The battlefield at Naval Headquarters was chaos incarnate.
The captains of the Whitebeard Pirates erupted into motion all at once,
like a pack of hungry cats scenting fresh fish.
They launched a relentless siege against the Blackbeard Pirates,
their pent-up rage and battle lust finally unleashed.
For too long, they had been standing by and watching.
Now that the opportunity had come, there was no holding them back.
They were eager to strike — and this time, they wouldn't let their prey escape.
"Shine—Clash!"
The third division captain, Diamond Joz, suddenly transformed.
His entire body turned into gleaming diamond,
massive yet terrifyingly fast.
In a flash, Joz appeared before Fighting Champion Jesus Burgess.
"Damn it! Wave Elbow!"
Caught off guard by the sudden appearance of that shining mass of crystal,
Burgess's expression twisted in shock.
Without thinking, he swung his arm, unleashing his strongest elbow strike.
Boom!!!
The two forces collided in a violent explosion.
The already shattered ground of Naval Headquarters cracked further under the impact.
Crack—crack—crack!
The sickening sound of breaking bone echoed across the field.
It came from Burgess's elbow.
He had struck with everything he had —
yet the strongest man in the world hadn't even flinched.
The recoil alone shattered Burgess's arm completely.
"Heh… I haven't even started using my full strength yet,"
Joz sneered, diamond facets glittering like death itself.
Ding—!
The diamond's light flared again,
and a terrifying surge of power burst forth.
"Aaaahhh!!!"
With a scream, Burgess was sent flying hundreds of meters through the air,
crashing into the rubble below, motionless and gravely injured.
Elsewhere on the battlefield—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunfire erupted in rapid bursts.
Sniper Van Augur of the Blackbeard Pirates pulled the trigger again and again,
each bullet laced with Armament Haki.
They tore through the air with deadly precision,
piercing through the body of his opponent — but to no avail.
Because standing before him was the first division captain — Phoenix Marco.
"Your Haki sniping is pretty sharp, yo~,"
Marco said casually, smiling even as blue flames blazed across his body.
The wounds closed almost instantly,
his regenerative power restoring him before Van Augur's eyes.
"It seems… this is where my fate ends,"
Van Augur murmured quietly,
accepting the inevitable.
He lowered his sniper rifle with calm resignation.
Phoenix Seal!
Marco descended in a burst of azure fire.
The flames engulfed Van Augur completely —
and when they faded, the sniper lay defeated.
"Fire Punch!"
A blazing fist roared through the air.
An inferno exploded across the field,
devouring the pale-faced Devil Sheriff Lafitte whole.
"Rose—Flurry of Petals!"
The fourth division captain, Foil Vista,
swung his twin sabers in a beautiful, deadly dance.
A storm of rose-shaped slashes filled the sky,
sending the Reaper Doc Q and his sickly horse flying,
their forms swallowed by a crimson mist of petals and blood.
"Ah, damn it! Too late!"
"Marco! Joz! You're too fast!"
"Can't you leave one for us?"
"Exactly!"
The other division captains shouted in mock annoyance,
disappointed they hadn't gotten their turn.
"Sorry, sorry! Guess I got a little carried away,"
Marco laughed.
"For the record," Vista added,
"there are still four enemies left—over there."
His sword pointed toward Shiryu of the Rain
and the remaining villains from Impel Down.
"Don't push your luck, Whitebeard Pirates!"
roared the Evil King, Avalo Pizarro, fury twisting his monstrous face.
"We've already cut ties with Blackbeard! We've got nothing to do with him now!"
cried the Crescent Moon Hunter, Catarina Devon,
trying to talk her way out.
"Don't mistake our silence for weakness!"
snarled Basco Shot, the massive Big Barrel.
"We crawled out of Eternal Hell itself! Even if you're the Whitebeard Pirates,
don't think you can just do as you please!
Picking a fight with us won't end well!"
"If possible,"
Shiryu of the Rain said calmly, wiping blood from his blade Thunderstorm,
"I'd prefer to live peacefully. Maybe… we could even help you break through the Marine siege."
Their words came like a coordinated act —
Shiryu playing the diplomat while the others postured as threats,
trying to sway the Whitebeard Pirates with a mix of intimidation and reason.
However—
They had underestimated the people standing before them.
They weren't just any crew.
They were the Whitebeard Pirates —
one of the most powerful forces on the sea.
"Who do you think you're talking to?"
a voice thundered.
"Who do you think we are?!"
"We are the Whitebeard Pirates!!!"