Boom! Boom! Boom!Boom! Boom! Boom!
All twelve Marine warships exploded completely, their stored ammunition being ignited.
With this added force, the warships were obliterated into fragments, scattering debris everywhere.
For a time, violent explosions rocked the sky, and massive fires raged.
Endless lightning bolts wildly ravaged the area, and scorching flames devastated everything for miles around!
In just a few breaths, a total of twelve high-spec Marine warships were completely reduced to shards.
Even more tragically, over ten thousand elite Marine soldiers were blasted into blood mist, leaving no complete bodies behind.
Only a few of the strongest Marine Vice Admirals managed to jump into the sea in time before the explosion, narrowly escaping death.
Even so, they were all wounded, some having lost arms or ears in the blast.
The soldiers on the eight remaining Marine warships at the front of the harbor watched the sky-high flames and were utterly terrified.
Throats unconsciously bobbed as they constantly swallowed, and fine cold sweat beaded on their foreheads.
The clothes on their backs were soaked with sweat, and the hands gripping their flintlock guns trembled uncontrollably.
Companions who had been lively moments ago were now corpses scattered in the sea, forever lost.
"Th-This... what exactly is this!!!" someone finally couldn't help but scream.
"Lightning! That man commands the power of lightning!!"
"He's too strong, truly too strong! We are no match for him!!"
"Is this Reno's true power?!"
"How can we fight this? In a few breaths, thousands of our comrades died by his hand!!"
"If he uses that move again, we'll probably follow in their footsteps!!"
Gazing at the countless broken bodies being devoured by sea creatures and the pervasive stench of blood in the air—the dual assault on their sight and smell—the remaining few thousand Marine soldiers lost all will to fight and wished only to retreat.
Garp, Sengoku, and Zeffa, who had arrived, all wore grim expressions.
The scene before them was equally appalling.
Though they had suspected Reno's strength was considerable, they never imagined he could destroy more than half of their Marine forces with a mere wave of his hand.
Each Marine warship cost over one hundred million Berries. Furthermore, the value of the over ten thousand Marine soldiers could not be measured by money alone. Enormous manpower and resources had been invested in training them.
Among them were many promising talents who could have grown to become Rear or Vice Admirals, but they were all instantly turned to dust and smoke by a single move from Reno.
"Enough!!" Steel Bone Kong suddenly roared.
As a Marine Admiral, Steel Bone Kong felt more grief than anyone else, but the enemy had yet to be defeated.
They could not afford to fall into chaos, or they would surely lose!
"Remember, the moment you became Marine soldiers, you should have been ready for this!!"
"But I must tell you, Justice will always triumph over Evil!"
"If you are afraid of a small fry like Reno, how will you face a far stronger foe like Rocks in the future?!"
Steel Bone Kong's voice was like a thunderclap that exploded in the ears of every Marine soldier, snapping them back to attention.
"He's right! Why did we join the Marines? Wasn't it to eliminate these abominable pirates??"
"If even we are afraid of them, who will uphold justice?!"
"Let's fight them to the death!"
"Justice will prevail!"
Steel Bone Kong's words refilled the remaining soldiers with confidence. The last shred of fear in their hearts vanished completely.
"Relay my order: The remaining warships are to separate into two units, retreat one hundred meters, and stand ready for artillery support!!"
Reno's tactics made Steel Bone Kong wary.
Of the twenty Marine warships, only eight remained after just one move from Reno. He could not risk any more.
Given Reno's strength, the closer the range and the more concentrated the warships were, the greater the danger to the remaining soldiers. This kind of super-wide-area AoE damage was not something ordinary soldiers could withstand.
He could accept Marines dying in a pitched battle, but he could not accept them dying so meaninglessly.
The remaining Vice Admirals immediately acknowledged the command and maneuvered the warships to retreat one hundred meters.
"What? Are you scared now?!!"
Reno's mouth curved into a slight smile as he watched the warships withdraw, but he did not strike again.
To others, he had effortlessly destroyed twelve warships with one move.
However, that single move had cost him a significant amount of stamina.
The wider the coverage of Observation Haki, the greater the power of the killing blow, and the more targets locked on, the greater the stamina consumption!
Wide-Area: Divine Punishment was one of the most powerful killing moves he had developed, and the toll it took was immense!
Next, he still had to face a powerful opponent: Garp the Fist!
As for the remaining eight warships, the earlier display of power had deterred them from attacking the Caste Kingdom from the other three directions.
Reno's objective had been achieved. As long as the fight remained at the front, these forces could not pose any significant threat to the Caste Kingdom.
"Reno, I admit I underestimated you, but today, you will die, no matter what!!!"
"Take them down!!!"
Steel Bone Kong's face was frosty, and the killing intent in his eyes intensified.
He slammed his feet down, and the powerful force cracked the ground, causing spiderweb-like fissures to immediately appear.
