Although Seastone was not particularly lethal to someone of Marco's level—
Once his Devil Fruit was sealed, his combat strength would drop by at least half.
And he was already heavily injured.
Vice Admiral Onigumo tightened the Seastone cuffs and exhaled slowly.
Eight blades unfolded behind him like a spider's limbs.
"Captain Marco——!"
Whitebeard Pirates rushed forward in panic.
"Leave this to me."
Onigumo's voice was steady.
"Tikki, just keep doing what you're doing."
"Thief hahaha… I'll leave it to you."
Xiao didn't even glance back.
He had already returned to his "research."
Artificial Devil Fruits.
Volunteers.
Failures.
Survivors.
The battlefield was his laboratory.
On the execution platform—
Sengoku narrowed his eyes toward the Moby Dick.
"What will you do now, Whitebeard?"
The situation had tilted.
The artificial natural-type users were increasing.
Thunder and flame roamed the battlefield.
Though individually inferior to true admirals—
Each possessed destructive force on par with a Navy Headquarters Commodore.
And now—
There were dozens.
Add to that Blackbeard himself.
A monster who crushed Marco with a single hidden strike.
He wandered the battlefield like a shadow.
The Whitebeard Pirates could not commit fully.
Every movement risked assassination.
Pressure.
Constant.
Invisible.
Then—
"Aceeeeeee!!"
A shadow fell from the sky.
All eyes turned upward.
"There he is."
Xiao finally stopped.
Straw Hat Luffy.
The long-awaited variable.
He descended from a thousand meters in the air with the Impel Down escapees.
They should have shattered against the frozen battlefield.
Instead—
Fate intervened.
A hole in Aokiji's ice.
They fell cleanly into seawater.
Safe.
The battlefield froze for a breath.
Whitebeard roared in laughter.
Luffy screamed toward the execution platform.
Xiao tilted his head.
"As expected of the protagonist… Now then… how should we play?"
Would Luffy awaken without the two-year training?
Could destiny accelerate under pressure?
He was genuinely curious.
"Take your eyes off Luffy!"
A violent gust of wind cut through his thoughts.
A slender, elegant figure descended from the sky.
Boa Hancock.
The Pirate Empress.
Her body spun midair—
Momentum concentrated into a devastating axe-kick.
Her long leg crashed into Xiao's neck.
The impact shattered the ground beneath his feet.
But—
He didn't move.
Not an inch.
Hancock's pupils contracted.
Full-force kick.
Direct hit.
No movement.
What kind of monster—
Before she could process—
Xiao turned.
His leg swept out like a war-axe.
No wasted motion.
Pure force.
BOOM.
Hancock was launched like a broken arrow.
She smashed into the reinforced naval fortress behind her.
Concrete ruptured.
Steel twisted.
The fortress collapsed inward.
Rubble buried her beneath it.
Silence.
Then—
Rubble shifted.
Hancock rose slowly.
Blood streamed from her lips.
Her body was laced with wounds.
"How dare you… treat Aijia like this…"
Her pride trembled.
Her breathing uneven.
All eyes locked onto Xiao.
He stepped forward.
Dark aura thickened around him.
Not flashy.
Not explosive.
Just heavy.
He vanished.
Reappeared before her.
His hand closed around her slender neck.
Lifted her effortlessly off the ground.
Cold eyes met hers.
"Who gave a lowly slave the courage… to lay hands on me?"
His voice was quiet.
Terrifyingly quiet.
Xiao had never intended to provoke Hancock.
He found her hysterical infatuation tiresome.
He had ignored her completely.
And yet—
She attacked first.
Hancock's body trembled violently.
Not from pain.
From memory.
Chains.
Fire.
Celestial Dragons.
Slave branding.
Her breathing became erratic.
"You… let go…"
"Someone… save me…"
Stress response triggered.
Without thinking—
She activated her power.
The Mero Mero no Mi.
An overwhelming wave of charm burst outward.
Men.
Women.
Marines.
Pirates.
All caught in its radiance.
Eyes glazed.
Hearts pounded.
Weapons raised.
They rushed toward Xiao blindly.
"Wait— Blackbeard! Don't kill them!"
Sengoku shouted from the platform.
"They're just bewitched!"
But Sengoku knew.
If they attacked him—
Xiao would not differentiate.
Controlled or not.
Enemy was enemy.
And Blackbeard—
Was not a merciful man.
The battlefield held its breath.
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