With the defeat of Roberts Bartholomew, the power of his Pump-Pump Fruit naturally ceased. Without the boost of the 'Encouragement Aura,' the Roberts Legion pirates' once high morale plummeted like melting snow. They awoke from their mindless frenzy and began to fear, to flee, to crumble...
"The Legion Commander is dead!"
"We've lost! We've been defeated!"
"Run! Otherwise, the Marines will kill us!"
"..."
Before long, the remaining Roberts Legion pirates completely disintegrated under the Marines' assault, scattering in disarray.
The defeat of the Roberts Legion also impacted their allies, the Imperial Guard and the noble private armies, causing panic among their soldiers. They were quickly defeated by the Marines and the Royal Army.
Inside the city, where fires raged sky-high, panicked crowds were everywhere. Among them, Viscount Solmen watched his forces collapse like a crumbling mountain. His expression was blank as he muttered to himself, "Prince Mankervis, it seems fate is not on your side!" He then looked up at the giant cloud-formed face in the sky and let out a bitter laugh, "Hehehe~ Marduk, who subdued the Mushussu... what a terrifying ability..."
"Solmen, you have failed. Will you not surrender?"
Suddenly, a loud, powerful voice interrupted Solmen's soliloquy. Viscount Solmen turned his head and saw Vice Admiral Prodi approaching him with a bazooka on his shoulder. Behind him followed many Marines with flintlocks and scimitars, pursuing Solmen's scattering subordinates.
At this moment, Solmen's personal guard quickly reminded him, "Commander, it's a Headquarters Vice Admiral!" Another personal guard also urged, "Viscount Solmen, let's go quickly! It's not advisable to keep fighting the Marines!"
"Go? Where to?" Viscount Solmen shook his head, a bitter smile on his face. "Bion Kingdom is my country. Should we also become pirates like that Roberts fellow and set sail?"
"Commander, where there's life, there's hope..."
"Enough. It's come to this. The winner is king, the loser is bandit. If you want to live, leave quickly!" Solmen abruptly waved his hand, cutting off his personal guard's persuasion. Resolutely, he charged alone towards the Marines ahead.
"Roar—!"
As he ran, he transformed into a giant Carnotaurus, roaring as he charged at Vice Admiral Prodi.
"What a troublesome fellow!" Prodi shook his head, sighing helplessly. Then, with a solemn expression, he aimed the bazooka on his shoulder forward and decisively pulled the trigger.
Boom—!
A cannonball, imbued with Armament Haki, shot out of the barrel, emitting a strong light and forming a laser-like beam straight ahead.
"Reepel, surrender quietly for me!"
Boom—!
A giant wild boar was knocked to the ground by Vice Admiral Silas's punch, smashing through several houses and raising a cloud of dust.
"Oonk, oonk, oonk, oonk—!"
Reepel squealed repeatedly. Seeing large numbers of Marines surging from all directions, he quickly scrambled to his feet and ran, charging head-first towards the areas with the fewest people.
"Get the Seastone net! Don't let this guy get away!" Vice Admiral Silas urgently shouted, ordering his subordinates to corner Reepel.
"Mortars ready!"
"Block this wild boar!"
"Fire! Fire! Drive him back!"
"..."
The Marines gathered, unleashing a massive barrage of gunfire and cannon fire at Reepel.
Reepel snorted, pushed back once more, and grumbled, "Hmph, oonk, oonk~ This really is the end!"
His hide was thick and tough; he could ignore sharp blades and dense gunfire like rain. But facing Seastone weapons, he had to keep his distance. If he were caught by a Seastone net, even with immense power, he wouldn't be able to use it.
"Spiral Shockwave!!!"
"Domain: Sky Control Madness!!!"
"Spiral Burst!!!"
"Domain: Sky Barrier!!!"
"..."
Meanwhile, Regedor and Lavishur had been locked in an intense battle for a long time, in a stalemate that had thoroughly devastated the surrounding area. The battle even approached the upper city district at one point, almost affecting the Royal Palace Castle on the mountaintop.
However, the stalemate between the two sides changed after the collapse of the Roberts Legion. In the night, and in unfamiliar territory, many Roberts Legion pirates fled in a panic, inadvertently escaping into the upper city, where they were discovered by Regedor and Lavishur.
"This isn't good!"
Seeing this, Regedor's heart sank. He secretly suspected that fate had truly abandoned his side. He knew very well the ability of the Pump-Pump Fruit: as long as Roberts was not dead or unconscious, the Pump-Pump Fruit's ability would remain active, and the Roberts Legion would not collapse; they would fight to the last man.
Yet now, large groups of pirates were fleeing in disarray, clearly indicating that the Pump-Pump Fruit's ability had ceased, and the Roberts Legion was on the verge of defeat. Thus, Roberts certainly wouldn't be faring well either.
"Haha~ See that? You've failed!" Lavishur let out a savage cackle, his attacking speed suddenly intensifying. Not long ago, Hebrass had died a painful death from the cursed poison, which filled him with an intense hatred for the entire Roberts Legion.
Regedor said nothing, suddenly unleashing his greatest power forward, causing the surrounding air to become violently turbulent, forming a chaotic storm of air currents.
Rumble—!
In an instant, a massive tornado formed. The intense wind roared like muffled thunder, rushing towards Lavishur like a rampaging dragon baring its fangs and claws.
"Bastard, don't think you can escape!" Lavishur's eyes were wide with fury. Seeing himself blocked by the giant tornado while Regedor turned to flee, he couldn't help but curse angrily.
"Spiky Shadow Lizard!"
Abruptly, a pitch-black shadow swiftly glided along the ground. As it approached Regedor, it materialized into a black spear, extending rapidly like lightning. The fleeing Regedor sensed the anomaly and quickly turned to block, crossing his arms over his chest. He then saw a black spear, now extended over ten meters, directly pierce the silver wrist guard on his wrist.
Clang—!
A tremendous force surged, sending Regedor flying backward. The air around him erupted with a violent, visible pressure wave.
"Lightning!"
Boom—!
At this moment, Cross charged forward, holding the renowned blade Shūsui, pointing it ahead as he let out a fierce cry. Instantly, the sky erupted with dazzling lightning, sending down a bolt that struck Regedor, directly blasting him into the ground, forming an extremely deep, charred crater. The immense power made the earth tremble, kicking up a whistling, powerful shockwave.
"Perfect timing! Help me take care of this bastard!" Lavishur, having just quelled the tornado, approached through the air, his face menacing, and shouted without politeness.
Cross naturally had no intention of refusing Lavishur's request and readily agreed to team up with him.
"Cough, cough, cough~"
Regedor, charred and disheveled, crawled out of the crater. He then saw Cross and Lavishur attacking together, and a graceful shadow slowly emerging from the ground beside them.
"Shadow Box!"
The sudden attack caught Regedor off guard. He was instantly confined within a black cube, like a prisoner trapped in a dark room. Facing the combined might of Cross and Lavishur, along with Marduk in the sky and the assassin-like Scáthach, even Regedor, whose strength was second only to Roberts, could only passively endure the assault. There was no escape.
Finally, this great battle gradually drew to a close. The defeat of the Roberts Legion was now irreversible.
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