On the execution platform.
Sengoku's face was livid, his knuckles white from clenching his fists, as he demanded sharply, "Bahr, what is your purpose in barging into Marineford without permission?!"
"Purpose?" Bahr, hovering mid-air, let out a cold laugh. The Black Sword Autumn Water on his shoulder swayed slightly, its blade reflecting a piercing light that stung the eyes.
"I should be asking you that. All I did was beat up some worthless trash, yet you Marines came chasing after me like wild dogs smelling blood?"
"Worthless trash? What is he talking about?"
"Could he be referring to someone important?"
"Something that would make the Marines mobilize like this... Could it be...?"
Many Marine soldiers exchanged puzzled glances, murmuring among themselves.
Suddenly, an old veteran's face paled as realization struck, his voice trembling. "C-Could the 'worthless trash' he mentioned be... a Celestial Dragon?"
"A Celestial Dragon?!" The surrounding Marines erupted in shock. One soldier instinctively retorted, "Those are beings called 'gods'! Who would dare call them trash?"
Bahr raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into a disdainful smirk. His voice suddenly boomed like thunder, cutting through the battlefield's clamor and reaching every corner with crystal clarity:
"Gods, my ass! Just a bunch of demons wearing human skin!"
"Outrageous!" A Marine Vice Admiral wearing a Justice Coat roared, his face flushing red with fury as his coat billowed violently behind him. "How dare you disrespect the Celestial Dragons? This is blasphemy!"
Bahr cast a cold glance at him, sneering. "You self-righteous lot are truly loyal lapdogs to those worthless scum. What good little pets you are."
"You—!" The Vice Admiral trembled with rage, his sword half-drawn with a metallic clang. The surrounding Marines also wore grim expressions, their grips tightening on their weapons until their knuckles turned white.
"Don't underestimate our justice!" A young Marine soldier, his voice still carrying traces of youth but brimming with stubborn conviction, shouted back. "The Marines fight to protect the world's peace!"
"Peace?" Bahr threw his head back and laughed as if he had heard the greatest joke, his mocking laughter making the surrounding smoke tremble.
"The peace you speak of—is it the kind that turns a blind eye to the Sabaody Archipelago Human Auction House? The kind that watches idly as Celestial Dragons treat people like slaves, treating the entire world as their personal property, trampling on others' dignity as they please?"
His gaze swept over every Marine present like a blade, sharp enough to pierce flesh. "They cloak themselves in the guise of 'gods' while committing the filthiest deeds. And you so-called 'just' Marines turn a blind eye, even acting as their enforcers. If that's not being dogs, then what is?"
The Marines did maintain order, and among them were those who genuinely sought to protect civilians and uphold justice. But no one could deny that they had indeed covered up far too much of the Celestial Dragons' filth.
Calling them the Celestial Dragons' lapdogs left them without a decent rebuttal.
The battlefield fell deathly silent, save for the howling wind carrying the scent of gunpowder.
Bahr's words were like a blunt knife, slowly cutting open the truth they had been unwilling to face. Many Marine soldiers lowered their heads, their faces showing shame and struggle, their grip on their weapons unconsciously loosening.
Bahr's gaze swept over the crowd before finally settling on Sengoku atop the execution platform. A mocking smile curled at the corners of his lips. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, haven't you Marines suffered enough under those idiots?"
He paused, lightly tapping the Black Sword Autumn Water against his shoulder, producing a dull thud. His tone was flippant yet brimming with provocation: "Tell you what—just say the word, and I'll do you a favor. I'll go catch a Celestial Dragon for you Marines to vent your anger on. How about that?"
"You bastard!" Sengoku's face turned from green to purple, veins bulging like earthworms on his temples. His eyes locked onto Bahr, his voice hoarse with fury. "Bahr, do you even realize what you're saying? How dare you blaspheme against the Celestial Dragons!"
The battle-hardened fleet admiral trembled from head to toe—not from fear, but from sheer outrage at such an audacious proposal.
Though there had always been friction between the Marines and the Celestial Dragons, a superficial balance had been maintained. Bahr's words were nothing short of urging them to break that taboo, which infuriated Sengoku more than a direct declaration of war—this was madness capable of overturning the world itself.
On the eastern side of the battlefield, Hancock's already flushed cheeks burned even hotter upon hearing this, her neck tinged with pink.
