Queen's booming proclamation echoed throughout Onigashima, naturally receiving enthusiastic responses from his remaining subordinates. However, it failed to generate any meaningful waves of actual combat effectiveness.
Although the Beast Pirates remained numerous and formidable, their true backbone consisted of the Headliners fighters and Gifters who had just been captured by Tama's supernatural influence.
Therefore, Carina and Tama sat securely in the center of their newly converted forces, commanding their unexpected "bodyguards" to fight defensively while steadily retreating toward Deuce and the others' position.
Witnessing this tactical withdrawal, the few remaining Numbers and Headliners who had been battling Deuce and Skull immediately began evacuating as well, fearing they would become surrounded and overwhelmed.
"You worthless pieces of garbage," Queen's voice suddenly rang out again, carrying a distinctly unhinged edge. "If that's how things stand, you might as well make yourselves useful with your remaining energy!"
Just as Deuce's group was consolidating their position and preparing to continue their coordinated assault, Queen's voice echoed with obvious madness.
Before he finished speaking, the distinctive sound of rapid gunfire spread through the loudspeaker system.
"Ratatatatatata!"
As the Gatling gun's muzzle flashed with deadly light, Queen's towering, corpulent figure slowly emerged at the mouth of the skull building. He looked down at everyone on the battlefield below while bullets poured downward like a torrential rainstorm.
"Hey there! Perk up a little!"
"Lord Queen, what are you doing to us?!"
Pleasures and Waiters were struck one after another, and chaos erupted across their ranks.
"What am I doing?" Queen took a satisfied puff from the cigar clenched between his teeth, curled his lips into a contemptuous sneer, and asked rhetorically.
Then he slammed his empty Gatling gun against the building's edge and smiled with obvious disdain: "Waste management, naturally! Since you have no practical use besides mindless laughter, you might as well expend your remaining energy for my benefit!"
After hearing his callous explanation, Deuce and the others exchanged bewildered glances and discovered they all wore expressions of complete confusion.
"Ahahaha! Lord Queen, it's so cold! I feel like I'm turning into some kind of ghost!"
"Hahahaha! This pain is incredible!"
The chaos continued escalating rapidly. Everyone who had been struck by Queen's special ammunition was quickly invaded and overwhelmed by supernatural cold. Their appearances changed dramatically, as if malevolent white spirits had possessed their bodies.
What proved even more horrifying was that these transformed beings suddenly became significantly more powerful, extremely brutal, completely mindless, unable to distinguish between allies and enemies, and possessed doubled defensive capabilities. Even when knocked down, they would continue rising to attack anything nearby.
As long as someone's skin was touched by an attack from one of these transformed demons, the injured person would also become infected and undergo the same horrific conversion.
Seeing Queen continue his casual commentary while displaying such obvious contempt for both life and his own subordinates, Deuce and the others' expressions grew increasingly grim.
Within their protective formation, except for a Headliners fighter named Speed—who had been struck by a virus bullet while attempting to shield Tama—dozens of Gifters had also fallen victim to Queen's indiscriminate assault.
After Queen casually mentioned that anyone infected would have only one hour to live, Tama pressed her lips together tightly and stared at Speed, who lay bound on the ground before her. Her eyes filled with desperate appeals for help as she looked toward Deuce and the others.
But the young girl remained well-behaved and sensible. She understood this was wartime and that developing an antidote to such a complex virus would be impossible under these urgent circumstances.
Deuce and his companions hadn't anticipated this sudden development, but after a brief moment of tactical consideration, a gleam of insight flashed in the navigator's eyes.
Deuce gestured for Tama to observe Queen's raised left hand and spoke in grave tones: "Since he created this virus, the antidote he's displaying is probably genuine and functional."
At this point, Deuce frowned with obvious concern: "However, the question remains—how can we possibly obtain it from his position?"
Before he could complete his thought, he noticed a tall, thin figure flash past the corner of his vision like a fleeting shadow, shooting directly toward Queen, who was still boasting about the "Ice Oni" virus he had developed.
"Hmm?" Deuce turned his head instinctively, and the next second, pure joy spread across his features.
