"Boom!"
Before the main force of the Navy could arrive, Vice Admiral Dalmatian was sent flying by Enel, who had transformed into the God of Thunder. His body smashed through several buildings in succession, collapsing three or four in an instant and sending up a storm of dust and debris.
When this elite Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters finally crawled out of the rubble, his body was smoking, trembling violently, and the Armament Haki coating his frame had collapsed. His charred skin was now exposed to the open air.
Even Dalmatian himself could hardly believe it—he had been defeated by some upstart whose name the world had barely heard.
As Aokiji Kuzan led a large group of Marine officers charging in, Trafalgar Law didn't linger. He vanished in a series of rapid flashes, reappearing aboard the Ark Maxim.
Lafitte too ascended swiftly into the sky, putting distance between himself and the Admiral's range of attack.
"One Hundred Million Volts—Spear of the Thunder God!"
Enel wasted no time. He thrust forward, launching a colossal lightning spear aimed straight at Dalmatian.
"Ice Armor!"
Aokiji surged forward, cold air erupting from his body. He condensed it into a massive orb of ice that encased Dalmatian, attempting to shield him from the deadly strike.
"Not that easy!" Souta Kiryuu sneered. A beam of searing laser and a roaring dragon of flame surged in behind Enel's thunder spear. Three strikes as one—they shattered Aokiji's ice barrier and crashed into Dalmatian.
"Arghhh!!"
Facing death head-on, Dalmatian forced out the last of his Armament Haki. Transforming fully into his beast form, he tried desperately to block the killing blow.
But the laser's piercing force was merciless—it tore straight through his chest.
"Ice Capsule!"
Aokiji's killing intent surged as he glared at Souta Kiryuu and Enel, but he first acted to preserve Dalmatian's life. Freezing the wound shut, he encased Dalmatian's entire body in ice, sealing him completely to keep him alive for now.
"Ice Bird!"
"Ice Thorns!"
With relentless fury, Aokiji unleashed a barrage of glacial attacks, shards and birds of frost streaking toward the two criminals. Then, in the blink of an eye, he became a blur of afterimages, rushing straight at Souta Kiryuu.
"You're no Kizaru!" Souta laughed as he transformed, his draconic form soaring into the sky. A wave of overwhelming Conqueror's Haki erupted from him, slowing even Aokiji's lightning-fast movements.
"Aokiji—you can't catch us!" Souta roared, exhaling a cloud of purple venom that billowed out toward Aokiji and the Marines at his back.
"Ice Age!"
In response, Aokiji released a flood of freezing cold that locked the toxic mist solid in an instant.
"Ten Thousand Bolts!"
On the other side, Enel dispersed his Thunder God form and unleashed a storm of lightning across the battlefield. Bolts struck indiscriminately, frying Marines, pirates, and bounty hunters alike who had dared to watch the clash.
"Let's go, Enel! Our target isn't this island!" Souta Kiryuu shouted with a laugh, pulling away from Water 7. He leapt back onto the Ark Maxim, which immediately rose higher into the sky and turned its course.
With the Navy's forces now focused entirely on Water 7, the defenses of their true target island had been left weakened.
Enel cackled as he glanced at the Marines scrambling beneath the storm, then vanished in a flash of lightning, reappearing aboard the Ark Maxim beside Souta.
"Souta Kiryuu!!"
Aokiji's face darkened as he glared up at the distant flying ship.
This vessel... Is it one of Vegapunk's creations? Or has Souta Kiryuu struck a deal with the Golden Lion, Shiki?
"Doctors! Quickly—save Vice Admiral Dalmatian!"
As the Ark Maxim retreated into the sky, Aokiji had no choice but to turn his attention back to his fallen comrade. He called for the ship's medical officers to tend to Dalmatian, whose life still hung by a thread. Freezing him had bought time, but he needed treatment immediately.
So this is the so-called Thunder God, Enel... The power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit truly is terrifying. To think a Vice Admiral could be pushed this far... The Souta Kiryuu Pirates are becoming more dangerous by the day.
Nearby, Tashigi, Shuen, and several other Marine captains staggered. Their skin was scorched black from the lightning storm, each suffering severe injuries.
Even as seasoned Headquarters officers, they struggled to withstand Enel's overwhelming attacks. Against ordinary Marines, the threat would have been catastrophic.
"Admiral Aokiji, Headquarters ordered us to hold back Souta Kiryuu's crew, but now..." one of the captains said bitterly. "At their speed, what can we even do? They can fly with their powers—and their ship itself flies. Our warships are useless against that."
"I'll report back," Aokiji said after a moment's silence. "The Kiryuu Pirates are now as troublesome as Shiki's flying fleet. I alone cannot stop them."
He clenched his jaw. They had landed only moments ago, and already their quarry had fled. He couldn't match their speed, nor could he take to the skies as they did. What options remained to him?
But Souta Kiryuu's parting words gnawed at him: "Our target isn't this island."
Could it be... their raid wasn't over? Which island would they strike next?
He glanced toward the sea train routes, where countless bustling islands lay—prosperous trade hubs under the World Government's rule. If Souta Kiryuu attacked one of those, the devastation would be enormous.
At that very moment, the Ark Maxim was cutting through the clouds, heading straight for the legendary Enies Lobby—about to deliver a thunderous blow to the World Government.
Elsewhere, the golden holy ship of Saint Mamaiya of the Divine Knights, along with Admiral Kizaru's fleet, departed from Marine Headquarters at top speed, their course set for Water 7. They skirted the Sabaody Archipelago and the edges of the Florian Triangle, moving rapidly across the seas.
One fleet raced across the waves. The other cut through the skies. Though both closed on their destinations, they never crossed paths—the ocean was simply too vast.
Enies Lobby, Marineford, and Impel Down stood in a rough triangle, only a few hours' sail apart. By contrast, Marineford to Sabaody was mere minutes, under an hour at most.
"Prepare the Ark Maxim's cloud generator!" Souta Kiryuu bellowed, exhilaration burning in his eyes. "We're going to blast Enies Lobby to the ground! Marineford, Impel Down, Mariejois—I'll wipe them all out, one by one!"
He cared nothing for whether these strongholds stood for justice, for peace, or for the Celestial Dragons' rule. As long as they were blades in the hand of the World Government, they were his enemies.
If he had to tear everything down to rebuild the world—so be it.
Dragon... I'll show you how a single act can make a name roar louder than ten years of your quiet rebellion. One iconic event will bring us glory greater than anything your Revolutionaries can hope for. From this day, the Kiryuu Pirates will be the world's true force against the Government and the Celestial Dragons. You Revolutionaries? You'd better stay in the shadows as our rear guard.
"Boss God, this time I'll finally unleash that move!" Enel shouted, his body sparking with anticipation. As he called down thunderclouds to empower himself, his grin widened. The technique that could annihilate entire islands was within reach.
"Do it!" Souta Kiryuu snarled with a twisted smile. "Let the World Government feel the taste of destruction! If Im can erase islands at will, then we'll show them we can do the same. From now on, every island under their banner will face the same threat as Uranus itself—even Marineford and Mariejois!"
"Let's see who really holds the power to terrify the world!"