Chapter 411: Chapter 411: The Marines’ Rout
Chapter 411: The Marines’ Rout
The fierce battle within the island was reaching a white-hot stage. Whether it was the Marines or the various members of the Straw Hat crew, they were all gradually beginning to feel tired.
Especially the rear admirals and commodores.
A battle of this level forced them to be highly focused at all times. In such a tense state, their stamina was quickly consumed without them realizing it.
In all the battlefields, almost only the vice admirals and a scattered dozen or so rear admirals still had the stamina to fight.
Even so, relying on their initial numerical suppression, the Marines still held a great advantage.
On the other hand, the Straw Hat crew, whether it was Robin, Brook, and Chopper on the ground, or Nami in the air, were all already panting heavily.
"I feel like... my hands are so weak... I can’t even hold my weapon."
Usopp panted heavily, his chest heaving violently. He held his dual pistols in front of him, and stood back to back with Franky.
Around the two of them, four vice admirals, including Hiyama and Red King, surrounded them from all directions.
"Ah. I only have half a bottle of cola energy left in me. I have to find a food vending machine quickly."
Franky’s tone was grave. He was also already panting heavily.
Hearing this, Usopp subconsciously looked down at his already empty pouch, and murmured with a grave tone:
"...This is not good."
Faced with four headquarters’ vice admirals, never mind defeating them, he even doubted if he could last until his ammunition ran out.
Right now, everyone was in a fierce battle. It was very difficult for anyone to break free to help others.
Now, all their hopes could only be placed on Luffy and Reiner. As long as one of them achieved victory, the situation could be instantly reversed.
Swish—
Suddenly, a piercing whistle from a high-speed flight came from the sky. A dark shadow streaked past above. Usopp, the two of them, and the four vice admirals all looked up.
A figure, trailing a long tail of flame, flew in a straight line, passed over their heads, and headed straight for the central battlefield.
"Is that..."
"Portgas D. Ace?"
Vice Admiral Hiyama frowned, his squinting eyes flashing with a sharp light.
"Butsu-Ren: Jōka Gyōka!!" (Buddha Lotus: Purifying Karma Fire!!)
Sengoku’s arm was raised straight up, diagonally aiming at the diving Reiner. The golden Buddha’s light in his palm sketched a lotus flower.
The moment Reiner was within five meters, Sengoku’s eyes hardened, and the Buddha’s lotus in his palm suddenly bloomed!
Boom!!!
One after another, the lotus petals detonated. A large amount of golden fierce flames surged out, instantly engulfing Reiner’s figure!
Whoosh—
Whoosh—
The large ball of raging fire in the air became even more violent, as if something were frantically stirring inside.
Sengoku’s brow furrowed. The golden fierce flame caved in from the outside in, forming a vortex. The next second, a serpentine skull was revealed in the vortex.
Swish!
The bone serpent opened its mouth to reveal its ferocious fangs, broke through the fierce flames, and quickly bit down at him.
Sengoku quickly grabbed the bone serpent with his left hand, raised his right hand, and drew it back to his chest. His five fingers came together to form a palm, and a golden light burst from his palm.
"Hah!"
With a forceful pull from him...
Whoosh!
Flames surged. A giant skeleton, covered in golden flames, was pulled out. But it was not Reiner’s figure, but a bone nest constructed from a crisscross of bones!
"Screech—"
A pair of eyes in the nest shone with a scarlet, fierce light. A dense hissing sound made Sengoku’s face change.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Countless bone serpents shot out from the nest, opened their mouths to reveal their fangs, and bit down fiercely!
"Daibutsu: Jihi no Te!!" (Great Buddha: Hand of Mercy!!)
The palm, which had long been gathering power, flared with a golden light. With an angry roar from Sengoku, he pushed it out, slapping it on the bone nest. The golden light entered, and a violent impact was released from the inside out!
Boom!!!
The bone nest exploded. The bone serpents in the air were also shattered and dissipated in the spreading golden shockwave. White bone fragments flew everywhere.
Before Sengoku’s shocked eyes, a figure instantly appeared in front of him!
Golden and azure flames intertwined and coiled around his body. A fierce light radiated from Reiner’s eyes. His palm came together, forming a bone sword nearly two meters long, and he thrust it straight out!
"Tekkai: Kongō!!" (Iron Body: Adamantine!!)
Sengoku let out a low shout and hurriedly condensed the golden light on the surface of his body to his chest.
—Hiss!
With the dull sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh, a spray of blood flew into the sky. The tip of the bone sword pierced out from his back!
Zing—!
A straight line of sword energy from the tip of the sword flew out. The earth, along with a dozen or so houses, was instantly split in two!
"Iai: Ryūshin!" (Iai: Dragon’s Heart!)
Reiner maintained his sword-drawing posture, his expression cold as he looked up. Sengoku’s pupils trembled violently as he looked in disbelief at his pierced chest.
Before the two could make a move, the surrounding air rapidly heated up, and embers flew in his peripheral vision!
"Meigo!!"
