Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
A relentless barrage of shells fired from the distant warships, painting the gloomy sky with bursts of orange flame.
The black cannon barrels on the Marine ships glowed a dark, angry red from continuous firing.
Rainwater cascaded over the hot artillery, instantly transforming into shrouds of hissing white steam.
The roar and detonation of cannonballs erupted across the choppy sea in brilliant flashes, sending towering columns of water skyward like geysers.
On the ruined island, amidst the crater of the former council hall, Byrnndi World stood panting.
He glared coldly at the new arrival—the tall man in the yellow-striped suit standing opposite him, flanked by Raleigh.
Though exceptionally tall, this newcomer lacked Byrnndi World's burly thickness—yet his aura was no less formidable.
Moreover, he had arrived by riding a cannonball.
That was a level of flair World respected, even if he hated it.
When Byrnndi World's Observation Haki had detected the incoming projectile, he had immediately fired a shotgun blast enhanced by his More-More Fruit at the mysterious officer.
Yet the projectiles, despite their augmented power and speed, had passed harmlessly through the man's body, scattering into light particles.
A Logia.
"Is this the reinforcement you called, brat?" Byrnndi World sneered defiantly, wiping blood from his beard.
"If so, it doesn't matter. I'll still defeat you both and escape this island unscathed. I've beaten stronger men than you."
Bryndy World was no fool.
Though he didn't know the true identities of these two opponents, he estimated their ranks couldn't be low—such opponents wouldn't number more than three in the entire North Blue Marines.
"So scary~" Borsalino drawled, his voice vibrating with mock terror. "Is this the tone of a legendary pirate? Each one is monstrously strong, truly troubling me~"
Though Borsalino spoke disdainfully, his movements showed no hesitation.
He raised his foot, and light gathered at the tip of his shoe, shining brighter than the sun.
"Light Speed Kick!"
Zzzzip!
Borsalino's figure vanished.
He instantly reappeared behind Byrnndi World, his leg raised high while wearing an inscrutable smile.
"Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
BANG!
Instantly, Borsalino's leg struck.
But Byrnndi World hadn't spent his years on the Grand Line in vain.
With exceptionally rich combat experience, he'd assumed a defensive stance almost the moment Borsalino disappeared.
"Armament Haki!" Haki enveloped his upper body, turning his skin into black steel.
He was confident in his defense.
THUD!
The sound was sickeningly heavy.
Borsalino felt as if he'd kicked a solid mountain.
Though the impact sent Byrnndi World flying through three stone walls, Borsalino winced, his own leg feeling somewhat numb.
Despite World's defense, the impact force wasn't something easily negated.
World crashed into a pile of rubble, and the internal damage forced a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Yellow monkey!" World roared, exploding out of the debris. "You deserve to die!"
...
Half an hour later.
A burly, intimidating figure stood in the rain, his hands hanging limp at his sides.
One half of the horn on his bull-helmet had been brutally broken off.
His gray-green beard showed a clean, razor-sharp cut as if sliced by an invisible blade.
Multiple smoking holes dotted his upper garment, revealing cauterized bloodstains beneath.
His body reeked of gunpowder and ozone.
A pair of green eyes flashed with venomous intent. "Damn you... Navy brats!!!"
During the earlier battle, Byrnndi World had faced two Marine officers from the North Blue alone.
Had it not been for the More-More Fruit occasionally boosting his speed to impossible levels, his injuries might have been fatal by now.
"Since when..." World gasped, pressing his hand against a laser-burnt hole in his chest, "did the Navy gather so many monsters ?"
Hiss.
The scent of charred flesh filled his nostrils.
Never since arriving in the North Blue had he suffered such grave injuries.
Perhaps even Byrnndi World never expected to encounter a top-tier Logia user here.
Though this user's physical skills and Haki were slightly inferior to World's own veteran level, the presence of Raleigh beside him compensated for every shortcoming.
