"That man is a threat to the future—a destabilizing force. He may not have a grand lineage, but he already opposes the World Government. His very existence is evil. And standing at his side is none other than the son of the Revolutionary Dragon."
"A man tied to both the Pirate King's son and the Revolutionary's son, while carrying the Will of D—if he escapes here today, who knows what consequences it will have for the world!"
Watching as the Marines' morale wavered, Sengoku deliberately invoked Luffy's lineage, the bond between D., Ace, and Luffy, to reignite his soldiers' fighting spirit.
"We absolutely cannot let them live! Kill them with everything you've got!"
Surging against the tide, waves of Marines poured out from the bay, charging at Jiang Lin and his allies. With numbers swelling rapidly, their ranks closed like a vast ocean, surrounding Jiang Lin, Luffy, and the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Trap them there. Don't waste any more time on a mere rookie."
Clutching his Den Den Mushi, Sengoku gave the order. He no longer intended to drag things out—he would crush Jiang Lin with sheer numbers and concentrated force.
"Charge!"
"Charge!"
Both sides roared as they clashed head-on across the frozen bay.
On the Marine side, Vice Admirals led the charge. On the pirate side, Jiang Lin took command of Whitebeard's men.
"Leave the others. Jiang Lin is ours!"
More than ten Vice Admirals, coats of justice billowing behind them, rushed straight toward Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin now commanded strength on par with an Admiral. Even so, with a dozen Vice Admirals coming at him immediately, none felt entirely confident. Yet when justice called, they could not turn away.
"Stand aside—you're no match for me!"
Jiang Lin unleashed waves of white light from his hands with a roar. The shock ripped apart the ice around him, shattering vast sections and sending both Marines and pirates plunging into the sea.
"Wah! My body's all soft!"
Luffy, charging too far ahead, lost his footing when the ice collapsed and tumbled into the water.
"So that was your plan all along, huh?"
In a flash, Jiang Lin darted forward, scooping Luffy and nearby pirates out of the water before switching Devil Fruit cards.
"Sand-Sand Fruit (hormone-enhanced) equipped. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds."
Discarding the Quake-Quake Fruit, Jiang Lin loaded the Sand-Sand Fruit.
"Kingdom of Sandstorm Hormones!"
A storm of sand infused with female hormones swept across the battlefield. Marines recoiled in horror, stumbling back several steps.
They'd already witnessed what happened earlier—anyone caught in that storm emerged transformed into a woman.
"Fufufu! Jiang Lin, to think you'd come up with such a ridiculous use for that ability—what a surprise… Not!"
From afar, Ivankov's face turned purple with jealousy, but he quickly spun away, feigning indifference.
"Stay back! Whatever you do, don't get caught in that storm!"
Vice Admiral Dalmatian swung his arm, barking the order.
But Jiang Lin's sandstorm moved fast. Within moments, it swallowed dozens of Marines who hadn't retreated quickly enough.
"Ugh, I really hate wars…"
Soft, feminine voices rang out as the Marines' numbers dwindled—dozens of soldiers gone, replaced by graceful young women.
"Move aside, or I'll turn you into women too!"
Jiang Lin held a small swirl of sand in his hand, glaring coldly at the Vice Admirals blocking his path.
"Urgh…"
The Vice Admirals bore heavy responsibility; retreat was not an option. But none of them wanted to be transformed either.
Meanwhile, on the execution platform, Ace stared down at Jiang Lin, Luffy, and Whitebeard's crew fighting desperately below. His face twisted with guilt and self-loathing.
"Luffy, why did you come? Why did all of you come? This is my mistake alone—you shouldn't have to suffer for it! Stop, please stop! Why would you risk everything for someone like me…? You idiots—Jiang Lin, Luffy, and Pops too…"
Burying his head between his knees, Ace's expression contorted, beyond words.
"What's wrong with you…?"
Beside him, Garp blinked in shock as Ace suddenly raised his head.
"I… I'll accept whatever future comes. If a hand reaches for me, I'll take it. If a blade falls on me, I'll endure it. I won't panic anymore. I've dragged you all into this!"
Ace's voice rang with resolve. The guilt and confusion were gone from his eyes, replaced by a calm acceptance of life and death.
"All units—scatter and retreat slowly!"
On the bayfront, as more pirates poured in and Jiang Lin's pressure mounted, Marine forces slowly withdrew.
With the battlefield steadily pushing forward, all the Shichibukai finally joined the fight in earnest.
"Kuma! What in the world happened to you all these years?"
Elsewhere, Ivankov stood before Bartholomew Kuma, shouting desperately. But Kuma gave no reply—only a cold, mechanical assault.
"Kuma… and Doflamingo too? You mean to block my path as well?"
Scarlet sand swirled around Jiang Lin, pink hormone-laced grains spinning about him like a dazzling aura.
"Shishishi… I'd love to play with you. But first… you'll have to survive against this monster. Fufufufu!"
Doflamingo cackled arrogantly, as though Jiang Lin wasn't even worth his notice.
"Kuma…"
Jiang Lin turned his gaze to the lifeless man before him. He knew Kuma's mind was gone—what remained was nothing but a weapon of war, a puppet bound to orders.
"Bzzt… bzzt…!"
A brilliant yellow glow built in Kuma's mouth. At its peak, he fired, unleashing a beam straight at Jiang Lin.
"Zing!"
Jiang Lin blurred into golden lightning, vanishing just as the attack struck. A massive explosion erupted, a blazing red shockwave bursting with devastating force.
"Heh… interesting! Luffy, you all go on ahead. Leave this one to me!"
Jiang Lin stepped out from the glow with a cold smile. He wanted to send Kuma back to the Revolutionary Army headquarters—but he didn't know where that was. For now, all he could do was fight.
"Paw-Paw Fruit equipped. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds."
With the system's chime, Jiang Lin strode forward alone, facing Bartholomew Kuma head-on.