Hancock's disappearance from the battlefield didn't cause much of a ripple.
After all, this was a super battlefield with over two hundred thousand combatants. One more or one less Warlord didn't make much difference.
Among these two hundred thousand, the Marines held an absolute numerical advantage. Yet, even so, the battle situation had not become one-sided.
Because, in the truest sense, what would decide the outcome of this war was still the clash between the top-tier fighters.
As for 'ants swarming an elephant'? With Conqueror's Haki serving as a perfect clearing tool, only mid-to-high tier fighters had the qualification to be the 'ants' in that scenario.
The former Marine Captain of Loguetown, now Marine Commodore, [White Hunter] Smoker, probably qualified.
Of course, those familiar with him might prefer to call him 'Smokey'.
Ever since the Alabasta incident, after the World Government forced the 'credit' for defeating Crocodile onto him, Smoker had been frantically pursuing pirates as if out of spite.
It seemed only through such actions could he make up for this unearned merit.
Under such intense combat, his strength had improved rapidly, and he had thoroughly made a name for himself in the first half of the Grand Line.
Smoker had become a nightmare for many novice pirates.
There was no helping it, his Logia-type Moku Moku no Mi's abilities were simply too overpowered in the Paradise environment. Ordinary pirates who hadn't mastered Haki and couldn't equip Seastone weapons simply had no way to deal with him. (T/N: Smoke-Smoke Fruit.)
Just like how Luffy had once been instantly suppressed by Smoker.
However, this combat advantage seemed quite limited in the current chaotic super-battlefield.
Ten minutes ago.
"White Launcher!"
Half of Smoker's body dissipated into smoke as he charged towards a pair of twin pirates, aiming to trap them on the spot.
He didn't know their background, only that they were captains of a pirate crew subordinate to Whitebeard.
The Decalvan Brothers were pirates from the New World, skilled in martial arts, using cat-claw gloves as their weapons.
Seeing Smoker charging at them as smoke, the two didn't show the kind of horrified expression common among Paradise pirates.
"A Logia-type fruit user, that's troublesome."
"Troublesome, that is, a Logia-type fruit user."
These two loved to say the same sentence in reverse order, even when receiving orders from Whitebeard.
But while calling it troublesome, the brothers moved incredibly fast, dodging as black shadows before Smoker could get close.
Immediately after, two claw attacks coated in Armament Haki struck Smoker's back heavily, forcing him to revert from his smoke form.
Seeing this, his adjutant, Tashigi rushed forward, blocking in front of Smoker with her sword drawn.
"Commodore Smoker, are you alright?"
Suppressing the pain in his back, Smoker stood up again.
"I'm fine. Step aside. They are not opponents you can handle."
As pirates who could venture in the New World and had once fought evenly with Whitebeard Pirates' Fourth Division Commander, Thatch, the Decalvan Brothers' combat strength wasn't as 'rough' as their appearance suggested.
Possessing exceptional physical prowess and proficient Armament Haki already qualified them as minor powerhouses among many pirates.
"Smoker, step back!"
Just then, a roar came from behind the two, followed by a Marine in a cloak charging over and engaging the Decalvan Brothers in battle.
"Such speed… so fast," Tashigi beside him said subconsciously.
The Marine who charged over was Vice Admiral Doberman of Marine Headquarters, a user of the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Dachsund, a bona fide combat-focused Vice Admiral.
He wasn't alone, as many reinforcements arrived with him.
They were the [Pirate Guerrilla Force] formerly under the command of former Admiral Zephyr.
This group, hunting pirates all over the New World, could be considered a high-spec version of Smoker. Once they joined the battlefield, the disadvantage on this side was immediately reversed.
Smoker watched unwillingly as his opponents were taken, but he had nothing to say.
This was the reality of insufficient strength. If Doberman hadn't intervened just now, Tashigi alone would have been no match for the Decalvan Brothers.
Even he himself had been injured in the first encounter.
Feeling the pain in his back, Smoker tightened his grip on his Seastone jutte.
It was at this moment that the ultimate moves of Aokiji and Kaido collided, spreading thick fog across the entire battlefield.
Looking at the visibility-obscuring mist, Smoker had a flash of inspiration.
How do you hide a drop of water? By putting it in the ocean, of course.
He immediately transformed his body into white smoke, completely merging into the dense fog.
This method indeed greatly enhanced the concealment of his attacks.
Except for those pirates relatively skilled in Observation Haki who could barely dodge at the last moment, most pirates couldn't detect Smoker within the smoke.
The hard Seastone jutte knocked down one pirate after another, also saving many Marine comrades from their clutches.
Koby, the pink-haired Marine who had once been kidnapped by the pirate Alvida, was one of them.
After being saved by Luffy, he was influenced by him and resolved to work hard to become a proper Marine.
Later, he was also fortunate, along with [Axe-Hand] Morgan's son Helmeppo, to become disciples of the Marine Hero Garp. Under his training, their physical abilities greatly improved, and they also gained a preliminary grasp of the Rokushiki.
"Soru!"
The pirates opposite only saw the pink-haired kid quickly disappear from his original position, then reappear in front of them.
"Rankyaku!"
A whip-kick produced an effect like a slash, an air blade directly knocking away several pirate underlings.
However, such an unpolished use of the Rokushiki could only bully minor pirates.
"Step aside, let me handle this!"
A bald pirate with a spider tattooed on his forehead suddenly stepped forward.
He was also a captain of a pirate crew under Whitebeard, known as [Maelstrom Spider] Squard.
This guy had once had his fleet destroyed by Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, so he actually held deep hatred for Roger.
But this time, for Whitebeard's sake, he decided to participate in rescuing Ace.
It was also fortunate that Akainu, having had his arm broken, was in no mood for schemes… otherwise, someone like Squard would be the easiest to turn against his allies.
Squard was most skilled with an extra-long nodachi, and combined with his height advantage, his attack range was further extended.
In his Observation Haki perception, Koby had a slight stiffness after each use of Soru, a sign of not having mastered the Rokushiki proficiently.
Someone like Rob Lucci, who could seamlessly integrate the Rokushiki, wouldn't have this issue.
So, during Koby's dodge, Squard directly thrust his blade forward.
This thrust was extremely fast and perfectly timed during Koby's moment of stiffness.
Helmeppo, holding a kukri nearby, wanted to help, but it was simply too late.
"White Blow!"
It was at this moment that a fist suddenly extended from the seemingly ordinary mist, striking Squard squarely in the face.
This made Squard's already ugly face even more grotesque.
The next moment, Smoker's upper body appeared from the mist, his jutte smashing down heavily towards Squard.
However, this strike was blocked by Squard, who was now prepared, using his sword.
"Smoker-san!"
The narrowly rescued Koby exclaimed in pleasant surprise. Yet, Smoker at this moment paid him no mind, his form dissipating into smoke and disappearing again.
This time, even Squard's Observation Haki couldn't detect Smoker's movements.
The next moment, the smoke fist attacked again, soundlessly.
One hit, then immediate disappearance.
Smoker's figure moved like a ghost within the mist.
This was the power of home-field advantage.
Originally only barely at the officer level, Smoker could now exhibit combat power surpassing that of an ordinary Vice Admiral.
He had saved quite a few Marines, and Koby was just one of them.
Battles like this were happening every moment across this battlefield.
Marines fell continuously, and pirates died incessantly.
Their reasons for fighting were no longer confined to rescuing or executing Ace. Perhaps the moment their comrades died, all that remained in these people's hearts was vengeance.
The vortex of war grew larger and larger, and the number of corpses increased more and more.
A suffocating feeling, as if being choked by the throat, enveloped Koby entirely.