[Passerby Who Wants to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh]: Huh?
[Ai Haibara]: Disgusting HENTAI!
[Kobayashi]: Passerby-san, while we don't discriminate against gay people, targeting minors is a bit much, don't you think…?
[Passerby Who Wants to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh]: What?! No! I've been wronged! I was just curious if the elasticity of the Rubber-Rubber Fruit is really that good!
[Ai Haibara]: Stop making excuses and just admit it!
[Passerby Who Wants to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh]: Are you kidding me?! This is the one thing I'd never admit to, not even if I were beaten to death!
[Esdeath]: It seems those pirates are no match for the Navy at all. Their strength is decent, but the numbers are just too unbalanced.
[Esdeath]: And their discipline is a complete mess. If I were in charge of the Navy, I'd be able to wipe out these pirates completely!
[Passerby Who Wants to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh]: We're doomed. I just realized how strong Kizaru is right now. Luffy is probably done for. Wuwuwu, my beloved Straw Hat Pirates…
[Kizaru]: …It's not that bad. If you really want Straw Hat Luffy to survive, I could just let him off the hook…
[Passerby Who Wants to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh]: Really?! Love it, love it! Kizaru-sama, you're the best! The Straw Hat Pirates are my youth!
[Kobayashi]: Waaaah! A g-giant! A massive giant! Look at the port, everyone!
[Ai Haibara]: S-so big! That guy is even taller than the giants! Thirty… No! Almost forty meters tall!
---
Just as Kizaru was chatting with the group in the live broadcast, an exceptionally massive figure appeared in the waters near Marineford.
Oars Jr.!
Even the tallest Giant Vice Admirals of the Marine Headquarters were only half his height, barely reaching his waist. Compared to him, they looked like mere children.
As for the regular marines, they weren't even as tall as his toes.
A colossal being like this appearing among the pirates' ranks was enough to make even the well-trained Marine Headquarters soldiers feel a chill of fear.
Unless you witness such a creature firsthand, it's hard to grasp the sheer intimidation that a giant exerts over ordinary people.
If a Giant Vice Admiral had an intimidation factor of 20 against pirates, then Oars Jr., who was twice as tall, would push that number straight to 100 for the marines!
"Go, Oars Jr.!"
"Save Ace!"
"Haha! We've already won!"
---
The pirates cheered for Oars Jr., but Whitebeard's face showed faint concern.
Oars Jr.'s massive size was indeed intimidating, and he was a powerful force on the battlefield. But against true powerhouses, a giant's huge body was nothing more than a bigger target.
Even Elbaf, the land of the giants and supposedly the world's strongest nation, was only considered "strong" in the sense that they could at least protect themselves against real monsters.
One of the Four Emperors, Charlotte Linlin, had accidentally killed a legendary giant as a child, yet Elbaf never dared to seek revenge against her.
"Hee-hee-hee, so big… A descendant of Oars? No one touch him—this one's mine!"
Moriah looked at Oars Jr. with excitement. Sure, he'd collect plenty of strong bodies from this war, but nothing compared to getting his hands on giants like Oars.
If he could get both Oars and Oars Jr., then stuff them with a couple of powerful souls, wouldn't that be twice the fun?
"I'm so bored… I just want to return to Kizaru-sama's side."
Hancock casually shattered a petrified pirate with a kick. Normally, she wouldn't care about collateral damage, but because of Kizaru, she was making an effort to avoid harming nearby marines.
"So beautiful!"
"Hancock-sama~!"
"The most beautiful woman in the world!"
The combination of the Love-Love Fruit's power and Hancock's unparalleled beauty was simply too overwhelming. Every marine who laid eyes on her instinctively turned into a devoted follower, guarding her like an army of loyal simps.
If Hancock actually used her Devil Fruit ability, she could turn all of them into stone in an instant.
"Fufufufufu! Fight! The more intense, the better! Only the victor is justice!"
Doflamingo sat atop the shoulders of a tall pirate, laughing as he controlled him with his strings, forcing him to slaughter his own crewmates.
"No! Stop! Run away, everyone!"
The poor pirate, under Doflamingo's manipulation, wailed in despair as he cut down his comrades one by one.
Other pirates wanted to fight back, but they hesitated because the puppet was still their crewmate. Doflamingo, ever the sadist, would even make his victims drop their weapons, forcing their friends to deliver the killing blow themselves.
For him, switching to another puppet was no big deal. What he truly enjoyed was watching pirates turn on each other.
As the Marines and Whitebeard's forces clashed, the arrival of the Seven Warlords quickly tipped the scales in the Navy's favor.
Even though the Warlords weren't going all out, their presence alone was like an unstoppable force of nature compared to regular pirates.
---
"Desert Spada!"
Just as Doflamingo reveled in the chaos, a slicing attack made of sand came slashing toward him from a distance.
Not interested in experiencing what that attack felt like firsthand, Doflamingo abandoned his puppet and flipped backward like a marionette on strings, effortlessly dodging the strike.
"Fufufufu! Well, well, look who it is—Crocodile, the Desert Croc! Weren't you kicked out of the Warlords and locked up in Impel Down? When did you escape? And since when did you start working for Whitebeard?"
Doflamingo grinned in amusement. In his memory, Crocodile and Whitebeard were sworn enemies.
It was already surprising that Crocodile hadn't tried to assassinate Whitebeard. There was no way he'd actually help him.
"Hmph. I don't need you to tell me—I'll take Whitebeard's head myself. I just couldn't stand looking at you."
Crocodile took a drag from his cigar, speaking with utter disdain.
As for why he only attacked Doflamingo and deliberately avoided harming the pirates under his control…
Even Crocodile himself wasn't sure.
