The scorching magma, carrying a pure will of destruction, surged forward, rushing simultaneously toward Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, and Garp.
Garp struck with both fists, his punches creating an Iron Wall of wind that continuously shattered the magma nearing him.
Charlotte Linlin roared, swinging her emperor sword and splitting the molten torrent in half!
Meanwhile, Kaido wielded his Haki-infused club, directly confronting Sakazuki's attack.
The balance between the three forces was completely shattered, and the battlefield descended into unprecedented chaos!
At the center of the battlefield, the attacks from Kaido and Charlotte Linlin were most concentrated, aimed squarely at the box containing the Ope-Ope no Mi held by Garp.
The giant dragon tail, the slashes of the emperor sword, and Garp's fists—powerful enough to smash meteors—continued to clash fiercely at the island's center.
The shockwaves radiating from every collision caused the ground in the central area to further fracture and collapse, forming an ever-expanding bowl-shaped crater that separated the core battlefield from the periphery.
Kaido and Charlotte Linlin had no interest in the internal affairs of the Marine; their goal from beginning to end was clearly to seize the Ope-Ope no Mi.
Sakazuki, however, had no fixed target; his giant magma fists rampaged across the battlefield, sweeping through the entire area.
He smashed them toward Garp, disrupting his defense.
He smashed them toward Kaido, preventing him from seizing the treasure.
He smashed them toward Charlotte Linlin, upholding the will to exterminate pirates.
Fujitora's deep voice sounded as he brought his cane sword down.
Centered on him, terrifying purple gravity ripples violently descended; the ground suddenly sank amidst grating cracks, as if crushed by an invisible giant hand.
"Hell Journey!"
Fujitora's gravity field served to alter the terrain.
He was not targeting any one person, but the already fragile ground layer buckled under the strain, collapsing over a large area amid deafening roars.
The indiscriminate terrain attack further escalated the chaos, making it difficult for anyone to easily escape.
However, compared to Sakazuki, Fujitora's main direction of attack was still focused on the two great pirates.
The previously distinct battlefield had now devolved into a tangled mess.
Garp, needless to say, was the primary target of everyone's attacks, as the box containing the Ope-Ope no Mi was clutched in his arms.
Charlotte Linlin and Kaido had come specifically for the Ope-Ope no Mi, so their attacks were mainly focused on Garp.
The NEO Marines were unique; their targets were everyone.
On one hand, Sakazuki hoped to use this opportunity to eliminate Charlotte Linlin and Kaido, or at least take down one of them.
On the other hand, he also wanted to directly destroy the Devil Fruit in Garp's arms.
"Dog Biting Crimson Lotus!"
"Vajra Bō!"
Sakazuki's and Kaido's attacks violently collided, creating a fierce explosion that tore open a gap in the sky.
Several months had passed, and Sakazuki, already one of the world's top powerhouses, had now figured out how to use Conquerors Haki Infusion.
Although he was still somewhat unskilled, combined with the inherently powerful explosive attacks of the Magma-Magma Fruit, even clashing directly with Kaido was manageable.
"Wororororo..."
Kaido's previously smug laughter now carried clear anger:
"Sakazuki! You mad dog!"
He had originally come to be the beneficiary, the angler waiting for the spoils, but with this guy's arrival, he constantly had to divert attention to deal with the indiscriminate, fierce attacks.
Garp was attacked from front and back; just as his iron fist shattered a stream of molten rock, Charlotte Linlin's massive body arrived directly in front of him.
"Mother's Blade of Flame!"
"Annoying Marine! Die!"
Charlotte Linlin's roar shook the heavens and earth.
Her massive slash not only tore through the magma, but the radiating sword energy also sliced off a corner of a nearby small hill.
"Fist Bone Impact!"
Garp's fist violently clashed with Napoleon, and the resulting shockwave lifted all the shattered stones from the ground.
As more powerhouses joined the fray, the fighting intensified. Everyone's attention was focused on each other, and Observation Haki perception began to be disturbed. Blake finally spoke to Stella:
"Go bring those two hidden underground in."
"After all, they are Aramaki's subordinates, and they work for me."
"They handled the previous matter quite well; it would be a shame if they died like this."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Stella responded softly, raising her hand to open a door beneath the two men, and Gris and Drake both tumbled inside.
Although the current battle was fierce, some parts of the situation were outside Blake's expectations.
However, he had leaked the news of the Immortality Operation and forged the Ope-Ope no Mi not for the people currently fighting; the real protagonist had yet to appear!
"Ouch! Where is this?"
Drake sat down hard on the ground, looking around blankly.
Gris did not reply; he was thoughtful.
There were only a few people who could save him, and in such a bizarre situation, he figured it must be support from Aramaki's side.
Blake did not plan to personally meet the two.
Although Gris had handled the matter well, his own strength was too weak, limiting his importance.
Drake was simply too young; like Law, Cavendish, and the others, it would take an unknown amount of time to train him up. Bringing him out was just an opportunistic move after seeing a character from the original work.
On the other side, aboard Garp's dog-head battleship, Perospero stood on the deck, facing the wind.
Although a powerhouse like Vergo had joined the Marine forces, he was a double agent.
After Vergo realized Charlotte Linlin and Kaido had arrived, his previously suppressed ulterior motives flared up again.
If they fought to a mutual defeat, or if one or two of them died outright, or if the fighting became so fierce that the box was dropped, wouldn't that be his chance to retrieve the Ope-Ope no Mi?
Vergo decided not to give up; after all, in such a chaotic melee, it was hard to say what might happen, so he planned to observe the situation before making a decision.
As an undercover agent for the Donquixote Family, there was naturally no reason for him to fight Perospero with all his strength; the lives of these Marines meant nothing to him.
Consequently, with him deliberately holding back, Perospero had already taken down many low-ranking Marines and was fighting his way toward the interior of the ship.
A Marine gritted his teeth, tears welling up in his eyes, and sprinted down the corridor until he reached the communication cabin. Without a word, he grabbed the transponder snail used to contact headquarters and urgently dialed the number.
Buru buru... Buru buru... The transponder snail was quickly answered. Before Sengoku could speak, a sobbing voice came from the other end of the transponder snail:
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku! This is bad! We are about to be overwhelmed! We need backup!"
Sengoku was greatly alarmed.
What was going on? Had Garp gotten too old to walk? How could he possibly fail to handle even one Charlotte Linlin?
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