She firmly believed that everything Kizaru said was correct, so she didn't hesitate to unleash her ultimate technique.
"Elbaf Spear—Hakai!"
Vivian wasn't the type to hold back just because Sabo was young. Her massive glaive came crashing down with earth-splitting force. The sharp howl of the wind and the overwhelming pressure of the strike made even Luffy—who had already run ahead—instinctively turn back.
Facing the full-powered attack of the giant vice admiral, Sabo took a deep breath and assumed a defensive stance.
Back when Dragon had trained him, he had said:
"Dragon Claw Fist is a technique honed to crush oppressive tyranny."
Before he could bring down the Marines, before he could overthrow the World Government's rule—there was no way he could fall before Dragon himself!
"Dragon Claw Fist—Falling Dragon's Roar!"
His Haki-clad claw met Vivian's Hakai head-on. The circular shockwave from the glaive's strike was powerful enough to tear through fortress walls, yet Sabo managed to stop it.
Boom!
The ground beneath Sabo cracked and collapsed under the force, unable to withstand the impact. Yet Sabo himself remained unmoved.
Even as the slicing pressure of the attack carved fresh wounds into his body, he refused to retreat a single step.
"Don't be ridiculous! I was trained personally by Kizaru! Do you really think I can't handle a brat like you?!"
Vivian was in a foul mood.
No matter how hard she tried, she could never keep up with Kizaru. And now, standing before her, was a genius who effortlessly surpassed her.
She hated it.
Seething with anger, the giant warrior swung her glaive down at Sabo once more.
For someone who had followed Kizaru for over twenty years, Sabo—who wasn't even twenty yet—still had a long way to go.
Clang!
Sabo barely managed to block with his Haki-coated pipe, but there was no way he could match a giant's raw strength. The impact sent him flying.
"What insane power…"
Twisting his body midair, Sabo landed lightly on the ground, his expression grim.
Vivian's actual strength wasn't overwhelming—compared to the Warlords, she was mid-tier at best, only slightly stronger than Moria.
But with mastery over both Armament and Observation Haki, combined with a giant's natural strength and endurance, she was one of the toughest opponents Sabo had ever faced.
There was no shortcut to victory. Either he had to completely overpower her, or he had to fight a brutal battle of attrition—trading blows until one of them could no longer stand.
"Again!"
Vivian shouted, twirling her glaive before launching another fierce assault.
Seeing that Sabo was holding his ground, Luffy finally felt relieved and turned back toward the execution platform.
He had inherited Garp's fighting spirit—after just a few days of training with Sabo, he was already grasping the basics of Armament Haki in real combat.
Marines continued charging forward, desperate to stop him.
They had no idea he was Garp's grandson—so they showed no hesitation in attacking.
But Luffy, fueled by his desire to save Ace, pushed past his limits.
Even when multiple vice admirals intervened, they couldn't stop his advance.
---
"Hmph."
Sitting below the execution platform, Sakazuki opened his eyes.
He knew exactly who Luffy was.
But even knowing that Luffy was Garp's grandson, the admiral wouldn't hesitate for a second when it came time to act.
"Straw Hat Luffy… you're certainly full of energy."
A lazy voice interrupted.
"Your spicy beef rice bowl is ready. Shouldn't you eat before we start fighting?"
Kizaru's voice was as relaxed as ever.
Nami and a few attendants approached with a foldable table and meal boxes.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku was broadcasting the battle to the world, but the live feed only showed the battlefield.
Even if people saw him having a picnic in the middle of a war, it wouldn't matter—after all, everyone already knew how ridiculous Admiral Kizaru was.
"No need. I don't have an appetite right now."
Sakazuki snorted.
He despised Kizaru's lax attitude.
But Kizaru wasn't competing for the fleet admiral position, and despite his carefree nature, both his strength and achievements outshined Sakazuki's.
With his personality, there was no way Sakazuki could argue against him in this situation.
"Shame. This is top-tier cooking made with the finest ingredients…"
Kizaru sighed in regret as he casually popped the sweet shrimp sashimi—originally meant for Kuzan—into his mouth. He watched the battlefield unfold before him while savoring his meal, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.
