Whether it was Enel clashing violently against Tokikake or Daz Bonez trading lethal strikes with Gion, the sheer scale of the commander-level duels was absolutely catastrophic.
Entire blocks of white architecture collapsed into dust. The already abandoned, desolate White City was being rapidly pulverized into a completely unrecognizable wasteland of rubble and craters.
However, the main vanguard battlefield was equally deafening and visually spectacular. The relentless roaring of muskets, the sharp clashing of steel, and the violent explosions of Devil Fruit abilities painted a chaotic, bloody picture of war.
The soldiers the Navy had deployed were absolutely not standard Blue Sea fodder. They were highly trained Marine Headquarters elites. A significant portion of them possessed a partial mastery of the superhuman Rokushiki (Six Powers) martial arts, and several of their commanding officers had even successfully awakened Haki.
While these soldiers were absolutely nothing in the eyes of Bardock, Enel, and Daz Bonez, they posed a very genuine, highly lethal threat to the rest of the White Dragon crew.
Vice Admiral Tsuru's personal unit, in particular, consisted of fierce, highly elite female Marines who were terrifyingly proficient in coordinated firearms and sniper tactics.
"Target acquired!" "They're charging our lines!" "Ready! FIRE!"
Under the calm, methodical commands of their lieutenants, the Marine firing squads unleashed multiple, suffocating waves of lead before the pirates even closed the distance.
"Tsk. Repel!"
Eustass Kid, having pushed his Devil Fruit proficiency a step beyond mere attraction, violently reversed his magnetic polarity. The massive, floating sphere of thousands of bullets he had caught mid-air abruptly froze, before violently rocketing right back toward the Marine lines at supersonic speeds.
"Tekkai! (Iron Body)"
Not all Marines possessed the agility of Soru (Shave) to dodge the incoming shrapnel. Instantly, the burly, physical-combat specialists surged to the front lines, crossing their arms and hardening their muscles to the density of steel, acting as living meat shields to protect their comrades behind them.
The legendary defensive technique held true. The reflected bullets sparked and flattened harmlessly against their hardened bodies. Utilizing the Tekkai specialists as a moving barricade, the Marine vanguard continued their aggressive advance.
Aside from a few unlucky soldiers who caught a stray bullet to the eye or knee, the initial long-range exchanges from both sides failed to inflict massive casualties.
"Snipers! Focus your fire! Take out the red-haired brat!" a Marine Commander roared.
Instantly, several specialized, pitch-black bullets coated in dense Armament Haki tore through the air, completely bypassing Kid's magnetic field and aiming directly for his vital organs.
"Candle Champion!"
Before the Haki rounds could pierce Kid, Galdino violently surged forward. Massive amounts of hardened, steel-like wax erupted from his body, rapidly forming into a massive, heavily armored, mechanical-looking battle suit.
Knowing that Armament Haki could bypass the wax to hurt his true body, Galdino specifically reinforced and protected his head and torso, utilizing the sheer, overwhelming mass of the giant wax mech to violently absorb the impact of the Haki bullets. The rounds chipped the outer armor, but failed to stop him.
Roaring with uncharacteristic, absolute bravery, Galdino charged directly into the Marine ranks like a rampaging bull. Relying entirely on the absurd durability of his Devil Fruit, he recklessly bulldozed through the front lines, sending dozens of Marines flying into the air, completely unstoppable.
Meanwhile, deep behind enemy lines, Leo and Sai were already wreaking absolute havoc.
As a Tontatta, Leo inherently possessed blinding speed and immense physical strength. Now that he had flawlessly integrated Rokushiki and Haki into his arsenal, combined with the bizarre utility of his Stitch-Stitch Fruit (Nui Nui no Mi), he was the ultimate vanguard disruptor. Moving faster than the elite Marines could even blink, Leo darted between their legs, instantly sewing dozens of heavily armed soldiers securely to the stone floor—or to each other—before they even realized they were under attack.
On the other side of the flank, Sai's mastery of the Hasshoken (Eight Impacts) was on full, devastating display. Every single punch and kick he threw generated a localized, unblockable shockwave that bypassed external armor and shattered the Marines from the inside out.
"HAAAA! Bukyokugeki! (Martial Heel!)"
Sai leaped into the air, bringing his heel down with apocalyptic force. A massive shockwave erupted through the plaza, violently blasting a massive crater into the earth and instantly incapacitating a large squad of shield-bearing Marines.
Realizing that if these three heavy hitters were left unchecked, the infantry would be completely massacred, several high-ranking Marine Captains and Commanders immediately broke formation. Drawing their Haki-coated blades, they aggressively intercepted Galdino, Leo, and Sai, locking them down in intense, high-level duels.
With the primary disruptors tied down, the sheer numerical advantage of the Navy allowed the remaining hundreds of elites to crash directly into the rest of the White Dragon crew.
Aside from the mechanical guard robots who remained stationed near the ship, every single member of the crew was pulled into the bloody melee. Even Chopper had transformed into his Heavy Point, throwing devastating punches at the charging infantry.
Kid and Killer operated with terrifying, flawless synergy. Kid violently manipulated the Marines' metallic swords and rifles, creating brief, chaotic openings that Killer instantly exploited, weaving through the disorganized ranks like a phantom and leaving a trail of slashed bodies with his spinning scythes. The surrounding Marines were completely unable to pin them down, suffering heavy casualties in the process.
Amidst the chaos, Hawkins casually pulled a tarot card from his deck. Glancing at the result, he muttered, "A frightening ordeal, but ultimately zero risk of death." Reassured by the reading, he instantly activated his ultimate technique: "Goma no So!" (Face of the Conquering Demon).
Hawkins' body violently expanded, transforming into a massive, terrifying straw voodoo monster armed with cursed nails, sending a wave of primal fear rippling through the Marine ranks.
However, the true MVP of the vanguard battle was unequivocally Nico Robin.
Operating as the supreme battlefield tactician, she was the absolute busiest person on the field. Not only was she seamlessly utilizing her Hana Hana no Mi and Observation Haki to effortlessly snap the necks and disarm dozens of Marines rushing her position, but she was also constantly observing the flow of the entire battlefield, barking out highly precise tactical orders.
Mansherry and Perona were flawlessly executing Robin's commands.
Positioned safely in the backline, Mansherry stealthily utilized her Heal-Heal Fruit, launching glowing dandelion spores across the battlefield to instantly patch up any crew member who suffered a wound, completely nullifying the Navy's war of attrition.
Simultaneously, Perona provided the ultimate crowd control. Sending out waves of her Negative Hollows, she specifically targeted the elite Marine snipers and high-ranking officers Robin pointed out. One touch from a ghost, and the fierce Marine elites instantly dropped to their knees, weeping and apologizing for being born, completely breaking the Navy's organized formations.
As the chaotic, bloody battle raged on, the Navy realized a terrifying, demoralizing truth.
Despite outnumbering the pirates nearly a hundred to one, the number of Marines left standing was rapidly, irreversibly dwindling.
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