The balance that had once existed between both sides shattered in an instant.
Victory was gradually beginning to tilt toward the Marines.
The carefully constructed defensive lines of the Divine Kingdom alliance were now under tremendous pressure. Beneath the relentless assault of the elite Marines, even their reinforced fortifications groaned dangerously, as though they might collapse at any moment.
Every stone trembled.
Every crack spreading through the defenses bore witness to the brutality of war.
At this critical moment, the merciless nature of the battlefield was laid bare.
Blood soaked the earth.
Severed limbs lay scattered everywhere.
Lives disappeared in the blink of an eye, while the suffocating stench of blood and gunpowder filled the air.
Marco, Vista, and the other Divine Kingdom commanders were still locked in fierce battles against the Vice Admirals whose strength had surged after taking the serum.
Even while focusing on the opponents directly before them, however, they could not help noticing the horrifying scene unfolding on the main battlefield.
The Guard Corps was throwing everything they had into attacks powered by their Devil Fruits—
Only for the Marines to use Black Vortex on a massive scale and absorb or nullify them.
Their previously unstoppable offensive had collapsed almost instantly.
Panic and despair appeared across the faces of the Guard Corps members.
Their formation fell apart, and what had once been an organized assault quickly dissolved into chaos.
The elite Marines counterattacked like a pack of starving wolves.
The Divine Kingdom's defensive lines were forced backward one after another, with position after position being overrun as Guardsmen fell screaming beneath the relentless assault.
Against the scale of the war around them, their figures suddenly seemed terribly small.
And their lives terribly fragile.
Marco gritted his teeth and drove a powerful punch forward, forcing the black-eyed Momonga several steps backward.
But when he glanced toward the distant battlefield again, his expression immediately darkened.
Large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
"Damn it! The Guard Corps can't hold them, yoi!"
His voice was filled with urgency.
If they failed to act soon, the entire battle could spiral completely out of control.
Nearby, Vista stood firm as a mountain, his twin swords crossed against Strawberry's blade as waves of darkness surged along the Marine's weapon.
Even in the middle of their violent clash, Vista looked past his opponent toward the distant battlefield.
The Divine Kingdom's forces were clearly being pushed back.
The calm elegance that had remained on Vista's face throughout the battle gradually disappeared.
In its place came a cold, unwavering resolve.
"We can't keep dragging this out."
His voice was low but powerful.
"If this stalemate continues, our casualties will become impossible to recover from. The entire battle could collapse around us."
Marco gave a slight nod.
Their eyes met for only a moment.
Nothing else needed to be said.
They understood each other perfectly.
There was only one way to reverse the worsening situation—
End their own battles as quickly as possible.
Vista suddenly raised his head.
"Marines! This little game has gone on long enough!"
His voice thundered across the battlefield like the tolling of an enormous bell.
Fighting spirit burned fiercely in his eyes.
Then Vista drew a deep breath, his chest expanding as he gathered every ounce of strength and determination into the twin swords in his hands.
Hum—!
A deep vibration rolled through the air.
Top-tier Armament Haki erupted violently from Vista's body, so dense that it seemed almost tangible.
The Haki was black as ink, deep enough to swallow the surrounding light, while dark-red arcs of electricity flickered through it like dragons twisting across a midnight sky.
The tremendous power surged across Durandal and Axe like molten lava pouring from an erupting volcano.
Under that coating of Haki, both famous blades seemed to transform into obsidian weapons capable of cutting through anything in the world.
Their edges gleamed with a chilling light.
"Two-Sword Style: Hakai Flash!"
Vista roared.
Then he vanished.
His body seemed to merge into the surrounding space, disappearing completely.
The only thing left behind was a razor-thin streak of absolute blackness cutting across the battlefield toward Strawberry at astonishing speed.
The force and velocity behind this attack surpassed everything Vista had displayed before.
It seemed capable of slicing apart space itself.
Vice Admiral Strawberry's expression changed instantly.
Dark gravitational force erupted around him as he desperately attempted to distort the path of Vista's slash and drag it away from his body.
It was useless.
Vista's top-tier Armament Haki was simply too dense and overwhelming.
It carried the weight of an immovable mountain.
No matter how violently the darkness pulled at it, the slash refused to deviate by even the slightest amount.
The black streak tore straight through the gravitational field.
For the briefest instant, even the freezing wind across the battlefield seemed to stop.
Then a brilliant sword flash split the air.
Strawberry tightened both hands around his weapon and attempted to block.
Crack!
His long sword snapped apart like a dry branch.
The slash continued through without slowing.
A deep wound immediately opened across Strawberry's chest, cutting all the way down to the bone.
Blood erupted from the injury and drenched the front of his uniform crimson.
His entire body was thrown backward like a sack with its strings cut.
He crashed heavily into the ground.
