"Ah, Meiser, you're here!"
Seeing Meiser running toward him with two Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea, Luffy said, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Meiser replied as he ran alongside Luffy. "Your grandfather's attacks can't kill me."
With his right eye's Pupil Technique activated, even that old man Garp's attacks couldn't finish him off!
"That's good." Luffy sighed in relief.
Then he turned his attention to Bartholomew Kuma and Boa Hancock.
Instinctively, he wanted to ask something, but remembering what Meiser had told him earlier, Luffy closed his mouth again.
'This kid has improved.' Meiser thought with surprise as he looked at Luffy. 'He actually didn't ask any questions.'
Well, this was better anyway, saving them from unnecessary trouble.
At that moment, Ivankov said, "So you've controlled these two, right?"
As he spoke, the man glanced at Hancock, though his gaze only lingered for a second before shifting to Kuma.
"Yes, they're indeed under my control." Meiser said 'quietly'. "But there's still a possibility they could break free from my control."
"Controlling two Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea is still too much of a burden for me."
While speaking, Meiser glanced sideways at the huge ice block with the corner of his eye, secretly smiling to himself.
"Is that so." Ivankov frowned.
If one of them broke free from control, they would definitely attack Meiser immediately, and then...
Oh right, this Ninja Boy has an Undying Body, so there's no need to fear such things.
Thinking this, Ivankov calmed down.
"But regardless, right now they're our combat power." Meiser said.
"Hmm, that's true too."
Glancing at Kuma who followed silently behind them, Ivankov temporarily suppressed his thoughts.
'I'll talk to Ninja Boy about taking Kuma away after the war ends.' Ivankov murmured to himself.
As for now... rescuing people comes first!
"Luffy, if you want to save Ace, you'll need to rely on your strength." Meiser leaned close to Luffy and said, "Here, this is the key to saving your brother."
"The key?" Luffy was stunned for a moment before exclaiming happily, "Is this the key to unlock Ace's handcuffs?"
"Yes!"
"Great!" Luffy cheered with joy.
With this key, he would definitely be able to rescue Ace!
"You actually got the key too?!" Ivankov exclaimed in shock. "That's incredible!"
When did this kid get the key?
Could it be... that clone that disappeared earlier?
Thinking this, a trace of astonishment appeared in Ivankov's eyes.
"Had this kid already planned how to rescue people when he first arrived here?"
"Amazing... truly amazing!"
In response to Ivankov's praise, Meiser simply smiled without offering any explanation.
Then, he softly said to Luffy, "Luffy, if you want to save Ace, you'll have to do it yourself."
"Why?"
"Because your grandfather is guarding the place."
Glancing at Garp sitting in the Admiral's seat, Meiser narrowed his eyes and said, "That old man is incredibly strong. Even I can't rescue someone right under his nose."
"So... that's where you come in."
No matter what, Luffy was still Garp's own grandson. Meiser didn't believe that old bastard could bring himself to seriously harm Luffy.
Once Garp was knocked away by Luffy, the only one left to face would be Sengoku!
This way, the probability of successfully rescuing Ace would be much higher!
Luffy fell silent for a moment before declaring loudly, "I understand!"
If his grandfather really tried to stop him, then... then he wouldn't hold back either!
With this thought, Luffy's eyes grew even more determined.
"Charge! Fight our way to the execution platform!"
"Right!!"
Shortly after, a Marine peered out from behind an ice block, staring at the distant Blood-Eyed Ninja for a while.
Then he returned below and said, "Hey, did you all hear what the Blood-Eyed Ninja said just now?"
"Yeah, we heard," replied his companion. "The Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea have a chance to break free from the Blood-Eyed Ninja's control, and his ability can only control two Warlords at a time."
"This is crucial intelligence. We need to report it to Fleet Admiral Sengoku immediately!"
With that, the man took out a Den Den Mushi and began contacting headquarters.
After relaying all the information he had gathered to his superior, the man left the area with his companions.
"A possibility of breaking free from control?"
Upon receiving the news, Sengoku frowned and said, "That could be considered good news."
If Boa Hancock or Bartholomew Kuma could break free from control, they would undoubtedly choose to attack the Blood-Eyed Ninja immediately.
This way... even if they couldn't kill him, they could at least keep him occupied for some time.
Of course, there was also the possibility they might be controlled again, but at least this added another potential outcome!
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, should we intervene to help the Warlords break free from control?" asked the communications soldier.
Sengoku remained silent for a moment before shaking his head. "No, we'll proceed with the plan as scheduled.They had no idea how to help the Warlords break free from the shackles, nor did they know if they would be controlled again after breaking free. There was no point wasting time on that.
The priority was to drive the pirates into a corner first, then consider the Warlords' situation later.
"Yes, sir!"
The communications soldier immediately ran off to deliver the orders without hesitation.
"How will you respond next, Whitebeard?"
Staring at the silent Whitebeard in the distance, Sengoku slowly narrowed his eyes.
"Monsters... they're all monsters!"
Gripping his Flintlock tightly, Kevin watched the battles between the powerful fighters with fear in his eyes.
"Boom!!"
Just as he spoke, Marine Admiral Kizaru launched an attack.
With just a single Laser blast, he shattered an enormous ice layer into fragments!
The pirates on board were all struck down by that blow, collapsing with their eyes rolled back, losing consciousness.
Then came the battle between Flower Sword Vista and Hawkeye.
The slashes unleashed by those two men were terrifyingly powerful, easily capable of altering the surrounding terrain!
That level of combat left him utterly stunned.
At that moment, one of Hawkeye's Flying Slashes shot straight toward his direction!
"Fool, get out of the way!"
A Marine captain rushed over, grabbed him, and leaped aside.
