The Nightfall Pirates moved like a war machine, surging toward the Whitebeard Pirates with unstoppable momentum.
One of the defining features of the Nightfall Pirates quickly became apparent on the battlefield. Many members fought with mechanical arms mounted to their backs. These metallic appendages were flexible, possessed tremendous reach, and carried destructive force powerful enough to overwhelm opponents of similar strength.
Countless Whitebeard Pirates fell beneath those mechanical limbs.
There were also mechanical prosthetic hands.
Years of brutal warfare had left many Nightfall Pirates permanently injured, but the Science Department had restored them through custom-made enhancements. For many pirates who had lost limbs, these prosthetics had quite literally given them a second life.
As members of the Nightfall Pirates, they received versions unavailable to outsiders.
Some mechanical arms concealed blades, others hid firearms. Certain models could even generate electricity. More frighteningly, these prosthetics were alive. Before combat they appeared no different from ordinary arms, but in battle they could instantly transform, releasing hidden weapons without warning.
After years of continuous conflict, mechanical limbs had become one of the most recognizable sights within the Nightfall Pirates.
Some members disguised them beneath artificial skin.
Others proudly displayed gleaming steel.
Among the clashes between subordinate pirate crews, the Whitebeard Pirates were still able to maintain their footing.
However, once the battle shifted to the rank-and-file forces, the Nightfall Pirates held an overwhelming advantage in both numbers and overall strength.
This campaign alone had seen the Nightfall Pirates commit a staggering forty thousand troops.
Seven separate armies had been mobilized, each containing more than five thousand men.
As the battle erupted, the World Economic News Agency fully activated its designated visual Den Den Mushi viewing stations.
The system had gradually evolved into something remarkably similar to the internet Teach remembered from his previous life.
The moment the channels opened, news spread across the world through the agency's vast information network.
Countless people flooded into the broadcasts.
They watched.
They discussed.
They argued.
And they witnessed history unfold in real time.
"Don't underestimate the Whitebeard Pirates!"
Jozu roared furiously.
Sladar's words were nothing less than open contempt for the Whitebeard Pirates.
The muscles in Jozu's arms bulged violently. Fury fueled his strength as he compressed the air with his fist and launched a punch at terrifying speed.
The blow slammed directly into Sladar's face.
The impact distorted Sladar's features and forced his enormous body backward. One leg sank deep into the earth as he absorbed the attack.
Yet even while enduring the punch, Sladar retaliated. His anchor swung with terrifying force, coated in Ryuo. The massive weapon crashed directly into Jozu's lower abdomen.
A diamond body did not mean absolute invincibility.
Jozu's reputation had always been built upon the combination of his Diamond Fruit and powerful Armament Haki.
Even so, the force of the strike caused his body to tremble.
His feet sank deeper into the ground.
Still, he refused to retreat.
"Why not surrender?" Sladar laughed, radiating an oppressive aura. "Give up this sea and reduce your losses. At this rate, it won't be long before every one of you is wiped out."
His gaze swept across the battlefield.
"The Whitebeard Pirates are no match for the Nightfall Pirates. Admit it!"
Around them, casualties continued to mount.
Yet like Jozu himself, the Whitebeard Pirates refused to yield.
Normally, in pirate wars, retreat was common once defeat became inevitable.
An island was merely territory.
Lost land could always be reclaimed later. But this battle was becoming something else entirely. The strength displayed by the Nightfall Pirates exceeded expectations.
Besides Sladar himself, Kaguya had matured into a powerful combatant and now served as his second-in-command. Alongside them stood three captains from affiliated pirate crews, numerous veteran officers, and a host of newly trained elites.
Their overall combat power was terrifying.
Yet the Whitebeard Pirates remained stubborn.
Sladar's repeated insults had transformed the battle into something personal.
Jozu and countless others loved the Whitebeard Pirates deeply.
To admit that they were inferior to the Nightfall Pirates was impossible.
They would rather die.
As a result, the conflict ceased to be a simple struggle over territory.
It became a bloody war of pride.
"Don't think this war will be like the last one."
Sladar's smile turned cold.
"The Nightfall Pirates don't need prisoners. Since you've chosen not to retreat, then every one of you will die here."
His voice carried absolute certainty.
This was the determination of the Nightfall Pirates.
They intended to crush the Whitebeard Pirates completely.
As for casualties?
They did not care.
The initiative belonged to them.
