White Ghost Arrives

Amidst the rising tide of change, the times are calling, and many can sense the impending end of the eight-hundred-year era of World Government.

The World Government is far less powerful than we imagine.

"Baboon! Baboon!" Doflamingo watched the video, his red high boots clicking as he laughed excitedly on the King's Plateau. This was his grand ambition.

What would be the outcome of the defeat in the glacial battle?

Faced with the pirates' encirclement, most of the allied forces had given up resistance. If Kuzan still had enough stamina, he could use Ice Age to freeze the entire ocean and the pirates' warships and ships.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't work. He couldn't use this move when his army was defeated and fleeing. Even if he could create it, it wouldn't have enough hardness and thickness, and even pirate ships could break through the ice.

Army Admiral Vulture was fighting hard; he wanted more strength, but he couldn't, and how could he violate the law of conservation of mass?

Rediat had already made his move. Although he had no intention of killing Kuzan, he showed no mercy to Vulture. He had no qualms about killing an Army Admiral.

Transforming into Human-Beast Form enhances the battle; a pair of dragon wings sliced across the Vulture's body like sharp blades.

The indestructible dragon claw, imbued with Haki, pierced into the Vulture's body with tremendous force.

The Vulture bled profusely, its life force waning. One of its massive wings had been severed by Rediat, making even flight difficult and requiring Geppo to maintain its position.

He needed to stop Rediat, otherwise Rediat alone could easily destroy their remaining fleet.

He tried to stall for time as much as possible, and as for hope, he could only place it on others. He had also received news that Admiral White Ghost was on his way.

Characters like Jhin, Alex, and Gari, while targeting the Allied Forces, have no intention of attacking Kuzan.

They need to weigh the pros and cons; the entire pirate crew cannot have a good ending without paying a certain price.

At that time, there were no other pirate crews to share the burden with them; instead, they would just stand by and watch as they faced the wrath of the Navy.

Conversely, many pirates wanted to kill this incapacitated Marine Admiral and make a name for themselves on the high seas.

Kuzan knew he was now just a burden, and his presence would only increase casualties.

"Frozen!" Visibly, Kuzan emanated a dense chill, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze solid.

Unlike others, Kuzan's power was used on himself; his entire body was frozen, and soon, Kuzan closed his eyes, encased in a giant ice crystal.

This is Kuzan's bottom box's life-saving measure, and it's being used for the first time since its development. It's only used when life is in danger, and it's an absolute defensive ice crystal that can't be destroyed by any means.

Of course, this is only relative; if it falls into the hands of a truly powerful person, the outcome is predictable.

At this moment, while protecting himself, Kuzan also relieved the pressure on the other allied forces. Without sufficient strength, they didn't even have the right to make a scratch on the ice crystals.

Kuzan is now completely unconscious and asleep. His bodily functions have dropped to their lowest point due to the extreme cold, as if he has fallen into hibernation. The only way to unseal the ice crystals is to wait for him to wake up on his own. Using external force will only kill Kuzan.

With the pirate fleet closing in, and each cannon pointing directly at the allied fleet, there was no chance of a misfire.

A single artillery barrage could wipe out these allied forces.

One after another, cannons were aimed at them, as if the death knell had been sounded.

Some of the coalition forces had already closed their eyes in despair.

The next moment, "Boom boom boom..." a series of cannon shots rang out, flashes of fire appeared out of thin air, smoke filled the air, and countless shells were fired at them.

Just then, a slightly hoarse voice rang out, "Explosive Ghosts!" and a series of eerie ghosts flew down from above, circling the allied fleet.

As the shells approached, these ghosts exploded instantly, with a force greater than the shells themselves. The force of the explosion affected the shells, causing them to detonate prematurely.

Thick smoke billowed out, and many people were bewildered, staring in astonishment at the direction of the allied warships, wondering who had withstood their barrage of fire.

Rediat looked solemn as he gazed at the newcomer. Like Jhin, Alex, and the others, they could all sense that this newcomer posed a great threat to them.

