Although it was still unclear who was activating the ability of the Paw-Paw Fruit, it had to be said, this ability was really convenient.
In the original work, Kuma's catchphrase was, "If you were to go on a trip, where would you like to go?"
That phrase was incredibly fitting.
The Paw-Paw Fruit was truly a divine tool for displacement.
Ship after ship flew like cannonballs toward the execution platform.
Sabo, at the front on the leading ship, his hands turning into flames, charged toward the execution platform.
"Luffy! I'm coming to save you!"
Not just Sabo, but following behind him were [Effort King] Koby, Helmeppo, Zoro, Sanji, and other members of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Even though these people, in terms of strength, didn't deserve to be on this battlefield either, every bit of combat strength counted, so Sabo had brought them along as well.
Luffy, with his hands cuffed behind his back, looked utterly shocked, calling Sabo's name in disbelief.
In his memory, he had thought Sabo was dead. He never expected to see him here.
Kizaru, the last of the 'slacker' Admirals, could no longer sit still.
He transformed into light, leaped into the air, and unleashed his [Yasakani no Magatama].
Countless light bullets rained down like a storm, golden beams tearing through the air toward the flying ships.
Each light bullet contained enough energy to destroy a Yarukiman Mangrove tree. Hundreds shot out simultaneously, dyeing the entire sky a blinding gold.
Facing Kizaru's Yasakani no Magatama, many experts from the Revolutionary Army and Red Hair Pirates made their moves.
Beckman raised his pistol, and bullets precisely collided with light bullets, detonating them. The resulting shockwaves triggered a chain reaction among surrounding light bullets, causing a series of explosions mid-air.
Yasopp fired multiple shots, each one intercepting a shower of light rain. His marksmanship was astonishingly precise.
Issho raised his sword, and his gravity field bent the trajectories of the light bullets, sending them off course into the sea, where they kicked up towering water columns.
Just as the ships were about to cross the first line of defense, Sengoku gritted his teeth and roared, "Warlords! What are you waiting for? Don't forget what's on you!"
At these words, Shanks, Beckman, and the others, who were busy fending off the Yasakani no Magatama, had their expression changed.
'What was Sengoku talking about?'
'What 'on you'?'
Below, Dracule Mihawk, who in the original work had been completely loafing around, had a glint of anger flashing in his eyes.
But he still leaped up, drew the Supreme Grade Blade, Yoru, from his back, and struck at his buddy Shanks's ship, the Red Force.
The pitch-black blade was coated in Armament Haki. With one slash, a dark green flying slash like a crescent moon tore through the air and slashed toward the Red Force.
Shanks's expression changed drastically. He had no choice but to redirect immediately and engage Mihawk.
Clang—!
Their blades clashed, unleashing a violent shockwave that split the sky in two.
The shockwave spread outward, sending nearby Marine soldiers flying like leaves tossed by a strong wind.
Shanks was baffled, 'Why was Mihawk attacking?'
Given what he knew of him, Mihawk should have chosen to sit on the sidelines and watch.
As their blades met, Shanks asked in a low voice, "What's going on?"
Mihawk remained silent, his expression extremely unpleasant, as if he had suffered some great humiliation.
Moria, with his raspy voice, turned and demanded of Sengoku, "As long as we win this battle, you'll fulfill your promise, right?"
Before Sengoku could answer, Shamrock had already stated, "We keep our word."
Hearing this, Moria, Weevil, and the others also took action, one by one blocking the ships wrapped in the paw-print balloons.
Moria manipulated his Shadow-Shadow Fruit's ability, raising countless shadow arms from the ground to grab the flying ships and drag them down.
Ships crashed to the ground with dull thunder, sending wood splinters flying. Revolutionary Army's soldiers tumbled from the ships, some crushed underneath, others thrown dozens of meters, rolling and screaming on the ground.
Weevil brandished his large sword, cleaving a ship in two. Wood chips flew. Revolutionary Army soldiers fell from the ship.
A blade flashed, blood sprayed, and bodies dropped from mid-air, hitting the ground with a dull 'thud, thud'.
Doflamingo, though clearly reluctant, still manipulated his String-String Fruit's ability, fixing several ships in mid-air, unable to move.
Those ships hung suspended, the soldiers on board trapped in a dilemma, becoming easy targets for Marine snipers.
Bang, bang, bang—
Gunshots rang out. Revolutionary Army soldiers fell from the ships, one after another, some already dead before they hit the ground.
Seeing the Warlords so obedient, even Makoto, with his god's-eye view, was surprised.
It seemed something had happened beyond his expectations.