The next moment...
"Thud!"
"Boom!!"
The massive warship was sliced in two as easily as cutting through tofu.
"Is... is this the power of the World's Greatest Swordsman?" the Marine captain gulped and said. "Truly horrifying."
To possess such destructive force with just a single slash—he truly deserved his title.
Forcing himself to calm down, he patted Kevin beside him and said, "Alright, stop spacing out. Hurry to the squa—"
Before he could finish his words, a Shockwave sent him flying!
Judging by the blood he vomited, he was likely beyond saving.
And this... was merely the aftermath of the clash between Crocodile and Doflamingo.
Kevin, also sent flying by the blast, crashed hard into the shattered ice beneath the warship.
Though fortunate enough not to be killed outright, his right leg was pinned under an enormous block of ice, leaving him trapped.
This forced his head underwater.
"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle..."
"Cough, cough."
Pinned down, Kevin swallowed several mouthfuls of seawater, struggling desperately to lift his head above the surface.
After coughing a few times, he gasped for air, breathing heavily.
"What... what should I do?"
Trapped under the ice, he couldn't even attempt to save himself.
At this thought, a flicker of despair surfaced in Kevin's eyes.
Just then, a pale golden glow appeared in the distance, immediately catching Kevin's attention.
"Is that Admiral Kizaru?" Kevin murmured, squinting.
But soon, Kevin discerned what it truly was.
It wasn't Admiral Kizaru's Laser, but a pale golden Giant!!
"That person is... the Blood-Eyed Ninja?!"
Watching the man standing within the pale golden Giant, Kevin's pupils contracted sharply.
The moment he spoke, the massive pale golden Giant in the distance moved.
"Bam!!"
With a single punch, it sent a Marine Commodore—someone Kevin once looked up to—flying like a cannonball straight toward him.
The next moment...
"Boom!!!"
A deafening explosion erupted as the Marine Commodore crashed into the warship behind Kevin, causing the entire vessel to shudder.
Thanks to this violent tremor, the ice layer below shifted noticeably.
Seizing the fleeting opportunity, Kevin managed to free himself from the shattered ice.
After scrambling onto the ice surface with all his strength, Kevin glanced back at the warship, his face contorting in horror.
The Marine Commodore he once revered was now impaled on the warship, clearly beyond saving.
And this... was merely a simple attack from the Blood-Eyed Ninja.
"Is this how monsters fight?!" Kevin swallowed hard and said, "Is this really a war ordinary people like us can participate in?"
Could these monsters who could alter the terrain with a mere wave of their hand really be dealt with by ordinary people like them?!
At this moment, fear spread through Kevin's heart, causing his body to tremble.
If they continued fighting... they might truly die here!
They would really die!
Just then, a voice called out from the side.
"Big brother!!"
"Big brother, where are you?!"
"That voice... Kacy?!"
Turning to look at Kacy struggling amidst the shattered ice, Kevin's pupils contracted once more.
From his perspective, his younger brother was crying out with a bloodied face, looking... helpless as a child.
Glancing at his broken right leg, Kevin gritted his teeth and began slowly shuffling toward his brother.
But he had only taken a few steps when he saw several lasers streak over from the distance, slamming directly into the ice below.
"BOOM!!!"
The massive ice chunks were shattered into dust as easily as toys by the Pacifista's lasers.
And the ice surface below... was broken into enormous pieces of floating ice!
"Dammit..."
The tremors from the impact caused Kevin to fall to the ground, worsening the injury to his right leg.
The intense pain shooting through his brain nearly made him black out!
At that moment, Kevin heard a shout coming from the execution platform.
"Luffy!!!" Ace yelled, "It's too dangerous! Don't come any closer!"
"Dangerous... dangerous!!"
Hearing Ace's words, Kevin paused mid-step.
The moment he stopped, several laser lights glowed from the side again - clearly the Pacifistas had targeted this area once more.
"Again... are they coming again?"
Kevin's face paled as he felt the threat of death.
Then, as if scared out of his wits, the man turned and fled toward the side.
Just then, Luffy's roar echoed from the distance.
"I told you, I'm your brother!" Luffy roared, "Even if I die, I'm going to save you!!"
"Crack!"
Hearing these words, Kevin stood frozen as if struck by lightning.
His brother Kacy also shouted at that moment.
"Big brother!!"
"Run!!!"
As the words fell, several lasers shot over from the distance, bombarding the ice surface to the side!
"Whoosh"
"BOOM!!!"
The terrifying force completely shattered the ice in that area!
Those standing there screamed pitifully as they were blasted away.
Feeling the vibrations under his feet, Kevin remained silent for a moment before resolutely shuffling toward his brother's direction.
"Big..."
"Gurgle gurgle gurgle."
This time, Kacy couldn't call out again - pinned under the crushed ice, he could only await his death in despair.
A moment later...
"Crack!"
After using all his strength to move the ice block aside, Kevin pulled his younger brother out of the seawater.
"Cough... cough..."
The rescued Casey began coughing, then gasped heavily, desperately drawing air into his lungs.
Once he finally recovered, Casey looked at his older brother and said, "You idiot! Why didn't you run away?!"
"You're my brother!" Kevin replied. "How could I possibly abandon you?"
"Come on, let's head to the square from the side together. We'll survive this!"
After a moment of silence, Casey roared in response, "Alright! We'll survive together!"
Glancing at his older brother's injured right leg, Casey immediately hoisted him over his shoulder without hesitation and charged toward the side path.
As long as they could reach the square, they would win!
'Survive... We will definitely survive!'
At that moment, an incredibly intense desire to live erupted in Casey's eyes.
He would survive—and bring his leg-injured older brother with him!!