With an angry roar, Akainu’s figure suddenly appeared from the side. His five fingers bent into a claw as he swiftly grabbed at Reiner’s head!
"Goshu Akujin!!"
Reiner raised his left hand and cut open a void. A pitch-black, demon-faced heavy shield was immediately summoned to block in front of him.
Bang!!
A loud bang exploded. A melted hole was broken through the heavy shield. In the hole, where magma flowed, a ferocious magma claw continued to grab at his head!
—Hiss!
Reiner’s expression was shocked. He hurriedly withdrew his hand, pulled out the bone sword that was stuck in Sengoku’s body, and activated his ability!
"Teleport!!"
Swish!
When he reappeared, Reiner, in his skeleton form, was already standing on a tall building.
A corner of his skull had been melted, and a layer of magma remained on the missing half of his jaw. It dripped onto the ground, sizzling as white smoke rose.
Even Big Mom’s iron body can’t block it?
Reiner’s gaze was fixed on the ferocious-looking Akainu below. The regenerative azure flame spread to the wound.
This undead shield, made from Big Mom’s template, had only been pierced twice so far.
Besides laser beams, there was Akainu’s magma.
As expected of the strongest power in terms of explosive ability, which could burn everything. It had no fancy tricks. All of Akainu’s moves were displayed in the most brutal form, only for the pursuit of the ultimate lethality.
Below, the golden light on Sengoku’s body slowly dimmed, and he gradually exited his Great Buddha form and returned to his normal body.
"Puwaah—!"
Sengoku clutched his chest in pain, knelt on the ground with one hand, and couldn’t help but spit out a mouthful of blood.
"Are you alright, Sengoku!"
Vice Admiral Tsuru jumped down in a panic, supported Sengoku, and checked his injuries.
And Akainu, with his lower body elementalized, the magma on the ground like a volcanic eruption, pushed his magma-flowing body and flew up.
"Dai Funka!!"
The boiling magma surged. Akainu’s eyes were angry. He punched out with his right arm, and a ferocious magma giant fist, emitting a scorching heat, erupted.
And just at this moment, a loud noise suddenly came from the sky!
"Hiken!!"
A dazzling firelight lit up the sky. Surging flames, intertwined orange and red, gathered into a massive fist of fire and smashed down!
Boom!!!
The explosive flames and the boiling magma fiercely clashed. In an instant, a violent energy exploded in the air.
Splattering magma flew in all directions in the sky, mixed with specks of flying orange-red flames, like a splendid firework blooming above the island, dyeing the sky a deep red.
"Akainu’s move was nullified?"
"Who is it!"
Sengoku, Akainu, and the others’ eyes were filled with astonishment as they all looked up at the sky.
A figure, with his upper body bare, flames leaping on his shoulders, arms, and various other places, descended from the sky.
Thud!
Landing on a rooftop, Ace walked out with one hand in his pocket. He raised his index finger and lifted the brim of his orange hat, a slight smile on his lips.
"Yo. Sasahiburi da na, Reiner."
"Fire Emperor Ace!"
Sengoku’s eyes widened in shock, and he couldn’t help but cry out. His face became grave and gradually darkened.
The situation the Marines had been most worried about had finally happened.
As the older brother for whom Straw Hat had risked his life to break into the Summit War to save, the moment Fire Fist Ace learned of the news of Egghead, he would inevitably lead the Whitebeard Pirates to support them.
It wasn’t that the Marines hadn’t thought of this. They had even been prepared to go to war with two Yonko at the same time. After all, the Whitebeard Pirates wouldn’t have time to gather their forces.
With the Marine forces dispatched, which were comparable to the Summit War, and the battle plan that coordinated with the Seraphim, it was enough to deal with even two Yonko.
But...
Aokiji’s appearance was too unexpected. Not only was Kizaru pinned down, but three Seraphim were also under his control.
Even if the Five Elders descended, they couldn’t bypass the defense of the frontier dome to seize control.
And Straw Hat’s suddenly appearing, strange form was something they hadn’t anticipated at all before the war.
These two great variables had directly wiped out the Marines’ advantage in combat power.
And this man before them, Black Snake Reiner!
Bang!
Sengoku gritted his teeth and couldn’t help but punch the ground in anger.
He, Garp, and Sakazuki, plus three Seraphim, had all gone on stage, yet they couldn’t even take down one person!
This level of strength was far beyond their initial estimate. In the entire sea, it was a unique existence.
Now, the support of the Whitebeard Pirates had arrived.
"It’s... completely over...!"
Sengoku gritted his teeth, his heart extremely unwilling.
Tsuru slowly closed her eyes, her face seeming to have aged a few more years.
She could understand Sengoku’s feelings at this moment.
To have exhausted all the combat power of the Marine Headquarters to encircle and suppress one pirate crew, only to suffer a complete rout... this meant that the prestige that the Marines had built up over hundreds of years would be gone.
The righteous Marines would pursue and defeat the evil pirates. This was something that most common people subconsciously accepted.
Now, the Marine Headquarters had been defeated by pirates. This high wall called "trust" had instantly collapsed. After all, if even the Marines had been defeated, who could they count on to protect them from pirates?
