A body with the hardness of diamond, reinforced with Armament Haki.
Even across the entire world, Jozu's defense ranks among the very best.
The reason why Mihawk's slash failed to harm Jozu in the slightest was twofold.
First, Jozu's defense was simply too formidable. Second, flying slashes have an inherent limitation—they cannot be imbued with Armament Haki upon release.
Therefore,
Given the current circumstances, Jozu was confident that he could withstand any form of long-range attack from anyone.
This was precisely why people called him the "Indestructible Shield."
Before this moment, Jozu never would have imagined that, in the midst of this great war, someone would manage to land such a devastating strike precisely at the point he was most confident in.
How was it even possible?
The closest person to Maude, Mihawk, with his keen eyes that seemed to pierce through all things, immediately grasped the key reason why Maude's slash had managed to wound Jozu.
The attack struck the shadow—inflicting damage upon the owner of that shadow.
An idea that might sound preposterous, but for the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, it was well within the realm of possibility.
In truth,
The greatest challenge of executing a "shadow-based attack" lay in perfectly concealing the moment of the strike.
Originally, Maude had no intention of targeting Jozu.
After all, even Mihawk's slashes had proven ineffective against Jozu. Maude was not arrogant enough to believe that his own slash alone could wound him.
But when Maude saw Jozu confidently using his body to block Mihawk's attack, he immediately spotted an opening.
Of course, it wouldn't be entirely fair to say that Jozu's choice to withstand the slash was purely due to overconfidence. Behind him stood the Moby Dick and his father, Whitebeard himself, making retreat an impossibility.
Regardless,
When Mihawk's razor-sharp slash continuously scraped against Jozu's body, and when Jozu finally flung the attack away and momentarily relaxed—
Those brief moments became the perfect opportunity for Maude's shadow attack.
So, Maude struck, capitalizing on the flaw in Jozu's defense and using his Devil Fruit's unique ability to carve a wound into Jozu's body.
Truth be told, Maude's "Hakoku" slash had been intended to take Jozu down for good.
However, reality proved far less forgiving.
The powerful pirates of the New World were in an entirely different league compared to the weaklings of the Grand Line's first half—the so-called "Paradise."
Even an Admiral or an Emperor of the Sea would need to put in considerable effort to bring down a foe of this caliber.
For Maude to expect a single slash to eliminate Jozu was simply wishful thinking.
But this war had only just begun, and there would be plenty more opportunities to claim the heads of these powerful figures.
"To breach Diamond Jozu's defense in this manner… in the entire world, only I can do it."
Maude stood tall, blade in hand, its tip pointing toward Jozu, who now bled upon the battlefield before the Moby Dick.
His words, steeped in pride, left even Mihawk unable to refute them.
At this moment,
Less than ten minutes had passed since the war had begun.
People across the world, watching the live broadcast, had witnessed Maude's dazzling performance firsthand.
"That man… is he really a Warlord of the Sea?"
"He's incredibly strong!"
"He looks so dependable."
"And honestly… kinda handsome."
As they watched Maude's fearless battle against the Whitebeard Pirates, many viewers unconsciously forgot that he was, in fact, a pirate himself.
All they saw was—
Maude, firing a single shot from long range to obliterate Delacuaji's pirate ship.
Maude, landing a single slash to wound "The Indestructible Shield" Diamond Jozu.
Even Mihawk's strike had failed against Jozu, yet Maude had succeeded.
Did this mean Maude's sword was stronger than Mihawk's?
More importantly, Maude's opponents were none other than the infamous Whitebeard Pirates, whose terrifying reputation even children feared.
No matter who they were,
Everyone watching the broadcast hoped to witness the downfall of the Whitebeard Pirates.
For reporters from various news agencies, their focus was different from that of the common people.
"A slash stronger than Mihawk's!"
"He wounded Diamond Jozu!"
Their eyes gleamed as they fixed their gazes on Maude through the screen.
Such a headline—this was the very definition of a blockbuster story!
In a media landscape dominated by pirate-related news, any explosive story involving pirates could easily captivate the public and drive newspaper sales to new heights.
And Maude's performance in just these first ten minutes had already made him the most valuable subject of their reports.
Scribble, scribble—
As they watched Maude, the reporters furiously jotted down their notes.
In this moment, all their ink was reserved solely for Maude.
And when the war ended, those very words would solidify Maude's reputation across the world.
Marineford.
On the frozen battlefield, an uncountable number of pirates and marines clashed.
Gunfire, screams, and the ringing of steel echoed across the bay.
Whitebeard sat in the rear, keeping a watchful eye on the evolving battle.
As an emperor, he had no need to rush into the fray.
Near the bay's icy shoreline, Admiral Aokiji, who had been momentarily "disconnected" from the battle, finally "reconnected." With a casual wave of his hand, he conjured a barrage of ice spears, launching them at the pirates warring across the frozen battlefield.
Thus, while sweeping away enemies, Aokiji steadily advanced toward Whitebeard.
Aokiji was making his move, and Kizaru wasn't idling either.
Standing beneath the execution platform, hands in his pockets, Kizaru surveyed the battlefield, his gaze settling on the powerful commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates, each of whom fought like a monster.
"As expected of the Whitebeard Pirates' commanders, each one is freakishly strong. If we want to minimize casualties, the best course of action is to cut off the head of the snake~~."
