Above Starting Island.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi and Kong turned into two streaks of light, one red and one white, flashing and intertwining.
The Haki unleashed during their clash blanketed the entire island. Even ordinary people at the island's edge several miles away were affected by their Haki.
Having seized a stretch of ground and successfully established a foothold on the island, the Marines from Marine Headquarters felt the air grow heavy the moment they landed. No matter what they did, they could not ease the palpitations in their chests.
At this moment, neither the New Marines nor Marine Headquarters continued their assault on the enemy positions. Everyone gazed toward the center of the island, waiting for the battle report they longed to hear.
No matter how fiercely the lower ranks fought, the ones who could ultimately dictate the course of the war were still the strongest figures on both sides.
This was the cruelest aspect of this world. No matter how numerous ants were, they could never bite an elephant to death.
"Buzz—"
As fist and blade collided, the Conqueror's Haki crashing against each other whipped up a gale at the center of the island, sweeping across the battlefield in an instant.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi and Kong both retreated, and the two figures fell from the sky one after the other.
Kong landed first. His military boots sank into the earth as he was hurled back nearly a hundred meters, plowing two deep furrows through the hard crimson rock before barely managing to stop.
His pristine white military trousers had long been stained with blood. Several horrific wounds covered Kong's bare chest, his flesh split open, though little blood flowed from them now. As for the smaller wounds, they were too numerous to count.
The blood that had flowed out had dyed