It was as though Ryokugyu's brutal death, the Emperors' arrogant mockery, and Ron's overwhelming presence were nothing more than an irrelevant farce in Kizaru's eyes.
Everyone present was left guessing.
No one could truly understand what the Marine powerhouse considered second only to Akainu was thinking.
Was he genuinely eager to avenge his fallen colleague and force the enemy to pay in blood?
Was he merely trying to preserve the Marines' dignity and prevent their reputation from suffering any further damage?
Or was there some deeper and colder strategic purpose behind his actions, like a hunter concealed in the shadows and waiting for the perfect moment to strike?
Kizaru gave them no time to consider the possibilities.
He stood tall like an imposing monument, his gaze deep, cold, and filled with unquestionable authority.
Slowly, he raised his right hand.
The movement was elegant, yet followed such a chilling rhythm that every eye was drawn toward it.
His index and middle fingers pressed together like a pair of blades waiting to leave their sheath.
At their tips, an unbearably brilliant point of light began to gather.
It resembled a miniature sun compressed to its absolute limit, radiating enough heat to ignite the surrounding space and containing energy capable of annihilating everything before it.
Every tiny motion seemed to unfold in slow motion.
Kizaru appeared completely unhurried, yet the weight behind his actions felt like a final judgment delivered by fate itself.
The invisible pressure seized the hearts of everyone on the battlefield.
His gaze gradually left the alliance of Emperors standing opposite him.
Those pirate legends who had once seemed invincible might as well have been livestock awaiting slaughter in his eyes.
Instead, Kizaru looked across the vast and chaotic sea ahead.
Violent waves and hidden currents churned throughout what was about to become the war's main battlefield.
He raised his head slightly and spoke in his familiar drawn-out tone.
Each syllable struck the hearts of his listeners with tremendous weight, carrying an authority that allowed no argument.
"Time for idle conversation is over~"
The simple sentence shattered the brief stalemate like a bolt from a clear sky.
Then Kizaru's voice abruptly rose and thundered through the heavens.
"All Marine forces, hear my command—"
The shout rang out like a war horn, rekindling the fighting spirit of every Marine soldier.
"BEGIN THE ALL-OUT WAR!"
The battlefield erupted the instant his final order fell.
The point of light that had been compressed between his fingers exploded with blinding force.
Radiance surged outward like floodwaters breaking through a dam, tearing the air apart wherever it passed and producing a piercing howl.
The sea was thrown into chaos beneath the tremendous energy, sending colossal waves surging upward as though the entire world were trembling.
Then an incandescent golden beam burst forth like a dragon leaping from the ocean.
Fwoosh—BOOM!
The enormous laser resembled a spear of judgment hurled by an enraged god.
Its force was so overwhelming that it ripped through the atmosphere, unleashing a shriek sharp enough to pierce the soul.
Carrying world-destroying energy, it shot straight toward the seemingly impenetrable center of the Emperors' allied fleet without the slightest deviation.
This was no cautious probing attack.
It was a boulder hurled into still water, raising an unstoppable tidal wave and completely igniting the flames of a battle destined to happen.
There would be no turning back now.
That laser was the key opening the gates to the final confrontation—and the thunderclap announcing the end of peace.
"OPEN FIRE!"
Kizaru's powerful voice rang across the battlefield like the tolling of a massive bell, every word carrying absolute resolve.
"For the justice of the Marines!"
The impassioned cries rose one after another, uniting the convictions of countless soldiers.
"CHARGE!"
Their roars surged like an enormous tide and drove the fleet's morale to its peak.
Kizaru's decisive order and devastating opening attack released the energy that had been building inside the Marine formation like a bowstring stretched to its limit.
The fleet erupted like a long-dormant volcano or floodwaters finally breaking through a dam.
Ten thousand cannons fired at once.
Their deafening blasts intertwined into a symphony of death and destruction.
Countless shells streaked across the sky with long tails of flame, resembling meteors carrying death toward the enemy.
The commanders drew their gleaming weapons and charged toward the opposing forces at the head of their troops, determination blazing within their eyes.
Behind them, the soldiers' faces flushed red as veins bulged across their foreheads.
They roared toward the heavens, the blood boiling within their chests transforming into fearless fighting spirit.
At that moment, the Marines' enormous war machine began operating with unprecedented force.
Every part moved in coordination, and every soldier gave everything they possessed.
The war erupted like a river bursting through its banks.
The once-calm sea was instantly swallowed by deafening cannon fire and battle cries, the noise seemingly powerful enough to shatter the entire world and leave behind nothing but chaos.
Amid the thickening smoke, a breathtaking struggle for survival officially began.
The wheels of history rolled forward beneath the thunder of war.
Kizaru's command to begin the all-out battle still echoed through the oppressive air like a lingering death sentence when a freezing gale suddenly swept through the depths of the Marine formation.
Several dark figures shot forward like arrows released from their bows, tearing through the air at astonishing speed.
Their bodies differed greatly in size and shape, yet every one of them shared several unmistakable traits.
A pair of flawless white wings spread from each figure's back, seemingly forged from pure flame and glowing brilliantly even within the darkened battlefield.
Their skin was dark, as though stained by the night itself, giving them a cold and murderous appearance.
...
