574: Trap Disarmed

In addition, Kaido's daughter Yamato also performed exceptionally well on the battlefield, wielding a spiked club and sweeping across the battlefield.

Her opponent is Marine Vice Admiral Mole, who possesses the powerful abilities of Mythical Zoan, an innately strong physique, and has received training from both Kaido.

This is a young monster who has mastered Two types of Haki and is definitely the strongest among those of the same age.

In a direct confrontation, he couldn't even compare to Teach back then, Teach main strength lay in his Observation Haki.

Of course, this is excluding Ares.

The Mythical Zoan, White Tiger Fruit, grants the user the power of lightning, wind, and sound waves, somewhat similar to Kaido's abilities, except for the difference between sound waves and fire.

"Thunder Bagua!"

Yamato perfectly inherited Kaido's combat skills.

The spiked club, crackling with lightning, swung at the Mole at incredible speed, leaving the Mole no chance to dodge and forcing it to defend itself head-on.

A fierce fighting spirit flashed in Yamato's eyes. Her White Tiger Palm was murderous, and influenced by the Devil Fruit's power, she had naturally become somewhat warlike, completely transforming into Human-Beast Form. Her long, gradient-colored hair danced in the wind. She now had only one thought: to defeat the Marines in front of her.

However, the Mole is not weak either. He has not yet reached his peak strength. He is already among the top-tier vice admirals in the Marine Vice Admiral. After a few more years of accumulation, he will be able to reach the level of Admiral Candidate. If he can also obtain a powerful Devil Fruit ability that suits him, he may become a top-tier combatant.

He desperately wanted to kill this formidable threat, but it would be difficult, because the man before him was a true monster with astonishing combat awareness and skill.

The two were actually evenly matched in their fight.

Yamato was somewhat excited. This was her first time on the battlefield. In the past, she had always fought among the members of the pirate crew. Those who were stronger generally held back against her. Their attacks, which looked fierce, were actually controlled in terms of force, so as not to seriously injure her.

Although the navy officer in front of her might not be as strong as her uncles, and their fighting style was also different, being more agile but much weaker in terms of raw power.

But this was the first time she had felt that intense killing intent; the deadly sharpness of each move made her blood boil.

Queen's opponent was still that CP0. Having learned from the previous battle, this CP0 was very careful to avoid being caught by Queen's Mechanical Claw. Not only would it be difficult to break free, but Queen also didn't know what methods Quinn would use against him.

The antidote alone couldn't put his mind at ease. His mission was to hold off Queen, a powerful fighter, because he knew he couldn't kill Queen, whose vitality was terrifying.

Queen sneered inwardly, knowing that this CP0 member would soon be infected with the Red Demon Virus again.

Even though CP0 couldn't see it, Queen's mechanical weapons were all coated with the Red Demon Virus.

During this time, Queen wasn't idle either. Unable to improve the Red Demon Virus, he researched factors that could enhance its activity.

In other words, the Red Demon Virus can survive for a longer period of time. The most obvious change is that the Red Demon Smoke, which used to only stay in the air for three seconds before dying and disappearing, now lasts for five seconds.

The longer the stay, especially on the battlefield, the stronger the effect will be.

At the same time, Queen's body was modified to have an iron-like defense. In order to make use of the Red Demon Virus in battle and enhance his own strength, Queen modified his body again.

His arms were thicker, with an Artificial Flesh added to the outside of his arms Red Demon Virus lived in this Artificial Flesh.

He isolated this layer of flesh from his body in a special way to prevent himself from being affected by the Red Demon Virus. Even if he was affected, it wouldn't matter, as he had a lot of antidotes backed up in his body.

The Red Demon Virus parasitizes Artificial Flesh, maintaining its survival while suppressing its activity to the extreme, but it does not die.

Once there is any blood or flesh contact, or even close proximity, these Red Demon Virus become excited and invade the enemy's body without the other person's knowledge.

Because the skin surface has been specially modified, and the activity of the Red Demon Virus has been suppressed, it does not show its signature red color, making it look devilish.

This is the battle of scientists. War is Intelligence War, and so is combat. In this respect, Queen already has an absolute advantage.

As the battle continues, the two sides have had frequent contact, and currently, due to strategic deployments, they maintain a balance in terms of high-end combat capabilities.

But the balance will soon be broken, by nothing more than the Red Demon Virus.

The casualties on both sides were vastly different, with the Navy suffering more than twice the losses of the Beasts Pirates. This was to be expected, Beasts Pirates' Steel Fortress was no joke, and no Navy member had yet managed to board it.

Most of them perished under the overwhelming firepower of the Beasts Pirates.

As the navy advanced from the rear, the main force of the navy clashed with the Beasts Pirates, and the battlefield shifted entirely to the front of the Steel Fortress. The Beasts Pirates no longer dared to launch a firepower offensive, as this would harm their own men.

For the navy, the most difficult part is over; what follows is direct combat.

Without the suppression of firepower, these naval forces are undoubtedly much more relaxed and can focus their energy on combat.

The dose of the antidote was quite large, exceeding Queen's expectations, and it lasted for an unexpectedly long time.

