Clearly, Whitey Bay and Squard had no intention of responding to Momonga.
Momonga didn't wait for an answer either. He reached out and rubbed Smoker's head, his tone calm but firm.
"Being eager to take the lead is a good thing, but don't let hot blood cloud your judgment. This isn't a game. Get back, now."
Smoker and Lucci understood just as well that this was not a battlefield they belonged on. Without hesitation, the two of them withdrew from the area.
Whitey Bay and Squard made no move to stop them. Their eyes never left Momonga.
The next moment, Squard spoke in a low, forceful voice.
"Together. Take him down."
As his words fell, Squard pushed off the ground and charged straight at Momonga. Haki surged around his long blade as he brought it down in a powerful slash.
Momonga hadn't activated any special ability yet. Haki coated his arm, turning it pitch black. Facing the incoming strike, he raised his arm and met the blade head-on, forcibly blocking the slash with his own limb.
At the same time, his other hand drew the saber at his waist—Gryphon. Haki wrapped around the blade as he lifted it to guard.
A sharp clang rang out as the Ice Witch's blade crashed down onto Gryphon.
"Frost Blade!"
Whitey Bay's attack had been blocked, but she didn't slow for even a second. As she called out, an intense cold burst from her blade, icy energy surging along Gryphon and creeping toward Momonga's hand.
The title "Ice Witch" was well earned. She was a Paramecia-type Frost no Mi user.
Based on the Devil Fruit compendium Ortoren had studied before, her ability could be considered a lower-tier counterpart to Kuzan's Hie Hie no Mi. One was Logia, the other Paramecia.
Momonga surged his Haki, shattering the frost spreading toward him. Gryphon knocked Whitey Bay's blade aside, and with a flash of Soru, he vanished from where he stood.
At the same instant, Squard adjusted his attack. His blade crashed down, but Momonga was already gone.
Squard's Observation Haki was sharp. The moment his strike missed, his eyes snapped upward.
There.
Momonga was in midair.
Squard had been wielding his sword with one hand. He stomped hard, grabbed the back of the blade with his free hand, and poured strength into both arms. The long sword, which had just struck the ground, was violently heaved upward. Its length was enough to reach Momonga's position.
But by then, Momonga had already bitten down on a gemstone ring.
The instant he did, a mass of iron chains erupted from beneath his feet, wrapping tightly around Squard's long blade. At the same time, Momonga swung both arms, several more chains whipping out from his forearms and surging toward Squard.
There was no doubt about it. The gemstone he had just consumed was the Paramecia-type Jara Jara no Mi.
"Ice Breath!"
Whitey Bay reacted instantly. A blast of freezing air burst from her mouth, carrying a dense frost mist that froze all the incoming chains in midair. Encased in thick ice, they were locked in place, unable to move.
The very next moment, Momonga opened his mouth and unleashed a torrent of flames straight at Whitey Bay.
Without hesitation, she slashed forward, icy energy surging from her blade. Fire and frost collided head-on, erupting into thick white steam that swallowed the battlefield and completely obscured everyone's vision.
The moment the white mist rose, Squard let out a furious roar. Gripping his long sword, he charged straight into the fog.
Almost instantly, the sharp clang of steel rang out from within. Momonga, Whitey Bay, and Squard were all exchanging blows, their blades colliding in rapid succession.
Not long after, a deafening boom erupted from inside the mist. A violent shockwave tore through the area, sweeping away the lingering steam in an instant. In its place, thick black smoke billowed outward.
Then Squard was blown out of the smoke, his body scorched and battered. His arm had taken the brunt of the blast, the injury severe enough that torn flesh exposed part of the bone.
He tumbled across the ground twice before coughing up two mouthfuls of dark blood. The internal damage was clearly serious. His face was smeared with black soot, leaving him in a truly miserable state.
A sea breeze swept through, dispersing the smoke. Momonga came back into view with a slash on his arm, though it wasn't deep. Black smoke still seeped from his nostrils and the corners of his mouth, but aside from that single wound, he was completely unscathed. It was obvious that the violent explosion just now had been his doing.
Not far in front of him, Whitey Bay stood encased in a layer of ice. The frozen barrier had shielded her from the blast, leaving her unharmed.
That massive explosion had been the power of the Paramecia-type Bomu Bomu no Mi that Momonga had consumed.
He had deliberately sold an opening, taking a minor injury to set a trap and land a heavy blow on Squard.
"Squard, are you alright?" Whitey Bay asked, unable to hide her concern.