Their eyes glowed with cold, mechanical red light, like something staring out from the depths of an abyss.
They were the ultimate weapons created by the Marine Science Unit after pouring unimaginable resources and effort into their development—killing machines modeled after the infamous Seven Warlords of the Sea.
The Seraphim!
S-Hawk, S-Snake, S-Shark, S-Bear, S-Flamingo, and S-Crocodile!
The six Seraphim descended upon the brutal battlefield without warning, resembling both messengers of death emerging from hell and emotionless war puppets built solely to obey commands.
Their faces remained as cold as ice.
There was no emotion in their expressions, nor did any of them release a battle cry. Their entire existence seemed devoted to endless combat and unquestioning obedience.
The instant their advanced combat programs activated, they scanned the opposing forces with the precision of sophisticated radar and locked onto the three largest sources of hostile energy—
The three Emperors who ruled the seas.
Their objectives were absolute, and it seemed nothing in the world could obstruct their advance.
"Target acquired: Edward Newgate."
S-Hawk gripped the coldly glowing beam sword in his hand, his burning red eyes filled with ruthless determination.
The broad wings behind him suddenly beat with tremendous force, unleashing a howling gale.
His body transformed into a streak of black lightning as he shot toward Whitebeard, who stood at the bow of the Moby Dick.
Afterimages remained suspended in the air behind him, his speed nearly impossible for the eye to follow.
At the same time, the enormous S-Bear stood motionless like a small mountain, radiating suffocating pressure in complete silence.
He slowly raised one of his massive, heavily modified mechanical arms.
Every movement of its joints produced the grinding sound of metal, heralding the awakening of tremendous power.
A scorching laser cannon began charging within his palm.
Its radiance intensified rapidly, resembling molten lava gathering inside a volcano moments before eruption and containing enough energy to destroy everything in its path.
S-Shark did not hesitate either.
He leaped from the ship and plunged directly into the raging sea.
His body moved through the water with the effortless agility of a fish. The moment he entered, towering waves rose from the once-steady surface and crashed together with deafening force.
Using the ocean to conceal his movements, S-Shark rapidly approached his target from below, preparing to launch a sudden underwater assault.
The three Seraphim attacked through the air, across the surface, and beneath the sea, forming a flawless three-dimensional offensive.
Their movements were swift, decisive, and perfectly coordinated.
In an instant, they had completely surrounded the man once known as the Strongest Man in the World—
Whitebeard.
The atmosphere across the battlefield tightened sharply as a breathtaking clash threatened to erupt.
"Target acquired: Charlotte Linlin."
The cold, unwavering announcement pierced through the mist covering the sea.
S-Snake floated gracefully in the air like a divine being descended from some dreamlike paradise.
Her figure was tall and slender, every inch of her radiating breathtaking beauty. Yet her expression was even colder and more merciless than that of the woman she had been modeled after, resembling ice that had remained frozen for a thousand years.
She elegantly raised her slender yet powerful hands, her movements as graceful as a butterfly dancing through the air but concealing boundless killing intent.
Countless pink heart-shaped beams erupted from her palms.
They were no ordinary lights.
The beams swept forward like a torrential downpour, each containing the terrifying power to petrify anything it struck.
Even the air warped beneath their energy, producing a faint, continuous hum.
The overwhelming barrage descended upon Big Mom, who stood at the bow of the Queen Mama Chanter, with enough force to swallow everything around her.
"Mama, watch out!"
Katakuri's face went pale when he saw the attack.
He shouted desperately, anxiety and concern filling his voice as he attempted to warn his mother away from the fatal barrage.
It was already too late.
S-Snake's attack moved with tremendous speed. In the blink of an eye, the countless heart-shaped beams had completely covered Big Mom's position, surrounding her within an inescapable prison of light.
"Target acquired: Kaido."
The moment those words sounded, an invisible pressure seemed to gather across the entire battlefield.
S-Flamingo raised both hands slightly.
Nearly transparent threads extended from his long fingertips and danced lightly through the air like living spirits.
They intertwined at extraordinary speed, weaving themselves into a gigantic web within moments.
The web gleamed with a faint, freezing light.
Every strand possessed tremendous toughness and binding power as it swept toward Kaido's Azure Dragon form circling through the sky, intending to wrap tightly around the colossal beast and rob him of all freedom of movement.
S-Crocodile attacked from the opposite side at the same time.
He swung his right arm, and the ordinary-sized golden hook instantly expanded into a colossal weapon beneath the influence of some mysterious power.
The massive hook shone with dazzling light and crashed toward Kaido with enough force to tear apart the earth.
At the same time, S-Crocodile released an enormous Desert Spada from his palm.
Rolling yellow sand surrounded the giant blade, while its cutting edge gleamed with a chilling sharpness capable of severing anything before it.
The two attacks approached Kaido's dragon body from opposite directions with perfect coordination, each carrying overwhelming destructive power.
"Wororororo!"
Kaido unleashed an enraged dragon roar in response to the violent assault.
The thunderous sound shook the surrounding air.
The Seraphim's relentless attacks had successfully provoked the mighty ruler of the seas.
Fury blazed within his enormous eyes, and the scales across his body shone even more brilliantly as world-destroying power threatened to erupt from him at any moment.
The six Seraphim had appeared across the battlefield like ghosts.
...