In One Piece, Watching Roger's Execution at the Start

Boom!

A violent impact exploded all around. This time, Yermak did not manage to block it completely as powerful Explosive Flame accompanied by a frontal thrust struck his body with undiminished momentum.

The scattered shockwave storm nearly beat the surrounding clouds into irregular ruins that slowly floated on the churning sea surface.

Meanwhile, Yermak stood atop one of the larger pieces of wreckage while his premonition of danger grew increasingly intense. After a brief period of combat, he realized that he was actually no match for this Marine... even though he had already been worn down quite a bit by Big Mom.

“Cloud-Mist: Domain!”

As soon as Atlas came to a halt, her vision was instantly blocked by the spreading Cloud-Mist. It somewhat resembled Smoker's Smoke-Smoke Fruit, but the two were nearly completely different substances. Smoker's Smoke-Smoke Fruit consisted of solid micro-particles, whereas Yermak's Cloud-Mist consisted of water vapor and tiny ice crystals, which meant... it had a refrigeration-like effect!

Sure enough, just as Atlas was pondering this, the surrounding temperature had already begun to drop, though... this was far inferior to Kuzan's Ice-Ice Fruit!

"Oh? Trying to run?"

Yermak was not the sort of pirate who would fight to the death when he could not win; fleeing when things looked bad was the norm for the lives of pirates like them. Cruel, cunning, and greedy—these traits that a pirate ought to possess were perfectly embodied in Yermak.

Atlas's Observation Haki had already locked onto the opponent's position. Her leg muscles exerted force, and her figure practically transformed into a blur as she rapidly charged toward Yermak.

Naturally, Yermak also detected Atlas's movement. His heart tightened, and his Devil Fruit ability activated as a large amount of Cloud-Mist began to solidify. Armament Haki surged accordingly, and he fiercely hurled it in Atlas's direction!

“Cloud Shield: Armament: Spear!”

The sharp spearhead gleamed with a black luster, and the terrifying sense of sharpness made Atlas's cheeks sting slightly.

Just how much Armament Haki did this guy coat it with!

Atlas clicked her tongue slightly, but her advancing figure did not stop at all.

"Don't forget! I am still a swordsman, after all!"

Atlas casually drew Sandai Kitetsu from her waist, her arm bulging with strength as she slashed forward.

“One Sword Style: Armament: Lightning Cutter!”

A blood-red slash entwined with black-and-red Armament Haki surpassed her previous efforts in sheer might. This was a technique Atlas had not comprehended for long. As her practice of Armament Haki deepened, her application of it had become even more adept, and she was now able to attempt coating her slashes with it.

The powerful cutting ability cleared away the obstacles in Atlas's path almost instantly.

Sensing the commotion behind him, Yermak felt a pang of panic in his heart, and his limbs instantly stiffened for a moment.

Almost simultaneously, Atlas's pupils dilated as a strong aura erupted from her body, charging straight at Yermak like a clawing and baring King of the Forest!

"This is... Con... queror's... Haki!"

A trace of a daze flashed across Yermak's expression. It felt as though the back of his head had been struck by a massive iron hammer, a strong wave of dizziness surged upward, and his body even stagnated for a split second!

Good!

Atlas seized this opportunity, quickly appearing behind Yermak. Before the opponent could even turn around, the bright blade of Sandai Kitetsu flashed past, blood spurted and splattered everywhere, and a fine head with lingering shock still on its face plummeted into the sea with a dull splash.

Yermak, beheaded!

"Hah, all flash and no substance."

Atlas let out a scoff, the tip of her blade slowly lifting Yermak's head out of the water.

As the surrounding Cloud-Mist dispersed, a giant warship in the distance rapidly sailed toward Atlas's direction. After all, Yermak's fruit had yet to awaken; although Atlas felt it was already on the verge of awakening, it still lacked the ability to permanently alter the environment.

"Commodore Atlas! Mission accomplished, requesting permission to return!"

Soon, the warship led by Kuzan rendezvoused with Atlas. An officer-like Marine walked out from the ship and reported to Atlas.

"Alright, head over there first and rendezvous with my warship. I had them sail a bit further away during the battle just now." Atlas nodded in acknowledgment, then swept her gaze around and frowned.

“Where is Vice Admiral Kuzan? Why hasn't he returned?”

Atlas would not think that Kuzan had died at Big Mom's hands or fled. Although Kuzan had not yet reached his peak, he definitely possessed Admiral-level strength right now. For some unknown reason, the World Government kept delaying the promotion ceremony, preventing Sengoku from officially taking charge of the Marines.

As an old-guard Marine, as long as Sengoku did not ascend to the position of Fleet Admiral for even a single day, the Three Monster Vice Admirals could never officially become Admirals. (This is my speculation, and it basically conforms to common sense, because I don't know whether the few of them were promoted to Admirals simultaneously or with a time gap, please forgive me!)

"Vice Admiral Kuzan is holding the line behind us to buy time for our retreat, he should be here soon!"

