"This guy has actually mastered a power similar to what Rocks possessed!"
Shiki looked at Zoro with shock in his eyes.
He had seen Rocks wield the Destructive Power.
That kind of force was enough to destroy heaven and earth!
It was precisely for this reason that he, along with heroes like Caesar, had once submitted under Rocks' command.
Without such transcendent power to suppress them, how could one restrain such unruly and arrogant ruffians?
Suddenly, Shiki felt somewhat dejected.
He sighed, feeling increasingly that he couldn't keep up with the times.
Although his current strength still placed him at the very pinnacle of the seas, compared to Rocks, Caesar, the resurrected Roger, and even this young brat before him, he was completely outmatched.
Kaido, his expression grave, gathered the combatants of the Beast God Pirates around Shiki.
"Shiki, what should we do?"
Shiki knew what Kaido was asking.
In an ordinary battle, they might even have the advantage in high-tier combatants against the Red Hair Pirates, Roger Pirates, and Straw Hat Pirates.
But now, Zoro had suddenly displayed extraordinary combat power.
If they insisted on fighting head-on, the outcome would likely be disastrous.
Even Akainu couldn't withstand Zoro's attacks, and Kaido and the others might not be able to either.
The Power of Rules was simply too overpowered.
It was like ordinary people facing Logia users.
Or like a weak Logia user such as Caribou facing an Armament Haki user.
It was a gap as vast as heaven and earth.
"Retreat for now! Wait for Caesar to descend!"
After a moment of thought, Shiki acted without hesitation, using his Float-Float Fruit ability to lift a large piece of the ground beneath them, carrying everyone high into the sky.
Shanks and the others all turned their gazes to Zoro.
At this moment, with his terrifying and bizarre power, Zoro had unconsciously become the de facto leader in everyone's eyes.
Zoro's expression remained calm as he raised his right hand and pointed at Shiki, whose face had slightly changed.
Whoosh
!A gentle breeze brushed their faces as densely packed shadows swarmed toward Shiki on the battlefield!
Shiki's expression completely changed as he hastily manipulated the earth layer to ascend higher.
"Damn it, they can fly too?"
"They're not flying! These souls exist in a different dimension from us!"
The speaker turned out to be Kizaru.
Doflamingo and Crocodile separated, their gazes toward Kizaru carrying indescribable meaning.
Kizaru had just clashed with Zoro for a brief moment, nearly getting stabbed by Kuina's long sword.
"Lion's Might! Thousand Cut Valley!"
Without another word, Shiki swung his dual swords, unleashing massive shockwaves toward the swarming shadows.
Kaido also opened his mouth to spew heat breath and wind blades.
Yamato, Doflamingo, Crocodile, Gin, and others all joined the attack.
For a moment, various violent energies rained down like a torrent.
"It's useless! I already said these souls exist in a different dimension from us."
Kizaru shook his head, not joining the attack.
Everyone focused their gaze and couldn't help but change expressions.
Just as Kizaru had said, despite their fierce attacks, not a single soul was destroyed.
"If Big Mom were here, she'd be perfect for dealing with souls." Doflamingo sighed.
Kaido looked somewhat dejected.
Charlotte Linlin seemed to have encountered some problem that even Caesar couldn't resolve.
In this war, Kaido had initially believed the Beast God Pirates held absolute advantage and could capture Marine Headquarters with minimal losses.
But unexpectedly, the brutality of the war exceeded his imagination.
Among the Beast God Pirates' ten division commanders, Ganzui had died, Kuzan and Bullett had perished together, and Linlin had also encountered problems.
Among the vice commanders, Tesoro and Moria had both died, and just moments ago, King—who had followed him for decades—had been instantly killed by Zoro.
"The unpredictability of fate."
Kaido sighed with emotion.
"Should we retreat from here? Leave Caesar alone?" Shiki frowned in contemplation.
"No! You can leave if you want, but I'm not going anywhere!"
Kaido's voice grew low as he prepared to transform into the Azure Dragon and fly out.
Shiki grew furious.
"I was just suggesting! Why are you taking it so seriously?"
However, just as the wave-like souls beneath their feet were about to crash upon them—
A meteor-like figure plummeted from the unfathomable heights of the sky, smashing through countless shadows like rotten wood before crashing into the ground before Zoro!
This dark figure moved too fast, vanishing in an instant, so quick that even Shiki and the others couldn't react.
"What the hell?"
Shiki, Kaido, and the others hurriedly looked down.
To their astonishment, they discovered the charging souls had been directly shattered by this dark figure.
Though they hadn't completely vanished, they couldn't reform for quite some time.
"Wait, is that... Roger?"
Shiki finally clearly saw the person lying in the crater before Zoro.
"Captain Roger!"
Shanks cried out in shock, rushing forward immediately.
Rayleigh and the others also changed expressions, sprinting over.
They saw Roger lying unconscious in the crater, soaked in blood, his skin and muscles torn apart, appearing utterly miserable.
"Thank goodness, he's still breathing!" Rayleigh trembled as he lifted Roger.
"Watch out!"
Mihawk suddenly shouted from the distance.
Shanks and the others felt a bone-chilling coldness sweeping over them.
Without the slightest hesitation, Rayleigh, holding Roger, instantly leaped into the air!
Shanks drew his long sword.
But before he could even assess the situation, a wildly ferocious figure descended from the sky, crashing thunderously into the endless tide of black souls.
A massive storm of wind swept away the sand and stones on the ground, startling Shanks and the others.
Buggy burst into delighted laughter.
"Hahaha, it's that monster Caesar! He actually landed right in Zoro's soul army—he's finished! He'll end up just like Akainu, invaded by those souls, frozen, and then dead!"
Shanks and the others snapped back to reality, their faces lighting up with excitement and anticipation.
The pressure Caesar had brought upon them was simply overwhelming.
If he could be frozen to death by Zoro's soul army, this great battle would be considered a tremendous success.
Everyone turned their gaze toward Caesar's direction.
Including Shiki and the others in the sky.
Kaido, filled with worry, transformed into the Azure Dragon and flew toward Caesar, roaring.
"Get away from there! Hurry and leave! Those things are indestructible souls!"
Yet Caesar, as if he hadn't heard, remained standing amidst the endless tide of black souls.
Like a reef in a raging flood, he stared indifferently at Zoro.
Zoro felt a chill run down his spine, his eyes narrowing sharply. In his hands and mouth, three Wado Ichimonji swords reappeared.
This Caesar... didn't seem to fear the soul army he controlled?
But how could that be?
This was the Power of Soul Rule!
It allowed him to summon an endless army of souls directly from the Underworld, without even needing the ability of the Underworld-Underworld Fruit!
Although Zoro hadn't yet mastered the ability to resurrect these souls, he could still command them to charge and kill with ease.
Even though these souls appeared before everyone, they were still fundamentally within the Underworld.
"Kill him!" Zoro's unease grew stronger and stronger, until he couldn't hold back a furious roar.
The endless tide of souls instantly surged like a tsunami, engulfing Caesar's massive frame!
But before Shanks and the others could even breathe a sigh of relief, a cold voice echoed from within the churning black tide.
"Devour!!"