Paramount War (Eighteen)

"Hiss--"

The sound of a horse neighing rang out, and a majestic White Horse galloped down from the sky.

Bang!

Arthur pushed off the ground with both feet and leaped into the air, straddling the White Horse's back, hovering high above.

The atmosphere suddenly became incredibly eerie.

A flying horse?!

"This is just too... too shameless!"

"No, I should say they're too smart..."

"Damn bounty hunter, if you've got the guts, come down from the sky! What kind of skill is it to escape into the air?!"

"..."

Seeing this, the expressions on everyone's faces on the battlefield became incredibly interesting.

It's unclear who started it, but different opinions came from different people.

The world was amazed by the existence of the Pegasus in the story, the Navy 23rd Army was moved, while Whitebeard Pirates was indignant.

"Hmph~ A flying Pegasus and a knight, why am I not surprised by this combination!" Doflamingo laughed incredulously. In a short time, his impression of this 'Knight of Knights' had been refreshed time and time again.

Having seen the previous scenes so many times, the idea of a knight owning a Pegasus actually seems quite reasonable.

"Haha... His image is completely ruined!" On the Admiral's platform, Garp covered his eyes, laughing until tears streamed down his face, "I really want to know how Newgate is feeling right now!"

"That kid... he's really clever!"

Not to mention Garp, even Sengoku on the Execution Platform turned red in the face.

Sengoku felt almost exactly the same way Garp; he really wanted to know how bad Whitebeard's mood was right now, with his anger and killing intent pent up and nowhere to go.

"Puff..."

"Hehe... That Whitebeard uncle probably never expected Arthur could fly, right?!"

In Water 7, standing in a corner of a plaza watching Nami's live broadcast Image Den Den Mushi Nami, she couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Ah... Captain, what a twisted sense of humor."

Robin, standing beside him, covered her mouth and chuckled in agreement.

Throughout the live stream, neither woman's gaze had left Arthur.

Watching Arthur display his extraordinary Kamui, causing a stir among countless people, their hearts shifted from worry to pride.

Seeing Arthur fly into the sky, Robin couldn't help but give him a thumbs up in her mind.

They did not let their minds be dominated by violence and killing because of the fighting.

This calm and resourcefulness is indeed the captain I know.

Arthur was completely unaware of the emotions and anger expressed below.

Arthur was completely unaware of the emotions and anger expressed below.

Riding the King's Horse into the sky was a decision he made the moment his Mana dried up.

Arthur's normal strength is still quite different from that of the Four Emperors, although he can put up a fight using the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

In a protracted battle, Arthur could use only the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit while allowing his Mana to recover. If he really wanted to, he could even more ruthlessly hunt down Whitebeard Pirates's crew members who met the victory conditions, using the system's enhancements to quickly recover and become stronger. In this way, Arthur would be very confident that he could wear down the aging Whitebeard, who was riddled with hidden ailments.

However, Arthur had no intention of doing so.

His brief encounter with Whitebeard made him realize the gap between himself and the Four Emperors.

Undeniably, once Whitebeard is defeated, the system's enhancements will be unprecedentedly powerful.

But putting aside the fact that the cost of wearing down Whitebeard would be too great, Arthur was well aware of that.

This war was the Paramount War, waged by the Navy to bring down Whitebeard Pirates, and from the beginning, he was a third party.

Now that Luffy's group has joined, Arthur isn't even a third party anymore.

Moreover, if Arthur were to reveal his Rumble-Rumble Fruit, he would not only incur the hatred of Whitebeard Pirates, but would also likely face an attack from both protagonists in this war.

Not worth!

Absolutely not worth it!

Having killed Jozu, Arthur has given Sengoku a satisfactory answer regarding this Navy contract.

There's no need to expose everything just to fight Whitebeard.

Just like ⑺Nian^ the brain is very calm.

"Then, my only enemy is you! Marco, the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, the 'Phoenix'." Arthur gripped the reins with one hand, Excalibur in his other hand vanished in a burst of light, leaving behind a silver spear.

Swish!

As soon as the Holy Lance appeared, it emitted a burst of white light, transforming from a slender spear into a long spear encased in a white halo in the blink of an eye.

Riding mode--

Only when the King's Horse and the Holy Lance are combined can the full power of 0.93 be unleashed.

"Don't think you're safe just because you've escaped to the sky! Jozu's death must be avenged with your life!" Blue flames roared as Marco's hands transformed into wings, and he flew towards Arthur, shouting down, "Pops, I'll handle this guy! I'll avenge Jozu!"

'Buzz~'

Snap!!

Upon hearing this, the Whitebeard below had his face covered in dark lines again. He clenched his right fist, stretched it towards his left chest, and slammed it towards the Execution Platform.

Transparent white light waves appeared, and a crisp sound of the atmosphere shattering rang out.

"Not good!!"

Upon seeing the tomb, Sengoku, who had been wondering what Whitebeard was Sengoku, suddenly changed his expression, as if he had realized something, and shouted, "Attention everyone! The World's Strongest Man has gone berserk!"

