"Boom—!"
In the blink of an eye, they charged straight into the city.
"Those are… the Five Elders?!"
Space itself began to tremble. Two figures were hurled out of a spatial rift, fleeing without looking back toward the direction of the Holy Land, Mariejois.
Everyone present changed expression when they recognized the two figures in their desperate retreat.
They were none other than two of the Five Elders—the bald monk and the long-bearded elder.
The crowd stared at one another in disbelief.
Had the Five Elders been defeated again?
As the supreme rulers of the World Government, the Five Elders were supposed to be untouchable. Yet ever since they entered the battlefield, they seemed to suffer defeat after defeat, never once claiming a true victory.
These five old men… were starting to look pitiful.
But what shocked everyone even more was that after the bald monk and the long-bearded elder fled, the remaining three never appeared.
This outcome made both the World Government and the New Era Alliance turn pale.
Could it be… the other three were dead?
As if answering their doubts, a spatial rift opened once more.
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya emerged from it.
She floated out calmly, holding three figures in her hands.
They were the remaining three Five Elders.
Their bodies were limp and motionless, devoid of any sign of life.
Without a second thought, Kaguya tossed them onto the lawn of the "Ninja."
The entire battlefield was shaken.
Kong's face turned deathly pale.
Three Five Elders had joined forces to ambush Kaguya.
The result?
Two severely injured.
Three killed outright.
"Gurararara!"
Whitebeard burst into laughter.
He swung Murakumogiri in his hands, activating the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. A massive shockwave slashed forward, blasting Sengoku—who had transformed into a golden Buddha—straight into the Red Line's rocky cliffs.
With that, the New Era Alliance launched a frenzied offensive.
Meanwhile, the morale of the World Government forces collapsed. They were pushed back step by step, forced into retreat, until they reached the foot of the Red Line.
They had nowhere left to run.
Kong ordered most of the remaining forces to withdraw into Mariejois and fortify the summit of the Red Line.
He glanced at Kaguya.
She had not moved again. Instead, she was sitting calmly on a chair aboard the Ninja, as if she had no intention of continuing the fight.
Only then did Kong let out a silent breath of relief.
He turned to Roger, Whitebeard, and the others, and shouted coldly,
"Roger! Whitebeard! Red-Hair! Are you really determined to go this far?!"
Whitebeard twirled Murakumogiri and grinned.
"Gurararara! Commander Kong, this is war, not some children's game. Do you really think there's still room to turn back?"
Kong snorted.
"You should know that the Eight Creators have awakened. Together with Lord Im, they will crush the Ninja Guild. Once Lin Xuan is defeated, this so-called New Era Alliance will fall apart!"
"At that time, none of you will escape death! But if you retreat now, the World Government might spare your lives!"
He tried both threats and persuasion.
Roger and Whitebeard merely sneered.
The Eight Creators and Im were indeed powerful.
But Chairman Lin was no ordinary man either.
Kong would never understand just how mysterious and terrifying that man truly was.
"Kong, stop wasting your breath," Roger said, his usual carefree grin gone.
At this moment, the true might of the Pirate King radiated from him.
"Mariejois will fall today!"
Kong's expression darkened.
Though he had expected this answer, he still felt a deep sense of frustration.
"Hmph. Even if you don't give up, what then? Mariejois is naturally easy to defend and hard to attack. As long as we hold our ground, you'll never break through!"
In his heart, that was exactly his plan.
Rely on the Red Line's terrain and stall for time.
Once Im and the others defeated Lin Xuan, everything would be over.
Roger and the others soon realized this as well.
The Red Line was towering and steep. With the World Government guarding the summit, storming it head-on would be extremely difficult.
Whitebeard pondered for a moment.
Then he slammed his fist into the ground.
Boom!
The frozen surface beneath him shattered instantly. The entire Red Line began to quake violently, as if it might collapse at any moment.
"Rumble—!"
A shocking scene unfolded.
Under the震动 of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, massive ice sheets cracked apart, and seawater surged upward in roaring torrents.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
Kisame Hoshigaki formed hand seals at lightning speed.
The raging seawater condensed into enormous water dragons, which charged straight toward Mariejois.
Kong's face changed drastically.
He roared,
"Aokiji!"
"Damn it, again?!"
Seeing the countless massive water dragons, Aokiji's face turned pale.
There were so many of them—was he trying to kill him?!
Despite his complaints, he knew he had no choice.
Suppressing his exhaustion, Aokiji rushed forward as his body transformed into ice.
"Ice Age!"
In an instant, the surging water dragons were frozen solid.
They turned into massive dragon-shaped ice sculptures, finally stopping their advance.
Aokiji staggered and nearly collapsed on the spot.
"Gurararara! Thanks for the help, brat!"
Whitebeard laughed loudly.
He threw another punch.
The air shattered once more.
All the giant ice dragons cracked apart, transforming into countless icy spears that rained down and pierced into the rocky cliffs.
Boom!
At the same time, the First Tsuchikage stepped forward from the crowd and rapidly formed seals.
The surrounding earth and stone surged forward, gathering around the broken ice.
In the blink of an eye, they formed a massive bridge leading straight to the summit of the Red Line.
"Damn it!"
Kong and Sengoku—who had just climbed out of the rubble—both turned pale.
They had forgotten about the Ninja Guild's abilities.
And what shocked them even more was this:
Whitebeard's control over the Tremor-Tremor Fruit had grown far stronger than ever before.
The assault on Mariejois had truly begun.
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T/N:
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