Perospero bit down hard on the candy cane, the brittle sugar crunching loudly between his teeth.
While the members of the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates each harbored their own hidden intentions, the smoke from the massive explosion at Red Port finally began to clear, revealing a jagged, broken cross-section — as if a giant island-devouring goldfish had taken a savage bite out of it.
Nearly the entire coastal defense line had vanished in the blast, along with several thousand Holy Land Guardian Corps soldiers and tens of thousands of pirates from the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates.
Not many were killed directly by the explosion itself — after all, pirates capable of surviving in the New World usually had some real skill.
However, the tsunami triggered by the blast was truly fatal. Those caught within the explosion zone stood no chance, but even more died after being swept into the sea by the massive waves before they could even make landfall.
These unfortunate souls accounted for more than two-thirds of the total casualties. Of the First Division's force of over 100,000 men, fewer than 30,000 — the vanguard that had already pushed into the interior of Red Port — survived.
BOOM!
A pillar of molten lava erupted into the sky from the ruins left by the explosion. Magma splashed across the ground and gradually took on the shape of Sakazuki.
Even a detonation caused by blasting rock explosives was unable to pose a true threat to a top-tier powerhouse with exceptionally powerful Observation Haki.
"Hmph, as expected of Fleet Admiral Kong... You did a pretty good job..."
A powerful wave of Observation Haki swept across the skies above Red Port. After roughly estimating the number of pirates who had survived, Sakazuki — whose face was always rigid and severe — actually revealed a rare look of satisfaction.
Yet that smile looked strangely out of place on him. Considering that tens of thousands had just died on this battlefield, Sakazuki's expression could even be described as grotesque.
"Tch… so we really were played…"
At the same time, an ice coffin standing at the edge of the coastal defense line suddenly shattered apart. Esdeath stepped out from the broken ice, entirely unharmed.
Gazing at the coastline now swallowed by seawater, a trace of anger appeared on the incomparably beautiful face of this imperial female general, as cold and eternal as ancient glaciers.
Esdeath didn't care about the lives of pirates, but as a commander, the heavy casualties among her subordinates had somewhat damaged her pride.
"L-Lady Esdeath, are we… are we still going to continue the assault?"
Several high-ranking fighters who had narrowly escaped death hurried to her side. They had been utterly terrified by that massive explosion just now.
If not for the advance warning of Observation Haki, almost no one except the absolute top-tier fighters would have survived the detonation of the Exploding Rock.
"What is the First Division's mission?"
Esdeath shot the speaking fighter a cold glance. She was a commander beloved by her troops — but only as long as they obeyed her orders and fought bravely.
As for deserters and those who disobeyed commands, Esdeath's methods were only more ruthless than Sakazuki's.
"To… to seize Red Port… and capture the route that leads up to Mariejois…"
The high-ranking fighter trembled as he answered, terrified that a delayed response might earn him a casual execution from Esdeath.
"Then what are you waiting for? Continue the attack!"
Esdeath issued her order mercilessly. Once the war was won, she could distribute all spoils and rewards to her soldiers.
But as long as the war was not yet over, no matter how powerful the enemy, she would command her forces to charge forward through mountains of blades and seas of fire.
"If we keep fighting, it's just a dead end! I'm not dying with you!"
A pirate who had completely lost his nerve suddenly roared, firing a shot at Esdeath before even checking whether it hit. He then flapped the wings that had grown from his back and tried to flee.
He was a Zoan-type Bird-Bird Fruit, Swift form user, possessing astonishing flight speed and long-distance flying ability.
As long as he wasn't shot down immediately, even top-tier fighters who had mastered Geppo would never be able to catch up to him.
Most importantly, this high-ranking fighter had never exposed his ability before. Everyone who knew about his Devil Fruit was already dead. With the element of surprise, he was confident he could escape right in front of Esdeath.
"Mahapadma."
But at the very instant the Bird-Bird Fruit user shot into the sky at incredible speed, accompanied by Esdeath's cold, emotionless voice—
Time itself came to a halt.
Puchi!
Scarlet sprays of blood burst in midair.
The upper half of the high-ranking combatant who had eaten the Bird-Bird Fruit was still flying upward, while his severed lower body was already falling toward the ground.
The pirates who failed to react in time were drenched head to toe in blood, yet not a single one of them dared to move an inch.
They hadn't even seen when Esdeath made her move. In the blink of an eye, a pirate whose strength was in no way inferior to theirs had already been cleaved in two.
"AAAAAAAH!!!"
Only now did the scream echo through the air. Zoan-type Devil Fruits granted their users extraordinary vitality—even after being cut in half at the waist, he did not die immediately. However, the agony made it impossible for the high-ranking combatant to keep flying. He fell from the sky and landed not far from where the lower half of his body had hit the ground.
"Those who advance live. Those who retreat die!"
Esdeath didn't even spare a glance for the still-screaming combatant. Her beautiful eyes were coldly fixed on the remaining pirates.
Even after mastering all three types of Haki, her use of Mahapadma had only increased from once a day to twice a day.
Yet the moment she spotted deserters, Esdeath still activated her former trump card without the slightest hesitation.
"Anyone who doesn't want to die, charge with me!"
"Those who advance live, those who retreat die!"
"Kill all the World Government's lapdogs!"
...
Faced with Esdeath's undisguised threat of death, even the most unruly pirates had no choice but to bow their heads, gritting their teeth as they launched a desperate charge toward Mary Geoise.
With their retreat cut off, the pirates were forced by Esdeath to rediscover their vicious ferocity, unleashing an astonishing level of combat power. For a time, they drove the Holy Land's Guardian Corps into steady retreat.
Defensive lines that had once held firm were shattered one after another. Even though their numbers had diminished, the pirates not only failed to slow their assault — under Esdeath's pressure, they instead surged forward with even greater momentum, sweeping across more than half of Red Port like a raging tide.
°°°
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