This is a repeated phrase, but the emotions expressed in the cries of the Sengoku were all different.

Hateful!!

Goodness, so that's what you were planning!

He provoked Whitebeard's anger and fled to the sky, letting them bear the wrath of the World's Strongest Man!

The cunning little devil, his smooth, white exterior was actually black inside.

What happened to the Eight Knightly Virtues?!

Chapter 104 The Paramount War (18)

(Fourth update! No fifth update (scratching head). The top part is almost finished, so I need to write more carefully! I'll continue tomorrow, three updates guaranteed, and I'll try for a five-update burst!)

Rumble!!

An invisible force of vibration surged forth from the cracks in the atmosphere, penetrating deep into the earth, like an invisible claw of space, tearing apart the surface and shaking the earth's core.

The entire island of Marineford began to shake violently.

The shockwave created a ripple that spread directly toward the Execution Platform.

Wherever it passed, the earth crumbled, air currents surged, and countless fragments of rock flew everywhere.

Deep, bottomless ravines emerged, conveying a suffocating feeling of a gluttonous maw.

Those marines who couldn't escape perished one by one, as if falling into an abyss, amidst their desperate cries.

"Hmph~ What amazing power!" Doflamingo let out a wicked laugh and decisively jumped off the high wall, officially joining the war.

The shockwave tried to surge towards the Execution Platform, but they were standing right in front of it.

You must either block the wrath of the World's Strongest Man, or join the war—it's a choice between two options!

"Hehehehe... No wonder he's a Monster!"

Clearly, both Doflamingo and the other Shichibukai chose the latter.

Even Mihawk jumped down from the high wall.

"Hmph! The Shichibukai, indeed, cannot be trusted!" Akainu, who was sitting in his seat, snorted coldly and finally stood up.

Whoosh-- Boom!!

Just as the shockwave, fueled by the force of the tremor, swept everything away and wreaked havoc on the earth's surface...

Three figures of different colors converged like lightning, blocking the path of the shockwave.

Three pairs of hands stretched out, forming an unbreakable barrier that successfully blocked the crushing wave of air.

Strong Wind dispersed the thick dust and fog, revealing the figures of the Three Admirals.

"It's three great Admiral!"

Seeing the three figures attacking simultaneously, the elite naval personnel, who had been fleeing in terror, all showed signs of excitement.

"Sons! Follow me, rescue Ace, and destroy the Marines!!"

At that moment, Whitebeard, who had been silent with a sullen face since jumping off the Moby Dick, finally raised his naginata and let out a shout that resounded throughout the world.

"Oh--"

The deafening roar almost echoed through the sky.

All the Whitebeard Pirates crew members instantly recovered from the grief of Jozu's death, raised their weapons with high morale, their wide eyes filled with fighting spirit, and launched an attack on the Marines in front of them like madmen who would bite anyone they saw.

"Huh?! What's going on?! Why did the atmosphere suddenly change like this?! Is that Whitebeard man the Ace respects?!"

Luffy, who had jumped off the Thousand Sunny and was running towards the Execution Platform, finally felt the frenzied atmosphere of the battle and couldn't help but ask in confusion.

"As expected of Whitebeard Pirates, one of the Four Emperors, he's as united as the legends say," said Emporio Ivankov, the 'Okama King,' who had been guarding Luffy's side.

"That guy..."

Zoro, who was on Luffy's other side, was biting his Wado Ichimonji and looking up at Arthur, who was already fighting Whitebeard's first division commander, with his eyes filled with resentment and fighting spirit.

Although they came from the same sea, Zoro was already miles ahead of his opponent, but he was not discouraged. Instead, he was filled with the fighting spirit to become stronger.

"We can't let this continue. Let's begin the plan!"

On the Execution Platform, watching the Whitebeard Pirates, their morale soaring, gradually charging towards the square, Sengoku suddenly spoke.

Clang!

Clang clang--

At the same time, on the battlefield below, the sound of mechanical gears turning suddenly rang out. Towering steel walls broke through the frozen ground and rose up to form arenas, enveloping the entire inner bay.

However, one wall could not be raised because Little Oars Jr. fell down.

"Damn it, what a coincidence! Oh well..." Sengoku cursed under his breath as he looked at the huge gap left by Little Oars Jr..'s fall, then glanced helplessly at Akainu below and said, "Let's begin, Sakazuki!"

'Gurgle gurgle gurgle...'

Almost without Sengoku's command, Akainu below watched the wall rise, his arms already pulsating with lava. His face beneath his hat was filled with seriousness as he shouted, "Meteor Volcano!"

The instant he finished speaking, Akainu suddenly raised his arms high, and the red and black lava shot into the sky like cannonballs.

Whoosh--

As the high temperature burned the air, wisps of white mist gradually rose up.

Boom!

Boom! Boom!!

Rumble--

'Whoosh whoosh whoosh...'

Like a meteorite falling from the sky, or the sound of an exploding cannonball, the red and black lava fell and exploded across the entire battlefield.