"Cunning… still relying on tricks like this." Vulture's roar cut through the command room, thick with anger. He had already watched the analysis footage, and that only made it worse. They had been dragged along for half a month before realizing what was happening, and by then, whatever early advantage they had was long gone.
The others did not share his outrage. War was never clean. Schemes, feints, misdirection… all of it was standard. No one had ever said victory had to come from a straight clash. If anything, being led around so thoroughly was something worth reflecting on.
Vulture knew that too. His anger came from somewhere else.
This was his first time acting as supreme commander, and the results were already drawing quiet dissatisfaction. The position itself was never secure. It could be taken at any moment.
"Now that their plan is exposed, you handle the deployments," he said coldly, turning toward the exit. "I'll go see for myself who's behind this."
His body expanded mid-stride, transforming into a massive vulture. Wings spread wide, he shot into the sky and headed straight for one of the main battlefields, the frozen sea created by Kuzan.
Kuzan's situation was deteriorating.
Both Gar and King wielded fire-based abilities, and more often than not, they fought in tandem. Kuzan was being steadily suppressed.
Vulture had no intention of letting a force of that level remain pinned down. If nothing changed, the front would collapse under pressure. The World Government had already begun demanding results. Half a month was more than enough patience in their eyes.
At the same time, intelligence suggested that a major figure still had not revealed themselves on Jaya Island. Even as commander, Vulture had no clear identity for this person, only scattered clues gathered from the battlefield.
"Have they moved?"
On the other side, Redyat lowered his gaze slightly, a faint smile forming. The information had already reached him.
He picked up a Den Den Mushi.
"Alex. Begin."
A burst of laughter came through the receiver. "Finally? Good. I was getting bored."
One command after another followed. Redyat's voice remained calm, measured, as if he were moving pieces across a board rather than directing a war.
Around the Fourth Battlefield, smaller engagements erupted all at once. Overwhelming force crushed resistance in rapid succession, and those victorious units immediately began converging toward Alex's position.
Redyat moved as well.
An Admiral-level combatant could not be allowed to roam freely. If Vulture broke into the main battlefield unchecked, the losses would be severe.
Intercepting him had always been part of the plan.
—
On the glacier battlefield, the slaughter never slowed.
A thin chill lingered in the air, but for those fighting, it meant nothing.
"Ten-Finger Piercing Bullets!"
Bone spikes shot forward like a barrage, tearing through bodies with brutal precision. With a bone blade in hand, Kaguya moved like a dancer across the battlefield, his movements fluid, almost elegant, despite the carnage he left behind.
Even when surrounded, he showed no sign of strain. Bone armor and terrifying close combat skill turned every attacker into little more than sharpening stones.
One by one, those sent to stop him fell.
Stronger opponents existed, but they were already tied down elsewhere. No one could spare the strength to deal with him.
Across this battlefield, the pirate side held a growing edge.
Kuzan remained locked down. The World Government forces were already losing ground in high-level clashes, even if the full extent of the damage had not yet surfaced. Given time, the gap would only widen.
The New World's elites had gathered here. Survivors of countless battles, each of them forged through blood and chaos. Even with reinforcements, the World Government could not match that level of high-end combat power.
Their advantage lay in numbers. Not quality.
And numbers alone were not enough.
After Vice Admiral Juan was pinned down by Shiryu, Alex became unstoppable.
Several Vice Admirals moved together to contain him, yet even then, one of them died, torn apart in full view of the battlefield.
Alex relied purely on physical combat. No tricks, no hesitation. That alone had earned him a bounty exceeding one billion.
Now, he was even stronger.
Ancient Zoan: Centipede. [T/N: author seem to forget that it was taken by yamato in the tournament. So i went back and edited that part. Now yamato took pig gator, while wolf brothers took centipede and the other fruit.]
A terrifying fusion of durability and overwhelming force.
This battlefield, unofficially called the Fourth Battlefield, had become a choke point. A blade pressed against the throat of the Allied Forces.
Vulture knew it.
That was why he avoided confronting Alex directly. Instead, he sent wave after wave of forces to exhaust him. No matter how strong Alex was, stamina had its limits.
For now, containment was enough.
—
"Ice Wall!"
A towering barrier rose instantly, freezing the sea and sky alike.
King's flaming slash crashed against it, the ice melting under intense heat, while Gar's lightning-fast strike followed immediately after.
"Ice Age!"
The temperature plummeted.
Gar froze mid-air, his body encased in ice, suspended like a statue.
A second later, cracks spread. Flames surged. The ice shattered.
Kuzan was already moving again.
He had adapted.
Still, the battle remained suffocating.
His elemental advantage was heavily restricted. Flames weakened his freezing, and worse, they nullified his intangibility. Every strike had to be blocked directly. Every mistake carried weight.
He was being forced to fight differently.
And it showed.
—
Then the sky shifted.
A massive shadow spread across the battlefield.
A giant vulture descended, wings stretching across dozens of meters, blotting out the light.
Morale surged among the Allied Forces.
Vulture had arrived.
At last, a top-tier combatant had entered the field.
Kuzan exhaled quietly. The pressure on him had been relentless. Even a moment's relief was welcome.
On the pirate side, expressions tightened. Several fighters prepared to intercept. If Vulture was left unchecked, everything could unravel.
The giant vulture folded its wings and dove.
Like a falling star.
The sheer force behind it distorted the air. Haki wrapped around his body as he plunged toward the battlefield.
No one wanted to take that hit head-on.
King shifted position, ready to intercept if necessary. Avoidance was better, but someone had to control the landing point.
Then a voice cut through the chaos.
"Dragon Breath."
Calm. Almost quiet.
A shadow flickered.
Redyat appeared.
A beam of black energy erupted upward, meeting Vulture mid-descent.
The collision detonated in the sky.
A thunderous shockwave spread outward, shaking the battlefield below. Vulture's momentum slowed, his descent forcibly halted.
The attack had been stopped.
Completely.
Vulture shifted back to human form, hovering in the air. His expression darkened.
This was no coincidence.
His movement had been anticipated.
That meant one thing.
There was a leak.
Redyat hovered opposite him, black wings spread wide. The reactions below were immediate. Shock and disbelief from one side, rising excitement from the other.
No more words were needed.
They moved.
Redyat shot forward, blade flashing. Black arcs sliced through the sky, cutting off every possible escape route.
Vulture responded instantly, weaving through the attacks, his claws smashing one slash apart mid-flight. The impact cracked his Haki-coated talons, though the damage quickly healed.
The gap between them was small.
But it was there.
Redyat abandoned his blade without hesitation. His arms transformed, dragon claws tearing through the air as he closed the distance.
The fight became primal.
Claw against claw.
Speed beyond sight.
Shockwaves rippled through the sky as their clashes echoed across the battlefield below.
And from the very first exchange, one thing became clear.
Redyat held the advantage.
Not by a wide margin, but enough.
His Observation Haki read every intention. Every movement. Every shift in thought.
Vulture could not break the rhythm.
He tried. Forced exchanges. Even risked injury to create openings.
It changed nothing.
"Future sight…?" the thought flashed through his mind.
Redyat heard it.
A faint scoff escaped him as his claw came down again.
"You're not even close."