Rocks's Might

Shiki was bold at this point, but he had yet to become as arrogant as he would be in the future.

Rocks was clearly backing Shiki's surprise attack on Marine Headquarters.

Charlotte Linlin had even taken up a position at the Golden Lion's home base to guard against a Marine raid.

For the Rocks Pirates as they were now, as long as they held the territory bordering the Marines' domain in the early stretches of the New World, they hardly needed to worry about the safety of their other territories.

The islands farther in did not need top-tier fighters stationed there. Admiral Candidate-level fighters like Shakky and Flame Flower were enough.

The Rocks Pirates' might had already reached a terrifying level. No one wanted to provoke them without good reason.

"Rocks! You really do live up to your name!"

"But do you think this will make us surrender without a fight? Let's settle this in battle!" Kong said grimly.

Faced with Rocks's threat, he did not feel much despair. After all, Marineford was very close to Mary Geoise.

Kong knew the Five Elders' strength very well. If they came to provide support, everything would be resolved. But would they swallow their pride to save a few dogs?

Kong shook his head inwardly and stopped dwelling on it. Whatever happened, they had to withstand the initial assault from Rocks and his men first.

"Jahahahaha! Then let's fight!" Shiki was the first to respond to Kong's words, charging straight at him to settle who was stronger.

Meanwhile, John, Ochoku, and Silver Axe joined forces against Army Admiral Blade.

As for Lylett, who possessed the Griffin Fruit, Rocks took him on personally.

Clearly, Rocks had also anticipated that reinforcements from the World Government could arrive at any moment.

He intended to kill whoever he could, starting with Lylett, the easiest opponent to handle and the one whose powers he countered most effectively.

Blade and Kong would come next.

Even without Rocks using his Devil Fruit ability, Lylett could barely hold off his attacks. He was nowhere near a match for Rocks, and after just a few exchanges, he was completely on the back foot.

Rocks did not rush. He simply kept intensifying his assault, trying to force Lylett to reveal an opening so he could suddenly activate his Devil Fruit ability and deliver a fatal blow.

Of the other two Admirals, only Kong was fighting Shiki on even terms. Blade faced one peril after another under the three men's attacks.

Although each of the three was a notch weaker than Blade, they had crossed that threshold and belonged to the same tier.

In an instant, the situation had been completely reversed. If the World Government's reinforcements failed to arrive quickly...

They might truly lose four top-tier fighters in a single day, greatly weakening their control over the seas.

After all, neither the Holy Knights nor the Five Elders could personally take to the field to suppress the seas.

Relying solely on Sengoku, Zephyr, and Garp would not only leave them unable to cope with the increasingly complicated situation at sea, but would also completely upset the balance of power among the World Government's forces.

Under Rocks's increasingly ferocious attacks, Lylett soon began to falter.

Silver Axe suddenly redirected a strike that should have been aimed at Blade, sending a flying axe attack toward Lylett.

While defending against the flying axe, Lylett had no choice but to leave an opening.

As the publicly acknowledged World's Strongest, Rocks seized the opportunity immediately.

The moment he activated the Dark-Dark Fruit's ability, Lylett reverted to human form. Rocks took the opportunity to thrust his hand straight through Lylett's heart.

Without the powerful defense and recovery granted by his Zoan powers, Lylett immediately lost the ability to fight under Rocks's lethal strike.

Then Rocks slammed Lylett into the ground with a fist coated in two types of Haki, leaving his fate uncertain.

Finally, Silver Axe, now free to act, delivered the finishing blow, chopping off his head and ending his life for good.

Notably, Silver Axe also covered Lylett's body with a black cloth while finishing him off. But those locked in fierce combat paid little attention, dismissing it as an odd habit of his.

Less than ten minutes had passed between Rocks's arrival and Lylett's death, yet the World Government's reinforcements still had not arrived.

A trace of sorrow rose in the hearts of the remaining Army Admiral Blade and Marine Admiral Kong. Were they really going to die in battle here today?

With Rocks now free to act, he replaced Silver Axe in the assault on Blade. Already in dire straits, Blade now seemed liable to die at any moment.

If four attackers would not have gotten in one another's way, making them less effective than three, Rocks would certainly not have minded killing Blade even faster.

After Silver Axe joined the assault on Kong, Kong, who had been evenly matched with the Golden Lion, fell completely on the defensive.

In the end, as a great Swordsman, Blade clearly lacked the defensive strength of a physical powerhouse like Kong. Faced with an absolute gap in strength, he lasted barely over ten minutes before dying in battle.

Only Kong remained, struggling desperately with his formidable physique.

Fortunately, perhaps Kong was not destined to die yet, and luck still favored him.

Just as he was about to die at Marineford like the three before him, the Five Elders finally arrived-all five of them together.

At the sight of the Five Elders, Rocks knew he would not be able to finish the job today.

Still, killing three Admiral-level fighters on the World Government's side was unquestionably a tremendous gain.

Rocks decided to quit while he was ahead. He had no intention of getting bogged down with the Five Elders today.

He exchanged a look with Shiki and prepared to retreat.

Then he would see whether he could use Shiki's mobility to kill the Marines' other three top-tier fighters.

"Huhahahaha! Kong, you're lucky today! Those five old bastards actually came out together!"

Rocks punched the battered Kong toward the Five Elders and called out loudly.

"That's enough for today! Shiki, prepare to retreat!"

Seeing Rocks decide to retreat without even fighting after the Five Elders arrived left Shiki somewhat disgruntled.

Still, Shiki knew Rocks must have his reasons. He obediently followed the order and called his men back.

The Five Elders merely watched with grim expressions as Shiki recalled his forces, making no attempt to stop him.

Clearly, they were unwilling to fight Rocks over three "dogs" that were already dead.

They could only swallow this loss for now and find a way to take revenge gradually in the future.

Their most urgent task was to deal with the potential repercussions of losing three Admiral-level fighters.

Fortunately, the Marines were usually the ones operating in the public eye. With no losses among the Marines' Admiral-level fighters, the World Government could still maintain basic stability in its rule over the seas.

After all, the World Government currently relied on the Marines to suppress the seas, while the Five Elders and God's Knights guarded the Celestial Dragons.

The Army and Air Force, on the other hand, served more to counterbalance the Marines. As for the Cipher Pol chief, he was merely a spymaster, so the strength requirements were not that high. If the chief died, the deputy could simply take over.

The only issue they might need to consider was how to keep the Marines in check. With the rise of Sengoku and the other two, the Marines had already completely overshadowed the Army and Air Force.

Now that two Admirals had died in battle, none of the World Government's subordinate forces could rival the Marines!

Of course, they also needed to find a way to curb the Rocks Pirates' ever-growing power and ambition.

Soon, the pirates under Shiki's command returned to their ships beneath the hateful gazes of the Marines at Marineford and the indifferent eyes of the Five Elders.

Rocks gave the Five Elders one last, meaningful look without saying anything more.

Then he took his four officers back aboard Shiki's ship and sailed away.