But when he saw that helpless pirate being forced to slaughter his own crewmates, something inside him stirred. On a whim, he decided to step in.
---
"Fufufufu! That's a bit heartless, don't you think? We were comrades in the Warlords, after all…"
Doflamingo wasn't suspicious in the slightest. To him, Crocodile was nothing but a proud and ruthless man—someone who would never lift a finger to save others.
If anything, Doflamingo found it more believable that Kizaru would develop a sense of morality than that Crocodile would rescue someone.
"Hmph! I never acknowledged any of you as my 'comrades' in the first place!"
Crocodile snorted coldly. He was too proud to consider the Warlords his equals.
The only ones he had any respect for were Mihawk and, to a lesser extent, Hancock. The rest weren't even worth his attention.
Bartholomew Kuma was just a government lapdog. Moriah had been a broken man ever since his defeat by Kaido. Jinbe was nothing but a guard dog for Fish-Man Island. And as for Doflamingo—Crocodile saw him as nothing more than a clown.
---
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. That's a bit too harsh, don't you think?" Doflamingo smirked. "A new era is coming, Crocodile. The world is going to be a dangerous place for lone wolves. How about we join forces? I can guarantee that your status will be equal to mine."
Ever since Kizaru had humbled him multiple times, Doflamingo had started to take Logia users much more seriously.
Crocodile, despite his flaws, was undeniably strong. Sure, he relied too much on his Sand-Sand Fruit and neglected Haki and physical combat, but even so, his abilities were impressive enough to make Doflamingo see him as a valuable asset.
---
"You think I'd be your damn lapdog? Not interested. Get lost!"
Crocodile's eyes gleamed with pure menace. Doflamingo's words sounded nice, but as the mastermind behind Baroque Works, Crocodile knew all too well what they really meant.
"Haha! You won't know if you're interested until you give it a try, right?"
Doflamingo's lips curled into a dangerous smirk. Convincing Crocodile with words was probably impossible, but that was fine. He had plenty of confidence in his own strength—if he couldn't persuade him, he'd just beat him into submission.
As long as he could force Crocodile to join the Donquixote Family, he had countless ways to keep this former Warlord under his thumb.
"Desert Gilded Blade!"
"Five-Color Strings!"
The battle between a former and a current Warlord erupted in an instant.
In theory, Doflamingo had the advantage—he had mastered all three types of Haki. But Crocodile wasn't an easy opponent. With the two of them clashing, it was hard to say who would come out on top.
The unluckiest ones were the marines and pirates caught in their crossfire. Some were instantly drained into husks by Crocodile's sand, while others were sliced into bloody pieces by Doflamingo's near-invisible threads.
---
Meanwhile, Luffy, Sabo, and Ivankov had run into another obstacle—Bartholomew Kuma.
At first, Ivankov kept winking at Kuma, hoping to stage a fake fight so he could let them pass.
But before he could react, the mindless Kuma almost smashed his face in with a single paw strike.
Enraged, Ivankov dropped his feminine form and went all-out against the former Warlord.
"Go! Leave this to Ivankov!"
Sabo held back Luffy, knowing the truth—Kuma had lost his free will. But now wasn't the time to tell Ivankov.
That would only distract him. The best option was to let him hold Kuma off, as neither of them would be able to win decisively in the short term.
"Alright! We have to save Ace first!"
Luffy understood the situation. Or rather, for him, nothing was more important than saving Ace.
Clang!
Before they could take another step, a massive glaive came swinging down from above.
"Whoa!"
Luffy yelped as Sabo shoved him aside, raising his Haki-coated pipe to block the devastating strike.
"Brats, you're not getting through here."
Standing in their way was none other than Vice Admiral Vivian—a giant and former subordinate of Kizaru.
Her usual chatter and crude jokes were gone. In their place was burning battle spirit.
Even though Kizaru had influenced her personality, Vivian was still a warrior from Elbaf. And a warrior of Elbaf lived for battle.
---
"Luffy, go ahead! I'll handle her!"
Sabo's face was serious.
That last attack had been powerful, and it had cut off their escape routes. Only someone proficient in both Armament and Observation Haki could pull that off.
Luffy had learned Armament Haki from him, but this opponent was still a bit too much for him right now.
"Got it!"
Luffy didn't hesitate—he trusted Sabo completely.
"Tch! Didn't I just say—this road is closed?"
Vivian scowled, swinging her glaive in Luffy's path.
With his current momentum, he was practically throwing himself onto her blade.
Among the Marine Vice Admirals, excluding old legends like Garp and Tsuru, only Gion and Chaton could definitively beat Vivian.
If not for her affiliation with the Marines, she could have easily been a Warlord herself.
"Dragon Claw Fist—First Form!"
Before her attack could land, Sabo shot forward, deflecting the glaive with a powerful claw strike.
Luffy slipped through unscathed.
Vivian gripped her trembling glaive tightly, her expression growing serious.
Kizaru had often sighed while training her, saying she lacked the talent to go beyond her limits.
Gion and Chaton's current level was probably the strongest she'd ever get.
She had been frustrated at first, but over time, she realized Kizaru was right. Compared to those naturally gifted monsters, she was just… decent.
Without Kizaru's guidance, she would've been just another ordinary giant warrior.
But now, standing before her, was one of those so-called "naturally gifted" individuals.
And for the first time in a long while—Vivian felt truly excited.
"Brat! Take another strike from me!"
She swung her glaive again, launching a relentless assault.
One of Kizaru's biggest lessons was never giving monsters like Sabo room to breathe.
Otherwise, they would analyze and counter your moves in record time.
And once that happened—defeating them would become nearly impossible.
Like cockroaches—no, like shonen protagonists—they never fell for the same trick twice.
For Vivian, Kizaru's teachings were absolute truth.
°°°
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