"Infernal Swamp Serpent - World Serpent!" A low, sinister voice, like a chant from the depths of hell, echoed from below.
The ice, without anyone noticing, had transformed into a swampy lake over twenty meters wide. A colossal serpent made of mud and mire rose from the murky depths, coiling tightly around the female Giant Vice Admiral.
"Gah!" The serpent's head, seemingly armored with a layer of impenetrable scales, opened its massive maw, revealing razor-sharp fangs. The monstrous serpent clamped down on the female Giant Vice Admiral's neck. Blood erupted like a fountain.
The female Giant Vice Admiral trembled violently, her mouth agape in a silent scream, her pupils shrinking in terror. The enormous sword she'd been wielding had long since fallen, swallowed by the swamp.
Her ragged gasps were frantic and shallow. She clawed at the serpent's head with both hands, desperate to break free, but the wound on her neck made her breathing sound like a broken bellows. Her immense strength, caught in this multi-pronged attack and restraint, was useless.
Below her, the swamp had already risen past her knees – or rather, her knees had sunk into the swamp. Her body was slowly sinking.
The female Giant Vice Admiral's eyes were nearly glazed over. The serpent's constricting coils rendered her completely immobile, while blood gushed from her severed artery. Air, too, forced its way in.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!" Heavy footsteps thundered, shaking the ice. The male Giant Vice Admiral from the platform charged forward, brandishing his massive axe, his face contorted with panic.
"Let her go!" the Giant Vice Admiral roared, his voice filled with fury. Before he even reached them, he swung his axe in a wide arc, aiming for the serpent's midsection.
"Don't... don't come any closer..." The female Giant Vice Admiral's eyes strained to look at the approaching giant. She tried to speak, but no sound emerged. Only a desperate, wide-eyed stare conveyed her frantic plea.
"Crack!" The axe slammed into the serpent's body. Swampy muck splattered everywhere. The section of the serpent coiled around the female Giant Vice Admiral was instantly cleaved in two, falling limply away from her and dissolving back into the swampy lake.
The female Giant Vice Admiral's body slumped forward. She braced herself with her hands on the edge of the ice, a gurgling rasp escaping her throat. One hand clutched the fatal wound on her neck as she struggled to pull herself up.
A flicker of relief crossed the male Giant Vice Admiral's eyes, but it vanished with a sickening squelch. His expression froze.
A gigantic sword, propelled by the pressure within the swamp, shot out of the lake and impaled the male Giant Vice Admiral through the abdomen.
"Ugh... Gkkh...! Gkkh...!" Pain contorted the male Giant Vice Admiral's face. Blood poured from the wound, staining his clothes crimson.
"Vice Admiral!" The surrounding Marines, witnessing the scene, were a mixture of horrified and panicked.
They were panicked about the perilous situation of the two Giant Vice Admirals. But the horror stemmed from the sudden transformation of the ice into a swampy lake and the appearance of that monstrous swamp serpent. What chilled the Marines to the bone, however, was the terrifying figure lurking in the shadows. In the blink of an eye, this unseen enemy had plunged two Giant Vice Admirals into a desperate, even fatal, situation!
And the most terrifying part? That person hadn't even shown themselves.
"...Someone quite extraordinary has arrived," Doflamingo, the "Heavenly Yaksha," murmured, his pink feather coat fluttering. His eyes were fixed on the swampy area, a smile of keen interest playing on his lips.
"That guy..." Hancock, the only one present who had seen Wilder before, whispered, her expression troubled.
Within the swampy lake, the female Giant Vice Admiral continued her struggle to climb out. But blood loss had left her weak, and the powerful suction from the swamp was pulling her down. Instead of escaping, she was sinking deeper.
The male Giant Vice Admiral clutched his abdomen, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His face was etched with pain, but his eyes blazed with furious killing intent.
"Ugh... Argh!" He grasped the hilt of the female Giant Vice Admiral's sword that was still embedded in his gut. With a surge of effort, he began to slowly pull it out.
"Aaargh!" A pained howl ripped from the Giant Vice Admiral's throat. He gritted his teeth, and with one final, brutal yank – Squelch! – blood sprayed as the sword was fully withdrawn.
"Thud!" He involuntarily dropped to one knee on the ice, his breathing ragged and labored, like a wheezing bellows.
"Vice Admiral!" The surrounding Marines finally reached him.
"Save her first!" the Giant Vice Admiral ordered, waving a hand toward the female Vice Admiral, who was now submerged up to her waist in the swamp.
"Hurry, everyone! Get the Vice Admiral out!" a Rear Admiral shouted, turning to direct the nearby Marines.
"Yes, sir!"
"Gurgle!" But just then, the surface of the swampy lake began to churn. A massive arm of mud and mire erupted from the depths and slammed down onto the ice.
"Boom!" A muffled roar echoed as the Marines were flung back by the shockwave, their cries of pain cut short. The swampy hand rose again, five or six Marines struggling within its grasp, being squeezed and absorbed.
"You bastard!" The Rear Admiral roared. He leaped into the air, his sword flashing with several arcs of cutting energy, striking the giant hand at the wrist.
"Splat!" The wrist was severed cleanly. The hand, still airborne, spilled its contents. Several Marines tumbled out from the severed palm, gasping for breath.
"Nyehehehe… It seems I was indeed overreaching. Such scale inevitably reduces the quality." Wilder's low voice resonated.
"Hey, hey…! I can't let you keep going like this. You're as terrifying as a monster…" A lecherous figure suddenly appeared above the swamp. Wilder's expression within the swamp changed. The smile was wiped off.
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