Any seriously wounded Nightfall Pirate could withdraw, recover, and return later.
"Welcome to hell."
His eyes gleamed savagely.
"Before your old man arrives."
Then Sladar raised his anchor and roared.
"Surround the island! Don't let a single one escape!"
The Nightfall Pirates reacted immediately.
This had already been planned.
"Retreat! Retreat!"
"The boss is about to use his big move!"
Veteran members shouted warnings as they rapidly pulled back.
The Nightfall Pirates withdrew from Sladar's immediate vicinity while simultaneously forming a massive crescent-shaped encirclement around the battlefield.
The trap was closing.
Then Sladar revealed the true extent of his power.
A violent storm of air erupted around him.
His body expanded rapidly.
Muscles swelled.
Bones cracked.
His scale-covered tail thickened dramatically.
Within moments, he transformed into a colossal monster.
A terrifying crocodilian beast over ten meters tall and more than a hundred meters long.
The Emperor Crocodile.
The supreme predator of an ancient era.
For the first time, Sladar revealed his complete Beast Form to the world.
Dust spiraled around his mountainous body.
The sheer ferocity of his appearance sent chills through countless spectators.
Many viewers widened their eyes in shock.
Even those who had previously witnessed Kaido's full Beast Form could not hide their astonishment.
Kaido embodied majesty.
Sladar embodied brutality.
Far away, Kaido himself watched the battle unfold. The more he observed Sladar, the more regret he felt. Why hadn't this monster joined the Beast Pirates?
"Be destroyed, Jozu!"
Sladar's enormous golden eyes radiated cold-blooded savagery.
"My goal is simple."
His massive jaws opened wide.
"You all die here!"
His tail swept violently across the battlefield.
The devastating strike crushed numerous Whitebeard Pirates beneath its force.
Screams echoed everywhere.
Jozu's expression darkened.
He could not afford even a moment of carelessness against the current Sladar. His muscles tightened. Blood surged through his veins.
Hearing the cries of his comrades, he roared and charged.
Sladar had become more powerful. But he had also become larger. Jozu intended to exploit that weakness.
Boom!
The moment Jozu accelerated, Sladar suddenly moved.
The Emperor Crocodile slammed all four limbs into the earth.
The ground shattered instantly.
A crater dozens of meters wide formed beneath him.
Then his massive body launched forward with shocking speed.
He crossed the distance almost instantly.
"ROAR!"
His blood-red maw opened wide.
Rows of razor-sharp teeth filled his jaws.
The terrifying bite force generated a howling wind within his mouth.
Jozu refused to dodge.
He charged directly into the monster.
His diamond fist, reinforced by Armament Haki, smashed forward.
The punch carried enough power to shatter a mountain.
The strike halted Sladar's advance.
But only barely.
The crocodile's scale-covered body displayed astonishing durability.
The impact produced a shower of sparks, yet failed to penetrate.
In his complete Beast Form, Sladar's strength had become even more monstrous.
The Emperor Crocodile was also known as the Muscle Crocodile for good reason.
"ROAR!"
The stalemate lasted only a moment.
Then a terrifying roar erupted.
An unimaginable force exploded from Sladar's gigantic body.
His jaws snapped shut.
The overwhelming bite force shattered the momentum behind Jozu's punch.
A violent shockwave burst outward.
Jozu was blasted away.
At the same time, Sladar accelerated again.
His enormous limbs pounded the earth, causing the battlefield to tremble as he charged after his opponent.
Jozu narrowed his eyes.
There was no fear in them.
Planting his feet firmly, he stepped forward and unleashed another full-powered strike.
A devastating impact erupted. The surrounding air shattered.
Boom!
The collision sounded like mountains collapsing.
The shockwave expanded in all directions.
The ground within hundreds of meters cracked apart and collapsed into a massive crater.
The aftershocks spread for kilometers.
Even the nearby sea was affected.
Enormous waves rose and crashed against the shoreline before rolling back into the ocean.
Both men stood among the strongest fighters in the New World.
Though neither had yet reached the realm of the world's true monsters, their destructive power remained terrifying.
Then the balance finally broke.
Jozu's body trembled. He was forced backward. His feet carved two deep trenches through the earth as he slid dozens of meters.
Sladar surged forward.
His massive claw descended.
Boom!
The giant claw slammed into the ground.
Beneath it lay Jozu.
Despite all his efforts, he could not move.
He was completely suppressed.
