Lafitte's killing intent and aura surged through his cane-sword, enveloping Onigumo entirely.
"Demon Sheriff Lafitte."
Onigumo remained completely unaffected by Lafitte's murderous intent. A mere condescending remark from Lafitte wasn't enough to shake his composure.
His cold gaze locked onto Lafitte, and he secretly mobilized all his strength, aiming to suppress him completely.
However—
His opponent was no nameless figure. Despite exerting his full power, Onigumo found himself unable to gain even the slightest advantage.
He was, after all, utilizing the strength of all eight of his arms.
"I once warned your Fleet Admiral during the Seven Warlords meeting—'Demon Sheriff' is a name from the past. My captain... prefers the title 'Ferryman of the Underworld.'"
Lafitte narrowed his eyes, his voice laced with chilling killing intent. "It seems the Marines have no intention of correcting their 'mistake'... but that's fine."
As he spoke, Lafitte's body began to change visibly, shifting into his siren hybrid form.
"I will use force to correct the Marines' errors."
His firm words carried an eerie charm, an unsettling allure.
Onigumo, hearing the voice naturally enter his ears, suddenly found his vision rippling—like a single droplet disturbing a still pond.
His consciousness wavered for just a moment.
"Hmph?"
Sensing something amiss, Onigumo bit down hard on his lip.
His teeth sank deep into the flesh, drawing rivulets of blood.
The sharp pain instantly restored his awareness, filling the gap in his consciousness. However, the momentary lapse had already left an opening.
A flash of steel—
Lafitte's cane-sword pierced through the gaps between Onigumo's eight long blades, aiming directly for his vitals.
Onigumo had no time to withdraw his swords to defend, but he reacted decisively, curling his spider-like arms into a makeshift shield to block the incoming strike.
Shing!
The cane-sword, clad in hardened Armament Haki, pierced through Onigumo's interwoven limbs, crimson blood spraying into the air.
The force behind the strike sent Onigumo flying.
"Hoho, I wanted to imitate my captain..."
Watching Onigumo get blown back, Lafitte—his features now bearing traces of his siren transformation—slowly retracted his bloodstained cane-sword, holding it horizontally before him.
"But precisely because I can't, it only highlights how extraordinary my captain truly is."
"..."
Onigumo steadied himself midair, ignoring the blood flowing from his wounded arms.
His gaze toward Lafitte grew even darker, nearly dripping with malice.
In mere seconds, Onigumo had gained a clear understanding of why Lafitte held the position of second-in-command within the Maude Pirates.
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the battlefield—
Bastille, wielding his massive Shark Cutter blade, specialized in overpowering foes with sheer strength. Yet, he was forced back by a single powerful axe swing from Gaya.
A deafening clang rang out as Bastille staggered backward several steps.
He stared at Gaya, who stood to the side, holding her axe with ease, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He couldn't fathom how such a slender arm could contain such monstrous power.
"This... is the strength of a pirate worth only 30 million?!"
Glancing down at his hand, which now bore thin, bleeding cracks from the impact, Bastille felt an overwhelming sense of shock.
Before being struck, he never imagined he would be overpowered in terms of sheer strength by a pirate with a mere 30 million bounty.
But Gaya had no interest in his thoughts. She stepped forward, launching another attack.
Due to her lack of mastery over the Float-Float Fruit and the need to keep the massive Thriller Bark airborne above Sabaody Archipelago, Gaya refrained from using her Devil Fruit abilities in combat.
Thus, Bastille remained unaware that she was even a Devil Fruit user.
She closed the distance swiftly, her movements straightforward—without any unnecessary embellishments—delivering another powerful axe strike directly at Bastille.
Clang!
Bastille barely managed to block with his blade, only to be forced back several steps once again.
"Not only is her strength insane, but her Armament Haki is also formidable..."
Feeling the sheer might of Gaya's attacks firsthand, Bastille's heart grew heavy.
With Lafitte and Gaya holding back Bastille and Onigumo, Maude never once spared them a glance.
Among all the Marines present, only Admiral Aokiji was a worthy opponent.
