Every time Izo appeared, a lurking Marine would fall.
The sky wasn't filled with thunderbolts, but with the whistling of Haki-infused lead.
"Thirty-seven."
Izo gently blew away the smoke from his gun barrel, watching as the last Marine disguised as a merchant slowly fell to the ground, a bullet hole precisely in the center of his forehead.
Far out at sea, the fleeing Marine fleet had shrunk to mere black dots.
"Trying to escape? Hah!"
Izo holstered his pistols and leaped into the air using Geppo, moving with such speed he looked like a blur.
He didn't need to turn into lightning to catch them; his bullets traveled faster than sound.
"Slicing Round: Dead End!"
He fired from kilometers away.
The bullets curved unnaturally in the air, piercing the masts and rudders of the distant ships with explosive force.
...
Meanwhile.
The main Marine fleet led by Admiral Akainu advanced with overwhelming force from the frontal waters of the Eternal Divine Kingdom.
The massive steel warships cut through the raging waves, their cannon barrels gleaming with a cold light like beasts ready to strike.
However, this was a pincer attack.
At the rear of the island archipelago, dozens of Marine warships had quietly completed their encirclement.
Thick Seastone chains coiled around the island's floating bedrock like giant serpents, emitting a grating metallic screech as winches pulled them tight.
"Hurry! Move faster!" a Marine officer draped in a Justice cloak barked sharply. "We must complete the surprise attack while the main fleet draws their attention!"
Using steel grappling hooks and Geppo, hundreds of elite Marines skilled in the Rokushiki climbed swiftly along the chains like phantoms.
Their movements were synchronized and well-trained, breaching the defenses of the Eternal Divine Kingdom's Seventh Layer in an instant.
These elite forces didn't pause for even a moment, immediately splitting into several tactical squads and charging toward the Sixth Layer.
When Ron passed through the Spatial Gate to the Sixth Layer with the injured Enel, chaos had already engulfed the area.
The Sixth Layer consisted of fourteen islands.
Ten of them were already ablaze.
Thick smoke mingled with the roar of cannons.
The pungent smell of blood mixed with Seastone dust permeated the air, while shouts and clashes of combat reverberated through the deep corridors.
By the flickering torchlight, dozens of Marines in special combat uniforms could be seen methodically hunting down fleeing pirates.
Their uniforms bore the subtle patterns of a CP9/Special Ops unit.
"Seems like an executioner squad transferred from a nearby G-Base," Ron narrowed his eyes, a dangerous curve forming at the corner of his mouth.
The Space Ring on his right ring finger suddenly emitted an eerie purple light, and a crystalline longsword as pale as the moon materialized in his palm.
White Moon (Hakugetsu).
The blade shimmered with a mercury-like luster.
Though not ranked among the 12 Supreme Grade swords, the chilling aura radiating from its edge caused the surrounding temperature to plummet instantly.
"Since you've come..."
Ron's figure vanished from his original position, leaving only an afterimage.
"...stay here forever!"
SHING!
Sword light flashed like snow; blood blossomed like flowers.
The first Marine to spot them didn't even have time to sound an alarm before a hair-thin red line appeared across his throat.
By the time the corpse crashed to the ground, Ron had already plunged into the heart of the enemy formation.
White Moon became a scythe of death in his hands, each swing drawing tragic arcs of blood.
"Tekkai!"
Some Marines attempted to defend with Iron Body, only to be cleaved in half along with their armor.
"Soru!"
Others tried to escape using super-speed, but found their legs severed before they could push off the ground.
"M-Monster!"
The surviving Marines finally broke, dropping their weapons and scattering in panic.
But Enel, though injured, blocked their path.
His eyes glowed with blue electricity as he raised his remaining hand.
"30 Million Volts: Hino!"
A giant lightning bird crashed into the fleeing soldiers, illuminating the scene as screams rose and fell in succession.
Ron flicked the blood droplets off his blade, coldly surveying the carnage around him.
White Moon emitted a faint phosphorescence in the darkness, as if thirsting for more.
"Let's go. Next island."
...
When Ron stepped onto Island No. 3, the scene before him resembled a slaughterhouse.
The earth was cracked, smoke filled the air, and the corpses of Marine soldiers lay scattered haphazardly amidst the ruins.
At the center of the battlefield, Douglas Bullet was laughing maniacally as he swung his massive fists coated in Armament Haki.
Each strike fell like a meteor, pulverizing the elite Marines attempting to surround him into mincemeat!
"BOOM—!"
Another punch landed, instantly denting the chest armor of a Marine Rear Admiral and sending him flying backward like a cannonball.
He crashed through three stone walls before finally stopping, his bones utterly shattered.
Bullet shook the blood off his fist and glanced over at Ron and Enel, baring his teeth in a ferocious grin.
"Ron! What's going on with these Marines? Did Marine Headquarters mobilize their entire force just to destroy the Eternal Divine Kingdom? This is almost a war!"
Ron's gaze was icy as he slowly nodded. "Exactly. It is a war."
"Hah?!" Bullet's pupils contracted.
Before he could ask more, Ron's figure vanished from sight!
The next instant—
WHOOSH—!!!
A brilliant sword light erupted, pouring forth like a galactic river and instantly expanding to a hundred meters!
"No... impossible!"
A Marine Captain mid-air, using Geppo to flee, turned back in terror only to see a white flash before his body was cleanly bisected.
Blood rained down like a downpour.
"Bullet," Ron said, sheathing his sword with a click.
His voice was low and murderous. "Clear out the Marines from the Sixth Level. These bastards captured Crocodile."
"Crocodile?!"
A flicker of surprise crossed Bullet's eyes before he grinned viciously.
"Interesting. The Marines dare to touch our people? Looks like they've truly grown tired of living!"
Without another word, Ron strode toward the next gate, preparing to head to the next island.
He intended to clear them one by one, slaughtering every last invader.
Along the way, he saw countless Shandian Warriors brandishing Burn Bazookas and Impact Dials, roaring as they clashed with the Marines.
These former sky warriors now defended their granted land with their lives, refusing to retreat even when facing Marine elites!
"Kill! For the Eternal Divine Kingdom!!"
A Shandian warrior, drenched in blood, drove his spear through a Marine officer's throat before being surrounded by several Marines.
Without hesitation, he activated an Impact Dial against his own chest, blowing himself and the enemies up in a spray of blood.
Ron's eyes grew colder.
He had originally planned to develop the Eternal Divine Kingdom step by step—slow but steady.
But now, the Marines mistook this steadiness for weakness, even daring to directly invade the core territory and capture his subordinates.
"Since you want to test us..."
Ron tightened his grip on White Moon, the blade gleaming with a cold light.
"Then I'll show you what true despair looks like!"
...
High above the cloud layer.
Shiki the Golden Lion stood at the edge of his personal floating island, the gale whipping through his golden mane like an enraged beast.
The news just relayed by Bullet made him curl his lips, revealing sharp white teeth.
"Jihahaha! Those Marine fools actually dared to charge straight into my territory?"
He took a fierce gulp of strong liquor, the liquid dripping down his beard as a bloodthirsty glint flashed in his eyes.
"Since they're asking for death, let them witness what true Pirates are!"
He touched the ground with both hands.
"Lion's Threat: Earth Cast!"
With a sudden wave of his hand, the entire Floating Island archipelago trembled violently.
Countless massive rocks, mountain-sized debris, and unused island fragments detached from the formation, plummeting from the sky toward the Naval fleet landing below!
It was a meteor shower of earth and stone.