The shrill alarm immediately rang throughout the entire Marine fleet!
The Marines aboard every warship rapidly entered the highest state of combat readiness.
The gunners frantically cranked the winches, adjusted their cannons, and locked onto the black ships rapidly closing in, their approach suffocating.
On the decks, officers barked urgent orders as soldiers' hurried footsteps mingled with their voices.
Yet at the bow of the flagship, two towering figures in Justice Coats stood motionless as mountains.
They were Marine Admiral candidates Buddha Sengoku and Black Arm Zephyr.
With their powerful Observation Haki, they had sensed the Rocks Pirates' approach long ago.
At that moment, there was no shock on their faces. Instead, they looked composed and ready for battle, as if they had expected this.
The two fleets rapidly closed the distance across the sea: eight thousand yards, five thousand, three thousand...
Suddenly, the sea off the right flank of the Marine fleet began churning violently without warning.
Countless enormous bubbles surged to the surface with a bubbling roar.
Then, four Marine warships, completely coated in bubbles and no smaller than the main fleet's battleships, burst out of the depths.
The coating shattered and vanished in an instant. The four warships settled steadily on the surface, their gunports opening in unison, black muzzles aimed squarely at the Rocks Pirates' flank.
The decks were packed with heavily armed Marine elites, clearly prepared well in advance.
At the bow of each warship stood a powerful-looking Headquarters Vice Admiral in a Justice Coat.
These four Vice Admirals were only a little weaker than Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr.
Put simply, if Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr weren't around, the next Admiral candidates would certainly come from among these four.
"This is... a Marine ambush?!" Whitebeard's eyes narrowed.
He hadn't expected the Marines not only to be prepared, but also to have hidden a fresh force beneath the sea ahead of time, aiming to attack from both sides or even surround them!
"Captain! Our plans have leaked. Clearly, they're far better prepared than we expected."
"Hmph. So what if they noticed? So what if the plans leaked?"
A murderous glint flashed in Rocks's eyes as he surveyed the densely packed elite soldiers aboard the warships. His voice brimmed with disdain:
"Even twice as many of these ants couldn't stop the Rocks Pirates!"
Rocks turned to Luo Tian. "Luo Tian, go out with Newgate and Shiki at once!
"Your primary objective is to defeat or tie down the Marines' top fighters and create an opening for the fleet to break through!"
"Understood!" Luo Tian replied solemnly. He stepped forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Whitebeard and Shiki.
"You two, how about letting me lead the charge?"
In terms of top fighters, their side still had Captain Rocks, along with the three of them. Against Sengoku, Zephyr, and the four elite Vice Admirals, they might hold their own at the highest level, or even have a slight edge.
But compared with the well-trained, disciplined Marines, who might also outnumber them, the pirates were at an overwhelming disadvantage in both coordinated combat and defensive formations.
Once a full-scale melee began, the Marines would swarm in alongside their officers. The ferocious pirates on their side, lacking unified command, would inevitably suffer heavy casualties.
In that case, they might as well cut down as much of the enemy's fighting force as possible before the full boarding battle began!
Break their formation! Clear the way for the coming assault!
"Oh? Luo Tian, what are you planning to do?"
Shiki raised an eyebrow with interest, looking at the young man beside him who always seemed to have some unexpected trick up his sleeve.
"Hmm?" Newgate also glanced over.
As the words left his mouth, Luo Tian closed his eyes, then opened them. His gaze seemed to pierce through space, locking onto the sea around the entire Marine fleet.
"Gravity Domain!"
An invisible, intangible field instantly enveloped the entire Marine fleet ahead!
Every Marine, whether a gunner or lookout on deck or a support crewman below, suddenly felt their whole body grow heavy!
It was as though they had been thrown to the bottom of the deep sea. Unimaginable pressure crushed them from every direction!
Breathing became difficult. Many of the weaker Marines collapsed on the spot, their weapons slipping from their hands.
"My body... I can't move! Is this a Devil Fruit power?!"
"Gravity?! Someone's controlling gravity?!"
Shouts of alarm and shock rang out across the Marine ships.
Sengoku and Zephyr both jerked their heads up almost simultaneously. Their piercing gazes fixed on the young figure at the bow of the distant Rocks flagship.
Luo Tian slowly raised his right hand, spread his fingers toward the Marine fleet, and spoke softly:
"Almighty Push!"
Vmmm—!
A deep hum rang out!
Then a gigantic, translucent spherical force field appeared out of nowhere, large enough to cover every warship.
The terrifying repulsive field began expanding outward and downward at astonishing speed, bearing down on everything!
The air was violently forced aside wherever it passed, letting out a piercing shriek.
Zephyr roared, "Sengoku! We can't let him succeed!"
His fists were already coated in Armament Haki, black and gleaming like forged steel. He was ready to smash the oncoming force field with sheer brute strength.
"Leave it to me!" Sengoku growled, flinging off the broad Justice Coat behind him.
Brilliant golden light erupted from within him!
His body rapidly swelled and grew amid the radiance, his skin turning a dazzling gold as his muscles bulged.
His face took on a solemn, majestic appearance, and a halo seemed to form behind his head.
Zoan Mythical Type, Human-Human Fruit, Buddha Form—fully unleashed!
In the blink of an eye, Sengoku transformed into a golden Buddha more than ten meters tall. His eyes flashed as he locked onto the repulsive barrier rushing toward him.
He raised his enormous golden right palm, facing it forward, while vast waves of Haki and Devil Fruit power gathered furiously!
"Great Shockwave!"
BOOM—!!!
A golden torrent of energy, more than five meters in diameter, burst from the palm of the giant Buddha.
The next moment, two attacks filled with terrifying destructive power collided in midair!
The shockwaves spilling from the collision pressed down on the sea below, forcing it into a violent depression that formed an enormous bowl-shaped crater.
"Crack... crackle..."
The shockwave continued pouring from the golden Buddha's palm, its power seemingly endless.
The repulsive barrier stubbornly resisted, wearing down the attack, but more and more cracks appeared.
At last!
With a sharp, clear crash, the repulsive barrier shattered.
The shockwave pouring from Sengoku's palm gradually died down, and his golden Buddha form came to a halt.
His enormous body swayed slightly. Maintaining his Buddha Form while unleashing an all-out attack of such magnitude had taken a heavy toll.
Even for him, the expenditure was immense.
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