"Heh heh heh, these criminals can't hold out anymore! Whoever takes their heads gets a million Beli from me!"
Spandam, in particular, even publicly offered a bounty: one hundred thousand Beli for killing a powerful criminal.
The moment this order was issued, the Enies Lobby soldiers' lingering apprehension was swallowed by greed, and they charged straight into battle.
"Kill them! Kill these criminals and claim the reward!"
Although Chaton and the other Marines offered no bounty, they shouted encouragement and led their troops into another charge.
"We are the Marines of justice! Today, we avenge the officers and soldiers who died!"
For a time, roars and battle cries swept across the sea.
Facing the renewed charge of the Marines and Enies Lobby soldiers, the criminals were shocked and terrified.
"Ah! Are they going to let us live or not? Are these Marines determined to kill us?
"Aren't they afraid we'll survive this and take revenge on the Marines someday? I don't get it!"
"Hahaha! Lord Roy was right! We're criminals, villains and pirates in their eyes. We're on opposing sides. They won't let us go.
"Then let's kill! Let's turn the world upside down! I refuse to believe the Marines aren't afraid to die!"
Many criminals roared, finally casting aside their hesitation and unleashing everything in their fury.
Once they attacked, they held nothing back.
Devil Fruit abilities, Haki, swordsmanship-they unleashed them all.
In an instant, their force of fewer than six hundred fought with unstoppable momentum.
The Marine soldiers at the front were slaughtered on the spot, powerless to fight back.
Because now they understood completely: they were criminals, villains, and pirates, all on the Marines' kill list.
Rather than continue holding back, they might as well fight with everything they had and turn the world upside down.
The criminals' sudden eruption terrified the Marine soldiers.
"They're terrifying! Are they all lunatics? But we can't retreat!"
But military orders were absolute. However ferocious the criminals they faced, the Marine soldiers could only keep fighting.
For a time, both sides were locked in combat again, with casualties mounting.
Not only that, Roy, Bullet, and Red also encountered powerful enemies.
Even they had not expected the World Government to send two powerful CP Agents to kill them, in addition to the Admiral Candidate Chaton.
"Chaton, the World Government even sent CP Agents to wipe us out. How wonderful!"
Roy roared, forcibly unleashing his Cursed Energy again and raising a finger to send out a Slashes.
But he was already injured, and his Cursed Energy was greatly depleted. The Slashes had far less than half their power at his peak.
Crack!
Chaton blocked it simply by concentrating advanced Armament Haki on his arm.
"Hahaha, Roy, after all those battles, you're not so impressive anymore!"
"Don't worry. With two senior CP Agents from the World Government here, you won't escape this time!"
Chaton sneered, then charged forward to fight Roy at close range.
Bang! Bang!
The two clashed with martial arts and Haki.
Chaton also kept provoking Roy with his words, claiming that the World Government's CP Agents were going to execute them.
"Hmph, don't get too arrogant, Chaton! Even injured, I'm not someone a small fry like you can look down on."
Roy's expression suddenly grew calm. The energy around him surged in strength one moment, then churned and twisted the next, as though something was about to erupt.
Then...
"Black Flash!"
He delivered a blow that was practically cheating.
Although this blow fell short of the strength he possessed at his peak, comparable to Conqueror's Haki coating, it was enough now.
Bang!
Chaton took the hit head-on and went flying, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
"What is this? Why is even space twisting?"
"Why do I feel my Haki and stamina disappearing?"
Chaton was utterly shocked.
The agony in his body was nothing compared to the terror of feeling his power drain away.
"Hahaha, thanks, Chaton! Watch how I deal with you today, you bastard!"
Feeling some of his Cursed Energy recover, Roy laughed aloud and charged at Chaton.
Chaton dared not let his guard down and could only keep meeting him head-on.
Bang! Bang!
After several exchanges, Chaton fell on the defensive.
Still, he had more stamina than Roy and could barely hold on.
Elsewhere, Bullet and Red each faced a senior CP operative at the Admiral Candidate level.
