The battlefield below descended into utter chaos the moment the thick fog spread.
The pirates and Marines who had been fiercely engaged were indiscriminately enveloped.
For those not skilled in Observation Haki, this fog almost completely cut off their perception. They could only rely on instinct or split-second reactions to face enemies.
There was even a risk of accidentally injuring allies.
-Of course, this situation was meaningless to Issho.
"Hmm?"
Issho slashed out once more, suppressing dozens more pirates with gravity. However, his attention wasn't on the surrounding enemies.
His scarred eyelids slowly opened, his blank white pupils seemingly able to see something as they fixedly stared in a specific direction.
Boom!!!!
At that moment, a terrifying impact sound came from within the fog. The shockwave directly blasted away the mist and the people standing nearby.
"Whoa- that's truly exaggerated!"
Marco, the pineapple-haired commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' 1st Division, shielded his face with his hand, watching the Marine Admiral and the Emperors collide.
"Gurararara... That brat Kaido has actually become this strong now?"
It had been many years since Whitebeard last saw Kaido's combat form.
The last time he saw the other transform into a dragon at God Valley, Kaido hadn't even fully mastered his Devil Fruit abilities yet.
"Watching this is making my own hands itch!"
As he spoke, Whitebeard gripped Murakumogiri with both hands, then swung it forward as if anticipating something.
Whoosh-
Right at that moment, Kizaru's figure materialized from light, having drawn his own Ama no Murakumo sword at some unknown point.
It was a longsword formed from pure light, which shouldn't have had a physical form.
Yet, infused with Kizaru's meticulously honed Haki, it still radiated a hardness and sharpness no less than that of a graded blade.
The clash of their weapons produced a sound no less deafening than the life-and-death struggle between Aokiji and Kaido in the distance.
Now, three of the Emperors were matched against three Marine Admirals. On the surface, the battle seemed to be at a stalemate.
However, reality was not so simple.
"Truly blinding, you flashy brat."
Saying this, Whitebeard released the weapon with one hand, clenched his fist, and directly aimed a punch at Kizaru's side.
A fist imbued with the power of vibrations merely passing through the air could cause space itself to tremble. Kizaru naturally couldn't ignore this.
His body quickly dissolved into streams of light, then reformed not far away.
"So scary, Whitebeard."
"Even at an age where you should be entering your coffin, you're still such a fighter."
His words said one thing, but Kizaru's gaze as he looked at Whitebeard also turned serious.
Facing a powerhouse of this level alone left no room for slacking off.
If he didn't go all out, even he could fall here.
"Yasakani no Magatama-"
Forming circles with his index fingers and thumbs, countless lasers rained down from them, launching a saturation bombardment at the Moby Dick below.
Seeing this, before Whitebeard could even move, Marco, beside him, flew up first.
Seizing the moment Kizaru couldn't use elemental intangibility while releasing the attack, Marco executed a bicycle kick that squarely connected with Kizaru's body, sending him flying.
As for the lasers, the other division commanders on the ship dealt with them.
"Men, don't just stand there dumbly! Move out! Take Ace back!"
Whitebeard pointed Murakumogiri towards the execution platform shrouded in fog and issued his command as captain.
"Oh!!"
"Charge!!"
"Take back Ace!!"
"Ace, we're here to save you!"
One by one, the division commanders erupted with intense fighting spirit, leaping off the ship and charging towards the Marine encampment.
Watching his 'childrens'' figures gradually disappear into the fog, a trace of a gratified smile appeared on Whitebeard's face.
"If I were you, I wouldn't be so optimistic about them."
Hearing Kizaru's voice sound beside him, Whitebeard didn't even turn his head, just threw a tremor-powered punch into the air, forcing Kizaru to use elemental intangibility to dodge once again.
"You should worry more about yourself, you flashy brat."
"Yare yare..."
Kizaru spun in mid-air, then lightly shook his head.
Immediately, his figure rapidly stretched across the air. One, two, over a dozen identical Kizarus emerged from the traces of his movement.
"It seems like I have the numerical advantage now."
"If you have the guts, come at me."
…
While the main battlefield raged fiercely, the group of cloaked figures had quietly approached the Warlord formation.
Others who saw this assumed these mysterious powerhouses intended to support the other Warlords, just as they had supported Doflamingo.
Mihawk casually slashed away an incoming pirate, then his hawk-like eyes fixed on the mysterious group.
These people gave him a very unusual feeling, especially a few among them, who faintly gave him a sense of danger.
Bartholomew Kuma, known as the [Tyrant], hidden behind his glasses, subtly shifted his gaze, and his hands unconsciously clenched.
But as if remembering something in time, he slowly relaxed them again.
'Not yet.'
Figarland Garling, whose highly recognizable hairstyle couldn't be concealed even by a cloak, paid no heed to the Warlords' stares.
At this moment, all his attention was focused on the [Pirate Empress], 'Boa Hancock' ahead.
Because the fog had spread, the broadcasting Den Den Mushi couldn't project a clear view of the battlefield to other parts of the world. This gave them their opportunity.
If not now, when?
"Execute the plan as arranged. Subdue her."
Under Garling's command, the cloaked God's Knights also silently began encircling Hancock (fake) from all sides.
Such an obvious move, how could Naruto possibly ignore it?
But the 'him' present here was just a shadow clone. If it sustained too much damage in a short time, it would disperse.
To continue luring out the World Government's hidden backup, he decided to enter the fray personally… in fact, this was roughly in line with their original plan anyway.
The silent Empress kicked aside several pirates and Marines indiscriminately again. Facing the Marines' accusations of harming allies, she didn't even bother to reply, just arrogantly snorted and turned away.
It had to be said, when it came to imitating Hancock, few could claim to understand her better than Naruto, who had spent so much time with her day and night.
In the eyes of others, Hancock's behavior completely matched her rumored temperament. Not even the other Warlords detected anything amiss.
Because some members had left the group to pursue Katakuri, the number of God's Knights remaining here wasn't that large.
But it was more than enough to encircle Hancock.
Before anyone could react, the cloaked figures simultaneously attacked Hancock.
Although their speed was almost turtle-like to Naruto, he dutifully reacted at a 'just right' speed.
Two whip kicks sent a few of the attackers flying. Then, Naruto deliberately sold an opening, exposing his back to the opponent.
The God's Knight didn't miss the opportunity. A pair of Seastone handcuffs were precisely clamped onto Naruto's wrists.
Instantly, that instinctive wave of weakness washed over him.
Of course, for Naruto, whose clone also possessed the [Otsutsuki Constitution], this was nothing.
These guys were the [Ultimate Lifeforms] who could survive even being sent into space. In terms of sheer biological nature, their vitality might even surpass Kaido, the [World's Strongest Creature].
But that was beside the point. He was still acting now and naturally had to play along.
"You... what do you intend to do to this Empress!?"
Naruto very precisely captured Hancock's usual tone of voice, using a mix of shock at being ambushed, anger at being insulted, and a trace of barely perceptible fear to demand an answer.
However, the group showed no intention of replying. They just swarmed over, wrapping him up in chains like a rice dumpling, then began running back.
This caused Naruto's attempt to probe them to fail, and also left the surrounding Marines and pirates momentarily stunned.
'These people... friend or foe?'
They clearly remembered these cloaked figures attacking Katakuri, so why were they now attacking the Empress, who was nominally part of the 'Marine camp'?
No one could answer their confusion. Moreover, due to the fog, this strange scene went unnoticed by others.