"Hmph! Die!"
Facing King relentless assault, Juan's eyes turned cold as he thrust both hands forward, unleashing a surging wave of deep green corrosive power that roared outward like a tidal flood, aiming to swallow King whole and force him back.
King's gaze sharpened instantly as he saw through Juan's intent. The goal was obvious, to push him away and break free so he could reinforce the other two Vice Admirals. King had no intention of allowing that to happen.
In a flash, his body transformed into a massive Pteranodon, diving forward at terrifying speed as Armament Haki, refined to the level of Ryuo, coated his entire body like an unbreakable armor.
"Dan Bow Emperor!"
His wings cut forward like twin blades, slicing straight through the massive corrosive wave, splitting it cleanly in half as if it were nothing more than water.
Despite the terrifying nature of the corrosive power, it failed to damage him. King's wings, hardened by both his Lunarian physiology and advanced Haki, remained unyielding.
In the next instant, King had already closed the distance, appearing directly before Juan as his wings and claws became weapons, launching a storm of attacks without pause.
His eyes burned with killing intent, his expression twisted with a hatred that had been buried for years. There was no hesitation, no restraint, only an all-out assault that left Juan no room to breathe.
Juan attempted to respond, but even activating his ability required time, and that sliver of time was enough for King to press forward with lethal precision.
Relying on overwhelming speed and close-range combat advantage, King forced Juan into a defensive position, where even his corrosive ability became difficult to fully utilize.
Still, Juan was no ordinary opponent. His body twisted and shifted, dodging under immense pressure as his fists, coated in both Armament Haki and corrosive energy, clashed directly against King's relentless strikes.
Yet as the battle dragged on, the momentum gradually tilted in King's favor.
He was not bound by any rigid fighting style. Every movement was instinctive, optimized for killing. Whether at close range or distance, King could instantly adapt and deliver the most efficient attack possible.
"I've seen through you!"
With a furious roar, King shifted forms mid-battle, his body snapping back as he drew his blade and brought it down with full force.
The strike shattered Juan's Armament Haki and cut into the hardened layer of corrosive armor covering his body. Though the liquid defense lacked true durability, its corrosive properties were still dangerous, capable of eroding even Haki over time.
In prolonged combat, Juan would gain the advantage.
But King never intended to fight a prolonged battle.
His target was clear from the start.
With a flash of steel, the blade descended, and Juan's right forearm was severed in a single clean strike.
For a warrior of their level, losing an arm meant a significant drop in combat effectiveness, especially for those who relied heavily on physical combat.
In that moment, even the value of the Nightfall Pirates' mechanical limbs became evident, technology that could restore functionality to such injuries, though never without some compromise.
But King did not stop.
Just as he moved to press the advantage, a violent surge of corrosive liquid erupted from Juan's body, spreading outward in all directions like a deadly tide.
Enduring the agony of losing his arm, Juan unleashed everything he had in retaliation. Even if he could not win, he refused to fall without inflicting damage.
At such close range, even King could not fully evade.
His massive wings spread outward, forming a protective barrier that shielded his body as he burst through the corrosive flood.
When he emerged, his wings showed visible damage, and parts of his prison uniform had been eaten away, riddled with holes.
Flames ignited along his body, slowly repairing the damage as the regenerative power of his Ancient Zoan took effect.
Below him, Juan's expression had turned grim.
Because impaled upon King's blade was his severed forearm.
King had deliberately taken it with him.
In doing so, he had endured the corrosive attack for longer than necessary, sustaining heavier damage just to ensure that Juan could not recover it.
Flames licked across the blade, searing the flesh until the smell of charred meat filled the air.
That arm was gone for good.
Juan's jaw tightened.
He could regenerate a replacement using his ability, shaping corrosive matter into a temporary limb, but it would never fully match the real thing.
Later, he would have no choice but to acquire a mechanical arm from the Nightfall Pirates, an ironic necessity given the current state of the world.
And those mechanical limbs were not cheap.
Even the World Government could only provide access, not compensation, forcing individuals to bear the cost themselves.
Though widely used, such technology remained under suspicion, with safeguards placed upon it to prevent potential exploitation.
High above, King looked down at Juan, a faint satisfaction flickering in his eyes.
His hatred ran deep.
Deeper than most could imagine.
Compared to the Marines, it was the World Government he despised the most.
Because it was the World Government that had nearly wiped out his race.
The Lunarians.
A people who once lived atop the Red Line, gifted with the ability to generate flames and survive in any environment, now reduced to near extinction under the relentless persecution of the World Government.
King was one of the few survivors.
Perhaps the last.
Captured, experimented on, and forced into servitude, he had long since cast aside any lingering loyalty the moment he learned the truth.
There had been no survivors.
Only lies.
That truth had severed his final connection.
Even so, King remained rational.