"Go."
Sladar's cold voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Kill them all."
His gaze remained fixed on Jozu.
"Leave no one alive."
He knew killing Jozu would be nearly impossible.
But the other Whitebeard Pirates were a different matter entirely. And now the Nightfall Pirates possessed an overwhelming advantage.
Jozu's suppression dealt another crushing blow to Whitebeard morale.
Encircled on all sides, their forces steadily retreated as their numbers continued to dwindle.
The battlefield became a slaughterhouse. Anyone who remembered the previous war could immediately tell the difference.
This time, the Nightfall Pirates were not merely seizing territory.
They were trying to destroy the Whitebeard Pirates.
Sladar's words made that perfectly clear.
To many observing pirates, the Whitebeard Pirates' refusal to retreat seemed absurd.
If it had been them, they would have abandoned the island long ago.
What was more valuable than survival?
Yet they underestimated the importance of honor within the Whitebeard Pirates.
More importantly, Sladar's overwhelming strength had shocked the world.
Diamond Jozu was being crushed.
And the Nightfall Pirates' encirclement had already been completed.
Escape was no longer an option.
This was no ordinary territorial conflict.
In the Grand Line, when monsters such as King or Katakuri appeared, weaker forces often surrendered territory immediately.
Dying for a battle that could not be won simply wasn't worth it.
Usually, a brief clash would occur before a tactical retreat.
That preserved dignity while avoiding unnecessary casualties.
But this battlefield had gone far beyond that point.
Jozu struggled desperately.
It accomplished nothing.
Sladar's colossal claw pinned him firmly to the earth.
Though unable to see much of the battlefield, he could hear everything.
The screams.
The cries.
The sound of comrades falling one after another.
Sladar no longer needed to attack personally.
Keeping Jozu restrained was enough.
Several Whitebeard Pirates rushed forward in desperate attempts to rescue him.
Every one of them died beneath Sladar's claws. The number of surviving Whitebeard Pirates continued to shrink.
Those still standing were elites.
Compared to the heavy losses suffered by Whitebeard's side, Nightfall casualties remained minimal.
Any severely injured fighter withdrew immediately.
The weaker members had already completed their battles and now focused on maintaining the encirclement and supporting the main force.
After all, Sladar's objective was simple.
Annihilation.
And that objective aligned perfectly with the ambitions of the Nightfall Pirates.
Jozu's stamina steadily drained away.
Maintaining his diamond form under such pressure consumed enormous energy.
At the same time, he never stopped struggling.
The harder he fought to break free, the tighter Sladar's grip became.
"Bastard!"
Elsewhere, countless Whitebeard Pirates watched the live broadcast with fury.
The sight before them ignited rage.
Their comrades' bodies littered the battlefield. Nightfall Pirates slaughtered them without hesitation. And Sladar's words echoed repeatedly across the world.
"Without Whitebeard, the Whitebeard Pirates are nothing!"
"The Whitebeard Pirates are no match for the Nightfall Pirates!"
"The Nightfall Pirates don't need prisoners!"
"Welcome to hell before your Pops arrives!"
The words were incredibly infectious.
They carried overwhelming confidence and unmistakable disdain.
At the same time, they revealed the true purpose of the war.
The Nightfall Pirates intended to crush the Whitebeard Pirates and use them as the foundation for their own legend.
Even Teach and several senior officers had not expected Sladar to be so articulate.
His taunts transformed what might have become a swift victory into a battle of wills.
Yet those words also reflected the genuine feelings held by many members of the Nightfall Pirates.
Much of that confidence stemmed from Sladar's strength.
The fact that he could completely suppress Jozu shocked even his allies.
The Nightfall Pirates controlled an enormous territory. Although opportunities to meet existed, constant warfare rarely allowed the executives to truly test one another's limits.
Sladar's personality had always been domineering.
Anyone familiar with him understood that only overwhelming strength could ever keep him in check.
In Teach's eyes, Sladar possessed the qualities of a king.
The potential for Conqueror's Haki had always existed within him.
After joining the Nightfall Pirates, however, that aspect of his nature had been restrained and tempered.
Yet the Emperor Crocodile Fruit awakened something else.
A unique power.
Something similar to Douglas Bullet's Oni Haki.
Sladar called it Primal Force.
At present, he had not fully mastered it. The power remained elusive and difficult to control. But once he succeeded, his combat strength would rise to an entirely new level.