What was even more terrifying was that once this kind of thought spread, the common people all over the world could fall into a panic.
Even in the future, the first thing pirates would do when they encountered the Marines would no longer be to run away, but to first think of picking up their swords and guns to resist. After all, the Marines could also be defeated by pirates.
The risk of Marine operations and the recruitment of new blood would also become more difficult. Besides these internal troubles, there were also the Revolutionary Army and the various member nations’ attitudes towards the Marines, and a series of political problems would follow one after another.
For the Marines, this was definitely not as simple as the gain or loss of one battle.
But these were not problems that pirates should consider.
"Hey! Where’s Luffy? I don’t see him!"
"He was being chased and went to the scrap yard in the east!"
Reiner shouted in response to Ace behind him and, with all his might, he blasted out a shockwave, defeating a flying magma fist.
"The east..."
Hearing his words, Ace glanced over, and with flames shooting from his feet, he immediately set off and flew to the east.
And just at this moment.
A dark shadow suddenly jumped out. Ace’s eyes were stunned.
"G-Grandpa?!"
"You brat! You’re going to leave without even saying hello?"
Garp said angrily, and his massive fist came down mercilessly.
"Wait a minute!"
Bang!!
"Pfft—!"
An iron fist, the size of a sandbag, smashed into Ace’s face, squeezing the flesh on his face to one side. Blood and gore flew, and his entire person fell from the sky and smashed directly into the earth.
Boom!!
In an instant, dust and smoke kicked up and spread outwards. The ground was smashed into a deep pit. In the deep pit, Ace was face down, half of his body directly embedded in the earth.
He propped himself up with his hands, gritted his teeth, and looked up. His two eyes were full of resentment. He glared fiercely at Garp, and from between his gritted teeth, he squeezed out his anger:
"You bastard stinky old man!"
"To even dare to come and save someone with just this level... I think you should be more worried about yourself first,"
Garp said with a grin.
Is today Grandparent-Grandson Day? How come one comes after another?
"Roger’s son... another evil bloodline filled with sin."
A ruthless glint flashed in the depths of Akainu’s eyes. Taking advantage of the Seraphim’s attack on Reiner, he bypassed Garp’s back, and with magma erupting from his feet, he quickly flew at Ace!
"This old one will definitely not let you brothers leave here alive today!"
A dark red magma swelled into a ball. Akainu’s magma giant fist descended from above.
"Jujika: Bakuretsu!!" (Crossfire: Burst!!)
Ace’s gaze focused. He raised his hand, his index fingers crossed, and a cross-shaped pillar of fire shot into the magma. With a thought, a violent explosion was triggered!
Boom!!
The magma, which carried a terrifyingly high temperature, was blasted and scattered in all directions. In the air, a raging fire was burning. In it, a large amount of viscous red solution poured down like a waterfall.
"Tch—!"
Ace frowned and scoffed. He knew that this level was not enough to hurt Akainu. He immediately pulled back and jumped away.
As expected, the ball of magma that landed quickly melted everything around it, and scorching steam sizzled and rose.
Before it could flow out, the pool of red magma quickly gathered into a human form, turning into Akainu’s appearance.
"A coward who only runs... can he also carry the flag of a Yonko? As expected, like father, like son. I just don’t know..."
Akainu’s gaze was fixed on Ace not far away as he said in a low voice:
"...is it what you inherited from Roger, or what that failure Whitebeard taught you?"
"You bastard... who are you calling a failure!"
Hearing these words, Ace’s face immediately darkened. His fists were clenched so tightly they cracked, and veins popped on his forehead.
"Am I wrong? You haven’t forgotten, have you? Back then, at Marineford, how Teach attacked Whitebeard..."
Akainu’s right arm transformed into rolling, boiling magma. While gathering power, he stared at Ace’s movements, his eyes full of contempt:
"He spent his whole life pursuing the so-called ’family’, and in the end, he died at the hands of the son who had betrayed him. Ridiculous."
"Whitebeard was a complete and utter failure! And you will be no exception!"
Seeing that Ace did not move, Akainu roared and immediately charged up. His palm came together, forming a magma war spear, and the magma erupting from his back further boosted its power!
"Meido no Yari!!" (Hell Prison Spear!!)
"Pops’s death was for this family! For us, his sons! To continue our path—"
Ace slowly looked up. A fire burned in his eyes. The sky above his head and the earth beneath his feet both ignited with flames, which spread out at an extremely fast speed.
"I will not allow anyone to tarnish Pops’s name!!"
"Tenchi Enkai!!" (Heaven and Earth Flame Ring!!)
Ace stood between the heavenly fire and the earthly flame, one hand to the sky, one hand to the earth. With an angry roar from him, his two palms suddenly came together!
"Dai Nichi Jaku Metsu!!" (Great Sun of Extinction!!)
As his voice fell, all the flames contracted in an instant, compressing into a scorching hot fireball with Akainu at its center, and then it suddenly exploded!!
Boom!!!
The red light of the flames dyed the entire sky!
(End of Chapter)
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