Rumble—Rumble—!
Dark clouds appeared in the sky at some unknown time, accompanied by rolling thunder, gradually obscuring the bright full moon, causing its light to no longer illuminate the earth. Fortunately, due to the war, raging fires burned throughout Doma City, still making this battlefield as bright as day.
On the wide main street, when the high-spirited pirates saw the large number of Marines ahead, they didn't hesitate for a moment. They surged forward like a tide, densely packed like an ant colony.
"Marines?!"
"Pirates?!"
Roberts immediately spotted the exceptionally imposing Sakazuki, and Sakazuki likewise noticed Roberts among the thousands of pirates right away. Their gazes locked, each revealing a bone-chilling killing intent. Then, in unison, they both attacked, striking at each other from a distance.
"Die! Great Eruption!!!"
"Die! Army Breaker!!!"
A massive magma fist burst forth, its extreme temperature seemingly igniting the air, creating a scorching, howling gust of wind, and containing the terrifying explosive power of a volcanic eruption.
A cyan, blade-like slash, immensely powerful, flashed across the sky like a meteor, as if even the air had been pierced.
BOOM—!
The two forces collided, instantly erupting in a deafening roar. In an instant, howling, fierce winds swept across the sky and earth, kicking up sand and dust everywhere. Even more volcanic bombs splattered in all directions, like a meteor shower.
"Ahhh—!"
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki!"
"Commander!"
"Hot! So hot! I'm burning to death!"
"..."
Many Marine soldiers and Roberts Legion pirates were sent flying by the scorching airwaves. Some unlucky ones were even hit by splashing volcanic bombs; the slightly luckier ones suffered burns, while the unfortunate were directly crushed or burned to death.
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki, codenamed Akainu', your reputation precedes you!" Roberts's face was grim, his eyes filled with killing intent, as he rushed forward, Gae Bulg in hand.
"Bartholomew Roberts, the 'Commander,' I shall smite you in the name of Justice!" Sakazuki's expression was stern, his voice as loud as thunder. He unhesitatingly swung his magma-transformed arm in a punch.
"Hound Blaze!"
The magma-transformed arm took on the shape of a ferocious dog's head and rapidly extended, biting towards Roberts.
Boom—!
Roberts's expression remained unchanged. He directly swung Gae Bulg horizontally, its spearhead, like a sharp sword, shattered the magma dog head as if cutting butter, transforming it into numerous volcanic bombs of varying sizes that crushed down.
"Commander's Strike!!"
Immediately after, the over three-meter-long Gae Bulg pierced through the air like a venomous dragon, flashing like lightning as it stabbed through Sakazuki's chest. However, though the spear pierced Sakazuki's chest, it wasn't blood that flowed from the wound, but scorching magma. The extremely high-temperature magma dripped onto the ground, sizzling and melting the bluestone slabs beneath.
"Hm?! Did he turn to elemental form early?!"
Roberts's eyes narrowed slightly. He instantly understood the reason.
"Hellhound!"
Sakazuki said nothing unnecessary, merely letting out a deep, powerful growl. In an instant, his raised left arm was already transformed into magma and rapidly extended to strike at Roberts, who was so close that he couldn't even put up an effective defense. He could only barely turn his head, avoiding a fatal blow.
However, the extended magma arm, quick as lightning, grazed Roberts's cheek and shoulder, directly tearing off his ear, as well as the metal shoulder guard and a large chunk of flesh from his shoulder. A faint scent of roasted meat and char permeated the air.
"Ugh—!"
Suddenly, Roberts's eyes bulged, an expression of disbelief on his face. A muffled groan of pain escaped his throat. He then staggered back several steps, pulling Gae Bulg, which was already hot, from the opponent's body.
"Commander!"
"Am I seeing things? How could this happen!?"
"His ear was blown off...!"
"..."
This sight filled the nearby pirates with horror and disbelief. After only a few exchanges, a great pirate with a bounty as high as 547,000,000 Berries was almost blown apart by a single punch. It was utterly ridiculous!
"Huff... huff..."
Roberts panted heavily, leaning on Gae Bulg with one hand and covering the charred wound on his ear with the other. He stared at Sakazuki with fierce eyes.
"Ha, hahaha~ As expected of an Admiral candidate highly anticipated by Marine Headquarters, your strength is unexpectedly formidable!"
"Are you a monster?!"
Roberts twitched the corner of his mouth. The severe burns on his right cheek and shoulder made him wince in pain, constantly stimulating his nerves.
"Pirate, today is your doomsday!" Sakazuki clenched his fist, coldly eyeing the man before him. With that, he stepped forward again, swinging his magma-transformed fist at his opponent.
"Don't you dare harm the Commander!"
At this moment, Myna, her face fierce, charged forward. The whip made of twisted steel wire in her hand struck horizontally through the air, smack, shearing off half of Sakazuki's head as easily as cutting cake.
Unexpectedly, Sakazuki, with only half a head remaining, was completely unfazed. He didn't stop, and his magma-transformed fist struck Myna's chest, piercing through her body like a sharp blade.
Sizzle sizzle sizzle—!
The high-temperature magma scorched her flesh and internal organs, turning Myna's face pale and eliciting a deathly cry of agony, "Ahhh—!" However, the next second, her scream abruptly ceased. Because Sakazuki delivered another punch. The immense force combined with the super-high temperature of the magma caused a dull "thump," directly smashing Myna's head and completely killing the female pirate.
"Bounty 59,500,000 Berries, 'Wicked Woman' Myna, eliminated!" Sakazuki's remaining eye coldly regarded the headless corpse hanging from his arm. His magma-transformed head slowly undulated, regenerating the half that had been sheared off.
"Myna—!"
Roberts's eyes were bloodshot. Enraged, he charged forward, swinging Gae Bulg at Sakazuki.
Boom—!
Another powerful collision.
The scorching air currents swept up dust from the ground, spreading outwards with a roaring force.
The Marines, led by Sakazuki, clashed fiercely with the pirates, led by Roberts.
The ground trembled, powerful shockwaves came one after another, and the air grew hot.
Gradually, this intense battle became like the center of the battlefield, continuously attracting Marines or pirates from other parts of Doma City, eventually joined by the Royal Army under Lavishur and the Royal Guard led by Viscount Solmen.
Four forces formed two opposing factions, engaging in an incredibly bloody struggle on the main street and in the surrounding alleys of this centuries-old fortress city.
However, Roberts's ability was too powerful; it was arguably the best support ability on a battlefield.
Under the power of the Pump-Pump Fruit, the Roberts Legion pirates consistently maintained high morale and abundant stamina, as if tireless. They charged the Marine formations fearlessly, making these elite Marines from Marine Headquarters and various branches fall into an unprecedented bitter struggle.
Every minute, every second, people died. Casualties were updated constantly. Everyone was like a berserk beast with bloodshot eyes, knowing only to swing their weapons and kill their opponents at all costs.
Soon, gruesome corpses piled up in layers on the streets, discarded, broken weapons everywhere. The city had almost become a slaughterhouse for devils.
——————————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/JuanPiece [remove the parenthesis ( )]
There are 100+ advance chapters available for you to read!