Squard forced himself upright and spat out a curse.
"I'm fine. I can still—"
Before he could finish, a slash carrying an eerie, unfamiliar force erupted from a short distance behind him. The attack swept through several pirates in its path. They let out agonized screams, as if they had encountered something terrifying, but before the sound could even fade—
Their bodies were incinerated on the spot.
In the same instant, flesh and bone turned to ash. Blackened skeletons, still glowing with embers, collapsed onto the ground and scattered everywhere.
Squard was within the range of the attack. Without hesitation, he raised his long sword and infused it with Haki.
The slash crashed into his blade. For a brief moment, a searing heat burned into his palm, but it vanished just as quickly as his Haki erased the strange force behind the strike.
Then a tall, broad-shouldered Navy Vice Admiral came into view. His build was imposing, yet his features were gentle and almost simple. A cigar hung from his mouth as he narrowed his eyes and chuckled, casually stepping over the piles of ash.
"Momonga," he said with a smile, "how about we fight side by side again after all this time?"
Momonga raised a hand, silently using Seimei Kikan to suppress the wound on his arm. A smile crossed his face as well.
"No problem, Yamakaji."
That was right. The Vice Admiral who had arrived was Yamakaji.
He had originally been in charge of the artillery formation, but now that Marines and pirates were fully intermingled on the battlefield, indiscriminate bombardment was no longer possible. The artillery unit had immediately shifted into a support role and joined the fight directly.
Yamakaji himself was no slouch. He had eaten the Paramecia-type Hai Hai no Mi, and by combining its power with his swordsmanship, he had developed a vicious ash-based killing style.
Whitey Bay was in a foul mood. Her abilities were ice-based, and Momonga's flames already put her at a disadvantage. Now Yamakaji had joined the fray as well. She didn't yet know the specifics of his power, but judging by how his attack had reduced people to ashes, it was clearly another fire-aligned ability. The matchup was infuriating.
Momonga and Yamakaji, however, gave their enemies no room to breathe. A single glance was all it took. Years of fighting side by side as Marines had forged a flawless, unspoken coordination.
The next instant, they moved at the same time.
Momonga charged straight at Whitey Bay, while Yamakaji drew his blade and slashed toward Squard.
Squard was already badly injured, while Yamakaji had only just entered the battle and was still at his peak. When their swords collided, Yamakaji's Armament Haki surged violently, dense and overwhelming, instantly crushing Squard's Haki.
As Squard's Haki collapsed and the blades locked together, a red gleam flashed in Yamakaji's eyes. His Devil Fruit power erupted as he let out a low shout.
"Ash Slayer: Remnant Flame Sword!"
The blade moved with terrifying smoothness, as if slicing straight through drifting ashes. With that single strike, Yamakaji cleanly severed Squard's long sword at its midpoint, ash scattering in its wake.
Squard seemed momentarily stunned. Whether it was shock or the toll of his injuries slowing his reactions, he instinctively tried to change his move, but it was already too late.
Yamakaji's blade first cut through the broken sword, then the descending slash tilted forward and swept left. In a flash, it passed over Squard's sword-wielding right arm.
His right arm was severed cleanly at the elbow.
Yamakaji pressed his advantage without mercy. As Squard's arm fell, Yamakaji stepped in, closing the distance in an instant, and swung another slash straight at Squard's neck.
At that very moment, a somewhat stocky figure lunged toward Yamakaji at astonishing speed.
Yamakaji caught sight of him from the corner of his eye and instantly assessed the threat. No impression at all. Not a commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. Probably just an ordinary combatant.
In that split second, Yamakaji made his choice.
Even if he took a hit, he would finish off Squard first.
He neither dodged nor retreated. His Haki flared, coating his body as he brought his sword down without hesitation.
With a sharp crack, Squard was beheaded. His life ended on the spot.
At the same time, the bulky figure slammed into Yamakaji's side. Shockingly, Yamakaji's protective Haki, far from weak, was shattered by the impact.
Blood exploded outward as clawed blades tore into Yamakaji's abdomen. Three long, vicious gashes were ripped open, blood pouring freely. The injury was severe.
"Yamakaji!" Momonga shouted instinctively, shock and concern flashing through his eyes.
Whitey Bay, meanwhile, finally recognized the one who had ambushed him.
He was an old member of Newgate's ship, someone who had always remained obscure. So insignificant that he had never even had a bounty placed on his head.
Marshall D. Teach.