For a time, both the pirates and the Marines sent out all of their elites.
Everyone began fighting with their full strength.
"So..."
Crocodile looked calmly at the man before him.
"You really think you can defeat me with certainty?"
Standing opposite him, Donquixote Doflamingo grinned.
Crocodile losing to Monkey D. Luffy had indeed been humiliating.
But that was only because Luffy had discovered his weakness.
From that defeat, Crocodile had learned one lesson:
Never underestimate anyone.
Luffy had won.
And Crocodile admitted that Luffy deserved that victory.
But it would only happen once.
"No."
Doflamingo slowly raised both hands.
Invisible strings shot out from his fingers.
In an instant, Crocodile's body was torn into pieces.
Unfortunately...
Those pieces simply turned into sand.
The attack had no real effect.
"Hiss..."
Crocodile took a drag from his cigar.
Then he looked at Doflamingo.
"There's no need for testing moves."
"For fighters like us, playing childish games is embarrassing."
"Hahaha!"
Elsewhere, Gecko Moria stared at Jinbe with mocking amusement.
"Jinbe, Jinbe..."
"I never thought you'd fall so low that someone else had to save you."
"Did you ever imagine you'd end up like this?"
"Not before."
Jinbe shook his head.
That possibility had truly never crossed his mind.
He had always been confident in his own strength.
Where there was water, Jinbe could even battle Admirals.
"But..."
"It isn't impossible."
He smiled calmly.
"After all, I was saved just now."
Jinbe was completely unconcerned about having been rescued.
He was a man who believed in peace.
Helping one another was only natural.
Even after the tragedy involving his former captain Fisher Tiger, that belief had never changed.
"Heh."
Seeing his taunts had no effect, Moria's expression slowly darkened.
"Depending on others is worse than depending on yourself."
"In the end, every plea for help turns into nothing."
It was obvious that Gecko Moria was a man with a story.
And Jinbe naturally knew what that story was.
"You've fallen into madness."
Jinbe gathered the power of Fish-Man Karate in both hands.
"I'd like to talk sense into you."
"But I still have things to do right now."
"If you won't move aside..."
"Then don't blame me for being rude."
"Rude?!"
Moria's sharp voice rang out.
At some point, a giant pair of scissors had appeared in his hand.
"I'd like to see how you plan to be rude to me!"
As he shouted, Moria charged straight at Jinbe.
"...Sigh."
Jinbe let out a quiet breath.
At some point, a droplet of water had formed in his palm.
"Fish-Man Karate... Tang Grass Tile True Fist!"
In an instant, Jinbe's body passed straight through Moria.
The next second Moria collapsed.
One move.
Just one move.
What was expected to be a grand battle between Warlords ended immediately.
And it was not only those two battlefields.
Buggy somehow managed to hold off Dracule Mihawk with the power of the Chop-Chop Fruit.
Monkey D. Luffy was badly beaten, but because he was immune to Boa Hancock's petrification, he barely managed to stall her.
Jozu once again moved to block Aokiji from interfering with the battlefield.
Marco also sought out Kizaru again.
The stronger fighters among the Whitebeard Alliance and the Impel Down prisoners each found opponents they could handle.
Below them, Marines and pirates alike had entered total slaughter.
One hundred fifty thousand Marines.
Seventy thousand pirates.
They completely crashed into one another.
Every second, someone died.
Every moment, another powerful fighter fell.
Marineford, once the symbol of justice, had now become a demonic battlefield.
A human meat grinder.
Renji glanced toward Whitebeard.
"Old man, are you alright now?"
Renji had stayed behind mainly to guard the weakened Whitebeard and prevent another sneak attack.
"I'm fine."
"I've recovered a little."
To prove it, Whitebeard slowly stood up.
Although the wounds on his body would not heal anytime soon, Whitebeard's stamina had indeed recovered somewhat.
The current Whitebeard was no longer someone an Admiral could quickly defeat, even if one came to challenge him now.
Hearing Whitebeard's answer, Renji nodded.
"Good."
"Then I'll go save Portgas D. Ace first."
With that, Renji stepped into the air with Moonwalk and prepared to head straight for the execution platform.
"Heh... You don't really think it'll be that easy, do you?"
At that moment, a voice entered Renji's ears.
A figure blocked his path in midair.
It was Akainu.
"Thank goodness!"
Seeing Akainu appear, everyone on the Marine side breathed a sigh of relief.
At this point, even the Seven Warlords had already been sent out.
The Marines truly had no other top-tier fighters left to stop Renji.
"Admiral Akainu, get him!"
Soon, voices began cheering him on.
But none of them dared get too arrogant.
First, Akainu had already spent enormous stamina in his earth-shaking battle against Whitebeard.
Second, he had just been defeated by Renji moments ago.
Even if it was due to a sneak attack, it still proved something.
Renji looked at Akainu with a calm face.
"So it's the man I already beat once."
He did not think he had taken much advantage over Akainu.
He had gone all out using the Tremor power once in Impel Down and once again at Marineford.
Then there was the fight against Magellan and the journey here.
Renji's stamina was not much better than Akainu's.
As for the earlier sneak attack?
That was simply Akainu being careless and failing to watch his surroundings.
This was a battlefield.
Was Renji supposed to follow arena rules here?
"I advise you to move aside."
"Otherwise, if you lose to me a second time, your prestige in the Marines will hit rock bottom."
It was a threat, but not one strong enough to shake Akainu's resolve.
Akainu stared at Renji.
His body gradually transformed into magma.
Then he said calmly:
"Let's fight on the ground."
"Neither of us are experts in aerial combat."
"That's true enough."
Renji nodded.
He canceled Moonwalk and dropped to the ground.
Akainu did the same.
"Magma Fist!"
The moment he landed, Akainu attacked.
His fist, already transformed into molten magma, shot toward Renji's face.
Naturally, it was coated in Armament Haki.
If it connected, even Renji would likely be disfigured.
"Good timing!"
Renji showed no displeasure at all.
Because he had already prepared Tremor energy in advance.
At that moment, he thrust out his right fist as well.
Cracks spread from Renji's knuckles.
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