The old man was thin, almost frail, with gray hair. He was quite old and past his prime at sea. He didn't have a powerful aura, but their intuition told them that this old man posed a great threat to them.

Their brows were twitching constantly; they dared not underestimate them.

Rediat already knew who this person was: Army Admiral White Ghost. What he feared most was not White Ghost's strength, but White Ghost's ability: the Ghost-Ghost Devil Fruit User, a bug-level ability.

Putting aside other abilities, the body of someone who eats the Hollow-Hollow Fruit will gradually become ghost-like. When the ability is developed to a certain extent, the body will truly transform into a spirit, like a ghost, completely immune to physical attacks, just like Logia Devil Fruit User.

Furthermore, it is so subtle that its presence is imperceptible, and it can easily pass through objects.

The White Ghost had undoubtedly reached this level. Rediat was completely unaware of his arrival, which was precisely why he was so wary of him.

Such a person, even in old age, still retains formidable combat power because his strength lies in his Devil Fruit, while physical skills are not his primary focus. White Ghost was originally a Devil Fruit user who specialized in Devil Fruit abilities, and with his Devil Fruit powers, he rose to the position of Army Admiral and even Army Marshal.

The Vulture, enduring the pain, flew over the Allied forces. Upon seeing the White Ghost, he breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, knowing they were saved.

He was very clear about White Ghost's strength, so before White Ghost retired, neither he nor Violent Bear dared to have any ideas about the position of Army Marshal. Moreover, they also had to see if the World Government had any intention of letting them become Army Marshal.

The continuous fighting had exhausted the Vulture, but it persisted.

The arrival of the White Ghost caused the Vulture's tense body to relax, making it unable to maintain its balance. It plummeted rapidly into the air and landed on the warship.

Although it is unclear who White Ghost is, even members of the army have rarely seen White Ghost, and most have only heard of White Ghost by name.

But they also realized that their support had arrived—a powerful one. From the depths of despair, a flame of hope was rising.

Rediat remained calm, quietly observing Admiral White Ghost. Although he was wary of White Ghost's abilities, the advantage was currently on their side, and it would be difficult for him alone to change the course of the battle.

His muscles were already tense, ready to strike at any moment.

White Ghost, his body floating in mid-air, stood upright, also looking at Rediat, the pirate who had dealt them such a heavy blow.

"Can you let them leave?" With narrowed eyes and a smile on his face, the White Ghost was not tall, just an ordinary person's height. He stood with his hands behind his back, dressed in ordinary casual clothes, showing no airs of a strongman, but rather like a kind old man.

However, this is only the surface. The title "White Ghost" not only symbolizes his power, but also the countless lives he has taken.

"Hmm, that's fine." Rediat nodded slightly and chuckled softly, "However, as a price, I'll need fifty Devil Fruit."

"Hehe, no problem." White Ghost's expression didn't change at all in the face of Rediat's demand, and he readily agreed.

Neither Rediat nor the White Ghost wanted to start a war here.

If a real battle breaks out, and those allied forces are dead, it's unimaginable what kind of power an Admiral- level expert with no scruples would unleash. Even if they could defeat him, they would pay a very heavy price.

With a power as overpowered as the Hollow-Hollow Fruit, aside from a few strong individuals, most pirates would be wiped out.

As the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces, Rediat should at least be responsible for their lives, especially since such a price is unbearable for them.

Besides, he wasn't confident he could keep the White Ghost here; if he wanted to escape, there was no way to stop him.

The same applies to White Ghost. Vulture is Army Admiral, and Kuzan is Marine Admiral. If a real fight breaks out, he can't protect them. The loss of two top-tier combatants would be difficult even for the World Government to bear.

Not only has the navy's deterrent power declined, but the army bears the heavy responsibility of protecting the Red Line.

Although the World Government doesn't care what the ocean becomes, that's only if it doesn't affect its rule. And now, the World Government 'World Government rule is already being somewhat affected.

