The warships sailed directly into the island through the cracked fissures.
A few panicked individuals actually tried to climb aboard the ships… regardless of who was coming, as getting on a ship meant survival.
But halfway up, a tall figure leaned out from the side of the deck, blocking the sunlight.
As the climber looked up, a massive laser shot straight down from above.
The unlucky soul was blasted into the water before he could even react.
Others, recognizing the seemingly familiar face, wore expressions of shock and fear.
"...It's the [Tyrant] Kuma!"
"Why is there another Warlord here?!"
"Wait! Look, there's more than one Kuma!"
Following their gaze, multiple identical Kumas could now be seen on the deck of the large ship.
Before they could react further, the Kuma who had peered over the side turned its head to look at them.
"Target identified: pirate."
A mechanical voice sounded as Kuma's mouth opened, firing several more lasers.
Tsuru watched the cluster of seemingly cloned Kumas with astonishment.
'Was this the 'technological product' the higher-ups mentioned?' Even though she was mentally prepared, it was still shocking.
The Pacifista PX series, currently developed up to the PX-6 model.
These were mass-produced combat robots developed by Dr. Vegapunk based on the Warlord, [Tyrant] Kuma.
Since the mass-produced models didn't inherit the original's [Nikyu Nikyu no Mi]'s ability, Dr. Vegapunk installed laser weapons similar to Kizaru's attacks inside them.
While they might still be somewhat lacking against truly powerful fighters, they often achieved remarkable results against groups of pirates.
"Pacifistas, lock onto pirate targets. Open fire indiscriminately!"
A brawny man wearing a bellyband jumped directly from the deck of the large ship, casually cleaving several panicked pirates with his giant axe.
Under his command, the Pacifistas jumped down onto the broken ground like dumplings dropping into water, their mechanical eyes scanning the people present.
Countless lasers immediately shot toward them.
Tsuru didn't place all her hopes on these mechanical creations, which hadn't been developed for long. What she needed was high-level combat power to handle the current situation.
She saw a purple-haired old man wearing sunglasses leap down from the deck. With a highly advanced-looking mechanical arm, he grabbed a pirate, casually slammed him down, and the pirate lost consciousness.
"Zephyr, it seems Dr. Vegapunk has upgraded your arm again." Tsuru remarked, feeling relieved seeing Zephyr's high spirits.
Seven years ago, Zephyr's ship was attacked by a certain pirate. He lost his arm and most of his students in that battle.
For the next five years, although Zephyr wasn't completely disheartened, his disability forced him to step back from the front lines.
Fortunately, two years ago, Vegapunk specially developed a powerful mechanical arm for him, enabling him to lead his students back to the sea to hunt pirates.
After learning that Naruto had reached Whole Cake Island, Tsuru had sent a temporary request for reinforcements to Sengoku.
Sengoku immediately identified the most suitable support personnel, Zephyr.
This request for aid also reached the desks of the Five Elders.
Due to the severity of the situation, the Five Elders directly approved Tsuru's request to mobilize the Pacifista unit, which was still under research on Egghead Island.
When Zephyr and his subordinates arrived at Egghead Island, Vegapunk even provided Zephyr with more powerful equipment to upgrade his arm.
"Tsuru, I hope I'm not too late." Zephyr said.
Dressed in a specially made combat suit and with his upgraded mechanical arm, Zephyr's strength was even greater than what he had ever shown against those pirates before. He didn't kill the pirates, merely knocking them unconscious.
Having not yet been utterly disillusioned by the Marines and the World Government like in the original work, he remained the [Non-Killing Admiral].
Well, technically, he wasn't an Admiral anymore.
Strictly speaking, the current Admiral positions were still only three, so Zephyr should be considered retired.
"Not bad, you haven't missed the most crucial part of the show." Tsuru replied.
Tsuru had a good impression of Zephyr, her colleague from the same era, though he was slightly younger.
In her heart, Zephyr was far more reliable than a certain old rogue.
At the same time, she felt sad about the other person's fate.
But now wasn't the time for catching up.
On the ground battlefield, Momousagi's Konpira had been kicked away by Hancock for the second time.
If Hancock hadn't held back, the Marines might have already lost this Admiral Candidate.
Even so, Momousagi's situation is precarious.
'This woman is a monster!'
Momousagi felt the recoil transmitted through her sword hilt and was inwardly shocked.
She had already given it her all, yet she was still no match for the woman before her.
What's more, the other party still had the mental capacity to pay attention to the battle in the sky, always dealing with her half-heartedly.
This made her feel humiliated and, at the same time, a sense of powerlessness welled up inside her.
Bang!
Another kick sent Momousagi's sword flying once more.
This time, Hancock seemed unwilling to hold back any longer and followed up with another kick.
Just as the Haki-infused tip of her shoe was about to strike Momousagi, a figure flashed over quickly.
It was Zephyr, who had just arrived on the battlefield.
[Smash Buster]
The modified mechanical arm was not only smaller but also capable of releasing even more powerful explosive energy than before.
After a tremendous explosion, both sides took a step back.
Hancock also withdrew her attention from Naruto's fight and turned her gaze to the Marine before her.
Unlike Momousagi, the strength this old man released was clearly far more formidable.
"A Warlord? I've always said this system is unreliable." Zephyr said.
While inwardly startled by Hancock's strength and youth, his face only showed a trace of disdain.
This was, in fact, the attitude he had always maintained.
The establishment of the [Seven Warlords of the Sea] system gave those pirates a reason for 'legalized crime'. Claiming to use pirate strength to fight pirates only made their actions more rampant in reality.
"Hmph, do you think I care about such a thing?" Hancock retorted.
As her words fell, Hancock launched another attack.
"You go deal with the others." Zephyr instructed Momousagi without looking back.
"Yes, Sensei."
Momousagi was one of Zephyr's personal disciples and naturally obeyed her teacher's order without question.
But at the same time, she felt a twinge of shame at having her teacher witness her moment of embarrassment.
On another part of the battlefield, Sentomaru, while directing the Pacifistas, loudly asked Tsuru,
"Granny Tsuru, why haven't I seen the Old Man?"
He had spotted Garp brawling in the sky but hadn't seen his longed-for 'Old Man', Borsalino.
"He-"
Tsuru started, remembering the overworked Borsalino who was single-handedly dealing with Big Mom. She changed her words mid-sentence.
"You can't help him right now. It's better not to go over and cause trouble."