The moment they clashed, both sides plunged into fierce combat, the fighting reaching a fever pitch.
But their group had already fought several major battles and exhausted much of their stamina. They could not possibly finish an Admiral Candidate-level opponent in a single move.
Nevertheless, Bullet and Red could still fight with all their strength.
After all, fighting their way out of Impel Down had not left them as badly injured as Roy.
Now the two could only fight desperately, or death would be their only fate.
Red, in particular, no longer held anything back.
Because he had realized Roy was right: neither Marine Headquarters nor the World Government would acknowledge them.
Death alone was their ultimate destination.
And so...
Red pushed himself to the limit...
With him unleashing his full strength, the senior CP Agent at the Admiral Candidate level, who had previously been able to contend with him, was soon wounded.
Not only did Red gain an overwhelming advantage, but whenever he saw criminals on the battlefield about to falter, he would send out a Slashes.
Crack!
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Those Marines, Enies Lobby soldiers, and CP Agents were cut down outright.
The Marine side, which had originally held the advantage, completely lost control.
And this battle lasted a full half day before ending.
Half a day later, the battle was completely over.
The sea within a three-thousand-meter radius had been stained red with blood.
Severed limbs and bodies floated across the water. At a rough glance, there were thousands of corpses.
But shockingly, closer examination revealed that nearly all these bodies belonged to Marines, Enies Lobby soldiers, and CP Agents.
There were actually fewer than a hundred bodies belonging to pirates and criminals.
The disparity in casualties between the two sides was staggering.
"Ah, we can't win! All Marines, retreat immediately! Retreat!"
Bang!
After another head-on clash, Chaton, covered in wounds and with his right arm broken, was sent flying like a cannonball.
Filled with despair and terror, he quickly fled back to a warship.
"Pfft."
"Haha... cough, cough. Chaton, you're no good!"
Roy's eyes were bloodshot, his entire body covered in wounds.
He was the one who had just sent Chaton flying.
Over this half-day battle, he and Chaton had fought each other to their limits.
Chaton lived up to his status as an Admiral Candidate. He was powerful enough to contend with some ordinary Admirals.
He had also left a huge Finger Pistol wound in Roy's chest.
If Roy had not recovered a considerable amount of Cursed Energy through two Black Flashes, how could he have broken his opponent's arm and rendered him completely unable to fight?
Otherwise, there was no telling how this duel would have ended.
Looking at the terrified Chaton, Roy did not give chase. Instead, he roared across the entire battlefield:
"Who else dares to fight!"
At those words, the entire battlefield fell deathly silent.
Of the original seven thousand Marines, only a battered force of just over three thousand remained. Every one of them was wounded and terrified, and none dared fight again.
They fled swiftly like beaten dogs.
"Ah, Vice Admiral Chaton lost! Both senior CP Agents lost too! We can't win! Run! I'm not fighting anymore!"
"Wah, we can't win! All my close comrades were killed by a single slash from Red! If I keep fighting, I'll only be throwing my life away! I'm done!"
By this point, they had suffered a complete and crushing defeat.
Because in the later stages of this battle, Red and Bullet had truly demonstrated how terrifying powerful fighters could be, killing many Marine soldiers.
Already intimidated by the ferocious criminals, the Marine soldiers then faced slaughter at the hands of Red's swordsmanship. They were powerless to resist, left with nothing but despair and terror.
Now that even Chaton had ordered a retreat, were they supposed to stay and wait to die instead of running?
In particular, the two senior CP Agents at the Admiral Candidate level had also fled with serious injuries after being defeated by Bullet and Red.
Even the Enies Lobby soldiers and the other CP Agents abandoned the fight and fled.
This was precisely why Chaton and the Marine soldiers were utterly terrified.
Because if they kept fighting, they really would die.
Rumble! Rumble!
As the warships fled, the oppressive atmosphere finally eased somewhat.
But all the criminals were already numb. Not one of them spoke.
Before you continue