Her eyes shimmered with infatuation and fervor as she gazed at the figure in midair who seemed to fear nothing. Pressing her hands to her chest, her voice trembled uncontrollably: "Lord Bahr... He dares to do even this... How utterly, utterly magnificent!"
In her heart, Bahr—who dared to challenge the authority of the Celestial Dragons so boldly—had already become an irreplaceable idol.
Standing at the edge of the chaotic battlefield, Doflamingo chuckled darkly. His "Fufufufu" laughter cut through the silence like a serpent's hiss.
Excitement and amusement flickered in his eyes as he twirled a thin thread around his fingers. "This 'Blasphemer' is planning to tear the heavens apart... How interesting. Truly interesting."
The battlefield's silence was shattered by Bahr's flippant tone. Watching Sengoku's furious reaction, his grin grew even more brazen. He even lazily picked at his ear, his teasing tone practically dripping with sarcasm: "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, why so tense? Did you really think those trash were invincible gods?"
"Capture this madman!" A Marine vice admiral shouted, his sword trembling with rage, his finger stiff with anger as he pointed at Bahr. "How dare he speak such treasonous words? This is a direct challenge to the world's order!"
"Challenge? It's not like I haven't done it before." Bahr didn't even glance at the vice admiral. The Black Sword Autumn Water twirled deftly in his palm, its blade whistling through the air. His tone suddenly turned brazen and crude, as if discussing some trivial matter: "That stupid bitch Shalria—when she was sobbing beneath me, begging for mercy, the taste was really something else."
"Wha—?!"
The words were like pouring scalding oil onto a fire. The entire battlefield erupted instantly.
The Marines turned deathly pale. Many instinctively covered their mouths, their eyes filled with disbelief—that was Shalria, the most arrogant of the Celestial Dragons. Who could have imagined her being treated like that?
Even the members of the Whitebeard Pirates were stunned. Marco's wings paused mid-beat, a flash of astonishment flickering in his eyes before turning into something more complicated.
"You—how dare you…" An old marine trembled with rage, his finger shaking as he pointed at Bahr. "Such actions must be judged and punished with the ultimate penalty!"
Bahr's expression darkened instantly. The earlier mockery vanished without a trace, replaced by an icy, unbridled arrogance.
"Judge me?" He tilted his chin up, the Black Sword Autumn Water pointing straight at the sky. The cold gleam at its tip pierced through the clouds as if to puncture a hole in the heavens. "In this world, no one has the right to judge me!"
Bahr's voice wasn't loud, but it carried the resolve of one who had burned all bridges.
From the moment two Admirals had cornered him into Impel Down, he had understood—keeping a low profile was useless, and retreat meant certain death.
Since advancing or retreating both led to the same fate, why not tear a hole through the sky itself? Even if he died, he would make sure the world trembled at his passing!
"To hell with the marines, to hell with the World Government, to hell with the Celestial Dragons!" Bahr tightened his grip on the hilt, and the Black Sword Autumn Water emitted a deafening hum, resonating with its master's fury. "My fate is mine to command!"
The last seven words were practically roared, the sound exploding over Marineford like thunder, leaving everyone's ears ringing and the ground beneath them trembling. Even the smoke of battle was scattered by the force of his voice.
At the edge of the battlefield, Buggy and his crew were hiding behind a broken wall, holding a Den Den Mushi to record the battle. But now, they were all frozen in shock.
The Den Den Mushi's round eyes were fixed unblinkingly on Bahr, who stood mid-air with his sword raised to the heavens. Even its antennae had stopped moving, the screen freezing into a single, awe-inspiring image.
Though he stood alone, that figure seemed capable of defying the entire world.
Then, an overwhelming aura erupted from Bahr's body—like a slumbering volcano suddenly awakening. An invisible Airwave exploded outward, kicking up clouds of dust and splitting the sky apart, revealing the blue expanse beyond.
Marines beneath Bahr collapsed as if struck by an unseen hammer, their eyes rolling back before they even had a chance to cry out.
Rows of bodies fell like harvested wheat, covering the ground in an instant. Even some weaker pirates weren't spared, their legs giving way as they crumpled unconscious.
That aura swept across the battlefield like an invisible tsunami, separating the strong from the weak in an instant. Only the truly powerful could barely remain standing, their faces etched with shock.
Such presence—it was already on the verge of shaking the entire battlefield!