"However… we've already won this war!"
Sengoku's voice boomed across Marineford, but Kong, standing beside him, remained grim.
"Sengoku, enough talk. Our priority now is killing Thorne Ashveil," he commanded, his tone as cold as iron.
A mocking laugh rolled through the smoke-filled sky.
"Brat, did you really think you'd make it out alive after setting sail?"
Descending from above with a deafening crash came Kaido of the Beasts, landing with such force that the ground cracked beneath him. He transformed into his massive human form, gripping his spiked kanabo with one hand, grinning like a demon.
"Let's end this, Ashveil!"
And with that, the circle closed. Kong, Sengoku, and Kaido—three monsters of unimaginable strength—formed an unbreakable siege. Their combined presence eclipsed even the legendary encirclement once formed by the three Admirals.
The air around the Marineford execution platform crackled with killing intent. The true assassination of Thorne Ashveil had begun.
Ashveil stood at the center of it all, the wind whipping through his black coat.
"Hahahaha! The World Government's Commander-in-Chief Kong, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and the Emperor Kaido," he said calmly, his voice steady. "Facing you three, even I need to take things seriously."
He turned slightly, speaking to Whitebeard and the others fighting behind him. "You don't need to worry about me. I'll handle these three myself."
Gasps spread like wildfire through the Marine ranks.
"Did he just say… he'll face Kaido, Sengoku, and Kong all alone?"
"No way… even legends wouldn't dare something that insane!"
The Marines were dumbstruck, but Ashveil's calmness made it impossible to doubt him.
Nearby, Douglas Bullet burst into laughter, his battle spirit ignited by Ashveil's words.
"You're stealing my spotlight, Ashveil!" he roared. "Then I'll show you who's the strongest!"
His body swelled with power as he entered his awakened state. The ground shook violently as he merged the wreckage of Marineford itself into his colossus form—an enormous mechanical titan towering over the island.
The battlefield erupted once more, the island reduced to chaos. Massive craters and fissures ripped through the land, the air trembling with every clash of the titans.
"Roar! Don't think you'll take all the glory, Ashveil! I'm not letting you outshine me!" Bullet bellowed.
Ashveil's courage had awakened something in him—a fierce, competitive fire. He clenched his fists, Haki surging across his body, and launched an explosive blow toward the CP Organization agents blocking his path.
The impact shattered the air itself, but the three masked figures vanished before the hit could land—disappearing instantly using Soru, the high-speed movement technique of the Marine Six Forms.
Bullet frowned, his Observation Haki flaring. "So even the Celestial Dragons' dogs have learned to move like shadows, huh? Fine. Come at me!"
On another front, Marco lashed out with a fiery kick, sending a cyborg Marine soldier flying, while Doflamingo's strings pierced another, blood spraying across the battlefield.
"There's a lot of them," Marco muttered, flames flickering across his wings. "But they're weak."
"Wait, Marco… look!" Doflamingo warned.
To their shock, the fallen cyborg soldiers began to twitch. Steam hissed from their wounds, and moments later, their bodies stood upright again, completely unscathed.
"What the hell? Are they Devil Fruit users?" Marco asked, disbelief in his voice.
Their regeneration resembled that of Zoan users like himself or Kaido—but mechanical, lifeless. The realization hit both men at once: these things were neither human nor Devil Fruit users.
Kizaru's amused drawl drifted through the chaos. "Don't strain yourselves figuring it out, hmm? You're already dead men anyway. Those soldiers are Vegapunk's creations—cyborgs with replicated abilities. Fascinating, don't you think?"
Doflamingo's grin vanished. "Tch. Caesar's science doesn't even compare to that." He spat to the side, his pride stung. "Vegapunk really is a monster."
Meanwhile, Whitebeard and Garp's battle continued to shake Marineford to its core. Despite the old man's worsening condition, his strikes still carried the force to split the seas.
"Don't overdo it, kid!" Whitebeard called out between blows. "Kong's power isn't something you can measure! That man's strength runs deeper than you think!"
Ashveil gave a small smile, shaking his head. "Don't worry, old man. Everything is within my plan."
The Conqueror's Haki around him began to surge, rippling across the battlefield like an ocean storm. Marines within range collapsed, their will overwhelmed by his presence.
Whitebeard let out a booming laugh, seeing the fire in the young man's eyes. "Gurarararara! You've really got guts, kid. If Kong's part of your plan, then I want to see it! Don't hold back, Ashveil—I'll deal with Garp myself!"
He slammed his massive fist into the air, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power shattering the atmosphere as he clashed with Garp once more.
Far ahead, Kaido's rage boiled over. Veins bulged on his forehead, and lightning crackled around his kanabo.
"What an arrogant brat! Do you even understand who you're talking to?"
Ashveil smirked, his tone dripping with amusement. "Oh? What's wrong, Kaido? Didn't I beat you badly enough last time? Looks like you're itching for another reminder."
The Beast Emperor's face turned red with fury. "ASHVIEL!!!!" he roared, purple lightning spiraling around him.
"Raimei Hakke!"
Kaido's kanabo exploded with power as he leaped into the air, Conqueror's Haki fused with his attack. He came crashing down toward Ashveil like a bolt of divine wrath.
The ground split apart as the attack landed. Thunder and shockwaves tore through the sky. But within the storm, Ashveil stood unmoved, his Conqueror's Haki forming an invisible barrier around him.
The impact stopped just two millimeters short, unable to breach his defense. Cracks spread across the battlefield, dust rising like a tidal wave.
Ashveil's expression remained calm. "You never learn, Kaido," he said quietly. "But I don't have time to play with you today."
As his words echoed across Marineford, the tides of the war began to shift once again.
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