Let Conqueror's Haki Clear the Stage

Faced with this epic, grand spectacle, Austin admitted that he was now so excited his entire body felt hot.

After Garp and Sengoku were held back by the Golden Lion, Next, Austin would have to take on every combatant below the rank of Marine Admiral in the entire Navy.

Even though no Admirals were included, the remaining lineup was still extremely exaggerated.

The three Logia-type Marine Rear Admirals and Vice Admirals, Gion, Dalmatian, Mountain Burns, and a host of elite Commodores, along with countless Marine soldiers.

A drizzling rain fell, and the wind howled incessantly through the air, causing Austin's trench coat and Shiki's great robe to flap noisily. The two pirates, each with bounties in the double-digit millions, had temporarily formed an alliance.

What they faced was nearly the entire highest combat strength of Marine Headquarters!

"Hey, kid, if you dare hold me back, I'll kill you!"

The Golden Lion, Shiki, bit down on a cigar, revealing an arrogantly wild grin as he threatened Austin beside him.

"As long as you can keep Sengoku and Garp busy, we definitely won't lose for now."

Austin replied with a faint smile.

As long as he wasn't up against someone far beyond his level, Austin was confident that even if he couldn't win, he could at least fight to a draw.

Clearly, the still-young new generation of Marines wasn't strong enough to crush him.

Facing immense pressure, even outnumbered by experts of similar rank, the two didn't show much strain; instead, they chatted casually.

Seeing this, the massive number of Marines on the ground didn't share their sentiment.

They only felt that these two were complete madmen!

Moreover, facing two great pirates with bounties in the double-digit millions at once, many new recruits couldn't help but feel their legs go weak.

The mere aftershocks of a casual strike from such figures could kill a huge number of them.

If not for the Marine Admirals present, they might have already retreated. Now, they could only ease their inner panic by chatting with each other.

"A crew member of the Roger Pirates, Black Gun Dotol Austin. I've seen his wanted poster."

"And the legendary great pirate, the Flying Admiral, Golden Lion Shiki..."

"Two major pirate powers, actually joining forces?"

"Against pirates like that... we're definitely going to die..."

"..."

As for the Marine officers of Rear Admiral rank and above, they were noticeably calmer. After all, no matter how you looked at it, the Marines had the advantage.

But still, the Roger Pirates and the Golden Lion Pirates had fearsome reputations, so even they dared not let their guard down.

Against enemies of this level, a single moment of carelessness could really mean death!!!

Bolstered by their overwhelming numbers and the confidence of their officers, the Marine soldiers' morale remained high—at least, there were no deserters.

They shouted with all their might, creating a tremendous uproar that faintly echoed the Summit War.

"So noisy. I don't know what they're so hyped about. They're just a bunch of grunts..."

Austin looked at the fervent soldiers. They couldn't hit him, couldn't shoot him—these insignificant pawns posed no threat to the two who held air superiority. He didn't get what they were so fired up about.

Maybe the ignition point in the One Piece World was just generally low.

Well, time to clear the field.

Austin stood in the sky, gazing at the endless ranks of Marines. His eyes held neither joy nor sorrow, only contempt for ants.

In an instant, an aura that dominated heaven and earth began to expand outward from Austin, spreading in all directions.

Nearly half of Marineford was now shrouded in that black-red presence.

Clusters of black-red lightning surged from Austin's body, rampaging and dancing wildly, as if the end of the world had come.

That oppressive force swept over everything indiscriminately.

Thud, thud, thud...

Their minds felt as if struck by a heavy hammer. Before this heaven-shaking, earth-shattering Conqueror's Haki, countless Marines couldn't hold out for even a second, their eyes rolling back as they collapsed to the ground.

Even the officers of Colonel rank and above could barely keep their consciousness, kneeling on one knee and gasping for breath.

In the sky, the figure radiating black-red lightning overlooked the entire scene like a demon god, as deep and dreadful as an abyss!!!

"Gehahahaha! No wonder Roger praised you so much. To have such spirit at your age!

But hey, our era isn't over yet! The seas aren't ready for some brat to take the stage!!!"

The next second, a gold-red Conqueror's Haki, even more intense than Austin's black-red version, surged violently from within Shiki.

With the double stacking effect, there were now almost no one below Rear Admiral rank who could stay conscious on the field.

What followed was a true battle of experts.

"You bastards!!!"

"Marineford is absolutely not a place where you can run wild!!!"

With a furious roar, a figure suddenly leaped up before Austin and the Golden Lion, his entire body blazing with dazzling, sacred golden light.

The user of the Buddha-Buddha Fruit, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, struck out in anger, sending a terrifying shockwave blasting forward.

"Buddha Shockwave!!!"

Blinding golden light closed in, but the two in the air showed no panic—one simply wasn't afraid, and the other had already anticipated this.

Within that dazzling radiance, a flash of crimson flickered past.

This sight naturally couldn't escape Austin's Observation Haki, so he merely smiled faintly at the shockwave now inches away.

"Lion's Shred Valley!!!"

The exaggerated clash of techniques sent terrifying residual force exploding across the sky. A palm and a blade locked in constant struggle midair.

And clearly, Sengoku alone couldn't suppress the Golden Lion at this moment. Since Shiki had dared to come today, he'd never feared death.

Soon enough, Garp swung his fists and joined this high-stakes battle as well.

At this level of combat, there was no end unless one side exhausted their stamina.

The terrifying shockwaves, centered on the three fighters, ceaselessly ravaged both sky and earth.

In the middle of the plaza, the remaining Marines, led by the three Logia monsters, watched the battle they couldn't intervene in.

After all, they were still just young men in their twenties. The current Red, Blue, and Yellow had only graduated from Marine Academy two years ago, far from their prime.

As they all gazed up at the decisive clash in the sky, a tall figure, hands in his pockets, slowly walked in from the edge of the plaza.

"Biu—"

Without any warning, a beam of laser shot out from among the Marines, aimed at the man's head with lightning speed.

"Ambushing isn't a good habit, Borsalino."

Austin smiled, neither dodging nor avoiding, letting the laser streak toward his forehead.

Then, a sight that baffled all the Marines appeared—Austin seemed to lack a physical form.

The moment the beam struck his head, it passed straight through his body, leaving him completely unharmed.