And Maude's task was clear—to draw Aokiji out of the battle and create an environment where his crew could fight without unnecessary interference.
Around them, the Marine elites cautiously watched Maude's movements.
Within moments, they grasped his intent.
This man... was planning to take on Admiral Aokiji alone.
Realizing this, the Marine elites momentarily froze.
Yet, in truth, this was a scenario they preferred.
"Let Admiral Aokiji handle Maude. Our job is to take down the rest of the Maude Pirates."
Fully aware of the situation, the Marine elites did not recklessly attack Maude. Instead, they silently watched as he walked past them.
Even though they knew Maude had no interest in them, they couldn't help but feel an overwhelming, tangible pressure as he passed.
It was as if, with just a single glance, Maude could unleash a fatal attack in an instant.
That oppressive aura sent shivers down their spines.
Once Maude was far enough away, they let out a collective sigh of relief and turned their attention back to the battlefield.
What they saw next shocked them.
Vice Admiral Bastille and Vice Admiral Onigumo—both being utterly overpowered.
"What's going on?!"
"Vice Admiral Bastille and Vice Admiral Onigumo are actually being suppressed?!"
The Marines were astonished by the strength Lafitte and Gaya displayed.
How could pirates with bounties of just 30 million and 120 million possess the power to suppress two vice admirals?
"Should we go assist Vice Admirals Bastille and Onigumo?"
"No. Focus on taking down the others first!"
Suppressing their shock, the Marine elites turned their focus to Brook and Jim, who had yet to make a move.
They assumed that Lafitte and Gaya were likely the second-in-command fighters of the Maude Pirates, meaning the others shouldn't be as strong.
Thus, their plan was simple—eliminate the weaker members first before reinforcing the vice admirals.
A clear and calculated strategy.
"Charge!"
At the command, the Marines surged toward Brook and Jim.
"Yohohoho... It's been a while since I've stretched my bones. This is a rare opportunity—let's test out my new abilities on you all."
Watching the Marines rush in, Brook lightly placed a hand on the hilt of his cane-sword.
This blade was looted from a pirate crew that had mistakenly wandered into Thriller Bark.
Though not entirely suited to his style, it would do for now.
"Soul's Lament."
As Brook slightly unsheathed his cane-sword, an eerie cold mist seeped from the scabbard, curling around the blade like ghostly tendrils.
Initially, he had believed the Revive-Revive Fruit's sole ability was to bring him back to life after death.
Thus, during his training on Thriller Bark, he focused entirely on mastering Haki, neglecting the potential of his Devil Fruit.
But it was Maude who suggested otherwise—who guided him to explore its deeper capabilities.
If not for Maude's advice, Brook would have spent his entire training period honing Haki, never unlocking the true potential of his fruit.
"Yohohoho... Be careful. My blade... cuts through souls."
Brook whispered ominously.
Then, before the Marines' eyes, his figure suddenly vanished.
"He disappeared...?!"
Seeing Brook suddenly vanish, the four or five Marines at the front recoiled in shock. A chilling sensation swept past them, leaving them with an inexplicable sense of unease.
Before they could comprehend what had just happened, their bodies felt as if they had stiffened, instinctively slowing their charge.
Clang—
At that moment, the sound of a blade being sheathed echoed in their ears.
Accompanying it was Brook's ethereal voice, laced with an eerie coldness.
"Soul-Slaying Sword: Blizzard."
"Huh!?"
The Marines who had been struck by the chilling sensation abruptly halted, lowering their gaze to their chests.
Their uniforms, as if delicate flower buds slowly blooming, split open along a thin, precise slash.
A moment later, a sharp, glistening wound became visible beneath the fabric.
Blood, tinged with an icy mist, began seeping from the wound.
"S-So cold..."
"What... just happened?"
The Marines, each bearing Brook's strike, stared in confusion.
The next second, the cold spreading from their wounds exploded outward. In an instant, a thin layer of frost covered their bodies, freezing their expressions and snuffing out their very lives.
"An ice-based ability like Admiral Aokiji's!?"
