"Ah~ Lady Hancock, you're so beautiful~"
"Lady Hancock looked at me~"
"Ah~~ So dazzling, like the sun! My eyes~!!!"
"Is this the face of the world's most beautiful woman? This is divine beauty itself!"
The surrounding Marines and World Government agents reacted like a herd of crazed bulls the moment they saw Hancock.
Hancock let out a cold snort.
She had long grown accustomed to this kind of disgusting behavior.
At the same time, she made her trademark gesture of contempt.
"You dogs, stop acting like filthy perverts. This Concubine finds it revolting!"
However, her merciless words only fueled their excitement.
Their eyes practically turned into hearts as they stared at her.
"Clang~"
A crisp petrification sound echoed through the battlefield.
In an instant, every Marine and government agent within several hundred meters was transformed into a stone statue.
Even so, those farther away continued staring at Hancock with infatuated expressions.
...
"Kong-san, the situation doesn't look very good. There don't seem to be many God's Knights left."
Standing atop the execution platform, Kuzan observed the battlefield below.
The defeat of two members of the God's Knights had not escaped his notice.
After speaking, he glanced toward Kong.
To his surprise, Kong's expression remained unchanged.
It was as though everything was unfolding exactly according to plan.
Kuzan was briefly startled, but quickly dismissed the thought.
Although Kong and the God's Knights both belonged to the World Government, they were fundamentally separate organizations.
The Celestial Dragons stood above the military, and the God's Knights possessed authority even over Celestial Dragons.
No matter how one looked at it, the status of the God's Knights surpassed that of the Marines and even Kong himself.
Whether hostility existed between them was unknown.
Still, judging from Kong's previous attitude, the old man clearly had no intention of accepting Peach Garden's rule.
Kuzan stopped dwelling on the matter.
Instead, he swept his gaze across the battlefield.
After confirming that all planned arrangements were in place, he raised the small Den Den Mushi in his hand and spoke.
"All Marines, listen carefully!"
His voice boomed across Brown Square.
At that moment, not only did the Marines stop fighting, but most combatants on the battlefield also halted their attacks.
"So it's finally beginning."
Dragon narrowed his eyes slightly, a faint smile appearing on his face.
Kizaru exchanged a glance with Dragon before shifting his attention toward the World Government agents.
"How terrifying. They're truly quite capable."
Garp burst into laughter.
"Wahahaha! It's finally time. I wonder if this old man's decision was the right one."
Across from him, Law tightened his grip on Kikoku.
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
At this point, he felt as though his entire body was on the verge of falling apart.
Fortunately, Kuzan had chosen this moment to speak.
Otherwise, he might truly have been beaten to pieces by the old monster in front of him.
"What's wrong, Law? Got something to say?" Garp asked after noticing his resentful look.
Law shook his head.
"As expected of Marine Hero Garp. Your strength is truly monstrous."
He could clearly feel that the old man had been fighting seriously.
Garp flexed his right arm and laughed.
"Hahaha! Not anymore. This old man is getting old. You're the one going all out."
Law simply stared at him.
"Fleet Admiral Garp, the real show is about to begin."
Garp shook his head.
"Law, don't underestimate them. Their strength is far greater than what you've seen on the surface."
Law couldn't help rolling his eyes.
"Then why were you fighting so hard? My bones are practically falling apart because of you."
"Wahahaha! It's just been a long time since I had a proper fight."
Law fell silent.
...
Elsewhere, Issho and Sengoku exchanged one final attack before both retreating several meters.
Afterward, they stopped fighting.
Compared to Garp and Law's battlefield, their battle had always appeared much more relaxed.
After all, both men already knew they stood on the same side.
There was no need to fight desperately.
On another battlefield, Saleh glanced toward Kuzan atop the execution platform.
"Is the Fleet Admiral finally going to make the announcement?"
At that moment, Luffy's voice rang out from across from him.
"Hey! Old man! Are we fighting or not?!"
Saleh immediately placed a finger to his lips.
"Shh~ Luffy-kun, listen to what the Fleet Admiral has to say first."
"If we're not fighting, I'm going to save Sabo first."
As soon as he finished speaking, Luffy prepared to rush toward the execution platform.
Saleh quickly stopped him.
"Luffy-kun, don't be reckless. Listen first. Sabo-kun will be fine."
Seeing that everyone was ready, Kuzan cleared his throat and continued speaking.
"Fellow Marines, I am Fleet Admiral Kuzan."
"Our Marines have always stood as a force of justice. Across this vast ocean, we have followed the directives of the World Government for generations."
"We believed that was the only way to uphold justice."
"However, today we have witnessed the darkness and corruption of the World Government with our own eyes."
"Justice has been twisted."
"Fairness has been trampled."
"That so-called absolute authority and absolute justice are nothing more than disguises used to protect their personal interests."
"And I believe many Marines here have personally carried out missions that can only be described as dark."
"There is also something every Marine knows well."
"The Buster Call."
"Do you truly believe it exists to eliminate evil?"
"No!"
"Of course not!"
"It exists because certain people threatened the World Government's rule."
"I still vividly remember the tragedy of Ohara."
"A group of defenseless scholars suffered complete destruction."
"And why?"
"Simply because they sought to uncover the truth of history."
"They researched the Void Century."
"Were they wrong?"
"They only wished to learn the truth of this world."
"And that very Void Century contains the history the World Government used every means possible to erase and conceal."
"Almost every Buster Call in history was launched against those who attempted to uncover that truth."
"And what is even more disgusting is what came afterward."
"After those nineteen nations seized victory, their descendants crowned themselves as Celestial Dragons."
"Across the seas, they are known as World Nobles, enjoying privileges beyond imagination."
"They can decide the life and death of others at will."
"They can abduct women whenever they please."
"And when they are attacked, the Marines must dispatch forces at the Admiral level or higher to protect them."
"Heh."
"How absurd."
"Such rulers are the disgrace of this world."
Kuzan paused.
His gaze slowly swept across the battlefield.
Then he continued.
"Therefore, I have made my decision."
"From this day onward, the Marines will cast aside the darkness and step into the light."
"We will sever our ties with the World Government."
"We will uphold true justice and protect peace throughout the seas."
"We will no longer raise our weapons against innocent civilians for the sake of political power."
As he spoke, he raised his right fist high.
"We will join forces with Peach Garden to break the chains of the old era and create a new order."
"We will allow the light of justice to reach every corner of the world."
"From this moment forward, the Marines will no longer be tools of the World Government."
"We will become guardians of the seas."
"We will become the people's beacon of hope!"
Every word spoken by Kuzan struck the hearts of countless people across the world like a thunderous hammer.
...
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