Raleigh was a ghost.
His application of Armament Haki was precise, heavy, and astonishingly advanced.
Every time World tried to counterattack Borsalino, Raleigh was there to intercept.
Every time he tried to crush Raleigh, a beam of light forced him back.
Two Vice Admiral-level combatants were enough to firmly suppress Byrnndi World on the island.
He was pinned.
...
BOOM!
While Byrnndi World, Raleigh, and Borsalino remained locked in their high-stakes confrontation, the Marine warships under Sengoku's command hadn't been idle.
They advanced triumphantly through the stormy seas.
Sengoku stood on the deck, directing precise cannon fire onto the pirate ships trapped in the bay.
"Port side batteries! Fire!" "Target the masts! Cripple them!"
Gion and Tokikake, eager to prove themselves, split into two teams.
Their mastery of the Navy Six Styles was already proficient.
"Moon Walk!" They leaped from the decks of the warships, soaring through the rain toward separate pirate vessels.
Gion landed on the deck of a supply ship, her blade Konpira flashing. Tokikake landed on a frigate, his fists blurring.
After eliminating the pirates left aboard with ruthless efficiency, they breached the hulls and let the vessels sink naturally.
Deafening explosions continuously erupted across the sea as magazines ignited. Byrnndi World turned his head, distracted by the noise.
His eyes had turned crimson red, with dense bloodshot veins spreading around his pupils.
He watched his fleet—his pride, his ticket back to the New World—being engulfed in flames and thick smoke.
The masts toppled. The hulls groaned and vanished beneath the waves.
He knew. He was completely surrounded.
Although there were no ambushing Marines on the island yet, the Navy had already destroyed his escape route.
In the remaining time, the net would close.
"Don't be afraid!" Sebastian, the Fish-Man giant, shouted loudly at the panicking crowd of pirates huddled near the docks.
"We still have many people! We have the elite crew! Let's kill those Marines when they land and seize their warships to escape!"
Though they had lost their pirate ships, this didn't mean they were completely defeated.
Hundreds of pirate members and the core combat cadres of the World Pirates remained on the island. They were cornered rats, and rats bite hard.
"That's right! We're the World Pirates!"
"Captain Byrnndi will definitely lead us out of here!"
"Let's fight them to the death!!!"
The pirates' initially shaken morale was quickly restored by desperation.
To survive, they raised their swords and muskets, preparing for a decisive battle against the landing force.
Having dealt with the four pirate ships, Gion and Tokikake returned to the main warship's deck.
They stood beside Sengoku, watching the pirates who had rushed to the port, forming a defensive line.
"These guys really won't give up until they see the coffin," Tokikake said with utter contempt, wiping pirate blood from his knuckles.
In his view, pirates were all despicable creatures—stubborn and hard-headed to the end.
"All Marine soldiers!" Sengoku's voice boomed. "Prepare for landing operations! Show no mercy!"
With his command, the elite troops quickly boarded the landing craft.
At the port, the World Pirates had already formed their battle lines.
Rows of muskets aimed at the approaching boats.
Sengoku glanced sideways at these foolish pirates. "Do they think they can stop us just by having numbers? How foolish."
He didn't wait for the boats. He stepped onto the railing.
"Great Impact Wave!"
Sengoku leaped into the air.
As he fell toward the island, his body began to glow. He expanded, transforming into a titanic, golden figure.
The Giant Golden Buddha.
His massive, golden palm thrust forward, slamming toward the pirate crowd on the beach.
A soul-shocking shockwave, visible as a distortion in the air, emanated from his palm.
It wasn't just force; it was pressure. It was dominance.
That was the manifestation of an Admiral's power.
The shockwave hit the beach before he did.
BOOOOOOM!
The ground rippled like liquid. Pirates were sent flying like ragdolls, their weapons shattered, their wills broken in an instant.
The beach was cleared in a single strike.
The war had entered its final phase.