An unprecedentedly powerful pirate force, a chaotic sea, and Affiliated Nation that are gradually losing their loyalty to the World Government —the foundation of the World Government is beginning to falter.

It didn't matter if White Ghost died in battle; he didn't have many years left to live anyway. The battles he fought in his youth had left him with considerable hidden injuries. Moreover, he wasn't a master of physical combat, and his vitality wasn't that strong.

But he must at least keep Vulture and Kuzan, as well as the other coalition members.

This war is not over yet. They are all important reinforcements. If they are lost, even if there is one more of them, the World Government can still declare defeat.

He also had to consider the World Government and the victory in this war.

Fifty Devil Fruit something the World Government can afford. In his eyes, it's actually a good deal. Whether it's Vulture or Kuzan, each one is more valuable than Devil Fruit.

While the World Government lacks top-tier Devil Fruit, it has no shortage of ordinary Devil Fruit. Although fifty is a large number, it still hurts to give them away.

In addition to the Devil Fruit given away in the trade with the Night Pirates, the World Government's Devil Fruit reserves have decreased significantly, requiring them to put in considerable effort to collect more.

I believe World Government will agree that they can see the live video feed, and action has already begun.

Now that they held an absolute advantage, Rediat naturally wouldn't agree easily. The two reached a consensus: fifty Devil Fruit was certainly a huge demand, but it also gave White Ghost a way out and a reasonable explanation.

The Devil Fruit will definitely be distributed.

The two of them, naturally, did not hide their conversation from others.

They were quite convinced of Rediat's decision; after all Rediat was the absolute hero of this battle, having secretly planned and ultimately defeated the Army Admiral.

Moreover, this newly arrived old man doesn't seem easy to mess with. Even if they can't sense it, they still have the ability to read people's expressions and can see the serious and earnest demeanor of those Great Pirate.

Fifty Devil Fruit —it doesn't sound like they're losing out at all.

The pirates who were committing the killing stopped their actions at the command of the officers and returned to their warships and pirate ships one by one.

The encirclement situation remained unchanged, but they retreated a short distance.

It wasn't to give these coalition forces some space, but rather for their own sake. They were worried about the newly arrived veterans, who had witnessed the sudden explosion firsthand.

Moreover, we don't know what methods were used, but if they were actually used against them, they might not be able to avoid it, so keeping our distance would make them feel safer.

Even so, they remained ready for battle at any moment, with cannons pointed directly at the Allied warships, ready to blast them to smithereens at a single command.

After all, the Navy and the World Government are not trustworthy to them at all.

This transaction, conducted under the watchful eyes of the public, involved fifty enormous Devil Fruit, which were broadcast live to everyone.

This trading style is entirely in line with the Night Pirates' approach, but it's even more humiliating, considering that they include top-tier powerhouses like Admiral.

Strong people have very strong self-esteem.

Kuzan should be very lucky, as all of this happened while he was unconscious; he didn't experience it firsthand.

The Vulture clenched its fists, gritted its teeth, and blood kept flowing from its mouth.

Although he understood the White Ghost's actions, it didn't mean he could accept them.

Rediat glanced at him briefly, easily seeing his anger, but it had no effect.

It will take at least half a month for the Vulture to fully recover from its injuries.

It will take Kuzan more than a month to wake up; this process of self-awakening is extremely slow.

During this period, the allied forces were unable to launch an effective counterattack and instead entered a defensive posture.

This perfectly achieved their goal of prolonging the war; as for completely defeating the World Government coalition, Rediat never even considered it.

Their strength alone is far from sufficient, and the World Government has yet to reveal its true strength.

Once Kuzan and Vulture recover, along with White Ghost, a top-tier fighter, they will already lag behind the Allied Forces in terms of high-end combat power, requiring more resources to contain them.

Conversely, the pirates' combat strength would decrease in other aspects, but the large number of powerful allied forces killed in the Ice Age battlefield would also greatly weaken the allied forces' combat strength, not to mention the huge losses.

Overall, the combat strength of the two sides has returned to a state of equilibrium.