The surrounding Marines were horrified to see their comrades turned into frozen statues.
At that moment, they realized they had made a grave miscalculation.
Perhaps, beyond just Lafitte and Gaya, the other members of the Maude Pirates were far stronger than they had anticipated!
Just as this realization struck them, the sound of heavy, forceful footsteps reached their ears.
Following the sound, their gazes locked onto the towering figure of Jim, now in his half-beast transformation.
"A Zoan... Ancient Model..."
The Marines were stunned by Jim's deep green skin, covered in diamond-shaped, hardened muscle ridges, and the intimidating white horns protruding from his snout and forehead.
Even without moving, his massive seven-to-eight-meter frame radiated an oppressive aura.
Jim leaned forward and suddenly surged ahead, his enormous, muscular body charging straight into the Marine ranks.
Each thunderous step shook the ground.
"Rankyaku!"
Before Jim could reach them, several Marines well-versed in Rokushiki unleashed blue crescent-shaped shockwaves from their kicks, slicing through the air toward him.
In an instant, over a dozen Rankyaku attacks struck Jim's body.
However—
The attacks left only faint scratches on his thick hide. Within a second or two, even those wounds began fading, healing rapidly.
The unparalleled defense of the Ancient Zoan Triceratops was on full display.
Unfazed, Jim fearlessly bulldozed into the formation of over a hundred Marines.
Within mere seconds, he shattered their ranks.
"Yohohoho, the power of an Ancient Zoan is truly fearsome."
Watching from the sidelines, Brook observed Jim in his semi-beast form, now fully coated in Armament Haki, and couldn't help but feel envious.
Compared to Jim, who had already mastered Armament Haki, Brook's own proficiency in it was still in its infancy.
However, the Soul-Slaying Sword techniques he had developed, harnessing the power of his soul, possessed unparalleled lethality.
Just that alone was enough to uphold the fearsome reputation of the Maude Pirates.
"Yohohoho!"
Brook's eyes gleamed with battle intent as he leaped into the fray.
His cane-sword, unsheathed, danced through the battlefield, leaving behind trails of chilling air as it severed the very souls of his foes.
The combined assault of Brook and Jim instantly suppressed the elite Marines gathered there.
—
Outside the battlefield.
Philo, wearing her signature raven mask, did not engage in combat.
As the crew's doctor, her duty was to heal her comrades.
"These injuries are severe."
Philo quickly examined Perona and Urouge's conditions.
"They avoided fatal wounds... That's fortunate. Otherwise..."
She murmured to herself while swiftly treating their injuries.
Nearby, Hawkins briefly glanced at Philo, who paid him no attention, before shifting his gaze back to the ongoing battle between the Maude Pirates and the Marines.
Whether it was Gaya and Lafitte demonstrating overwhelming suppression, Jim's monstrous resilience and power, or Brook's chilling swordsmanship that froze every Marine he cut, each sight sent a shiver down Hawkins' spine.
"This is... the true strength of the Maude Pirates."
Hawkins' expression grew solemn.
Silent before, but now striking with thunderous force.
At this moment, a phrase flashed through his mind.
Here, at the very threshold of the New World, he saw a force that rivaled even its most formidable warriors.
—
In the distance.
Shakky was steadily being pushed back by Aokiji's relentless assault.
Strength, Haki, skill, Devil Fruit abilities—
In every aspect, Shakky was at a disadvantage.
Her only saving grace was her wealth of battle experience.
It was through this alone that she managed to barely fend off Aokiji's attacks.
However—
She hadn't anticipated the rapid drain on her stamina.
At this rate, even if she could hold off Aokiji's assault, exhaustion would soon bring her to her knees.
"Tch... Time truly spares no one."
Shakky retreated with a weary sigh.
Then, she suddenly furrowed her brows, her expression shifting slightly in surprise.
Aokiji, too, momentarily paused, his eyes narrowing.
In the midst of their clash, both simultaneously noticed the arrival of Maude.
"Arara..."
Aokiji immediately ceased his attack, allowing Shakky to pull back and create distance.
He could feel Maude's killing intent.
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