The roar of artillery shook the battlefield, where blood and gunpowder smoke intertwined into a desperate backdrop.
The inner bay of Marineford had long since become a living hell.
The slaughter between both sides grew increasingly savage and bloody.
No one retreated, and no one feared.
Everyone fought with all their might, solely to protect the beliefs in their hearts.
Amidst this chaos, a corner of the battlefield suddenly drew everyone's attention.
There stood Doflamingo, clad in a pink feathered coat, leisurely positioned on the ice, his hands entwined with dense white Threads.
The other end of the Threads was tightly connected to a burly pirate.
The pirate's face was etched with grief, his eyes bloodshot, tears continuously streaming from the corners:
"No, stop, I can't harm my comrades! Let me go, release me now!"
His body, manipulated by the Threads, moved against his will. His hands swung the long sword he held, slashing wildly toward his nearby comrades.
His companions wore expressions of disbelief, wanting to dodge, but they couldn't react in time.
Sharp blades sliced through their flesh, blood spurting out instantly.
The manipulated pirate could only watch helplessly as he slaughtered his comrades with his own hands, powerless to stop it.
The agony and despair in his heart nearly consumed him.
Doflamingo stood to the side, smiling, arms crossed, watching it all with keen interest.
He taunted, "Hahaha, how amusing. Does it hurt to watch yourself kill your comrades with your own hands?"
He reveled in this feeling of controlling others' fates, savoring the sight of their struggles after falling into despair.
In his eyes, so-called comradeship and bonds were nothing but laughable trifles.
Only power, only the authority to control everything, truly mattered.
Just then, an angry shout suddenly erupted from the pirate side:
"How vile! You Marines are even more evil than us pirates!
Using such despicable means to manipulate others into killing their own comrades—is this what you call Justice?!"
Hearing this, Doflamingo burst into loud laughter, his voice echoing across the entire battlefield.
He raised his head, sweeping his gaze over the surrounding pirates and Marines, his tone tinged with disdain:
"What is Justice? What is evil?
Do you think the Marines represent Justice, and pirates represent evil?
No!
You are all wrong!
Evil and Justice have swapped places hundreds of times on these seas, debated hundreds of times, and there has never been a fixed answer!
Only those who truly stand at the summit have the right to declare what is Justice and what is evil.
Only the true victors can decide who is Justice and who is evil!"
Doflamingo's voice rang out resolutely, momentarily silencing everyone nearby.
Whether pirates or Marines locked in combat, they all instinctively halted their actions, turning their eyes in unison toward Doflamingo.
Some pirates were deeply shaken, inwardly marveling:
"So this is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea? What astonishing presence, daring to openly deny the boundaries between Justice and evil!"
Some of the marines showed anger on their faces, yet they were intimidated by Doflamingo's imposing presence, momentarily unable to retort.
But this intimidation lasted only a moment before it was instantly shattered by two powerful auras.
At that moment, two figures descended rapidly from high above the battlefield, appearing beside Doflamingo in an instant.
It was Ivan and Uchiha Madara!
Sensing the sudden appearance of the two, the arrogant smile on Doflamingo's face instantly froze.
His earlier imposing presence vanished without a trace, replaced by extreme terror.
His pupils contracted violently as he stared fixedly at Ivan and Uchiha Madara, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Against either one of them alone, he might not have been able to hold his ground. Now that both had appeared beside him, the fear in his heart had reached its peak.
Damn it, weren't they fighting each other?
How did they suddenly notice me!
Without wasting words, Ivan and Uchiha Madara seemed to have already reached some kind of tacit understanding.
Ivan swung his longsword fiercely toward Doflamingo's chest.
At the same time, Uchiha Madara clenched his fist and struck hard at Doflamingo's abdomen.
Doflamingo's expression changed drastically as he quickly gathered a large number of Threads, attempting to block their attacks.
But his defenses proved fragile and unable to withstand a single blow before Ivan and Uchiha Madara.
Bang!
Crack!
The Threads defense was instantly shattered. Ivan's longsword struck Doflamingo's chest with force, while Uchiha Madara's fist accurately hit his abdomen.
Doflamingo let out a shrill scream, spitting out a mouthful of blood as his body crashed heavily onto the ice.
He convulsed all over, his aura instantly growing weak. Clearly, he had been severely injured by the two and lost his ability to fight.
After dealing with Doflamingo, Uchiha Madara slowly raised his head and declared unequivocally:
"Nonsense.
Justice has never been an excuse for the victor, nor is it the exclusive privilege of those at the top.
Justice is absolute freedom!
Only when everyone in this world is free from oppression, manipulation, and the restraint of fate, able to live freely—that is true Justice!"
His words carried a sense of compassion yet were filled with powerful conviction, exploding in the hearts of all present.
Many of the pirates on the scene showed moved expressions upon hearing this.
Before setting sail, most of them had been oppressed or marginalized, which led them down the path of piracy.
Uchiha Madara's words struck a chord deep within them.
But Ivan shook his head and refuted loudly:
No, your Justice is too ethereal, too weak!
Justice is a burning flame!
Only by burning away all the chaos on this sea, executing all criminals thoroughly, preventing all tragedies at their source, restoring peace to these seas, and allowing all innocent people to live and work in peace—that is true Justice!"
Their concepts of Justice were completely different, yet each held their own belief and imposing presence, far more resolute than Doflamingo's twisted logic of "the victor is Justice.""
Neither could convince the other.
In the next moment, two terrifying bursts of Conqueror's Haki erupted simultaneously.
They collided fiercely, unleashing terrifying bolts of lightning.
The next moment, the sky was forcibly torn in two by these two overwhelming auras!
A massive fissure stretched across the heavens, a sight that inspired awe and dread.
Immediately after, Ivan and Uchiha Madara flashed forward, clashing once on the ground in an instant.
There were no dazzling techniques—just a simple slash meeting a fist—yet it unleashed a force capable of annihilating heaven and earth.
Boom!
A deafening roar erupted as a powerful shockwave rapidly spread outward from the two of them.
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