"So, how is Hannyabal doing?"
Magellan rose to his feet.
Only by standing could he slightly suppress the rolling urge to defecate within his gut.
"Heh~ that piece of trash..."
Shiryu wore a mocking expression. His eyes remained indifferent, yet the former disdain was gone.
"He is still alive, though he likely won't be able to speak for some time."
"That is good..."
Hearing this, Magellan exhaled a long breath, finally relaxing.
When he had arrived at the Eternal Hell, Hannyabal was already lying in a pool of blood, hands and feet shackled, unable to move, with blood constantly gushing from his mouth.
Fortunately, people in the pirate world were all monsters when it came to vitality. Although the injuries were severe, they weren't immediately life-threatening.
But had they arrived a bit later...
Who could say?
The escaped prisoners alone would have been enough to tear the incapacitated Hannyabal to shreds.
Clack, clack, clack—!!!
From the darkness came the crisp sound of heels striking the ground. A graceful, curvy figure approached, stopping just in front of Magellan and Shiryu.
It was a slender woman with an elegant and charming aura. She had a high nose bridge, and despite the dim lighting of Impel Down, she wore a pair of reddish-brown sunglasses.
Her long, curly blonde hair cascaded down, and a police cap sat askew on her head, covering her right eye.
A tight brown jacket and matching shorts outlined her full curves.
A white shirt paired with a pure black tie obscured the beautiful scenery of her chest, while dark red knee-high boots and long gloves added a unique allure.
However, the two men present were no simple characters.
They showed not a shred of desire or lust toward the woman before them.
"Domino? Is there something to report?"
Magellan withdrew his gaze, his face returning to calm.
Things had already come to this; no amount of regret would help. It was better to think about how to remedy the situation.
"I have discovered the source of this turmoil."
Domino adjusted the sunglasses on the bridge of her nose and spoke in a low voice.
"Hm? What is the situation?"
"When I started checking the surveillance footage, I thought the Vice-Captain of the Red Hair Pirates had released the Level 6 prisoners while rescuing Red Hair, but..."
Domino paused for a moment.
Her small, rounded mouth slowly uttered a name: "Doflamingo!"
"Doflamingo?!"
Magellan looked surprised.
Wasn't that guy... locked up in Level 6?
Magellan only knew that Doflamingo's identity might be related to the Celestial Dragons.
After all, not just any pirate could speak directly with the Five Elders and receive certain privileges.
"It was the Red Hair Pirates' Beckman. He seemed to have reached an agreement with Doflamingo, but that guy apparently didn't intend to keep it and released all the Level 6 prisoners directly."
Great!
In a roundabout way, the blame still fell on the Red Hair Pirates.
As for whether Beckman did it intentionally, having anticipated this outcome, no one knew.
"Doflamingo—!!"
Magellan lowered his brow, gritting his teeth as he quickly scanned the surroundings.
I don't see that guy's corpse!!
"Let this old man bear the full responsibility for this incident! It just so happens that I am about to retire anyway."
Suddenly, a steady and powerful voice came from behind Domino as a tall shadow loomed over them.
"Warden?!"
The three spoke in unison.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
The moment Sengoku, transformed into a giant Buddha, saw the straw-hat youth walk out, his expression darkened instantly.
[Red Hair] Shanks...
It seems something really did happen at Impel Down.
"You look like you're in a sorry state, Uncle Whitebeard!!"
Shanks frowned slightly. Behind him, pirates wearing prison uniforms and... Ben Beckman walked out one after another.
He looked Whitebeard up and down.
There was a fist-sized puncture wound on his chest, and a deep gash on his back that exposed the bone, blood dripping from it ceaselessly.
His face looked pale, likely from excessive blood loss.
Shanks had never seen Whitebeard in such a miserable state, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy.
Whitebeard has finally grown old, after all!!
"Is Whitebeard... injured?"
"Hey, hey! Look at those wounds. Were they really all caused by that young Marine?!"
"Hiss—! No way. We haven't been locked up that long; has such a terrifying young man appeared in the Marines already?"
Seeing Whitebeard's wretched condition, the pirates behind Shanks gasped in unison.
Many of them had been thrown into Impel Down before Roger's execution or shortly after.
They had experienced Whitebeard's prime era firsthand, so they had a profound understanding of how terrifying the now slightly aged man before them truly was.
And yet, such a Whitebeard had been beaten into this state by a Marine brat.
Looking at the opponent, he didn't even seem to be injured.
