The situation changed abruptly!
Along with this sudden turn at the central battlefield, countless Marines and pirates who had originally been locked in fierce combat all turned their attention over,
There stood the pirates' old man Whitebeard, the Marines' revered Admiral Sakazuki, and that single figure,
The black trench coat was whipped violently by the residual shockwaves of cannon fire. A pair of large, bony hands calmly raised a cigarette and lit it. Two natural disasters—magma and earthquakes—were unable to draw near,
The entire battlefield ground to a halt because of one person.
And the atmosphere continued to grow heavier and more oppressive.
Whether pirates or Marines, all felt bewildered by this sudden intervention. After all, the other party clearly belonged to the Marine camp…
Only Sengoku, upon hearing those words, had his expression instantly change,
His pupils trembled as he stared at that figure,
Those blood-red eyes,
Slowly lifted to look at him,
"So then… please have Fleet Admiral Sengoku announce the latest order from the World Government."
The entire venue fell silent, then all gazes turned toward the execution platform, toward that figure whose face was shrouded in shadow.
Perhaps already knowing that the situation was irreversible,
After a long inner struggle, Sengoku finally announced to all Marines,
"By order of the World Government, [Black Gun] Orin is hereby classified within the scope of the enemy!!!"
..."
This was a counterattack from the Elder!!!
And also the fury unleashed after their bottom line had been touched!!!
Even knowing that the Marines could not possibly do anything to Orin, they still had to express this stance, because…
The World Government could tolerate the appearance of Nika, and even the Elder would not lose their composure over it,
But…
Joy Boy must never reappear in this world!!!
Nika was merely the power of a Devil Fruit,
But Joy Boy was the name of a legend!
As for the Marine casualties that would result from this order?
Those were not within their considerations. Mere Marines were nothing more than tools of the Celestial Dragons.
At this moment,
As Sengoku's order was issued,
The once-noisy battlefield instantly fell into silence. In the quiet battlefield, the occasional sound of weapons dropping from hands became especially distinct.
"What???"
"Go… to war with [Black Gun]???"
"Doesn't that mean even the [Shichibukai] too??!!"
"Are you kidding me… we were just about to win…"
The Marines were questioning their very existence. By contrast, the pirate side grew far more energized,
"Is this for real!!!"
"Then doesn't that mean that legendary pirate is on our side now???"
"I almost thought we were all really going to die here!!!"
Even Whitebeard, gravely ill and coughing up blood nonstop, couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile,
"Gurarararara… I really didn't expect you to give me such a surprise, Sengoku."
Facing the taunts and ridicule of his old rival Whitebeard, Sengoku knew better than anyone that this was a move so bad it couldn't be worse,
But he had no choice.
What's more, Orin's true nature,
Was indeed that of a pirate.
"Sakazuki, Kuzan, Borsalino!!!"
Sengoku roared, his entire body bursting with golden light as he transformed into a towering, majestic golden Buddha,
"Next, I will personally deal with Whitebeard and several of his commanders. You are to restrain [Black Gun] Orin and the remaining enemies!!!"
That's right—restrain,
Not capture.
As a strategist, Sengoku's thinking remained extremely flexible.
Setting aside the fact that capture was completely unrealistic, even deploying the three Marine Admirals made it impossible to take down Orin and the Shichibukai.
Just put on a show.
This was the only solution Sengoku could think of right now.
The Marines could not afford to offend the authority of the World Government, and the same applied to Orin,
So this was the only way to muddle through.
The meaning was simple,
Look, I've already done my best. The highest combat power of the Marines has been fully deployed and it still didn't work. Even I, the Fleet Admiral, personally entered the battlefield.
That's sincere enough, right?
Upon hearing this order,
The three Marine Admirals, each fighting their own battles, reacted differently,
But under the watchful eyes of countless soldiers on the battlefield, none of them refused the order.
They let Fleet Admiral Sengoku alone shoulder the task of fighting a heavily wounded Whitebeard and two commanders, while they advanced together to Orin's front,
Three figures stood in unison before the execution platform, perfectly aligned,
Facing Orin together.
"Heh… old opponents, huh~"
Once upon a time,
Over thirty years ago at Marineford, it had also been a clash between these very people.
"How scary~ having to face such a monster again, please spare me…"
Borsalino helplessly spread his hands.
"If he's an enemy, then he must be eliminated!!!"
Sakazuki's fist turned into magma, his tone icy with killing intent.
And Kuzan?
He said nothing, only letting ice spread unrestrained,
Then launched Ice Pheasant Beak with zero-frame startup.
He could no longer control his killing intent!!!
Radiating boundless cold, compared to earlier—when he had been smashed吐 blood by Jozu and shattered into fragments by Whitebeard several times—
The current Kuzan seemed like a completely different person.
The ice-sealed giant bird spread its massive wings and dove at high speed toward the black-clad figure,
Carrying within the frost a not-insignificant force of Haki.
"Still as enthusiastic as ever, Kuzan."
Only when facing Orin did the usually laid-back Admiral Aokiji revert to that hot-blooded Kuzan of old.
"But don't be so impatient. This war will definitely not end so easily."
"The war won't end so easily, huh~"
The moment Orin's words fell, a golden light instantly lit up before his eyes, then transformed into a glowing foot,
"If the Marines fall into a disadvantage, this old man can't very well just stand by and watch~"
This acting monkey, after realizing that Marine Headquarters might be destroyed in this war, became uncharacteristically serious.
In the Observation Haki of some experts,
Borsalino's kick could be said to have truly approached the speed of light—they would have had no chance to react,
That foot, blazing with extreme heat and penetration, even without additional martial techniques or Haki enhancement, was still enough to pose a terrifying, lethal threat.
But Orin could react.
If time were slowed countless times,
While countless people were nearly frozen in place as that kick came flying in, Orin's pupils moved like those of an ordinary person,
Then he turned and kicked back.
"Whoosh—"
Borsalino, transformed into particles of light, instantly scattered and returned to the ranks of the three Admirals, a few drops of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth,
"Heh~ what a terrifying ability~"
Just that second earlier, he had been instantly displaced a thousand meters away by Orin's kick,
The only reason he reappeared in his original position was because he quickly transformed into light and refracted back.
The situation fell into tension for a moment, yet none of the three retreated.
At that very moment,
From within the clouds, a voice like muffled thunder slowly rumbled out,
"Wo ro ro ro ro ro!!!"
"You weren't lying, Orin. This really is an exhilarating war!!!"