This was even better than watching a blockbuster in a theater. No matter how well-directed a movie was, nothing could compare to the immersive experience of witnessing a battle firsthand.
The craftsmanship of a top-tier chef was no joke. Even the most ordinary dish could taste like a dream when prepared by a master.
Nami, without the slightest hesitation, pulled up a small stool and joined Kizaru for a meal. When she first started following Kizaru, she had naively thought she could reform his ridiculous behavior. In the end, it was she who ended up being influenced by him.
However, both of them very consciously ignored Sakazuki's spicy beef rice bowl, which had been modified to an insane degree—three times the usual spice level on top of an already extreme heat. Only someone like Sakazuki, whose body was made of magma, could eat it without breaking a sweat.
---
[Random Passerby Who Wants to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh]: Damn! Why is Nami hanging out with Kizaru?!
[Kobayashi]: Ah, I'm so jealous… I want to have a picnic while watching the chaos too…
[Ai Haibara]: What an outrageous chest size… That's just way too big!
[Kobayashu]: Meh, doesn't seem that big to me. Compared to Tohru or Lucoa… it's not that huge… right?
[Fubuki]: You guys have the weirdest focus. Shouldn't you be noticing their tableware? Those utensils look extremely high-end… definitely luxury goods.
[Tony Stark]: Tableware? The real focus should be on the wine!
[Tony Stark]: I can't taste it directly, but from the color and texture, it looks even better than my private collection. These are auction-worthy bottles.
[Kizaru]: Hmm… If you like them, I'll send you a few bottles later.
[Tony Stark]: Hey, that's why you're my best friend! I won't hold back then!
[Orochimaru]: Heh… The power of Devil Fruits is truly fascinating. Giants, powerful beings from Kizaru's world… all excellent research material…
[Kizaru]: If you want 'research material,' I'll send you some later. But don't go after the Marines.
[Orochimaru]: That would be perfect. Fresh specimens would be best…
[Ai Haibara]: @Orochimaru Let me make this clear—I refuse to take part in any inhumane experiments. Don't send me severed limbs!
[Orochimaru]: Tsk, what a shame. The secrets hidden within the human body are nearly limitless… especially bodies from another world…
---
As Kizaru casually ate and chatted with his livestream audience, the Whitebeard Pirates' 43 allied crews—along with the Revolutionary Army and the Impel Down escapees—finally broke through the right-front Marine defensive line at Marineford.
Though Little Oars Jr. had collapsed under the relentless barrage of cannon fire and Marine attacks, it didn't change the fact that, in this area, the Marines were on the verge of defeat.
"Activate the defensive wall operation!"
Seeing that the frontlines were about to be overrun by the enemy's overwhelming momentum, Fleet Admiral Sengoku had no choice but to grit his teeth and give the order earlier than planned.
Fortunately, the situation hadn't reached the worst-case scenario yet.
As long as they could wipe out Whitebeard's main force, the remaining 43 allied crews, the Revolutionary Army, and the Impel Down escapees combined would still be no match for Marine HQ.
In fact, since the Revolutionary Army had walked straight into the lion's den, this battle might even bring an unexpected bonus.
At Sengoku's command, the Marines who had been fighting the Whitebeard Pirates began withdrawing under the cover of artillery fire and high-ranking officers.
Not knowing what was happening, the Whitebeard Pirates hesitated to pursue and instead regrouped with their squad captains.
After such a brutal battle, despite having significantly fewer numbers, the Whitebeard Pirates had suffered fewer casualties than the Marines.
"What are the Marines planning?"
"No idea… but stay cautious."
"Captain, shouldn't we chase them?"
…
The pirates of the Whitebeard Pirates were visibly uneasy, uncertain as to why the Marines were suddenly pulling back.
"They're not… scared of us, are they?"
The pirate who spoke couldn't help but chuckle at his own words. Given the sheer difference in numbers, even if they fought to the last man, taking down even a tenth of the Marine forces would already be considered lucky.
A hundred thousand elite-level Marines—comparable to Headquarters-trained troops—meant that unless the officers stepped in, even the combined might of multiple Emperor-level crews wouldn't be able to outlast them in a war of attrition.
"Just stay on guard… wait—no!"
Marco's expression remained tense, unlike some of his more relaxed crewmates who didn't seem to take the Marines seriously.