"Alright then, I understand!"

Chapter 90: Look! Changwei Is Beating Lifu

The New World, a certain unnamed sea area.

The roar of artillery fire was incessant as two distinct fleets confronted each other here.

"Gurarara! Are you here to look for trouble with Pops again? Do your Marines think there aren't enough soldiers dying yet? Garp!" Whitebeard's captain's cape whipped wildly in the sea breeze, his figure holding the Murakumogiri was incomparably tall, and his gaze was filled with supreme confidence.

"Hahahahaha! Newgate, you'd better worry about yourself first. Today, your head might just stay right here, and then I'll have to apologize to that brat Atlas!"

As Garp spoke, he rubbed his rough knuckles, his face full of an excited expression as a sort of emotion called 'belligerence' rose from his body.

"Gurarara! Then we'll see if you have the ability, Garp!"

The moment the words fell, Whitebeard stood tall, raising his left hand high and bending it at a ninety-degree angle as a white, lump-like object appeared above his fist!

Air Quake!

The entire space resembled a mirror, instantly filling with cracks. The powerful force transmitted down to the sea surface, and the entire world seemed to be shaking.

Almost at the exact same moment, Garp also leaped high, Armament Haki surging as it instantly coated his fist!

Fist Bone: Meteorite!

Bang!

The ultimate collision instantly generated a massive storm. To the shock of the surrounding Marines and pirates, the sky actually... split open!!

"Is this the duel of top powerhouses? Truly powerful..."

"Hahahahaha! As expected of Pops Whitebeard, the World's Strongest Man isn't just for show!"

"Mr. Garp is truly formidable, worthy of being the legendary Marine!"

Marines and pirates instantly erupted into an uproar. This kind of duel that shattered the sky brought them an incomparable visual impact.

"Gurarara! Boring! The probing stops here. War is not a game of house played between pirates and Marines, Garp!"

Whitebeard lifted the Murakumogiri, its gleaming tip aimed at the Marine side, and terrifying Conqueror's Haki poured forth. The war... officially began!

Not far from Totto Land waters.

Two Marine-standard warships—one large and one small—were rapidly sailing across the vast ocean. Lying on the deck of the slightly larger warship was a tall man with a lazy expression, a green eye mask covering his eyes, paying no mind to the lack of a parasol as he let the sunlight beat down on his white suit.

"Vice Admiral Kuzan, are we heading straight to support Vice Admiral Garp later?"

On the medium-sized warship alongside, Atlas squatted on the gunwale and asked Kuzan, who looked fast asleep.

"Aralala~ We'll see how it goes. By the time we rush over there, the war will probably have entered its final stages!"

Kuzan slowly lifted a corner of his eye mask, casting a sideways glance at Atlas as he answered listlessly.

"This operation went fairly smoothly, hasn't it? Our battle results should be pretty good, hehehehe..."

"Aralala! It's alright. Right now, the most powerful pirate crews in the New World are only Big Mom, the Beasts, and Whitebeard. The Beasts' forces are the most well-preserved, but their sphere of influence is confined solely to Wano Country. The Whitebeard Pirates are still the strongest, and as for Big Mom, well... her losses are relatively severe, and quite a few of her children who haven't grown up yet ended up dying."

"Hahahahaha! How could a top-tier battle like this lack someone like me!"

Right in the sea area where the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates were clashing, accompanied by a burst of wild laughter, a gigantic Azure Dragon plunged from high altitude, instantly inserting itself into the battle circle between Garp and Whitebeard!

Kaido of the Beasts! Azure Dragon Form!

Because of Kaido's intrusion, Garp and Whitebeard were pushed apart to the periphery. The two exchanged a glance, and one swung a punch upward while the other raised a blade to slash!

┗|｀O′|┛ Roar~~

Instantly, two wounds that cleaved through dragon scales appeared on Kaido's massive Azure Dragon body. Kaido let out a painful roar of agony, but the wounds actually began to recover to their original state at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Garp and Whitebeard couldn't be bothered to deal with this stirrer of trouble named Kaido either, and once again traded blows with raised blades and flying fists.

"You two bastards... are really making me excited!"

Kaido quickly transformed into his Zoan-Hybrid Form. Although his colossal dragon body enhanced his strength and methods, its flexibility was ultimately far inferior to the Zoan-Hybrid Form.

"Tch~ This guy Kaido is truly a troublemaker, sticking his nose in wherever there's a commotion!"

Marco, who was entangled with Akainu, saw Kaido enter the arena and muttered with some disdain. In Marco's view, out of Garp and Whitebeard present, which of them couldn't beat Kaido black and blue? It was just that this fellow Kaido had thick skin and flesh.

Bang!

Just as Marco was momentarily distracted, a giant magma fist slammed fiercely into his body, and instantly a bloody hole exuding a scorching aura appeared right across Marco's chest!

"Daring to get distracted while fighting me? First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates! Marco!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Vista, couldn't you watch my back?"

