As the flames dissipated, the warship was the first to reappear.
Then, Sakazuki, cloaked in his admiral cape, stood proudly on the deck of the warship like an invincible god of war.
With both fists extended, he used the power of the Magma-Magma Fruit to completely block the Dragon Breath!
The violent shockwaves raged around him, causing his cape to flutter wildly in the chaos. His towering figure stood like an insurmountable wall, instilling unprecedented confidence in all the marines on the warship.
At the same time, it filled the members of the Beasts Pirates, who had expected the warship to be vaporized by the Dragon Breath, with despair.
The admiral of the Marine Headquarters, a user of the Logia-type Magma-Magma Fruit, was truly terrifying.
At the same time, as Sakazuki imposing figure came into view of all the marines under his command, the soldiers who had been overwhelmed with tension moments ago by Kaido appearance and the immense pressure of his dragon form erupted in excitement.
"Admiral Sakazuki never disappoints!"
"Thank goodness, Admiral Sakazuki blocked the Dragon Breath!"
"Long live Admiral Sakazuki!"
"Brothers, charge! Let's wipe out the Beasts Pirates in one go!"
"For justice!"
"Charge!"
As thunderous shouts erupted from one warship after another, the ships suddenly accelerated, advancing with overwhelming momentum toward the Beasts Pirates' fleet.
Meanwhile, the forces led by Gion, the "Momousagi" were also greatly emboldened by Sakazuki defense against the Dragon Breath.
The lead warship, which had just collided with a massive ship from the Beasts Pirates, saw marines pouring out onto the deck like a tidal wave.
Some brandished swords, others held guns, charging relentlessly toward the pirate ship that had been halted by the collision.
As this warship clashed with one pirate vessel, two more warships surged forward, engaging two other enemy ships.
"Brothers!"
"The moment has come to offer our hearts for justice!"
Before the warship had even come to a complete stop, a rear admiral standing at the bow drew his sword and shouted "SHINZOU WO SASAGEYO—!"
With a heroic cry, he flashed onto the deck of the pirate ship like a wolf among sheep, cutting down the charging pirates with ease. Behind him, a dense crowd of naval officers and soldiers leaped down one after another, their bloodshot eyes gleaming like pirates who had finally found their prey after drifting at sea for days.
They pounced on the members of the Beast Pirates with ferocious intensity.
"Damn it, what's wrong with these marines?!"
The Beast Pirates on the deck, who had been brimming with fighting spirit, were instantly thrown into panic by the relentless onslaught of the marines.
Many of the lower-ranking pirates, seeing the marines charging at them with such ferocity, turned and fled for the first time in their lives.
"Ahhh, are we the pirates or are they the pirates?!"
"Don't lose your composure! Hold the line, damn it!" ...
The hours-long long-range artillery battle came to an end as the warships collided with the pirate ships, giving way to an even more brutal close-quarters combat.
The powerful Marine officers immediately sought out the Beast Pirates' top fighters, the Disasters and other high-ranking members, while the marines soldiers charged even more fiercely at the lower-ranking pirates on the deck.
Those with guns in hand fired relentlessly, and those who ran out of bullets drew their swords and fought the pirates with reckless abandon.
Wounded soldiers, in a frenzy, would grab a pirate and leap off the deck into the sea.
"They're insane!"
"These marines have gone mad!"
In just one charge, several of the Beast Pirates' ships were completely overrun.
Faced with marines who were even more desperate than themselves, the Beast Pirates, who had been emboldened by Kaido presence, quickly found their morale crushed.
Some of the weaker pirates, seeing the marines charging at them like madmen, turned tail and fled.
On one of the pirate ships, where the Disasters and other top fighters were tied up by the Marine officers who had boarded, the swarming marines had a glint of madness in their eyes.
They charged at the lower-ranking pirates with wild laughter that sent chills down the spines of the pirates on board.
"Yahahaha~ Brothers, I took down two pirates!"
"Don't forget to cut off their ears or fingers!"
"Haha, how could I forget? That's military merit!"
"Hey, hey, you're injured. Fall back, let me take over!"
"Bastard, don't steal my kill! I can still fight!"
The pirates on this ship were completely dumbfounded.
Were these really the marines they knew?
After all, they had fought alongside Kaido against the marines many times before.
In those battles, the marines were little more than cannon fodder, barely capable of pulling a trigger, let alone putting up a real fight!
Especially in the past few encounters, when their captain, Kaido, had been captured by the marines and they had intercepted the prison ship, the accompanying marines would tremble in fear at the sight of the Beast Pirates' ships.
They had even watched helplessly as their captain sank the prison ship and sailed away.
How long has it been?
The Marine soldiers, who used to tremble at the sight of their captain, have suddenly become so fearless and reckless!
What's even more terrifying is that, compared to them as pirates, these Marine soldiers are more bloodthirsty and warlike.
Not only did they kill their comrades, but they also cut off ears and fingers as trophies?
Listening to the ferocious words constantly ringing in their ears, many pirates couldn't help but feel the illusion that they were the Marines now and the marines are pirates.
Especially one pirate who was so scared that he collapsed onto the deck.
When he saw the Marine soldier across from him kill one of his companions and cruelly cut off his ear to put it in a bag, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
At that very moment, another pirate charged forward and slashed the Marine soldier on the back. But the Marine soldier seemed unfazed, enduring the gruesome wound on his back, turned around recklessly and lunged forward, wildly stabbing with his long sword.
As blood splattered, the Marine soldier uniform was quickly stained red and blood droplets continuously rolled down his face.
Before the collapsed pirate could react, the Marine soldier swiftly cut off his ear, then turned his head to look at him, grinning with a chilling, bloodthirsty smile.
"Don't… DONT COME NEAR ME!"
Seeing the Marine soldier targeting him, the pirate on the deck felt as if his soul was about to leave his body. He scrambled to get up and flee but found his legs too weak from fear.
Meanwhile, the Marine soldier, dragging his injured body, quickly stood up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and lunged forward with a fierce leap.
"Die, you pirate scum!"
With a loud roar, the pirate who had just stood up to flee was knocked to the ground.
In the next second, the blood-stained long sword swiftly and decisively slashed across his throat.
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