"It's finally starting!"
The cry went up from the island as Fleet Admiral Akainu made his first move. The atmosphere turned a violent crimson as his massive magma fists rained down from the heavens. The spectators on the shore weren't afraid; they knew that Kaido and Charlotte Linlin, the two masters of this territory, would never allow their island to be reduced to ash.
As expected, the King of the Beasts took action. Kaido's body shifted and expanded, transforming into a colossal azure dragon that coiled through the clouds. He looked at the falling magma with pure disdain.
"Bad Wind!"
Kaido unleashed a barrage of dense, crescent-shaped wind blades from his maw. The pressurized air sliced through the magma fists, shattering them mid-air. Molten rock rained down into the sea, sending up plumes of steam and massive splashes. With a chilling glare, Kaido whipped his head toward the Marine warships, aiming his next blast directly at the fleet.
"Leave it to me!" Kizaru shouted.
The Admiral's eyes flickered with a blinding golden light. "Yasakani no Magatama!"
Kizaru launched a torrent of light particles that collided with Kaido's wind blades in a series of deafening explosions that illuminated the entire sea. Seeing the stalemate, Akainu growled an order through the communication Den Den Mushi.
"All Marine fleets, listen up! Open fire!"
On the side of the Emperor Alliance, the lead commanders were just as ready. Jack the Drought and Charlotte Katakuri stood at the prows of their respective flagships, their eyes sharp and unforgiving.
"Open fire!" they ordered in unison.
The ocean erupted with the roar of heavy artillery as both sides exchanged massive broadsides. Cannonballs filled the air, but the sheer density of the fire meant very few actually reached their targets. Most collided in mid-air, creating a wall of smoke and fire between the two fleets. The shockwaves from the explosions sent stray rounds tumbling into the water.
Even when a shell managed to break through, the high-ranking officers didn't need to lift a finger. Their subordinates acted quickly, slicing or batting the projectiles away. After more than forty rounds of intense cannon fire, only a few ships had been grazed. For fleets of this caliber, such hits were barely a scratch; these weren't vessels that could be sunk by a simple cannonball.
Kaido roared his command from the sky. "Everyone, listen to me! Since these Marines want a fight, let's make sure they never leave!"
"My children, attack!" Big Mom cackled with excitement. "Keep these Marines right where they are!"
With the word given, the pirate ships of the Alliance surged forward in a coordinated charge. The pirates on deck were howling with bloodlust, eager to claim Marine lives. In contrast, while the Marine high command stood firm, a flicker of fear was visible on the faces of the ordinary soldiers. It wasn't a lack of courage—it was the result of a day filled with soul-crushing blows to their morale.
Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Marines' Great Staff Officer, saw the hesitation. "We cannot let this continue. We must seize the initiative!"
"Agreed," Akainu barked. "All Vice Admirals, move out! Stop those pirates in their tracks!"
In this moment, the absence of Aokiji was felt heavily. Had the former Admiral been present, his Hie Hie no Mi powers could have frozen the sea, halting the pirate advance and providing a stable battlefield for the foot soldiers. Without him, the Marines had to rely on raw strength.
Fortunately, the Vice Admirals of the Navy Headquarters were elite warriors, each a master of the Rokushiki techniques. At their command, the lead warships accelerated into the fray. Seeing their commanders take the lead, the ordinary soldiers felt their fear begin to subside.
On the pirate side, the commanders sneered. "Oni Squad, move out!" Jack ordered.
From behind the Beasts King, the thirteen division captains of the Oni Squad stepped forward, led by the "Worst Generation" pirate Basil Hawkins.
"Is it finally our turn?" one captain laughed. "Let's not disappoint Lord Kaido! Take those Marines down!"
Katakuri gave his own orders. "Daifuku, Oven—take the Ministers and go."
"You got it, brother!" they replied. As Big Mom's strongest sons present—aside from the Sweet Commanders—they led twenty Ministers and their fleet into the heart of the Marine formation.
The scale of the battle was staggering. The Marines deployed thirty-five Vice Admirals aboard thirty-five warships. Facing them were thirteen Oni Squad captains and twenty Totto Land Ministers commanding thirty-three pirate ships. The sea was a chaotic maze of timber and iron, filled with the screams of battle.
The distance closed, and the boarding actions began. "Charge!" Vice Admiral Onigumo roared, waving his hand as Marine soldiers leaped onto the pirate decks. The slaughter began in earnest as the pirates met them with equal ferocity.
The Vice Admirals immediately sought out their counterparts:
Onigumo vs. Hawkins
Yamakaji vs. Daifuku
Momonga vs. Oven
Strawberry vs. Apoo
Onigumo landed on a Beasts Pirates ship, his eyes locking onto Hawkins. "I know you, Basil Hawkins. One of the 'Worst Generation.' I'll take this chance to erase an evil-doer like you from the world."
"Erase me?" Hawkins replied calmly. "As Lord Kaido said, you Marines are too arrogant. It is time you learned what defeat tastes like."
"Defeat? Don't make me laugh," Onigumo growled. "The Navy is the true overlord of this sea. It doesn't matter if there are two Emperors; you will share the same fate as the Whitebeard Pirates."
"We shall see," Hawkins said. He knew a Vice Admiral was no easy opponent, but he was eager to prove his progress to Kaido. "Wicker Man!"
Hawkins transformed into a towering, monstrous scarecrow made of straw, wielding a jagged straw blade. Onigumo countered, his hair shifting and extending like spider legs to hold six additional swords. The two clashed in a whirlwind of steel.
Elsewhere, Smoker—recently promoted to Commodore—was using his Moku Moku no Mi powers to turn himself into a whirlwind of smoke. He tore through the pirate ranks, his Jitte striking down anyone in his path. He seemed unstoppable, but the screams of his own men caught his attention.
"Monsters! They're monsters!"
Smoker looked across the deck and froze. A group of pirates, transformed into various terrifying animal hybrids, were butchering Marine soldiers with overwhelming strength.
Watching from the safety of the command ship, the Marine high command realized the horror of what they were seeing. "A Gifters army?" they whispered. "An entire force of Artificial Devil Fruit users?"
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