Nevertheless, even though the ships hadn't reached the execution platform directly, they had already reached the central area of the plaza, less than two kilometers from the execution platform.
Momotusagi, the front-line commander standing on the high platform, bit her lip and said, "Damn. This makes artillery bombardment pointless."
Originally, their plan had been to launch a first wave of bombardment when the Revolutionary Army and Red Hair Pirates' fleet approached. But now that they were already in the center of the plaza, to avoid harming their own people, they certainly couldn't use artillery.
With that, Momotusagi and others leaped into the plaza.
Momotusagi drew her sword, Kinpira, and declared, "Arrest everyone from the Revolutionary Army and the Red Hair Pirates!"
Instantly, the 100,000-strong Marine army, led by numerous Vice Admirals, charged the Revolutionary Army and Red Hair Pirates.
Within five minutes of the two sides meeting, the atmosphere of the battle reached its climax.
The roar of artillery bombardment, the clash of cold weapons, the boom of Devil Fruit special attacks… all kinds of sounds echoed across Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In an instant, rivers of blood flowed.
On the ground, corpses lay strewn everywhere. Some were Marine, some Revolutionary Army, some Red Hair Pirates.
Blood pooled into streams, flowing through the cracks in the stone slabs, dyeing the white uniforms a dark red.
The air was thick with the stench of gunpowder, blood, and scorched flesh, pungent enough to make one queasy.
No one stopped.
A moment's lapse meant death.
"Come on, Marine! I will definitely rescue Luffy!" Sabo swung his pipe coated in Haki.
"This war isn't just about saving Sabo's little brother. More importantly, it's about completely destroying the Marine's confidence!"
"After the Marine is crushed, the next will be the World Government!"
"Everyone be careful. The God's Knights haven't moved yet!"
"Yukino already told us. Their weakness is in their hearts. Everyone, don't worry!"
The morale of the Revolutionary Army and Red Hair Pirates was extremely high.
Even facing an enemy ten times their number, they didn't lose out. In fact, they even seemed to have a slight advantage.
Ryokugyu, an Admiral candidate, led the charge, activating his Forest-Forest Fruit ability to transform into a giant wooden figure.
Though the wooden figure was far inferior to Hashirama's Wood Release, its size was already quite impressive.
The wooden figure was dozens of meters tall, covered in vines and thorns. Each step left a deep footprint in the ground, sprouting grass and flowers.
Ryokugyu repeatedly launched attacks, draining the life force of Revolutionary Army soldiers, bellowing, "The Celestial Dragons are the gods of this world! Those who defy the gods have no human rights! Don't resent me… the rules of this world were simply established this way!"
His vines spread out like tentacles, wrapping around Revolutionary Army soldiers, lifting them high and smashing them down.
The cracks of bones and screams of agony mixed together.
Hearing Ryokugyu's words, many in the Revolutionary Army hardened their expressions. Several of their officers tried to attack him.
Officer Lindbergh raised a specialized freeze gun, aimed at Ryokugyu, and pulled the trigger.
Bang—!
The freeze shot hit Ryokugyu's wooden body, instantly coating its surface with a thick layer of frost. The cold spread outward, chilling the air itself.
But Ryokugyu simply shuddered slightly, and the frost shattered.
He created a forest, casually blocking the attack, then manipulated the thorns to impale Lindbergh.
"Look out!"
A tiger-shaped sword beam roared in, crushing the incoming thorns.
The thorns shattered, flying through the air.
Lindbergh turned and thanked, "Thanks, Issho-san!"
The newcomer was none other than the Revolutionary Army's North Army Commander, Issho.
The blind Issho, wielding his sword, walked over, clearly dissatisfied with Ryokugyu's earlier words.
"I will be your opponent."
An Admiral-level battle began.
Issho waved his sword, and his gravity field instantly enveloped Ryokugyu's giant wooden body.
Ryokugyu's body suddenly grew heavy. The ground beneath him cracked like a spiderweb, rubble flying.
Ryokugyu gritted his teeth, desperately activating his Mori-Mori Fruit's ability, growing more vines from the wooden body to try to support himself.
"Don't underestimate me, an Admiral candidate!"
He roared, the wooden figure's arms swinging violently toward Issho.
Issho raised his sword and casually blocked the strike.
Boom—!
The shockwave spread outward, sending nearby Marine and Revolutionary Army's soldiers flying.
Watching Ryokugyu and Issho clash on the screen, Makoto smacked his lips.
He remembered their relationship in the original work wasn't bad. He was actually quite curious… Issho clearly disliked the World Government, while Ryokugyu was undeniably its bootlicker.
How did those two get along so well in the original work?
It would be more likely they'd fight to the death, wouldn't it?