"Haki Infusion! Star Dance—Sun Halo!"
From the Blood Demon's seemingly slender rapier, a blinding solar flare suddenly erupted, crimson as blood.
Deep red bolts of Conqueror's Haki lightning splashed in all directions like divine punishment, instantly blasting the courtyard gates into smithereens!
This was a sun entirely composed of countless layers of Conqueror's Haki, Armament Haki, scarlet sword energy, and the vast ocean of Lifeblood power within the Blood Demon's body!
"What? What kind of move is this?!"
Golden Axe's face paled in horror as he watched the solar flare launched from the Blood Demon's hand instantly swallow his own slashing wave, descending upon his head like a falling sun!
"ROAR!!"
The burly Otto, regardless of the Blood Demon's identity, suddenly expanded his body dozens of times in an instant, transforming into a towering crocodile shrouded in black Armament Haki.
He fearlessly rammed headfirst into the Blood Demon's Haki Infusion solar flare!
For that one moment, the world seemed to stand still.
Golden Axe's eyes nearly burst from their sockets as he reached out, grabbing Yamato and Katakuri beside him. With a powerful leap, he propelled them all out of the courtyard!
World, already terrified out of his wits, immediately activated his fastest speed.
"More-More Hundredfold Speed! Shave!"
BOOOOM!!
The next instant, an apocalyptic shockwave reduced the entire manor to rubble, sending massive stone fragments flying like cannonballs in all directions.
The massive cliffside manor collapsed in chunks, crashing into the sea with thunderous waves!
The Ice Demon, who had remained motionless until now, seemed to awaken from slumber when struck by the terrifying impact.
A frost-blue halo erupted from his slender frame, instantly sweeping across the surroundings!
"Ice Age!!"
WHOOSH!
The hundreds-meter-high cloud of dust and debris froze mid-air as an arctic gale swept through, encasing everything in thick ice!
CRACK CRACK CRACK!
The relentless ice spread endlessly, covering all of Sweet Island in the blink of an eye, transforming it into an Arctic glacier!
But it didn't stop there!
When the expanding ice reached the harbor waters, the churning waves froze with terrifying speed, crackling as the ice spread rapidly across the sea's surface!
"Ice Block: Twin Spears!!"
After freezing his surroundings, the Ice Demon's body suddenly shattered, transforming into two crystalline spears that pierced through space to appear before Waldo!
World's face twisted in shock.
"Marine Admiral, Aokiji!!"
But his skills were nothing to scoff at either.
World immediately threw a punch at the incoming ice spears!
"More-More Hundredfold Punch!"
World's fist turned pitch black, though lacking the distinctive aura of Conqueror's Haki Coating—this was a technique beyond his comprehension.
Though World's Armament Haki wasn't particularly strong, amplified a hundredfold by the More-More Fruit, this punch rivaled even Linlin's "Ikoku Sovereignty" in power!
CRASH!
The two ice spears shattered into countless glittering fragments, refracting dazzling light in all directions.
"Ice Dragon!"
A voice devoid of any emotional fluctuation echoed from within the ice.
In the next moment, the shattered ice fragments rapidly expanded, compressed, and fused together, forming a hundred-meter-long ice-blue dragon!
The dragon bared its fangs and claws, opening its maw to unleash an extreme cold blast directly at World!
"Ice Dragon Roar!!"
"More-More Hundredfold Speed! Shave!" World dared not face it head-on, instantly activating his extreme speed to evade the Ice Demon's freezing attack.
...
Meanwhile, at the edge of the shattered estate, Golden Axe cleaved through the ice trapping him with a single swing of his axe.
His expression twisted into an ugly grimace as he saw Katakuri and Yamato frozen solid in the frigid ice.
"Damn it! We were so close to securing our targets—why did this happen?"
Golden Axe's heart burned with both rage and confusion.
He looked up at the ice-blue dragon soaring in the sky, then at the Blood Demon, wreathed in crimson lightning, slashing relentlessly at a terrifying towering crocodile dozens of meters tall, forcing it into retreat!
"Red Count Redfield! And the former Marine Admiral Aokiji! Why? Why are these two standing together? Can anyone tell me what the hell is going on here?"
Golden Axe was no fool.
Back in the Holy Land Mariejois, he had learned about the battles near Banana Island.
He knew Redfield had been captured by the Beast God Pirates and that Aokiji had been killed.
The Marine hero Garp had triggered a series of battles after witnessing Aokiji's death, only to be overpowered by Caesar and slain at sea!
"Could it be that bastard Caesar used his own blood to restore Redfield to his peak? But Redfield—how could he ever willingly guard the gates for that scoundrel Caesar?"
Golden Axe felt as though his head would split from the pain, and he couldn't help but roar furiously at the sky to vent his rage.
Had he known that the Blood Demon Redfield had only attacked because of his idiot brother's reckless provocation, would Golden Axe still have wanted this foolish little brother?
Gritting his teeth, Golden Axe stomped the ground, transforming into a streak of golden light as he shot toward the ice-blue dragon in the sky!
"Redfield has that meat shield Otto blocking him—I need to take down Aokiji first if we want any chance of victory! World! You coward, why aren't you helping? Do you want your sickly brother to suffer under Black Horse's torture?"
Golden Axe swung his axe at the dragon's elongated body while roaring at Waldo.
World clenched his fists, his face contorted with fury, knuckles cracking under the pressure.
With a stifled roar of frustration, he shot toward the Ice Demon in a flash!
And at that very moment—
Far in the distance, King finally arrived, his Observation Haki scanning the surroundings for any trace of Katakuri.
The next moment, his expression twisted in horror.
"Katakuri—and Yamato—they've both been defeated!"
Flapping his black wings, he banked sharply midair and streaked toward the collapsed ruins of the estate on Sweet Island's southern shore.
As he flew, his heart clenched at the sight of the island, utterly ravaged beyond recognition.
And when he saw the combatants locked in battle in the sky, King's shock turned to outright terror!
Among the five figures, King could barely recognize the ice-blue dragon's power signature—likely Kuzan.
But the others? He had never seen them before.
The Blood Demon was completely shrouded in robes and a mask, making it impossible for King to recognize him as Redfield.
Although unfamiliar, the mere aftershocks of the battle between those five individuals sent violent gales sweeping across the frozen Sweet Island, shattering countless ice-encased buildings into fragments.
The terrifying Conqueror's Haki lightning bolts exploded hundreds of meters through the void with thunderous roars, making King feel as though he had returned to the chaotic battlefield of Onigashima.
"No! This is even more terrifying than that!"