Borsalino, the user of the Pika Pika no Mi, descended from the sky in his Marine justice cloak, a gray striped shirt underneath. He appeared before everyone and blocked Lina, Lacroix, and Tessis from moving forward.
Lacroix held Tessis in his arms and stared at Borsalino, who, like Sakazuki, was one of the Marines' monsters. Shock filled his face.
"Borsalino..."
Borsalino, however, still wore that same unserious look. Standing on the ice, he raised his head and looked at the towering giant before him with an amazed expression.
"Love really does cloud the mind, doesn't it? But..."
At this point, Borsalino's gaze became dangerously sharp.
"Lacroix, as a Marine Vice Admiral, you betrayed the Marines so easily on the battlefield and surrendered to the enemy. Don't you owe Fleet Admiral Sengoku an explanation?"
"Uncle Lacroix, don't worry about this Marine! I'll hold him back!"
Lina shouted nervously to Lacroix behind her as she raised a barrier.
"Oh, how scary."
Borsalino looked at the young giant in front of him.
"What an interesting Devil Fruit ability. It actually blocked one of Sakazuki's attacks. I wonder if it can block my light beam too."
As soon as he finished speaking, Borsalino raised a finger, golden light shining at its tip.
Seeing this, Lacroix's expression changed drastically, and he shouted, "Don't hurt her, Borsalino! You're right. From a Marine's perspective, everything I'm doing now is a crime worthy of death, and I have let Vice Admiral Tsuru and the others down. But from the moment I learned the truth, from the moment I learned I had been sold to the Marines and the World Government by human traffickers, I no longer had any feelings left for the Marines or the World Government. Tessis is the only thing I cherish in this world, and she is the reason I stayed in the Marines."
At that moment, Tessis slowly opened her eyes in Lacroix's arms. Tears filled them as she looked at him and softly called his name.
"Lacroix..."
Seeing the woman he loved wake up and look at him with such affection, Lacroix made up his mind completely and roared at Borsalino.
"Don't stop me, Borsalino!"
Borsalino looked a little curious when he saw Lacroix's sudden change in presence.
"I know I'm no match for you, but don't force me. This battle is being broadcast live to the entire world. Do you really want me to expose how your Marines and the World Government's science division carry out human experiments?"
At those words, everyone was stunned.
"Hey, hey... what are you saying now? That sounds terrifying..."
Borsalino's expression instantly darkened. Not far away, Sengoku and the others on the Marines' flagship also turned pale.
But Lacroix no longer cared about anything as he shouted, "Stop pretending, Borsalino! And all of you Marines too! Do you really think you have the right to carry so-called justice on your backs? To obtain the power of us giants, you used prisoners for human gigantification experiments. Are you really going to force me to say it all?"
"Shut him up, Borsalino!"
Before the battlefield could even react, Sengoku had already roared in anger from the Marines' flagship.
Even the slowest Marines around them seemed to understand something now. Among those watching the battle, some were shocked, while others sneered.
"How ugly... the Marines."
Borsalino also glanced in surprise at Sengoku in the distance, whose face had gone dark. Then he slightly raised his finger, golden light flashing.
"Sorry, but I can't let you keep talking."
But just then, a thunderclap rang out from nowhere.
A thick bolt of lightning, like a pillar holding up the sky, descended from above and struck the spot where Borsalino stood. Dazzling lightning swallowed him whole.
"Boom..."
The violent roar stabbed at everyone's ears, and the blinding light made it impossible for anyone to keep their eyes open.
"How scary. The Sky Pirates' Vice Captain, Thunder God Enel, has finally appeared."
"Long time no see, Yellow Monkey!"
...
On the Marines' flagship, as they watched Thunder God Enel appear according to plan, many people's thoughts were no longer on that.
"Sengoku, is what Lacroix said true? About the human experiments?"
Zephyr, whose family had been killed by pirates and who hated pirates deeply, yet still upheld his own rule against killing, asked Sengoku with a heavy expression.
Hammond, standing nearby, looked at Zephyr with some dissatisfaction.
"Admiral Zephyr, this isn't the time to be worrying about that, is it? Besides, are you really going to believe the words of a traitor?"
To everyone's surprise, Sengoku nodded with an ugly expression.
"I only found out after becoming Fleet Admiral. Ever since Roger began the Great Pirate Era, the World Government has felt that the Marines' control over the sea has been growing weaker. Especially after the Sky Pirates displayed those unbelievable technologies involving Devil Fruits and ships, Fleet Admiral Kong signed off on these experimental programs."
The deck instantly fell silent.
Zephyr looked at his old friend. He could sense that the truth was definitely not as simple as Sengoku made it sound, but at this moment, Sengoku had not hidden the truth from him. For now, that was enough.
As an Admiral, he also understood that many things were beyond one's control.
"After this war is over, I want an explanation from you."
After saying that, Zephyr turned away and did not press any further.
Sengoku let out a breath of relief and looked toward the battlefield not far away.
In truth, the matter was indeed far from that simple. The World Government had never cared about the Marines' reputation.
Ever since the World Government captured Vegapunk more than ten years ago and brought him under their control, those experiments had already begun.
But right now, none of that mattered anymore.
"Thunder God Enel has appeared according to plan. Next, it all depends on Kuzan..."
...
On the endless ice field, after Sakazuki and Borsalino entered the battle, the Marines and Germa Corps soldiers who had been locked in combat began to withdraw on their own sides.
Before long, the entire battlefield formed a circular area centered around the three giants.
In front of and behind the three giants stood the highest-level forces currently deployed by the Sky Pirates and the Marines.
At the front of the dense ranks of Marines stood two of the future three Admirals, Sakazuki, the user of the Magu Magu no Mi, and Borsalino, the user of the Pika Pika no Mi.
Standing before the Germa Corps were two of the Sky Pirates' three fleet captains, Enel, the user of the Goro Goro no Mi, and Erik, the Sword Wind Master.
This was a meeting between the Sky Pirates' fleet captains and the Marines' future Admirals.
Only...
Still dressed the same as ever, looking as arrogant as always, as if the title of Yonkō had not changed him in the slightest, Enel held his golden staff, picked his ear, and glanced at the two men in front of him.
"Looks like someone's still missing."
As soon as he said that, a lazy voice rang out.
"Ara ra... Is little Enel looking for me?"
***
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