep exhaustion and terror. However... they were not the men who could sway the brutal tide of this conflict. Until the top monsters at the top gave the order to cease fire, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and keep bleeding.
Dante also spotted a familiar, struggling figure among the infantry.
That's right. It was the pink-haired boy he'd recommended to Garp back in the East Blue, Koby. Two hundred times the standard training effort had earned him the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer in just a single year. It wouldn't be long before he became a true Captain on Smoker's level. Anyone who knew him would barely recognize this spirited, capable soldier as the short, chubby chore boy from Alvida's ship.
Perhaps this was his first glimpse of true hell, because his performance fell overwhelmingly short. He'd actually prepared to desert at the very start of the clash. Only after watching Admiral Sakazuki mercilessly melt a fleeing officer into slag did he force his trembling legs onto the ice. And his performance... he wasn't weak, exactly, but he was a massive tactical liability. Instead of stopping enemy combatants, the brat was desperately administering first aid in the middle of a crossfire. The war wasn't even close to over. If he were dragging away his comrades, fine, but he even shielded a begging pirate, completely dragging down the defensive formation around him.
Dante and his crew watched the boy in sheer, deadpan disbelief. Sure enough... talent like this belonged strictly at HQ. If Sengoku had a few more bleeding-heart liabilities like him, Dante could rest easy in the East Blue.
Only... where was Buggy? Didn't that clown get arrested too? Why hadn't they seen him on the battlefield?
Buggy's true identity was no small matter. A former crewmate of the Pirate King and close friend of the current Yonko, Red Hair. News of Roger's old apprentice enlisting or being captured would heavily impact the Great Pirate Era, and serve as a crucial benchmark against Mock's growing legend.
Yet Mock had broadcasted countless speeches, and HQ still hadn't released a single word about Buggy. They knew exactly how to keep a secret hidden. Dante had no idea what Sengoku was plotting with that clown.
Of course. Dante looked up at the golden platform. Sengoku must be getting incredibly anxious right about now.
'What will you choose next...'
Just as Dante thought, Sengoku was indeed sweating. Their ultimate target wasn't the aging Yonko. Eliminating Whitebeard would benefit the Government immensely, but their top priority was dealing with Mock. That chaotic variable still hadn't shown his face. Sengoku cursed the pirate in his mind, but right now... he needed to make a decisive tactical call.
The battle was at a grinding stalemate. If this meat grinder continued, the Marines would suffer irreplaceable losses. Especially now. Two Admirals had already engaged, yet they still couldn't cleanly turn the tide. Mentally, Sengoku deeply suspected Kuzan and Borsalino were putting on an act to avoid injury, but he had no proof.
As for the Shichibukai... from the very start, he hadn't trusted the treacherous scum. As long as those monsters slowed the invasion's advance, that was enough.
But what the hell were they actually doing? Putting aside Hancock, who was just actively sabotaging the lines, how were the others only managing an even match against single commanders? The enemy had sixteen Division Commanders. If the warlords only output this pathetic level of effort, why did the Government even assemble them? Trying to stabilize the global balance with these lazy mercenaries was a sick joke.
And that fishman... why was Jinbe fighting closer and closer to the execution block?
"Is that boy coming or not? How did Roger sire such an awful coward?" Sengoku cursed, his jaw tight enough to crack. He looked down coldly at the slaughter below, his voice hardening into absolute resolve. "We can't keep bleeding out like this."
Now, they either released Teach and let the Yonko take him home, or... they forgot about Mock's trap entirely, ordered all forces to go completely all out against the Whitebeard Pirates, and buried them right here on the ice.
At this thought, Sengoku's eyes narrowed. And he had made his call. He turned to the communications officer. "No need to guard against the East Blue Overlord anymore. Have all officers attack the vanguard together. Keep the Whitebeard Pirates here forever."
The heavy words had just left his mouth, the worst possible variable they hadn't prepared for appeared. Before the officer could even raise the Den Den Mushi, "Worororo!"
A monstrous, rumbling laugh shook the very clouds.
Instantly, Sengoku, Tsuru, Garp, and the three Admirals froze completely, looking up at the darkened sky. A massive, pitch-black serpentine silhouette appeared above the fortress, completely blotting out the sun as it looked down on the tiny battlefield below.
The dragon laughed loudly. "So Roger's son is finally here? I've come to invite him to join my crew."
===============
Dear Readers and Fans,
For those eager to dive into next chapters earlier before others, I invite you to join us on Patreon. By becoming our Patron, you not only gain access to exclusive advanced chapters but also help us continue this endeavour and expand it further.
pat reo n.co m /8Ashes8
(no space)
You can read upto 30 Chapters in advance.