During the battle, CP0 members in front of them subtly sensed Queen's unusual movements, but became even more cautious.

Suddenly, his expression changed. Although he was wearing a mask and his face was obscured, a familiar feeling spread through his body once again.

This happened so suddenly that his body stiffened instantly, and Queen, who had been waiting for this moment, seized the opportunity, his powerful Mechanical Claw grabbing his body.

The familiar red color spread across his body, and soon, half of his body transformed into the appearance of Red Devil.

His body instinctively struggled desperately, trying to break free from Queen's Mechanical Claw. At that moment, he realized that the antidote was useful, but it couldn't completely cure the Red Demon Virus.

Although his guess was wrong, he made the best choice he could at the moment: relinquishing control of his body, allowing the Red Demon Virus to spread rapidly throughout his body.

The Red Demon Virus was controlling him, preventing him from using his full strength. The only way for him to break free was to let the Red Demon Virus take control of his body.

CP0 transformed into Red Devil, struggling and trying to warn the others, but unable to speak because his neck was gripped by small claws extending from Queen's Mechanical Claw.

Smoke filled the surroundings. Queen was prepared; he didn't want the Navy to know the news too soon. The moment he discovered that the CP0 Red Demon Virus was starting to take effect, two Smoke Bomb fell out of nowhere onto him.

Within seconds, white smoke enveloped a large area, obscuring the view of the Marines and the Beasts Pirates in the distance.

This time, Queen, after being modified again, is no longer afraid of the Red Demon Virus, so naturally she won't throw CP0 at him.

CP0 fought back desperately, pushing their strength to the limit under the influence of the Red Demon Virus, or rather, consuming their potential and life force, as the Red Demon Virus itself is extremely taxing on the body.

The Mechanical Claw that Queen created were trembling, even while he was using Armament Haki.

He knew he couldn't delay any longer; no matter how hard the Mechanical Claw was made of, it was only a matter of time before it was destroyed by a powerful being.

Now he needs to eliminate a powerful force in the Navy. Reputation on the high seas depends on battle achievements, and Queen naturally has vanity. He is not as strong as Jin in terms of raw power, but with the Red Demon Virus and the achievement of killing a CP0 member, he might be able to surpass Jin. Then he can show off in front of this cold-faced man.

The pure power was brought to its limit under the influence of the Red Demon Virus, but the body was no longer under control, and the Two types of Haki was naturally unusable. At this point, CP0 was nothing more than a fragile target in front of Queen.

Queen's body contains a large number of weapons, especially his left arm, which has been the most heavily modified with mechanization.

In the middle of the Mechanical Claw, a high-speed rotating drill slowly emerged from a circular hole and pierced directly into CP0's neck, instantly killing him.

The corpse fell to the ground, Queen disdainfully flicked the blood off the Mechanical Claw.

Seeing that it was almost time, the plan could begin. This was a plan specifically devised by the Beasts Pirates using the properties of the Red Demon Virus mentioned by Queen.

The outbreak of the CP0 Red Demon Virus has taken a long time; other Marines will definitely need to come into contact with more Red Demon Virus before an outbreak occurs.

The Beasts Pirates are still using the Red Demon Smoke, but neither side cares. Members of the Beasts Pirates also take antidotes before the battle.

The Navy's outbreak will definitely be faster than the Beasts Pirates'. Based on this time difference, in order to prevent the Red Demon Virus from affecting their own people after it breaks out.

Queen subtly pressed a button, and the alarm sounded throughout the entire Steel Fortress, audible to everyone on the battlefield.

Some people's eyes fell on the Steel Fortress, where the Steel Fortress opened and the beasts were released.

Countless ferocious beasts, as if breaking free of their cages, charged onto the battlefield, bypassing the members of the Beasts Pirates, and opened their massive jaws to tear at the Marines.

This was actually a signal; the members of the Beasts Pirates took the opportunity to retreat, while more Red Demon Smoke descended from the sky and landed on the battlefield.

As the Beasts Pirates retreated, the powerful firepower that had stopped atop the Steel Fortress resumed, attacking both the Marines and the beasts together.

They didn't care if these ferocious beasts died; there were simply too many of them, and some needed to be used up.

Crane observed the battlefield from afar, keenly sensing that the Beasts Pirates were retreating, but she didn't know what Beasts Pirates were up to.

With the beasts' restraint and fierce fighting, and the powerful firepower from the high walls, the Beasts Pirates' losses decreased significantly, while the Navy's losses were rapidly increasing.

She knew this couldn't go on; the firepower alone, along with these ferocious beasts, could inflict huge losses on the navy.

At the same time, she sensed that the Beasts Pirates were hiding some kind of scheme.

In the previous battle, the Beasts Pirates did not use their Beast Legion, but that does not mean they cannot use it; they simply need to find the most suitable opportunity.

Now that the Beast Legion has been mobilized once again, the scene of the Wano Country samurai being wantonly slaughtered many years ago seems to be still vivid in my mind.

Will the Navy repeat its past mistakes?