Shifting his focus away from the battlefield, Kizaru's eyes slowly locked onto Whitebeard himself.
Unlike Aokiji, who was approaching on foot, Kizaru opted for a more direct approach—his body transforming into pure light as he soared toward the Moby Dick.
"Hmm~~"
As golden light converged from all directions, Kizaru's form gradually reassembled in the sky above Whitebeard's flagship.
Despite his light-speed movement, the way he materialized gave an oddly lazy impression.
Once his form was fully reconstituted, Kizaru brought his hands together, thumbs and index fingers forming a circle. Within that circle, a dazzling light began to flicker.
"Yasakani no Magatama."
In an instant, countless radiant projectiles shot from the circle, raining down upon Whitebeard below.
"Oi, oi, that's way too bright."
Whitebeard looked up at the incoming barrage of light bullets.
At that moment, First Division Commander Marco spread his azure flame wings and soared forward.
Just as Jozu had used his body to withstand the slashes of Mihawk and Maude, Marco, wielding the power of the Mythical Zoan Phoenix, braced himself against Kizaru's Yasakani no Magatama.
"Boom!"
A luminous bullet struck Marco, erupting into a violent explosion.
Yet, as the light faded, Marco remained unscathed.
"How could I... let you disturb our Pops so easily?"
Blue flames flickered across Marco's face as he raised his head, gazing at Kizaru hovering in the sky. A hint of provocation curled at the corner of his lips.
"Oh, how terrifying~ The Whitebeard Pirates."
Kizaru looked down at Marco, his fingertips flashing once more as beams of light transformed into bullets, pelting Marco's body.
But all they did was scatter bursts of blue flames upon impact, failing to inflict any real damage.
"Oh, that hurts so much~"
Marco took Kizaru's attack without pressure, blue flames swirling within the sockets of his eyes.
Kizaru's eyelids drooped slightly as he sighed, "Who are you trying to fool~"
Marco grinned, his body shifting into the full form of a phoenix as he launched himself toward Kizaru, wings flapping powerfully.
The two clashed in midair.
A moment later, Marco found an opening and kicked at Kizaru, whose arm was raised in defense.
"Oh~ That really hurts~"
Kizaru effortlessly blocked the strike, returning Marco's words with his usual nonchalant tone.
"Who are you trying to fool!"
Marco bared his teeth and forced Kizaru back toward the plaza with a powerful kick.
Though Kizaru landed without a scratch, Marco had succeeded in forcing him to retreat.
Standing in the plaza with his hands in his pockets, Kizaru gazed up at the phoenix burning with blue flames in the sky, sighing, "What a rather troublesome opponent~"
Against a phoenix, even the Glint-Glint Fruit's attacks could do nothing more than create meaningless ripples of flame.
Fighting such an opponent could drag on for days.
Kizaru scratched his cheek before turning slightly to the giant unit behind him, casually reminding them to stay wary of the sky before shifting his attention back to the battlefield.
The Whitebeard Pirates were demonstrating formidable strength, while the Marines on the plaza surged forward toward the frozen bay in endless waves.
With the forces guarding the execution platform already sufficient, it was time to redirect the main forces to the ice battlefield.
Only by doing so could they ensure Whitebeard's crew remained trapped within the bay, setting the stage for the arrival of the Pacifista unit at the right moment.
Just as Kizaru thought this, he noticed the Vice Admirals stationed in the center of the plaza rushing toward the bay at full speed.
It seemed they had just received Sengoku's orders and had immediately taken action.
"Speaking of which..."
Kizaru's gaze shifted toward the Seven Warlords standing along the shoreline.
With the exception of Maude, the rest of them were blatantly slacking off.
As the Vice Admirals—led by Gion and Tokikake—joined the battlefield, the Whitebeard Pirates' growing momentum was suddenly suppressed.
On the other hand, the Marines, as if reinvigorated, launched a ferocious assault, catching Whitebeard's forces off guard.
"Oi, what's going on?"
Several of the division commanders sensed something strange amidst the chaos.
Their eyes quickly turned to a newly arrived Marine Vice Admiral—Gion, also known as "Momousagi."
"A Devil Fruit ability?"
They noticed that the Marines fighting near Gion were suddenly attacking with increased ferocity and precision.
Such an obvious shift... there was no way it wasn't related to her.
At the bay.
Maude observed Gion's back, carefully concealing the killing intent in his eyes.
Then, his gaze shifted toward the massive figure looming at the rear of the battlefield—Oars Jr.
The descendant of the legendary devil Oars... the physical gains from him would be unimaginable.
"I'll wait until you get closer."
Maude casually raised his rifle and fired a few shots at the ice battlefield, merely going through the motions.
Until the situation became clearer, he would hold back on making his move.
Under Maude's watchful eye, the towering form of Little Oars Jr.—several times the size of an ordinary giant—strode forward, gripping a forty-meter-long sword.
"So huge... it's unbelievable. He's beyond what we know as 'giants'!"
The Marines were visibly shaken by Oars Jr.'s appearance.
Yet, Oars Jr. himself remained unaware that Maude had already set his sights on him.
"ACE! I won't let you die!"
In his eyes, there was only one thing—Ace, bound upon the execution platform.
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