"Frost Song: Blizzard Cut!"
A brilliant flash of sword light cut through the air, and suddenly an afro-wearing skeleton materialized directly behind Queen. In his right hand was his trusted cane sword, surrounded by supernatural cold, while his left hand held the "Ice Oni" virus antidote that Queen had been displaying between his fingers.
"Although I'm not entirely certain whether this substance will prove effective," Brook observed while glancing at Queen, who had been frozen into a massive ice sculpture behind him, "perhaps Mr. Deuce will find it useful." He carefully secured the antidote, executed an elegant sword flourish, and sheathed his legendary blade.
"Incredible work, Brook!" Skull shouted enthusiastically from across the battlefield, giving him an enthusiastic thumbs up.
However, his celebratory cry acted like a fuse, instantly focusing the attention of every Beast Pirates member who had been infected by the "Ice Oni" virus but hadn't yet lost their sanity completely. They all realized that the skeleton held their only hope for survival.
Upon witnessing this development, Brook immediately began evasive maneuvers, returning to the primary battlefield while leaping gracefully over the heads of countless combatants. He nimbly avoided attacks from the remaining Pleasures while heading directly toward Deuce's position.
After a tense moment, Deuce stared at the antidote vial in his hands with a confident smile spreading across his face. "Wait here for just a moment. I need to return to the Black Nova and use our laboratory equipment to synthesize additional doses."
Hearing this hopeful news, Tama looked toward Speed and the other unfortunate victims who had been shot, and a brilliant smile illuminated her features. The others seemed to collectively exhale with relief, feeling as though a tremendous burden had been lifted from their shoulders.
As a result, the infected individuals who had been pursuing Brook were instantly captured one by one by the team of Headliners and Gifters now under Tama's control.
On another section of the battlefield, the combat between Carrot and Jack continued raging with undiminished intensity.
Jack had originally intended to eliminate Carrot quickly and redirect his attention elsewhere, but he abandoned that plan upon witnessing Queen's dramatic appearance. He began concentrating entirely on dealing with the small rabbit whose attacks were becoming increasingly powerful while her speed continued escalating beyond normal parameters.
On yet another front, with walls of fire rising dramatically around him, Ace stood alone while surrounding four Flying Six members. He stared at the enemies who had been battered by his previous assaults and were now preparing to coordinate their efforts against him. His fists clenched until his knuckles produced audible cracking sounds.
High atop the skull fortress, Jerry took a measured breath and observed quietly as the half-dragon figure suddenly burst into maniacal laughter dozens of meters away.
"Wororororo! This is fantastic! I don't know where you emerged from, you little brat, but it seems you can genuinely make me happy!"
While rambling to himself about various topics, Kaido reached into some hidden location and produced a barrel of premium sake, downing the entire contents in two tremendous gulps without any hesitation.
"After so many years, someone who can fight me head-on has finally appeared again!"
"It's just that my beautiful home and island are getting completely destroyed! Hic!"
At this point, tears actually welled up in Kaido's eyes. After releasing a tremendous burp, he vanished without any warning whatsoever.
"Shuron Hakke!"
The massive half-dragon form flew through the sky like living lightning and materialized directly in front of Jerry in an instant, raising his black, iron-studded kanabo with both hands before bringing it down toward Jerry's head with devastating force.
"Oh great, now he's getting all emotional and weepy because we're having a disagreement?" Jerry complained with casual exasperation. He swung his fishing rod suddenly, striking the kanabo from the side to deflect it momentarily before moving his feet with explosive speed.
"BOOM!" A tremendous crash echoed from the building beneath their feet as debris flew in all directions. In an instant, a massive hole appeared where Jerry had been standing. The fortress dome had obviously been pierced completely through its center, providing a clear view down into the activity halls within the building's lower levels.
However, no human figures could be seen within the crater—both combatants had already moved to continue their epic duel elsewhere, leaving only destruction in their wake.
The battle for Wano Country's liberation was reaching its climax, and every participant was being pushed to their absolute limits in this clash between old tyranny and new hope.
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