Furious, Steel Bone Kong charged directly towards Reno.
"Your opponent is me!"
Haerding burst from the crowd, swinging his giant fist to meet the charge.
Since he had chosen Steel Bone Kong, he would not allow Steel Bone Kong to interfere with Reno. If he couldn't manage even this much, he would be a very incompetent crewmate.
The two delivered heavy blows that collided, and the powerful shockwave warped the surrounding space.
Steel Bone Kong and Haerding simultaneously recoiled.
"Your strength?!"
Feeling the force transmitted through his fist, Steel Bone Kong frowned deeply. He had initially thought Haerding was just an ordinary Giant, but now it seemed the opponent's strength might truly be comparable to his own.
"It seems I truly did underestimate all of you."
Steel Bone Kong's expression was rarely this serious.
"Sengoku, be careful of that guy!!" Steel Bone Kong glanced briefly at Jess, who had yet to make a move, and cautioned Sengoku again.
Currently, Jess was the only one in the Reno Pirate Crew who hadn't entered the fight. However, judging by his composed and calm demeanor, his strength was likely not inferior to Sengoku's.
"Don't worry, I never underestimated him," Sengoku replied in a deep voice, his gaze fixed on Jess.
Reno and Haerding's simultaneous moves made Sengoku realize that they had underestimated the Reno Pirate Crew.
Haerding and his opponent, Jess, should both possess strength comparable to a Marine Admiral.
The only thing that offered him slight relief was that Linlin, whose strength was comparable to Garp's, was not present. Otherwise, they would surely lose this battle!
"I want to see what kind of trick you have!!!"
"Die for me!!" Sengoku roared, and with a bang, he transformed into a streak of golden light that shot into the sky. From dozens of meters away, he threw a punch at Jess.
He would not approach Jess recklessly before confirming his ability.
"Buddha's Fury!!!"
Boom!!!
The massive golden palm, wrapped in terrifying energy shockwaves, instantly traversed the dozens of meters toward Jess. The air buzzed with explosive sounds.
"Petty trick!" Jess curled his lips into a mocking smile, though he knew the opponent was merely trying to test his abilities.
"As you wish!"
"Lightning Strike!!"
Jess extended his right hand, palm down, and clenched his fist sharply.
Boom! Boom! Boom!Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several thick silver lightning bolts, about the width of a bowl, slammed down, directly colliding with the golden shockwave launched by Sengoku. A deafening explosion instantly erupted, and powerful energy ripples spread out from the point of collision.
"Lightning power! You also possess lightning power?!!"
As the two attacks neutralized each other, a shocked Sengoku exclaimed, staring at Reno and Jess with stunned eyes.
Although Jess's technique was slightly inferior to Reno's, they were using the exact same ability.
Both Jess and Reno were human, and lightning power was not something humans were born with. This was undoubtedly a Devil Fruit, and likely the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, which possessed the strongest destructive power among the Logia type.
"Damn it, what in the world is going on?!!" Sengoku gritted his teeth. For the first time, he felt a flicker of unease.
"Don't bother thinking about it. How could you guys possibly understand the Captain's methods?" Jess's unexplained comment made Sengoku and the others glance at Reno once more.
In truth, even Jess didn't know why Reno also commanded his lightning power.
"Don't worry about that right now! Let's just kill them first!!!"
Seeing Sengoku momentarily hesitate, Zeffa yelled and once again charged toward his old opponent, Flame Flower.
Although their last bout ended without a clear winner, Zeffa was confident that given enough time, he could surely defeat Flame Flower.
Flame Flower naturally understood this. She had to admit that there was still a slight gap between her strength and Zeffa's.
But who said she absolutely had to defeat Zeffa?
As long as she stalled Zeffa and the others gained an advantage on the other battlefields, victory would still be theirs.
With this thought, she only summoned the Ice Homie and the Earth Homie this time.
"Zeffa, attacking a woman so ruthlessly, you're truly cold-hearted!" Flame Flower curled her lips at the charging Zeffa, but her hands didn't slow down at all.
Boom! Boom! Boom!Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground cracked, and two rigid stone walls suddenly shot up from the earth, blocking Zeffa's path.
"Hahahaha... Flame Flower, still resorting to these meaningless tactics. I will kill you today!!!" Zeffa snorted coldly. The rigid stone wall was as fragile as tofu before his iron fist. The wall that was struck instantly collapsed into countless fragments.
"It's not over yet! Ice Discs!!"
The Ice Homie spewed extreme freezing air, creating rapidly rotating discs. Flame Flower focused her gaze and immediately directed the discs to fly toward Zeffa, who had just broken free.
"You're asking for death!!"
Zeffa didn't retreat but advanced. As a metallic hum sounded, a dark shade slowly covered his fist.