Strawberry's eyes remained wide open, disbelief filling them.
He simply could not understand how he had been defeated so decisively.
...
"Hmph! You thought having the Dark-Dark Fruit's power meant you could do whatever you wanted?"
Vista gave a cold snort, his voice filled with disdain and authority.
He stood tall with both swords in hand, an immense aura radiating from his body and making the surrounding air tremble.
His gaze was sharp and unwavering as he stared down his opponent.
"Every commander in our Divine Kingdom has mastered top-tier Armament Haki! This is what real power looks like!"
Vista's voice rang across the battlefield, every word carrying absolute confidence.
Marco immediately understood that the situation had reached a critical point.
There was no longer any room to hold back.
He gritted his teeth, resolve flashing through his eyes.
"Exactly! Haki is the foundation of everything!"
Blue flames erupted around him.
"Phoenix: Haki Flame Fist!"
Marco abandoned all the elaborate tricks he had relied upon earlier and concentrated everything into his right fist.
Brilliant blue regenerative flames gathered around his arm, flickering with immense vitality.
At the same time, top-tier Armament Haki coated his fist like a solid layer of power.
Then Marco moved.
He became a streak of blue light and charged straight toward Momonga with unstoppable momentum.
His speed was tremendous.
Even the powerful attraction generated by Momonga's Black Vortex could not stop his advance.
Marco simply powered through it.
BOOM!
His fist shattered Momonga's defense and slammed directly into the Vice Admiral's abdomen.
Momonga's entire body convulsed from the impact.
His face instantly turned deathly pale.
"Guh—!"
Blood burst from his mouth as his knees buckled beneath him.
The dark energy that had surrounded his body collapsed under Marco's overwhelming blow and disappeared completely.
"Brothers! Enough playing around! Get serious!"
Kingdew's roar shook the battlefield.
Already transformed into his hybrid dragon form, his enormous body now radiated a golden glow that made him appear even more imposing.
Top-tier Armament Haki coated his dragon claws, every movement carrying terrifying force.
Kingdew swung once.
CRACK!
That single claw tore apart the opposing Vice Admiral's weapon and armor at the same time, sending shattered fragments flying in every direction.
Squard and the other commanders roared almost simultaneously.
Their voices pierced through the noise of battle and surged into the heavens.
Then their Haki erupted.
Top-tier Armament Haki blazed around them like roaring black flames.
It was no ordinary coating.
The immense pressure carried by that Haki distorted the surrounding air, making the space around their bodies shimmer beneath its weight.
The Vice Admirals who had previously managed to hold their ground through the simulated Dark-Dark Fruit powers suddenly found themselves in an entirely different situation.
The difference in quality was simply too great.
They were like insects standing before enormous beasts.
Their carefully maintained defensive line was torn apart almost instantly.
Panic spread through the Marine ranks.
Soldiers stumbled backward, formations broke apart, and the first signs of a full collapse began spreading through the battlefield.
Top-tier Armament Haki was one of the most powerful combat arts in the world.
At such a high level, it could resist—and even punch straight through—the effects of Devil Fruit abilities.
The Dark-Dark Fruit might have been famous for its strange and troublesome powers, capable of suppressing abilities and catching opponents completely off guard.
But once the Divine Kingdom commanders stopped holding back and unleashed the full force of their Haki, the situation changed completely.
Ability matchups no longer mattered nearly as much.
The commanders simply smashed through the disadvantage with overwhelming force.
Pure power shattered every tactical restraint.
Moments earlier, the entire battlefield had been tilting toward the Marines.
Victory had seemed almost within reach.
Then the Divine Kingdom commanders erupted together.
The situation reversed once again.
The Marine Vice Admirals' previously solid battle line collapsed as though struck by a sudden tsunami.
Officers were overwhelmed.
Soldiers scattered.
Commands became confused.
The battlefield descended into chaos.
...
Momonga was caught directly at the center of Marco's assault.
The Phoenix's punch had contained far more than simple physical strength.
Top-tier Armament Haki capable of shaking the battlefield had been combined with the scorching blue flames of the Phoenix Fruit.
The blow struck Momonga squarely.
Its tremendous force surged through his entire body like a violent tidal wave.
His internal organs seemed to shift beneath the impact, twisting painfully enough to nearly make him lose consciousness.
Blood poured uncontrollably from his mouth and splattered across the ground.
Momonga was already covered in wounds.
He dropped heavily onto one knee, barely supporting his trembling body with the broken sword in his hand.
The once-sharp weapon was now riddled with chips and cracks, reflecting his own battered condition.
His eyes, turned completely black by the mysterious serum, stared at Marco with a mixture of disbelief, unwillingness, and fear.
The Phoenix continued walking toward him.
Momonga tightened his grip around the ruined sword.
He could not accept defeat.
But for the first time, he truly understood just how terrifying his opponent had become.