"Is this a trap, Marines?"
Rebrus's voice echoed. "You've been working with the Blind Witch in secret all along, haven't you? This was all to lure us here?"
Of the ten warships ahead, five were already speeding away from Witch Island. They carried Revolutionary Army prisoners, the children, injured personnel like Miya, and most of the Marines below the rank of officer.
They had no need to take part in the battle ahead, and they had their own battlefield to fight on. Soon, the thunder of cannon fire rang out again. Not all the Hell Pirates who had fallen into the sea were Ability Users; some were sneaking around toward the island!
The remaining twenty-odd Marine Rear Admirals, five Marine Vice Admirals, and Sapphire stayed behind to face Rebrus and the Hell Pirates Cadre.
"Not a bad strategy."
Purple flames licked across Rebrus's face and burned into his eyes. His winged First Mate had returned to his original form and backed away several paces. The other cadres retreated as well, watching their captain unleash his fury while holding back their anger, careful not to get caught up in it.
Rebrus's appearance changed rapidly. His gray nose stretched and lengthened, his head gradually transforming into a dog's, while his hands and feet became hooves. He dropped onto all fours, changing from a six-meter-tall human into a massive hound more than ten meters long, wreathed in ghostly purple flames—the Hellhound, a Mythical Zoan rarer even than a Logia!
You'll all die!
Rrrroar!
The giant hound let out a savage howl, jaws gaping as he spewed forth raging purple flames!
The flames spread, engulfing everyone ahead of him—and even the five warships moored by the shore. They surged like a tsunami, covering the sky. The scorching heat turned the faces of everyone in their path red-hot, as though they were about to melt away!
But suddenly, the purple flames seemed to hit some invisible barrier. Their advance ground to a halt.
Figo had returned, standing at the center of the flames' leading edge, with Doug on one side and Sapphire on the other. All three thrust their hands forward at once, Armament Haki flowing over their hands as they held back the spreading flames and redirected their force.
The flames died down. The enormous Hellhound snorted and charged at Figo, bearing down on him like a falling mountain!
Sapphire's blade came down, and the weather changed in an instant. A blizzard swept in, its bitter chill howling as it surged toward Rebrus. But as soon as it reached him, the purple flames burned it away, unable to hinder him in the slightest. Only a thick blanket of snow remained behind him.
Faced with the giant hound crashing down on him, Figo's fighting spirit surged, and he released his Conqueror's Haki once more!
Since crossing over, he had spent all his time leveling up in Impel Down, crushing his opponents. But that didn't mean he lacked the courage to fight a powerful enemy after sixteen years of training! Facing Rebrus, who might be even stronger than him, Figo felt his bloodlust fully awaken. Every cell in his body sprang to life, thrumming with excitement!
His whole body suddenly swelled, and his height shot up to 3.5 meters. His powerful muscles tore through his clothes in an instant, leaving his upper body bare!
Life Return—Martial God Body!
He didn't just refuse to retreat—he charged forward!
Boom! His body collided with the giant hound. A gale erupted, the ground shattered and buckled in layers, and the shock wave wiped out all the snow Sapphire had just created. The force of the wind nearly knocked the Hell Pirates Cadre and the Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals off their feet!
Their power seemed to reach the heavens, as if it could pierce the sky itself! A terrifying sight took shape above them, a spiral plunging inward to an unfathomable depth. The two held their ground for more than ten seconds before finally breaking apart!
The Hellhound's four hooves dug into the ground as he skidded backward, carving two deep furrows until he came to a stop among the Hell Pirates Cadre. They quickly backed away to give him room. "Captain!"
"Hmph. This guy seems a little more troublesome than that irritating Gandor, but... I'll kill him!" Rebrus's words brimmed with murderous intent and unwavering confidence!
"Of course, Captain!" The Hell Pirates Cadre had absolute faith in him.
On the other side, Figo tumbled through the air. Doug and several other Vice Admirals caught him.
"How are you, Figo?"
Sitting on the ground, Figo spat out a mouthful of blood and said, "I'm fine, Teacher. Today, we're wiping out the Hell Pirates together!"
"You brat... Do you know, then? Did Xiaoya tell you?" Doug's expression wavered for a moment, but soon he was firm again. "That's right. I have no doubt that today we'll destroy the Hell Pirates right here!"
The power of the Inspire-Inspire Fruit surged.
This time, Figo didn't resist its influence. Encouraged by it, his blood flowed faster, and he received a buff!
He rose to his feet and charged at the Hellhound again, fist against claw, body against flame!
Once, twice, three times!
Shock waves expanded unchecked!
No one could interfere with their clash. Even Sapphire couldn't match them.
One corner of Witch Island began to crumble, and seawater flooded in. Seeing this, Rebrus grunted and deliberately swept Figo away with his tail, sending him flying toward the center of the island to move the battle elsewhere!
Seeing this, Sapphire formed white wings of snow again, intending to support Figo from the edge of the battlefield, but in the end, she didn't take flight. Her Observation Haki had shown her a vision of herself being struck out of the sky by a giant shield after she took off. She turned her gaze toward Tony Toa, the Hell Pirates' First Mate.
The fat man's cheeks quivered slightly. His body was completely coated in black Armament Haki, making him look like a giant black ball.
"Marines, we can't let you spoil the captain's fun. Don't ignore us!"
"Damn that Blind Witch!"
The fat man charged at Sapphire with speed completely at odds with his size. His arm turned into a black round shield and slammed toward her face, only to be blocked by her sword with a clang. The shield gradually froze over!
The other Hell Pirates Cadre sprang into action as well, attacking the Marine officers!
One pirate cadre transformed into a brown-haired rhinoceros eight meters long, with a three-meter horn—the Ancient Zoan Palaeotragus!
Another pirate cadre transformed into a white-haired tiger more than ten meters long—the Ancient Zoan Megalodon Tiger!
There was also a ten-meter-tall ape, a flat-faced pig seven or eight meters long... The Hell Pirates' Four Beasts transformed as one and bore down on the officers.
From above,
the most eye-catching sight was naturally the clash between the Hellhound and Figo at the island's center. Every impact shook the entire island, and craters tens of meters deep spread with each collision. Purple flames had already engulfed every building the Revolutionary Army had left behind, along with the surrounding flowers and trees!
Next came the battle at the outskirts. Snowflakes drifted through the air in a breathtaking spectacle, repeatedly freezing a black sphere, only for the sphere to burst free. The officers, grouped in twos and threes, fought the four Ancient Zoan beasts and several other Hell Pirates Cadre.
At the outermost edge, non-Ability User pirates who had fallen into the sea had already boarded the warships sent to clear them out. They roared and fought with the officers aboard!
All around Witch Island, the battle between the Buster Call fleet and the Hell Pirates had erupted in full!
And before long, it reached a fever pitch.
Thank you, and thanks to our old friend, Elephant, for the generous reward—you've supported Si Yang for so long. Thank you, too, to all our new and old friends for your tremendous support. We even spent half a day at the top of the new-book rankings—a first for us. I'm deeply grateful.
That's all for now. There'll be another bonus chapter tonight at midnight!
Before you continue