Marco looked at the bloody hole in his chest and said with some depression. At the same time, the Flames of Rebirth surged rapidly, and granulation tissue actually grew out swiftly from the wound on his chest, leaving only a faint trace after just a moment!

"I'm not as thick-skinned as you. If I took a hit like that, it wouldn't feel good at all!"

Vista answered earnestly while waving the blade in his hands.

Even though the place where Garp, Whitebeard, and Kaido were fighting was rather far from the sea surface, the shockwaves generated by their occasional clashes and collisions always whipped up gusts of gale-force winds and towering waves, and the terrifying sonic booms were enough to nearly deafen the Marines and pirates who were slightly closer.

When Atlas and Kuzan rushed over to reinforce, they saw Changwei beating Lifu—oh no, wait, it was Whitebeard and Garp beating up Kaido.

By this time, Whitebeard had also figured out a thing or two as the fight dragged on. Although the Marines had deployed the majority of their forces here, their true target was clearly not them. Moreover, with Kaido's meddling, the Whitebeard Pirates, who had faintly been falling into a disadvantage, received a fresh second wind instead.

There was no help for it; this fellow Kaido occasionally spewed Bolo Breaths everywhere, making both the fighting pirates and Marines feel anxious and unable to use their full strength in combat, as they still had to keep one eye open to guard against any sudden stray sparks.

"Ice Time Capsule!"

As soon as Kuzan arrived, he joined the battlefield directly. A intense chill spread rapidly, and the crowd of pirates who had still been trading blows back and forth collapsed into utter disarray under the pressure of Kuzan's might.

"Gurarara! Men of the Whitebeard Pirates, begin retreat!"

Seeing this, Whitebeard let out a loud shout while forming his left hand into a claw shape and ripping fiercely into midair. Massive cracks spread from the sky all the way down to the ocean, and taking the retreat of the Whitebeard Pirates as the boundary, the sea... was split in half!!

"Hahahaha, how pathetic, Whitebeard!"

Seeing this, Garp also stopped his hands, knowing that since Whitebeard wanted to leave, he couldn't possibly be stopped, and besides, the Marines' objective this time was not to completely annihilate the Whitebeard Pirates.

"Hey, hey, hey! You guys aren't fighting anymore? I haven't had my fill yet!"

Kaido grew somewhat dissatisfied at this point, but Kuzan—who had just arrived—and Akainu—who had freed up his hands—joined forces with Garp to beat him up severely. Only then did Kaido 'satisfactorily' retreat, staggering away on flame clouds with bumps covering his head.

Chapter 91: The Three Emperors

On the morning a few days after the chaotic battle ended, flocks of News Coo flew busily toward all corners of the world, spreading news capable of shocking the entire world across the seas.

The Marines cleaned up the New World, the pirate alliance was completely dismantled, and a new supreme ruler emerged upon the seas following the death of the Pirate King. The World Economy News Paper dubbed them the Three Emperors of the Sea!

Totto Land, Whole Cake Island.

"Mamamama! The Three Emperors of the Sea, you say? This old lady is going to be the Pirate King!"

Unusually, Big Mom was not eating. Instead, she held a newspaper in her hand, her expression somewhat peculiar, unable to be told whether it was out of joy or anger.

"Mama, aside from the deaths of our younger brothers and sister Saint Marc, Tablet, Hefate, and Moscato, Mont-d'Or and Smoothie sustained heavy injuries, and we lost a large number of other combat Homies."

Perospero stood off to the side, speaking with trembling caution as he stated the data compiled from the statistics.

"Useless, you're all a bunch of useless trash!"

Big Mom was furious right now. These children had been birthed by her litter after litter over the course of many years, and many of them possessed quite considerable potential; she never expected them to perish before they had even grown up.

Katakuri, standing off to the side, wore an even more unsightly expression. Having already been in a foul mood upon hearing the news of his younger siblings' deaths, he felt even more disgruntled upon hearing Big Mom's assessment, especially since he had clearly witnessed Saint Marc die in the aftermath of Big Mom's own combat shockwaves!

"Mamamama! What a grand display! The Marines—!"

"What about the extent of the damage to Whitebeard and the Beasts Pirates?"

"According to our intelligence, the Beasts' forces are the most well-preserved. Only Kaido himself personally participated in this melee, whereas the Whitebeard Pirates suffered relatively heavy losses, with several subordinate pirate crews following him being wiped out, though their overall core strength didn't take much of a hit."

"Also," Perospero cautiously observed the changes in Big Mom's complexion before continuing, "among the pirate alliance that invaded Totto Land waters, Klaus and Lakeham were captured by us, Yermak was executed on the spot by the Marines, and only Francis managed to escape alone..."

Big Mom flew into a rage, an aura akin to an Evil Ghost erupting from her body. "Mamamama! This old lady will definitely have that fellow's head!"

"Mama, Francis has already defected to Kaido of the Beasts and is now one of the All-Stars of the Beasts Pirates—the Drought!" Perospero gently reminded her.

"Kaido? Has this fellow forgotten the kindness of back then?"