He punched out, directly colliding with the ice discs in mid-air. The high-speed rotation of the discs continuously eroded Zeffa's Haki defense.
But in the end, they were all shattered by Zeffa, falling to the ground as ice fragments.
"This power?!!" Zeffa's face lost its earlier ease as he watched a wisp of white smoke rise from his fist.
"Zeffa, underestimating a woman comes with a price!!"
"Lance Cavalry!!"
Flame Flower launched another killing move. The Ice Homie inhaled and exhaled cold air, creating countless ice spears that shot toward Zeffa!
"Break for me!" Zeffa snorted and counterattacked.
Glancing at the three ongoing battles, Garp's face grew darker.
Sengoku and the others were equally matched with their opponents; a victor was unlikely to be determined in a short amount of time.
"Then I'll deal with you first!!!"
"Reno, that move must have cost you a lot of stamina, didn't it?!!" Garp could naturally tell that the move's massive range and destructive power would require a significant effort, even for a powerhouse.
"So what? It's still easy enough to defeat you," Reno smiled, entirely unconcerned.
"Arrogant!"
"Die for me!!" Garp concentrated high-density Armament Haki on his arms and swung his iron fist toward Reno.
For a powerhouse like Reno, probing was meaningless. Moreover, he had to defeat Reno in the shortest possible time to create an opening for the Marines.
"I've long heard the name Garp the Iron Fist. Let me have a go at you today!!"
Reno laughed heartily, charging forward as well. His lightning manifested, covering his body while a Haki armor overlaid it. He fiercely threw his right fist out.
Garp, the Marine Hero, earned his fame with his bare fists! As someone with the Iron Body talent and Evil God Super Strength, Reno would not be outdone.
Bang!
The two fists collided. A visible shockwave spread out, shaking the surrounding area.
Feeling the immense force transmitted through his fist, Garp's expression turned solemn. He felt a similar sensation from Reno's punch as he did when facing Linlin.
After the simple exchange, both men retreated simultaneously.
"As expected of the Iron Fist, you truly have strength!"
With just one move, Reno roughly assessed Garp's strength.
No Devil Fruit ability, no Conqueror's Haki (hopefully he wouldn't be proven wrong later), and no swordsmanship. Yet, Garp had reached the top tier of the New World powerhouses based solely on physical combat and Haki. This demonstrated how formidable Garp's physique and Armament Haki truly were.
"Enough talk! Today is the day the Caste Kingdom falls!!"
Garp roared, simultaneously launching himself toward Reno like an outgoing cannonball. His pitch-black fist flew straight toward Reno's face.
"Bring it on!!"
Reno laughed loudly, also closing the distance. His lightning manifested, covering his body with electricity and a Haki armor. He fiercely swung his right fist.
"I don't seem to have an opponent now."
Black Shadow, tightly gripping his short sword, looked at the four battlefields that had erupted and shook his head helplessly.
He couldn't intervene in any of the fights, and the participants wouldn't want him to interfere anyway.
The remaining Marine soldiers had all retreated a hundred meters away. Unless they came over to seek death, there was nothing he could do.
Black Shadow currently wished he had wings to fly into the Marine fleet and start slaughtering them.
"Don't worry. Those Marine soldiers won't stand idly by forever." Rogue appeared beside him at some point.
"I know." Black Shadow, having sensed Rogue, nodded slightly.
If Steel Bone Kong and the others were to fall into a disadvantage, these Marine soldiers certainly wouldn't watch passively. Even if they didn't approach the harbor, they could provide artillery cover, just like last time.
The tactic was old, but very effective. After all, they all knew that Reno and his crew would absolutely not allow the Caste Kingdom to suffer any harm.
"With Luo Feng here this time, their scheme won't succeed." Rogue reassured him, seemingly guessing Black Shadow's thoughts.
"Keep a close eye on those guys. If they dare to approach, kill them!" Black Shadow stared at the remaining Marines, his eyes radiating a chilling killing intent.
"Rest assured! This time, these despicable Marines won't return home!"
Even a worm will turn. After the Marines attacked them twice in a row, the killing intent surging from Rogue was stronger than ever before.
...
"Vice Admiral Carl, are we just going to keep watching?"
"Shouldn't we provide artillery support for Admiral Kong and the others?!" a Marine soldier asked a Vice Admiral on one of the warships.
"Now is not the time yet."
Vice Admiral Carl stared intently at the four divided battlefields in the harbor and shook his head.
The battle had only just begun, and the enemies' stamina had not yet been depleted. Now was also the time when the opposing side's vigilance was at its peak; even if they acted now, it wouldn't be very effective. The best time for them to offer support was only after the enemy had consumed a portion of their stamina and when the fighting was at its most intense.
"Inform the other Vice Admirals to not act rashly. Wait for the opportune moment!"
"Pass on my order! Have everyone prepare themselves, ready to provide support at any time!"
"Yes!!"