The enormous plaza was littered with countless corpses, sprawled in twisted positions.
Blood flowing from the corpses had pooled in patches throughout the plaza.
The pungent smell of gunpowder filled the air, easily drowning out the bloody stench rising from the ground.
Many gravely wounded people were still breathing, lying in pools of blood and groaning with their mouths open.
With their strength rapidly fading, all they could think about now was calling for help.
But their groans were instantly drowned out by the sounds of gunfire and clashing metal.
No one would save them.
All they could do was wait for death to arrive in agony.
This was the true face of war, completely different from the beautified images on paper.
Tap, tap—
Under countless gazes, Maud, who had just slammed the legendary Marine Hero to the ground, now acted as though nothing had happened.
His expression calm, he strode forward, completely ignoring the violent beasts around him.
His soles stepped through pools of blood, sending ripples spreading outward.
As he walked, he calmly passed one corpse after another, all of them lying with their eyes open in death.
He looked straight ahead, his eyes containing only Whitebeard, who was confronting Akainu.
"Roar!"
That seemingly defenseless posture drew the attention of two nearby rhinos with enormous horns.
Beneath their heavy hooves lay heaps of mangled corpses. Two or three intact Marine corpses were even skewered on the horns near their nostrils.
With their blood-red beast eyes glaring, they violently shook their heads and flung away the corpses on their horns before turning toward a new target—Maud.
Thud, thud—
Without the slightest hesitation, the rhinos' heavy hooves struck the ground, driving their massive bodies straight toward Maud.
The rhinos charging from both sides did not affect Maud's calm stride forward