The crowd parted as Caesar, holding Linlin's waist, walked up to Akainu.
The distance between them was less than ten meters.
Among the Marine's remaining officers were Akainu, Kizaru, Ryokugyu, Tsuru, Momousagi, Hina, and others.
On the Beast God Pirates' side, not only were all their top fighters still alive, but they still had nearly ten thousand elite members remaining.
These were basically crew members who had drunk the Evolution Potion and were originally the backbone of their pirate crews.
It's worth mentioning that Loki's Giant Legion, known as the world's strongest Giant tribe warriors, had been almost completely wiped out, with only about ten remaining.
These tall figures were like glaring targets on the battlefield.
Thus, more than half of them had died in the first wave of fighting.
The Giants weren't as strong as Caesar had imagined.
This also disappointed Linlin.
She had once believed that if she could obtain the Giants of Elbaf, she could defeat Whitebeard, Kaido, and Shanks to seize supremacy in the New World.
The facts proved that even smaller humans, through persistent training, could develop physiques no inferior to the Giants.
This discovery dealt a heavy blow to Giant King Loki.
In this battle, he hadn't achieved any notable results either - he was defeated by Floyd and thoroughly humiliated.
All his previous dreams of leading Elbaf's Giants to sea and conquering the world had been just that - dreams.
Fortunately, Kaido and Linlin had come to discipline him.
Otherwise, he would have been taught a harsh lesson by the New World's powerhouses.
"Akainu, if this fight continues, all of you will die here."
Caesar looked at Akainu, Kizaru, Aokiji, and the others, who were covered in wounds yet still standing tall with their heads held high.
Akainu still wore that deadpan expression, not a hint of hesitation in his eyes.
He always had that demeanor, more arrogant than even the pirates!
"What do you want to say, Caesar?" Akainu's voice was deep and low.
His gaze fell upon the mountain of corpses piled up in the plaza.
He saw the withered body of Vice Admiral Tokikake.
He was a man who upheld absolute justice, had followed him for many years, yet was gentle and deeply responsible.
He saw Onigumo, whose lower body had vanished and whose head was split open with a gaping hole.
Onigumo was also one of the strongest veteran Vice Admirals in the absolute justice faction.
He had performed remarkably in many major battles.
In the previous Summit War, Onigumo had taken advantage of the chaos to capture Marco the Phoenix.
He also saw Doberman, missing an arm and with a sunken left chest.
Doberman was a man who was harsher on himself than on his enemies.
He was also Akainu's favorite subordinate.
Doberman would carry out his orders with absolute strictness.
Every time he experienced failure, Doberman would carve an "X" on his own face to remind himself to strive harder.
And then there was Vice Admiral Momonga.
Though he wasn't part of Akainu's absolute justice faction, Momonga was upright, unwavering in his will, and an outstanding Marine officer!
"One by one, they've all died..."
Akainu's heart, burning like magma, had never grieved over the deaths of his subordinates.
To uphold absolute justice, he was willing to bury even himself on the path to justice!
But at this moment, Akainu suddenly felt the urge to shed tears...
"Join us, Akainu!"
Caesar's next words stunned Akainu, whose heart was filled with sorrow.
But the next moment, a surge of rage, like a furious tidal wave, erupted from his chest, transforming into a thunderous roar.
"Don't you fucking dream of it! In the Marines, there are no kneeling dogs—only those who die fighting!"
Akainu, enraged, took a step forward and pointed angrily at Caesar.
"Come at me! Even if I die, I'll take a few of you down with me!"
Terrifyingly hot magma gushed from his body, causing the surrounding temperature to rise sharply.
Kizaru and Aokiji remained silent, quietly stepping forward to stand on either side of Akainu.
Behind them, Momousagi, Tine, and the others had tears welling in their eyes.
Gazing at the tall, imposing figures of Akainu and the other two was like looking up at towering mountains.
Though the three of them held different views on justice, when faced with adversity, they would set aside their differences and stand together resolutely!
This was the veteran three Admirals—the unbreakable iron triangle of the Marines!
Caesar wasn't angered by Akainu's blunt words.
A faint smile hung on his face. "Don't rush. To be honest, I quite fancy you. Wororororo, among the Marines of this era, not a single one has caught my eye. You're the only exception."
"You want to uphold absolute justice, don't you?"
"For this ideal, you even broke ties with Kuzan."
Caesar pointed at Kuzan.
Beside Akainu, Kuzan remained expressionless.
"Wiping out all the pirates in this world is impossible. As long as exploitation exists and those damned Celestial Dragons remain, pirates will keep emerging endlessly."
"Did Roger create all the pirates?"
"Nonsense! Pirates had been plaguing the world for centuries before Roger's time."
"Even though Roger started the Great Pirate Era, the ones dominating this world are still those old-timers from the previous era."
Caesar released Linlin and spread his arms wide. "So, why not join our Beast God Pirates and help us overthrow the World Government, your Marine superiors? That way, without oppression, perhaps in a hundred years or so, pirates might gradually disappear without you Marines even having to hunt them down."
"I will never collude with pirates! Abandon that foolish notion!"
Akainu remained unmoved, his face still twisted in a scowl.
The smile on Caesar's lips gradually faded.
A chilling killing intent, like a violent storm, poured forth and enveloped Akainu and the others.
Caesar leaned forward, glaring intently at Akainu.
"I gave you a chance, but you didn't cherish it. Then..."
Before Caesar could finish his sentence, a fierce roaring sound came from the sky as something plummeted downward at extreme speed!
Boom!
The earth exploded, dirt and rocks flying everywhere, capturing everyone's attention.
When they saw what was within the dust cloud, Akainu and the others' expressions darkened.
The members of the Beast God Pirates, however, became invigorated and roared with excitement.
"It's Boss Shiki!"
"He defeated Fujitora!"
"Incredible! As expected of the Golden Lion!"
As the dust completely cleared, a tall, golden-haired man was revealed, holding a sharp sword that had pierced through Fujitora's chest, pinning him to the ground.
It was Shiki.
He stood up, pulling Oto out of Fujitora's chest.
Immediately, crimson blood spurted out.
Akainu flew into a rage, immediately raising his hand to unleash a magma fist.
"Meigo!"
"Hey now, I'm a wounded man here."
Shiki grinned, not attempting to block it directly.
Instead, his figure vanished from the spot and reappeared behind Caesar.
He was indeed severely injured.
His chest and abdomen were crisscrossed with deep wounds, some reaching the bone.
Some flesh was torn open, even completely sliced off, looking utterly terrifying.
Fujitora's strength was far beyond what Ryokugyu could match.
Before Shiki could say anything, Caesar's brow suddenly furrowed.
Thump!
Thump-thump!
Strange drumbeats suddenly rang out in the sky above Marine Headquarters!