He knew that killing Juan here would not be easy. Losing an arm alone would not be enough to end a fighter of his level.
As expected, corrosive energy gathered once more, forming a new arm for Juan.
Without hesitation, King transformed again and dove downward, resuming the battle.
This fight was not over.
And if he could cripple a future Marine Admiral, then he would gladly see it through to the end.
Elsewhere, the tide of battle was turning just as decisively.
Laffitte and Shiryu continued to press their advantage, their opponents already heavily wounded and struggling to maintain their footing.
Vice Admiral Rile, the primary target, was nearing his limit, breathing heavily as his defenses began to falter.
Quivido had already taken numerous hits in his attempt to shield him, but even with the resilience of a Zoan user, his stamina and Haki were rapidly draining.
With Juan now injured as well, the faint hope they had been clinging to began to crumble.
Shiryu, wielding the power of a Mythical Zoan, had fully entered the fray. Years of suppression had only tempered him, and now his strength had risen to a level approaching that of an Admiral candidate.
Laffitte, on the other hand, remained as elusive and deadly as ever, his speed rendering numerical advantage meaningless.
The two Vice Admirals were forced to remain together, knowing that separation would only hasten their deaths.
Yet even that offered little comfort.
Neither Laffitte nor Shiryu had any intention of showing mercy.
Time was against them.
Reinforcements could arrive at any moment, and so the battle had to be ended quickly, even at the cost of injuries.
As Devil Fruit users, their recovery abilities granted them a margin others did not possess.
A brief glance passed between Laffitte and Shiryu.
A silent agreement.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Their attacks became even more ferocious, accelerating beyond what their opponents could handle.
Around them, Marine officers and captains rushed forward in desperation, attempting to interfere, to buy even a moment of respite for their superiors.
But it was futile.
Bodies fell one after another.
Laffitte moved like a phantom, his cane sword slicing through a Colonel's throat before he pivoted sharply, closing in on Quivido with uncanny precision.
The blade pointed straight for his heart.
Quivido's instincts screamed.
He moved.
He dodged.
Yet in that instant, something felt wrong.
A strange, unsettling disconnect.
As Laffitte slipped past him, a chilling realization struck too late.
"Rile!"
Behind him, Laffitte's blade had already pierced through Rile's heart.
Completely unguarded.
In that moment, Quivido understood.
Hypnosis.
Somewhere in the chaos, Laffitte had already planted the suggestion, distorting his awareness, making him forget his ally's presence at the most critical moment.
That single mistake had sealed their fate.
Rile collapsed, blood pouring from the fatal wound as life left his body.
"Hehe, thank you very much."
Laffitte's voice was light, almost cheerful, as he withdrew his blade.
The words struck deeper than any weapon.
"To show my gratitude, I'll send you to join him."
Before Quivido could fully recover, Laffitte struck again, capitalizing on the momentary collapse of his mental defenses.
Yet this time, he was not alone.
Shiryu had already freed himself.
The pressure doubled instantly.
Quivido's fate was sealed.
Meanwhile, the morale of the surrounding soldiers plummeted as Rile's death spread across the battlefield.
Still, they charged forward, driven by desperation.
Shiryu transformed, rising into the sky as his massive griffon form cast a shadow over the battlefield.
With each beat of his wings, countless wind blades rained down, cutting through soldiers like a storm of steel.
Quivido faltered.
His reaction slowed.
And that single delay was enough.
Shiryu descended from above, tearing open his back with a devastating strike, while Laffitte followed with a precise thrust that pierced through his defenses.
Together, they overwhelmed him completely.
Laffitte did not end it immediately.
Instead, he drove his blade into Quivido again and again, each strike deliberate, each wound deepening the agony.
Even Shiryu frowned at the sight.
"That's enough. Finish it."
Laffitte paused, then gave a small shrug.
"Mm, alright."
With a final thrust, he pierced Quivido's heart, ending his life.
"Clean up the rest. I'll go assist King."
Spreading his bat-like wings, Laffitte shot into the sky, heading toward Juan's battlefield.
Shiryu said nothing.
Instead, he embraced the role left behind.
Transforming fully, he soared across the battlefield, unleashing a relentless storm of wind blades that carved through the remaining soldiers without restraint.
High above, a News Coo hovered silently, its Visual Den Den Mushi recording everything.
Far away, at the headquarters of the World Economy News Paper, Morgans watched the unfolding chaos with unrestrained excitement.
"It seems the World Government is about to suffer quite the loss."
His laughter echoed through the room.
"Good thing I prepared in advance. Missing this would have been a tragedy."
An editor hesitated before asking, "President, should we broadcast this live?"
Morgans glanced at him, then scoffed.
"You must be new. Broadcasting something like this would offend everyone involved. I'd rather stay alive."
Then, slamming his wing against the desk, he grinned widely.
"Get ready. Once this ends, I want the entire world to know!"