Foil, Vista, Blamenco, Rakuyo, Namur, and the other commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates personally led the charge, tearing a hole in the Marine's defensive line.
However, the Marines were far from defenseless. Marine Vice Admirals appeared one after another, and as the commanders and Vice Admirals clashed, the battle intensified.
At that moment, the Warlord Dracule Mihawk, also known as Hawkeye, a man who always acted on his own terms, suddenly took a couple of steps forward. Those around him, including Donquixote Doflamingo, showed surprise.
"Oh, what's this? You're actually going to do something?" Doflamingo laughed. "How unusual!"
Even Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, who was sitting on the high platform, looked shocked. "I never expected Hawkeye to take the initiative. How surprising."
Hawkeye spoke in a low voice, "I simply want to see the distance between us and the strongest man in the world."
With that, he drew his black blade, Yoru, from his back and swung it forward. A gigantic, blue slash ripped through the frozen ice, traveling for several kilometers and heading straight for Whitebeard.
"Dad!" Marco, Jozu, and the other commanders all looked worried.
Even though their father was the strongest, he was a man of 72 years and was suffering from a terminal illness. Even he could be at a disadvantage against the world's greatest swordsman. Whitebeard, however, didn't move an inch and simply watched the massive slash approach.
Just as the attack was about to hit the Moby Dick, a figure suddenly jumped out, blocking the slash head-on. With a loud bang, the attack struck the man, but he stopped it with his body. The man braced himself and then, with both hands, repelled the slash, sending it flying high into the air, where it sliced through the clouds.
"The world's strongest slash... was blocked?!" The Marines stared in disbelief.
"Hey, look at that guy..."
It was only then that everyone clearly saw the man who had stopped the attack. He was a muscular man with spiky hair, and his entire body was shining like a diamond. It was the third division commander, Diamond Jozu.
Whitebeard smiled, clearly pleased.
Seeing this, Hawkeye immediately sheathed his black blade, deciding not to continue his assault. Trying to cut a diamond in the air was a pointless effort, and since Whitebeard had not accepted the challenge himself, there was no reason to continue. While the Marines were still stunned, the Whitebeard Pirates launched a fierce counter-attack, pushing them back.
Far away on the Merry, Zoro and Tashigi were trembling with excitement. They had been completely enthralled by Hawkeye's incredible long-range attack. The idea of the world's number one swordsman fighting the world's strongest man was too exciting to contemplate. It was a shame that the third division commander had interrupted the duel.
Nami, on the other hand, was pleasantly surprised, her eyes glued to the screen. "Mr. Carl, what kind of Devil Fruit is that?! It can turn him into a diamond?!" Her greedy nature was showing.
Carl sighed. "That's the Shine-Shine Fruit, which allows the user to turn any part of their body into diamond, making it as hard as the real thing. That's why the third division commander is called Diamond Jozu."
"A Devil Fruit that can turn a body into a diamond?!" Nami's eyes turned into money symbols. "Doesn't that mean the Whitebeard Pirates are super rich?!"
Everyone around her just shook their heads. It was a classic Nami moment. However, her assumption was wrong. Jozu could only turn his own body into a diamond; he couldn't create diamonds from other objects. So, while Jozu was incredibly tough, he wasn't a source of infinite wealth.
Luffy was also excited. From the moment the tsunami hit Marineford to the sight of Aokiji clashing with Whitebeard, he was practically vibrating, wishing he could be there to fight these powerful people. If his mission wasn't to rescue Ace, he probably would have already jumped into the fray.
Seeing Luffy's excitement, Carl tried to calm him down. "Luffy, could you have blocked that tsunami?"
Luffy's enthusiasm instantly cooled. "Huh? Block the tsunami? I could probably pierce it with my Gomu Gomu no Gatling, but there's no way I could stop it."
He was right. Even a strong Marine like Sakazuki or Kizaru would have a hard time stopping a tsunami, but Aokiji was the perfect person for the job because of his ice abilities.
While Aokiji might not be the strongest of the three Admirals, his Devil Fruit was the most effective in a fight involving water. Still, the Ice-Ice Fruit could only stop the tsunami, not Whitebeard's tremor powers.
The battle at Marineford raged on. The fighting in the bay was getting more and more intense. The advantage shifted constantly between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines. Despite their efforts, the Whitebeard Pirates were still unable to break through the Marine defenses and enter the plaza.
The battle was just as fierce on the headlands. The commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates, like Squard the Great Whirlpool Spider, Doma the Hunter, and the Decalvan Brothers, were all fighting fiercely. Squard, in particular, was at the forefront.
He smashed through a corner of the bay's wall with his ship, allowing him and his crew to rush into the bay to join Whitebeard.
At this time, Kizaru, who had been lazily watching, finally stood up. "Honestly, in a situation like this, you should just take down the leader."
His body turned into a burst of light particles and he instantly disappeared, reappearing in the sky above the bay. His brilliant light pierced the eyes of many.
"Hey, why is it so blinding?" Whitebeard grumbled.
"Yasakani Sacred Jewel!"
Kizaru made an attack gesture, and countless light bullets shot out from his hands, aiming for Whitebeard on the bow of the ship. The Whitebeard Pirates' crew grew nervous again. They knew their father's condition. If he faced a young and strong Admiral, he was likely to be at a disadvantage.
Just as the light bullets were about to hit Whitebeard, a blue figure shot out from mid-air to meet the attack head-on.
There was a constant "bang bang bang" as the light bullets slammed into the figure. When the attack was over, the figure looked like a pineapple. It was Marco. Suddenly, a blue flame erupted from his body, and the figure was perfectly fine again
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