Under such circumstances, the navy is unlikely to have any more trump cards to play, the situation cannot be reversed, and the losses are difficult to reduce.

Novoya acted immediately, breaking away from the battle with Krell and quickly flying towards the Steel Fortress.

"Steam and Extreme Cold Storm!"

The steam power within his body erupted rapidly, draining his strength.

A large amount of Cold Steam was released from his body and spread outwards.

The air temperature plummeted, and wherever the steam passed, the bodies of all the ferocious beasts stiffened, their blood congealed, and they died under the cold.

The wide-ranging attack froze the gaping gates of the Steel Fortress, and the chilling air, under Novoya's control, even seeped through the gates and invaded the interior of the Steel Fortress, affecting a large area even above it.

Many members of the Beasts Pirates were directly affected within this area.

This powerful move directly halted the Beasts Pirates' beast army, with only a small number of beasts escaping and the majority being confined inside the Steel Fortress.

Novoya's move directly reversed the situation that would have resulted in heavy losses for the navy.

This earned him secret applause and greatly boosted his prestige within the navy, saving countless naval lives.

Krell hadn't expected Novoya to have this trick up his sleeve, but there was nothing he could do about it. Novoya could fly, and he couldn't stop him from leaving. Novoya quickly appeared in front of Novoya and launched a fierce attack.

"Keep going, don't stop!" Queen's voice rang out. By this time, the smoke had cleared, and the corpses of CP0 lay on the ground. This situation greatly boosted the morale of the Beasts Pirates, and the somewhat chaotic situation both on and below the fortress disappeared instantly.

CP0 is dead. He is the first high-level combatant to fall in this war, and the shock is enormous. The most important question is, how did he die?

Thinking back to the white smoke earlier, Queen didn't want CP0's death to be seen, indicating that CP0's death process was not normal.

He realized this immediately, and when she saw the red mist spreading across the battlefield, she understood instantly.

Although the exact cause is still unknown, it is definitely related to the Red Demon Virus.

Looking at the actions of the Beasts Pirates members, their retreat to an area unaffected by the Red Demon Smoke indicates that even the antidote cannot perfectly eliminate the Red Demon Virus.

Realizing this, Crane did not hesitate for a moment and immediately sounded the alarm for retreat.

Following the Beasts Pirates, the Navy also sounded the alarm. Upon hearing the alarm, a large number of Navy personnel began to retreat and hide behind the steel walls.

This situation is somewhat puzzling. Since the Beasts Pirates' beast army was held back and a small number of beasts were killed, why did the Navy still retreat?

Finally, amidst the billowing red smoke, a navy officer sensed something amiss in his body, his expression changing drastically. "Oh no, the virus has broken out again! Stay away from me!"

Upon hearing his comrade's words, the other marines all distanced themselves from him in fear.

This was just the beginning. As the Red Demon Smoke was deployed and people came into contact with it, the antidotes in these navy personnel were gradually depleted in the fight against the virus, making them unable to resist the Red Demon Virus.

The outbreak period has arrived. The Red Demon Virus is gradually taking effect, and more and more navy personnel are beginning to transform into those terrifying red devils.

The navy was already aware of the effects of the Red Demon Virus and quickly moved away and retreated, resulting in few casualties for the time being.

The navy personnel infected with the Red Demon Virus were in pursuit.

"Wash and Purify!" The colorful energy spread rapidly, covering a small area of the battlefield, sweeping over the navy personnel infected with the Red Demon Virus, directly washing away the virus from their bodies and restoring them to their original state.

The fact that the crane discovered the problem early was timely. If it had been discovered later, the Red Demon Virus would have spread rapidly, and it would have been too late, resulting in significant casualties.

The Red Demon Virus has re-emerged, like a thorn stuck in my throat, making it impossible to continue the fight.

"What a pity." The Beasts Pirates felt the most regretful about the Navy's retreat, especially Krell, because he had personally devised the plan.

If successful, they anticipated that they could leave most of the 50,000 marines behind, suppress them with weapons, and create chaos caused by the Red Demon Virus, causing them to fight each other. After that Beasts Pirates, who had taken the antidote again, would hunt them down, and they could decide the outcome in one battle.

However, the outbreak of the Novoya outbreak, the timely withdrawal of the navy, and the reaction of the crane thwarted their plans.

"Truly worthy of being called Advisor Crane!"

Both Novoya's outburst and the crane's wisdom were crucial.

The battle ended there, but its consequences sparked much discussion. The Red Demon Virus broke out again within the Navy, leading some to suspect that the Beasts Pirates were hiding some kind of conspiracy.

This war was not only a contest of strength, but also a battle of wits between the two sides.

The Beasts Pirates devised a series of extremely dangerous schemes, but the Navy managed to thwart them all in time.

This battle greatly enhanced the reputation of the four: Krell, the Beasts Pirates who devised the plan, and Tsuru, the Marine Chief of Staff saw through the Beasts Pirates' trap in time.

Novoya single-handedly defeated CP0 and Queen, Red Demon Virus was not fully countered, reacted quickly to stop the Beasts Pirates' Beast Army, and displayed powerful techniques.