The Desire for Slaughter Is Rising

"This is great—Admiral Aokiji has stepped in!"

"Long live Admiral Aokiji!"

"We're saved! We're saved!"

Cheers erupted across Marineford Plaza.

"Gurararara! You're that little ice brat Garp raised, aren't you? The younger generation is truly formidable," Whitebeard laughed heartily, showing neither anger nor discouragement at having his charged attack seemingly stopped so easily.

Aokiji remained silent as well.

He leaped into the air and thrust both hands forward with force.

[Partisan]!

His arms transformed into numerous gigantic ice spears with tremendous penetrating power, shooting toward Whitebeard from afar.

However, compared to Akainu's earlier surprise attack and the swiftness of his [Hellhound] technique, Aokiji's move was far too slow.

Whitebeard merely drew his massive naginata, [Murakumogiri], and gave it a light sweep forward.

Crack—

A series of crisp shatters rang out.

The gigantic ice spears all broke into chunks of varying sizes, scattering across the sea around the Moby Dick.

"Gurararara~ Ice brat, take one of mine too!"

Whitebeard laughed, and a massive ball of light condensed at the tip of [Murakumogiri].

The power of vibrations within the orb could faintly be felt.

Swish!

Whitebeard swung out a slash carrying the force of vibrations.

Aokiji, hovering in the air, changed expression slightly. The next instant, he was cleaved directly in two.

"Admiral Aokiji!!"

"Oh no! Admiral Aokiji has been cut in half!"

"Damn you, Whitebeard!"

This scene clearly dealt a considerable blow to the Marines' morale.

In contrast, the pirates all revealed smiles.

However, the Marines and pirates who became dejected or carried away because of this were all the weaker ones.

Whether they were Marine officers or pirate division commanders and captains, none of them believed that a Marine Admiral would die so easily.

Splash!

Aokiji's two halves fell into the sea.

The next moment...

Crack crack crack crack crack—

Ice crystals spread rapidly outward from where he had fallen, as though the scene of the five-hundred-meter tsunami being frozen was repeating itself.

But this time, it was even more exaggerated.

In just a few blinks, the frozen area had covered the entire crescent-shaped inner harbor of Marine Headquarters, reaching dozens of meters below the surface of the sea!

Thus, the formerly rolling inner harbor became a frozen expanse of land.

The Whitebeard Pirates' ships, which had once been able to move, were now firmly frozen to the sea.

This meant that even if they really rescued Ace, they would have no easy way to control their ships and escape!

"The retreat route has been cut off. All Marines, heed my command! Full firepower—wipe out the Whitebeard Pirates!"

A figure of ice crystals rose from the frozen sea, and a cold yet faintly lazy voice rang from his mouth.

It was none other than Admiral Aokiji, who had been cleaved in two!

"Great! Admiral Aokiji is fine after all!"

"Charge! This is our new battlefield!"

"Fire! Fire! Fire!!!"

"Vanguard, charge with me! Kill Whitebeard! Kill Whitebeard!!!"

The Marine soldiers' morale surged. As they cheered, some drew their blades while others raised their guns. The massive triple-barreled cannons along the surrounding shores continuously spat flames, blasting solid cannonballs and explosive shells toward the four Whitebeard Pirate ships on the ice.

On the Whitebeard Pirate ships, the division commanders led by Phoenix Marco also displayed their abilities, blocking every incoming cannonball.

Outside the harbor, the ships of the other allied pirate crews of the Whitebeard Grand Fleet were all blocked beyond the ice.

After noticing this, they had no choice but to abandon their ships, leap onto the ice, and sprint inward, hoping to reach the Whitebeard they followed as quickly as possible.

And that was precisely what the Marines had planned.

In preparation for confronting the Whitebeard Pirates, the Marines had spent nearly a month turning Marine Headquarters into a complete war fortress!

Along the arcing coastline, a thousand cannons fired in unison.

Many pirates were immediately blown to death or maimed, while numerous pirate ships were hit—either blasted full of holes or set ablaze by the explosions.

In the end, pirates were no match for a disciplined force like the Marines, and chaos quickly erupted among them.

Some rushed to put out the fires, while others tried to strike back.

Finally, under the leadership of several major pirate captains from the New World, the pirates formed several elite spearhead units. Some charged toward the arcing coastline, hoping to destroy the defensive gun emplacements there, only to be intercepted by the Marines stationed on the shore. The two sides swiftly clashed.

The remaining units charged into Crescent Moon Harbor from several directions, preparing to join up with the core division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates.

In an instant, the entire battlefield was engulfed in combat.

The roar of gunfire and cannons, the sound of blades slicing through flesh, the collision of Armament Haki-clad bodies, screams, wails, furious roars...

Severed limbs and torn flesh flew through the air, and the slaughter shook the heavens!

Over at the Shichibukai's staging area.

Hawkeye had already left. He strode forward of his own accord, deciding to take this rare opportunity to personally gauge the strength of Whitebeard, the "Strongest Man in the World."

Although an even more mysterious and powerful Gebinz had appeared, Gebinz's strength was far too unfathomable—so much so that Hawkeye nearly despaired.

It was a swordsman's intuition.

That was why he had no intention of drawing his sword against Zhu Mang.

At the very least, he would test Whitebeard first before considering that matter.

Doflamingo and the Empress also left one after another.

They were Shichibukai. Even if they were cooperating with the World Government rather than the Marines, since they had come, they had to at least put on a show.

Tyrant Kuma, who had already been transformed into a cyborg, was even less likely to stand idly by.

He had come this time under orders to participate in the war.

In exchange, once this war was over, he could go to the Sabaody Archipelago to complete his final protection of the leader's son, as well as fulfill the hopes for Nika held by a descendant of the Buccaneer Tribe...

For a moment, only Zhu Mang remained where he was.

And at that moment, Zhu Mang's emotions began to turn somewhat strange.

At first, he had been admiring the Empress's graceful figure as she fought not far away with a lustful gaze.

But gradually, as the scent of blood and fire on the battlefield grew thicker, something dangerous seemed to begin stirring within his bloodline.

They were fragmented memories.

In those memories, a terrifying Great Ape stood beneath the moonlight, wantonly unleashing waves of light. Wherever it passed, buildings that seemed to belong to a civilization were destroyed one after another, while countless intelligent beings that looked nothing like humans wailed, cried out, and cursed.

But before that terrifying Great Ape, none of it meant anything.

Thump, thump, thump...

Zhu Mang's heartbeat began to quicken, and his eyes slowly took on a crimson tint.

His desire to kill was rising!