Mihawk's move instantly drew the attention of countless people.
Even Akainu, who was stationed at the execution platform, could not help but speak up.
"I really didn't expect it. That Mihawk actually took the initiative to attack."
Mihawk ignored the gazes of those watching for entertainment. His eyes were fixed firmly on Whitebeard.
"I just want to see how big the gap is between me and that man."
As the world's strongest swordsman, Mihawk was a pure warrior. His passion for challenging the strong was second to none.
Mihawk clenched the black blade on his back, Yoru.
One of the world's only twelve Supreme Grade swords, only it was worthy of Mihawk.
Whoosh!
Mihawk moved like lightning, slashing down from hundreds of meters away.
There were no flashy techniques, just the most pure and direct slash.
A cyan sword wave instantly tore open the ground, surging toward the Moby Dick like a raging dragon.
Along the way, both Marines and pirates hurriedly dodged aside.
The full-power strike of the world's strongest swordsman was not something they could afford to brush against.
However, facing this overwhelming attack, Whitebeard stood motionless at the bow of the Moby Dick.
He even revealed an arrogant sneer at the corner of his mouth.
"Gurarara! If you want to touch Pops, you'll have to get past me first!"
A massive figure suddenly leapt out, blocking the path in front of the Moby Dick.
Boom!
The enormous sword wave slammed violently into his body, producing an earth-shaking explosion.
Immediately after, everyone saw that the sword wave was held firmly in front of him, unable to advance even half a step.
"Roar!"
The man let out a furious shout, raising both hands as he redirected the terrifying sword wave into the sky, where it dissipated at the horizon.
Everyone focused their eyes and saw a man completely covered in gleaming diamond standing there steadily, without a single scratch on his body.
"It's Captain Jozu!"
"Woohoo! Long live Captain Jozu!"
The Whitebeard Pirates erupted into cheers.
Third Division Commander Jozu, Paramecia-type Diamond-Diamond Fruit ability user.
He could turn any part of his body into diamond, gaining near-invincible defense and extremely high offensive power.
Mihawk narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Diamond" Jozu, huh?
As expected of the man known as the Shield of Steel.
With him there, testing Whitebeard's strength was bound to fail.
Mihawk sheathed Yoru and silently stepped aside.
He was interested in Whitebeard, but he had no intention of fighting to the death for the Marines' sake.
The battlefield returned once more to the brutal slaughter among ordinary fighters.
—
Sky Island, Seireitei.
"That Mihawk is pretty strong. Too bad he was blocked. Otherwise, we could have seen Whitebeard's strength," Yoruichi commented with interest as she watched the live broadcast.
Soifon, standing beside her, asked in confusion,
"Lord Soul King, aren't we setting out yet?"
Oguro, who had been watching with great interest, laughed when he heard that.
"Not yet. Important characters should always appear at the critical moment."
Oguro had not forgotten that he still had a system mission to make the Divine Kingdom famous.
A stage as grand as the Summit War was the perfect opportunity to complete that mission.
But the war had not yet reached its climax. Going now would only waste the chance.
—
Marineford.
With Jozu and many allied captains launching their assault, the Whitebeard Pirates finally tore open a breach in the Marine defensive line outside the bay.
Kizaru tried to take the leader first, directly unleashing Yasakani no Magatama at Whitebeard.
The attack was completely blocked by Marco, who kicked Kizaru away with a single strike.
After that, Kizaru was only seen talking trash without actually fighting.
As expected, the king of slacking off.
In the end, Akainu could not stand it anymore.
Facing the massive iceberg thrown by Jozu, his right arm fully transformed into magma.
"Great Eruption!"
The enormous magma fist incinerated the iceberg completely, then exploded into countless volcanic bombs that rained down over the charging pirates.
With just one move, the morale of the surging Whitebeard Pirates was completely suppressed.
"This is bad," Marco thought grimly as he soared through the air.
Facing so many Marine elites, it was difficult for their side to break through in one push.
And the longer the battle dragged on, the worse it would be for the Whitebeard Pirates.
Boom!
At that moment, a gigantic figure slowly approached from the rear of the battlefield.
A Marine warship was lifted high by that figure and then smashed violently into the bay.
"Ace! I'm here to save you!" A thunderous roar swept across the battlefield like a storm.
Little Oars Jr., descendant of the ancient giants, standing 38 meters tall.
Even giants had to look up when facing him.
"Wait! Little Oars! Don't be reckless!"
Whitebeard immediately shouted to stop him.
Little Oars was not weak, but he was still no match for the truly top-tier fighters.
However, Little Oars charged forward regardless.
Simple-minded, he only knew one thing. He had to rescue Ace.
What Little Oars did not see was that right in front of him, two people were locked in a fierce battle.
Clang! Clang!
Vista jumped back, widening the distance between himself and Aizen Sōsuke.
He stared at Aizen with a dark expression.
"You're hiding your true strength, aren't you?"
They had been fighting for a long time. Even for him, his stamina had dropped significantly, his breathing growing slightly ragged.
But his opponent was still calm and composed.
The power in Aizen's blade had not changed in the slightest from start to finish.
This near-monstrous level of control was something Vista had never seen before.
Aizen Sōsuke smiled faintly.
"Who knows?"
"Damn bastard," Vista cursed inwardly.
He thought he had found a worthy opponent, but he was being toyed with from beginning to end.
"Marines! Get out of the way!"
At that moment, a voice like thunder roared from above.
Vista looked up and saw that Little Oars had already charged to his rear.
The giant raised his massive cleaver and hacked straight toward Aizen Sōsuke.
"No! Little Oars, get back!"
Vista was horrified and shouted to stop him.
But the cleaver was already swung. There was no way to pull it back.
Aizen Sōsuke lifted his gaze slightly and smiled.
"How spectacular. If it were another time, I would really like to study your fascinating body."
"But for now, I can only apologize."
An intense sense of dread surged from Vista's heart.
Without thinking, he shot toward Aizen Sōsuke like an arrow.
Still, he was too late.
Aizen Sōsuke stood unmoving. Thick Armament Haki surged over Kyōka Suigetsu in his hand.
Slash!
Aizen Sōsuke swung his blade into the air.
In the next instant, a silver line rose from the ground and shot straight into the sky.
Little Oars' cleaver was cut cleanly in half, like butter sliced by a hot knife.
The silver line passed through Little Oars' shoulder, severing his left arm at the root.
Blood rained down like a storm.
"Oars!"
Ace let out a grief-stricken roar from the execution platform.
A trace of murderous fury surged into Whitebeard's eyes.
Aizen Sōsuke raised his head, cold light spilling from his gaze.
"Give it up. As long as I'm here, none of you are getting past."
***
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