But in the very next moment, Marco's face changed drastically. Without hesitation, he transformed into a phoenix and shot toward Marineford's central plaza at an astonishing speed.
The other division commanders froze for a split second before realizing the severity of the situation.
Observation Haki wasn't omniscient. Unless one had awakened the ability to hear the Voice of All Things or see into the future, it wouldn't necessarily detect non-lethal threats in advance.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's plan perfectly exploited this limitation. Since the defensive wall operation wasn't an immediate lethal threat to Whitebeard or his division commanders, even someone as proficient in Observation Haki as Marco failed to notice the danger right away.
In the waters surrounding Marineford's bay, massive superalloy walls began rising from the seafloor. These towering, ring-shaped fortifications sealed off the Whitebeard Pirates' main forces in an instant, trapping them like fish in a barrel.
"Phoenix Seal!"
Unwilling to accept their predicament, Marco unleashed a full-force attack against the indestructible superalloy wall. His strike left nothing more than a faint imprint on the surface.
Such an absurd level of defense wasn't something ordinary metal could achieve. Marco even suspected that fragments of Seastone had been mixed into the alloy's composition.
"Flower Sword!"
Vista arrived shortly after. In an instant, he drew both blades and unleashed over a hundred flying slashes. In terms of raw attack power, as a master swordsman, Vista even surpassed Marco.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
A rapid series of metallic clangs echoed through the air. However, Vista's face quickly darkened—his strikes lacked the unmistakable sensation of cutting through something.
Hundreds of flying slashes had only managed to carve out countless shallow grooves on the surface of the superalloy wall.
At this rate, even if the Marines let them hack away at it for an entire day, breaking through those superalloy walls would still be impossible.
"Step aside, Vista!"
Just as Vista was sinking into despair, he suddenly realized that his father was standing behind him. Whitebeard's towering figure cast a reassuring shadow over him, exuding an overwhelming sense of security.
"Be careful, Pops! There's something off about this thing!"
Vista couldn't help but warn him. Seeing Whitebeard prepare to take action himself, even Fleet Admiral Sengoku—who had personally devised the defensive wall strategy—felt a wave of tension.
Such was the oppressive presence of the world's strongest man. Even after decades of clashing with Whitebeard, Sengoku still couldn't confidently claim to have seen the man's true limits.
"Gurararara! I haven't gone senile just yet!"
Whitebeard let out a hearty laugh. But facing the superalloy walls that had forced both Marco and Vista to retreat, he was more serious than ever.
Knowing Sengoku as well as he did, Whitebeard was certain that the Marines wouldn't have deployed these walls unless they had absolute confidence in their defensive capabilities.
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
"Where the hell did those slabs come from?"
Kizaru raised an eyebrow, sounding genuinely surprised.
Since he was usually too lazy to care about such things, he hadn't even bothered to learn the full details of the war's battle plans. If anything truly important came up, he figured Nami would inform him anyway.
Plus, having lived through decades beyond this timeline, he had long forgotten most of One Piece's original story—aside from the major characters, of course.
So when the Marines suddenly pulled out this kind of high-tech marvel, even Kizaru found himself caught off guard.
"That's Dr. Vegapunk's ultra-high-strength anti-seismic alloy. It costs 300 times more than regular steel, but its durability is a hundred times greater!"
Nami spoke with admiration. No matter the field, Dr. Vegapunk's technological prowess was nothing short of astonishing.
"Oh, that weirdo, huh? Figures…"
Kizaru clicked his tongue in annoyance. He had no fondness for Vegapunk, who had always been eager to dissect him for research.
Still, he had to admit—this latest invention was something else. A steel wall capable of withstanding Whitebeard's attacks? That was ridiculous.
If Kizaru were to break it, he figured he'd need to put at least 60% of his full power into the strike.
BOOM!
Inside Marineford's bay, Whitebeard unleashed a full-powered punch against the superalloy wall. The resulting shockwave reverberated throughout the entire island, shaking Marine Headquarters itself. Even the execution platform, located far away, was not spared from the tremors.
Yet, despite this massive impact, a smile spread across Sengoku's face.
Dr. Vegapunk's technology had not let him down.
°°°
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