Hiss~ Terrifying indeed!!
Bang—!!!
Suddenly, the giant golden Buddha standing on the execution platform leaped down, landing steadily on the ice.
Thud!! Thud-thud-thud~!!!
The massive golden statue began to run rapidly, reaching Whitebeard in just a few strides.
"All Marines! Do not let a single pirate escape!!"
His voice, full of vigor, echoed through every corner of the battlefield, causing the Marines to instinctively speed up their blade swings.
After all, this was the first large-scale war led by the new Fleet Admiral.
They didn't dare harbor any thoughts of dragging their feet.
"White Roar, combine your strength with mine. We must finish Whitebeard quickly to avoid further complications!!"
Immediately after, Sengoku spoke to Atlas.
"No problem. It's better to bury the remnants of the old era thoroughly."
Atlas didn't try to show off.
He had already proven his strength to the world. It was time for him to take the seat of the World's Strongest Man!!
Resolving Whitebeard as quickly as possible was the wisest move right now.
"Gurararara! Sengoku, what a calculation!!"
"As expected of you!!"
Hearing the opponent's blatant scheme, Whitebeard laughed in anger.
As Sengoku's old rival, he naturally understood the other's calculations perfectly.
But he had dared to charge into Marineford alone with his pirate crew, fully prepared to die.
Simply because...
He is Whitebeard!!!
"Ah~ it really is lively. But there's no need to continue this war, right, Uncle Whitebeard?"
Shanks lowered the brim of his hat slightly, his scanning gaze pausing on Blackbeard's broken corpse.
"Gurararara! War isn't children's house-play. Once it starts, stopping it easily isn't something I can just decide!"
Whitebeard stood tall, his aura seemingly unaffected by his injuries.
"I see. In that case..."
Clang—!!!
Shanks leaped to the highest point of the warship and abruptly drew the longsword at his waist, the friction between the blade and scabbard creating a crisp, clear sound.
"Let us end this war!!"
He had no choice; his sword, Gryphon, had likely been 'collected' by that Marine into the Marine Headquarters' warehouse.
He had taken advantage of the chaos to check Impel Down's storage room and the Warden's office, but found nothing. He had to make do with a random sword grabbed from the stolen warship.
Phew—!!
A high-pitched whistling sound tore through the air.
"Oh—!! Hey brat, dodge quickly!!"
Before the pirates behind Shanks could cheer, a laser beam shot toward Shanks, following the movement of Atlas's gaze.
Clang!!!
It was blocked for only a split second. Even the longsword wrapped in Armament Haki melted into molten iron instantly before being pierced through.
Sizzle—!!
Sparks flew, and the beam finally dissipated only after barely breaking through Shanks' Armament Haki defense.
"Phew—!! That scared me to death; I almost thought I was done for?!"
Without time to check the damage to the blade, Shanks patted his chest, looking relieved to have survived.
He then turned his gaze toward Atlas.
That Marine... is truly terrifying!!
"What the hell is that? Why can that Marine shoot that stuff from his eyes? Is it a Devil Fruit?"
"Who cares what it is! Right now, I just want to kill a few Marines to vent my anger!!"
The pirates behind Shanks were also shocked.
But in the end, they attributed it to Devil Fruit powers. As pirates who had roamed the seas for years, they were long accustomed to all sorts of bizarre abilities.
Of course, if they were to witness Atlas's other abilities, they would probably find their current thoughts laughable.
After all, whose Devil Fruit could possess so many abilities at once?!
Even Mythical Zoan types had traces to follow, usually related to the abilities possessed by the mythical creature itself.
"Tch, pity."
Seeing Shanks survive by sheer luck, Atlas didn't focus too much on him.
The Whitebeard before him was the biggest threat right now!!
"Newgate, you're not leaving today!"
Sengoku looked calmly at the blood-soaked Whitebeard, though he sighed internally.
He and Whitebeard had always been frenemies, but his stance as a Marine allowed for no mercy.
Whitebeard had to stay in Marineford today!!
"Gurararara!!"
Whitebeard stood holding his blade, his gaze deep as he quickly assessed the battlefield.
Marco's eyelids were drooping, and the blue Flames of Resurrection on his body had weakened to the extreme. His chest heaved violently, his heavy breathing audible even to Issho opposite him.
"Your Excellency is at the end of your tether. Why struggle in vain?"
Issho slowly increased the surrounding gravitational field, stacking terrifying pressure onto Marco.
