"Don't even think about getting past here! Great Eruption!"
Seeing tens of thousands of pirates surging in like a tidal wave, Sakazuki stepped forward once again at the critical moment.
With a single punch, he pierced straight through the high-ranking combatant he had locked onto, and at the same time, a massive mass of magma burst forth violently from his fist, instantly annihilating several hundred pirates directly in front of him.
Even among the most powerful Logia-type Devil Fruits, the Magma Fruit ranked near the very top in raw destructive power. With just one strike, Sakazuki forcibly halted the pirates' charging momentum.
"Your opponent is me!"
But before Sakazuki could take advantage of the opening to eliminate even more pirates, an ultra-giant pillar of ice came crashing down from the sky, slamming straight toward his position.
BOOM!
The hundreds-of-meters-tall ice pillar smashed a massive crater into the ground, while shattered ice and billowing dust completely obscured everything ahead.
An attack of this magnitude was naturally impossible to actually hit Sakazuki, but the enormous ice pillar now stood like a towering wall, completely separating the justice-obsessed Marine Admiral from the pirates.
Standing atop the ice pillar, Esdeath leapt down with her saber in hand, descending like a falling meteor.
"Now's our chance! Everyone, charge! Ahead is the Holy Land, Mary Geoise! The Celestial Dragons have been plundering the Heavenly Tribute for eight hundred years — it's all waiting for us to take!"
Seizing the moment while Sakazuki was once again held back by Esdeath, a ferocious-looking high-ranking combatant stepped forward and shouted at the still-hesitant pirates.
At this point, they had no path of retreat. Advance and live, retreat and die. As long as they captured Mary Geoise, anything they desired would be theirs.
On the other hand, if they were driven back here and the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates were ultimately defeated, the World Government would eventually hunt them down and settle the score.
"Charge through! Kill them all!"
"I'm gonna stuff my ship full of the Heavenly Tribute's treasures!"
"I'll be the first pirate to set foot on Mary Geoise!"
...
Under the dual pressure of greed and impending death, the surviving pirates of the First Division let out piercing howls and broke through the remaining defensive line of the Holy Land's guard forces.
Just as they were about to reach the starting point of the bubble lift leading up to Mary Geoise, tens of thousands of Celestial Dragon slaves suddenly blocked their path.
Most of these slaves were covered in wounds. Years of torture and abuse had left many of them hunched over, unable even to straighten their backs.
Even those in relatively better condition wore tattered clothes, and slaves missing arms, legs, or bearing disfigured faces were far too many to count.
Their only common traits were a pair of eyes that looked almost lifeless, and the slave collars around their necks that could explode at any moment.
"You go issue the order. Tell them that as long as they take a pirate's head, they will regain their freedom. If they kill more than ten pirates, they'll receive a generous reward as well… You two will come with me to report the current situation to the Five Elders."
With a cigar clenched between his teeth, Steel Bone Kong gave his command to the commander of the Mary Geoise guards. Just as the commander's expression changed drastically and the other two deputy corps commanders began to look uneasy, Marshal Kong suddenly spoke to them again.
Hearing this, the two deputy commanders—both nobles from allied nations—finally relaxed. The anger and dissatisfaction they had felt over Kong sacrificing the allied forces completely vanished.
"Then please wait a moment, Marshal Kong. I will return as soon as I finish delivering the orders..."
As the only unfortunate one among the three deputy commanders, the guard commander wore a bitter expression. Going to the front lines now meant that if things went even slightly wrong, he could be targeted by those crazed pirates, and escaping would be nearly impossible.
Even if the World Government had no intention of destroying the bubble gondolas for various reasons, once entangled with pirates, returning to Mary Geoise would be next to impossible.
"No need. The front line also needs someone to take command... I won't demand that you kill many pirates. Just hold out until Sakazuki returns."
Steel Bone Kong spoke in a consoling tone, though in his heart he already knew that, whatever surprise Kizaru had prepared for Sakazuki, he would most likely never see his right-hand man again.
"Yes! Understood!"
The guard commander finally breathed a sigh of relief. In his eyes, a top-tier powerhouse like Admiral Akainu could charge through the battlefield like a god of slaughter. If all he had to do was hold out until his return, the mission didn't seem too difficult.
With renewed confidence, he approached the formation of slave soldiers. As the guard commander of the Holy Land Mary Geoise, he was all too familiar with these slaves of the Celestial Dragons.
Don't be fooled by how miserable they looked—when they rioted, suppressing them was anything but easy.
Now that they had weapons in their hands and the promise of freedom dangled before them, the fighting strength they could unleash might even surpass that of the Holy Land's own guard corps.
The only pity was that there were no truly powerful individuals among this batch of slaves. Whether it was the elite "trophy slaves" kept by the Celestial Dragons for show, or the gladiators from the arena, they had all been stationed at the end point of the bubble gondola route.
Otherwise, the guard commander was confident he could hold out even longer—and earn the Five Elders' favor.
"Rejoice! You lowly slaves! The great Lords of the Five Elders will grant you an unprecedented act of mercy! As long as you kill one pirate in the coming battle, you will regain your freedom!"
The guard commander shouted arrogantly. In an instant, countless eyes—filled with anger or deadened indifference—focused on him.
For these slaves who had endured inhuman torment and endless suffering, freedom was without question the thing they desired most… something they could only touch in their dreams.
"F-Free... freedom?"
A middle-aged slave with a weather-beaten face and a body covered in scars slowly raised his head. The lifeless look on his face began, little by little, to show signs of vitality once more.
Ever since they had fallen into the hands of the Celestial Dragons, every moment of their lives had felt like being trapped in an endless hell.
"...As long as we kill pirates, we can regain our freedom?!"
More and more slaves tightened their grip on their weapons, staring at the fierce battle between the Holy Land Guard Corps and the pirates in the distance, their eyes turning bloodshot.
Steel Bone Kong's order had also included rewards for killing even more pirates, but in the eyes of the guard commander, that was completely unnecessary.
For these lowly slaves, simply being freed from slavery was already an unbelievable act of mercy. Why would there be any need to give them money as a reward?
In fact, in the guard commander's view, even granting them freedom was pointless. After all, every slave wore an explosive collar around their necks— even if they were sent to their deaths, none of them would dare rebel.
"Hahahaha! I'm the first pirate to set foot on Mary Geoise!"
The remaining Holy Land Guard Corps finally collapsed under the pirates' assault. The first pirate, covered in blood from head to toe, broke through the defensive line—only to be greeted by tens of thousands of slaves with blood-red eyes, roaring like runaway zombies from a biohazard nightmare as they charged out in a frenzy.
"Kill him!"
"I want my freedom!"
"RAAAAHHH!"
°°°
If you want to read ahead and access 20 advanced chapters, check the patreon
Link: Patreon/Moziel
Subscription should be made thru the web and never the ios app, it helps you and me.