"The Float-Float Fruit... that ability is truly enviable..."
Looking at the incredibly shocking scene in the sky, Allen couldn't help but sigh in admiration. The corners of his mouth curled up, and his eyes gleamed with an eagerness to fight.
Among Paramecia abilities, he only ranked three in the top tier in his heart: the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, the Float-Float Fruit, and the Press-Press Fruit.
These three fruits all possessed terrifying power comparable to natural disasters. Especially in the hands of the strong, the power they could exert was nothing short of world-destroying.
This was especially true for Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Although it lacked the flight capabilities granted by the other two, in terms of sheer destructive force and area of effect, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was indisputably the strongest.
Even so, the comprehensive utility of the Float-Float Fruit was naturally not far behind, particularly regarding its strategic mobility.
He wondered just how much combat power the Golden Lion still retained.
Allen had only just settled down for a moment, but seeing the Golden Lion appear made him itch for a fight all over again.
Although the Float-Float Fruit was powerful—and its effectiveness on a battlefield was practically invincible—one-on-one combat wasn't decided solely by who had the greater destructive power.
Against opponents who couldn't fly, the Golden Lion's absolute air superiority made him virtually unbeatable just by using his ability.
But against someone like Allen, who also possessed the ability to fly and could easily close the distance, a battle between them would come down to a contest of physical prowess and swordsmanship.
And if Allen remembered correctly, the Golden Lion seemed to have lost his ability to even use Haki. He was a bit like a glass cannon—formidable on the outside but hollow on the inside.
To call him weak would be foolish, as he could destroy an island with a flip of his hand. But to call him strong was a stretch, because once someone closed the gap, he was just an ordinary great swordsman.
It wasn't that being a great swordsman lacked prestige, but compared to the likes of Roger and Whitebeard, the current Golden Lion was simply too lacking.
*'Feels like I could win...'*
Allen stared with burning eyes at Shiki suspended in the sky, unable to resist the urge to fly up and test his strength.
However, after a moment of thought, he ultimately abandoned the idea.
He still had serious business to attend to. Compared to fighting the Golden Lion just for fun, focusing on the impending arrival of Teach was obviously much more important.
Allen suppressed his urges and looked back toward the rear of the Marine Headquarters building. He had been using his Observation Haki to monitor the back of the battlefield this entire time, waiting for Blackbeard's crew to make their appearance.
Right at that moment, a sudden commotion erupted in the distance.
"The key to the Seastone handcuffs! Why do you have such a thing in your hands?!"
Sengoku roared furiously, his glaring eyes fixed on Luffy, who was standing beside the collapsed execution platform.
Luffy was holding a key, completely ignoring Sengoku's shouts. He decisively and swiftly inserted it into Ace's handcuffs and gave it a twist.
*Click!*
With a crisp mechanical sound, the confining Seastone handcuffs automatically sprang open!
"It opened! That's great, Ace!"
"Luffy, how did you get..."
Even Ace hadn't fully processed what was happening, staring blankly at Luffy in front of him.
"Shishishi, Hancock gave me the key. You have to keep it a secret, though, otherwise she'll be in a lot of trouble."
Luffy grinned, his face so brimming with excitement that he couldn't stop smiling.
Seeing Ace's handcuffs removed, everyone on the battlefield wore expressions of absolute shock—whether they were furious Marines or ecstatic pirates.
"He actually did it!"
"Straw Hat kid!!"
"It's unbelievable! This is fantastic!!"
The Whitebeard camp erupted into excited cheers. In stark contrast, the expressions of the Marine forces, especially the high-ranking officers, grew increasingly ugly.
"My, my, the situation seems to have developed in an unexpected direction."
At the front of the bay, Kizaru stood with his hands in his pockets, his mouth skewed in his usual laid-back, highly punchable expression.
Nearby, Akainu, who was still engaged in combat with Whitebeard, snapped his head around. Gnashing his teeth, he glared furiously at Luffy and Ace.
"These two bastards...! To actually let them get this far, it's an absolute insult to justice...!!"
"Surround them at once! These two cursed bloodlines—we absolutely cannot let them return to the sea!!"
Akainu roared. Bending his knees, he gathered his momentum, preparing to rush forward and intercept the two brothers.
However, a massive shadow suddenly loomed over him from behind.
"You said cursed bloodline? Gurararara, don't joke around, magma brat!!"
Whitebeard threw his head back and laughed loudly, glaring down at Akainu. His fist, enveloped in a white, translucent sphere of tremor energy, pulled back before fiercely punching forward!
"Since when did a person get labeled as righteous or evil the moment they were born?!"
*Boom!!*
Akainu's pupils shrank in horror. As Whitebeard's furious punch slammed down, the very space in front of him cracked open like a shattered mirror, distorting the entire landscape.
A terrifying force assaulted his body. Akainu clenched his teeth to resist, blood seeping from his facial orifices as if every bone in his body was being crushed into dust.
Then, the tremor impact violently erupted!
*Boom!!*
Akainu was sent flying instantly, his body hurtling like a kite with a broken string before smashing heavily into the ground, carving out a deep crater!
"The war won't end so easily! Listen up, everyone! From now on, give your all to cover Ace and the Straw Hat kid's retreat!"
Whitebeard bellowed at the top of his lungs.
Upon receiving the order, all the pirates in the plaza surged forward, launching a concentrated, desperate charge toward Luffy and Ace's position!
"Brothers! Charge together!!"
"Rescuing Ace means victory!"
"Attack!!"
While his subordinates charged, Whitebeard didn't stop moving. Imbuing Murakumogiri with tremor power, he swept his massive blade horizontally toward Kizaru.
*Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!*
The brutality of the war escalated once again. Allen swept his gaze across the chaotic battlefield.
Although Shiki's appearance was beyond everyone's expectations, it had inadvertently helped the Straw Hat kid rescue Ace.
Now, as long as Whitebeard, Marco, and Diamond Jozu could hold off the Three Admirals, Ace's strength meant there was a genuine glimmer of hope for them to break through the Marine encirclement.
The Warlords of the Sea had been slacking off the entire time, and the Vice Admirals were tangled up in fierce combat with the various Division Commanders and pirate fleet captains. There were only a handful of people left who actually had the capability to intercept Ace.
Garp clearly had no intention of exerting himself, and Sengoku's pursuit was being blocked by Jinbe and Ivankov. For a moment, the situation had actually turned rather unfavorable for the Marines.
"Fuffuffuffu, if they don't hurry up and finish off Whitebeard to intercept Ace, he might really end up getting rescued."
Donquixote Doflamingo walked out from behind with an arrogant stride, his hands shoved in his pockets and a mocking smirk plastered on his face.
"Wouldn't you agree, Demon Lion Allen?"
Hearing his voice, Allen turned his head and cast a faint glance at him.
"What do you want?"
"Fuffuffuffu, that bastard Crocodile actually dared to dump me. He clearly could have chosen to ally with me to conquer the New World together. How blind to the changing times."
Doffy's smirk widened meaningfully as he fixed his gaze on Whitebeard across the battlefield.
"Once Whitebeard dies, the entire New World will plunge into chaos. When that time comes, a new round of turf wars will inevitably begin."
"A new tidal wave of the era is approaching. Only by riding the current can one gain a firm foothold and survive."
"The old kings are about to meet their end, and the new kings are just about to take the stage, Fuhahaha!"
Doflamingo threw his head back and laughed, his shoulders trembling, before turning his piercing gaze toward Allen.
"Form an alliance with me. With our combined strength, let alone fighting for Whitebeard's territory, even targeting the Four Emperors wouldn't be impossible."
"What do you think, Demon Lion Allen!"