"Heh, old man, surrender? My Pops is—"
"Whitebeard!!"
BOOM—!!!
The blue flames on Marco's body suddenly flared. His arms transformed into wings that blotted out the sky, and his feet turned into sharp beast claws, rapidly covered in Armament Haki.
[Phoenix Seal]!!!
A powerful shockwave shot out, enough to completely engulf Issho's tall figure!
This was his final struggle. Relying on the properties of the blue flames, he entangled Issho.
But ultimately, this was as far as he could go.
"Oh? What a tenacious will to live!"
Issho opened his closed eyes, revealing white pupils. He held his cane-sword horizontally in front of him and slowly unsheathed it.
"In that case, allow me to send Your Excellency on your way!!"
"Gravity Blade · Raging Tiger!!!"
Accumulated gravity was slashed out. The surroundings seemed to be dyed purple; the twisted force field and the severed air were all constantly suppressing Marco's nerves...
"Huff—! Huff—!!"
Vista, wielding dual swords, gasped for air. His robes had long been reduced to tattered strips hanging from his body. Crisscrossing wounds ceaselessly pumped blood, and there was hardly a patch of intact skin left on him.
However, Vice Admirals Strawberry and Onigumo weren't faring much better.
They had their fair share of wounds cut by slashes.
Although Vista's swordsmanship was flashy, the danger hidden beneath that flashiness could not be underestimated.
Every drifting flower petal was composed of countless tiny slashes. That control over swordsmanship...
Was truly terrifying!!
But two fists are no match for four hands.
No matter how powerful Vista's swordsmanship was, facing two powerful Headquarters Vice Admirals like Strawberry and Onigumo, he was unable to sustain it and was teetering on the edge.
Jozu vs. Tokikake (Chaton)...
Thatch, Izo, and Rakuyo teaming up against Gion (Momousagi)...
...So many battles. Whitebeard took in the situation on the battlefield.
Although they were fighting back and forth, and despite the assistance of some prisoners Shanks brought from Impel Down, the overall situation was taking a sharp turn for the worse. Their objective could no longer be achieved, and thoughts of retreat had sprouted in the hearts of most pirates.
After all, there was no meaning in continuing this war.
But how could the Marines easily let them go?
Marine Headquarters was not a place one could come and go as they pleased!
And what Sengoku wanted to do now was expand the victory!!
"Gurararara!! My sons, we are pirates! We must carve out our future path ourselves!!!"
Whitebeard turned abruptly, sweeping a slash toward Atlas, while throwing a quake punch at Sengoku with his left hand.
"Iris!!"
Atlas showed no fear, standing his ground. Futsu-no-Mitama, wrapped in thick Haki, blocked Whitebeard's slash.
HUM—!!
On the other side, Sengoku in his Buddha form dispersed Whitebeard's quake wave with a shockwave of his own, continuing toward Whitebeard's main body without losing momentum.
Whitebeard was in danger!!
"Hm?!"
Surprisingly, Whitebeard showed no intention of dodging or countering the shockwave behind him. Instead, he gripped Murakumogiri with both hands.
He left his back completely exposed to Sengoku.
This brat has the same ability as Shiki. As long as he stays conscious, Marco and the others won't be able to escape!!
Whitebeard's face suddenly became ferocious, veins bulging on his neck.
He didn't believe this guy's healing ability could be released infinitely!!
HUM—!!
Vibrations surged onto the blade. The air above Atlas's head fractured inch by inch; pure strength could no longer stop the spread of the quakes.
BOOM!!!
The ice shattered, and a vacuum appeared in the seawater. Atlas's entire body was ruthlessly driven into the water by Whitebeard. His body looked as if it had been turned into a mirror, with fine, irregular cracks distributed everywhere.
A massive amount of blood sprayed out, dyeing the surrounding seawater crimson.
Squelch—!!!
At the same time, Sengoku's Buddha Shockwave landed on Whitebeard. The intense impact pierced through Whitebeard's body from behind almost instantly.
Internal organs, bones, and some remaining intestinal tracts were exposed to the air.
"Gurararara! Cough—!!"
A cough of blood interrupted Whitebeard's laughter.
He stabbed Murakumogiri into the ice, crossed his fists in front of his chest, leaving his center wide open. Two shockwaves erupted violently. The world before him seemed to shatter instantly as a turbulence even more violent than before spread out once again!!!
"Gurararara!! My sons, listen well! I am now issuing... my final captain's order!!!"