— Marco!
Jozu suddenly charged out, half his body turning into diamond, striking Sengoku at an extremely fast speed.
"So what if he's the Fleet Admiral!?"
"Let me witness the Admiral's strength..."
The enraged Jozu had already disregarded the disparity between them, grinning sinisterly.
But the next second, a magnificent golden Buddha light surged before his eyes, filling his entire vision.
"You, alone?!"
..."— Clang!"
Two figures constantly flickered in the air, their swords and blades clashing with metallic sounds.
Compared to Vista's full-force effort, Hawkeye merely parried casually, occasionally counterattacking, and even giving Vista pointers.
This made Vista realize the immense gap in swordsmanship between them.
"Hawkeye, just... how strong are you?!"
Vista couldn't help but exclaim. The only people in the New World who could so easily suppress him were the Four Emperors!
But if Hawkeye had Emperor-level strength, then why would he accept the World Government's offer of pacification?
In the Land of Wano, the Shichibukai were a synonym for power; however, in the New World, powerful pirates scoffed at the Shichibukai, utterly incomparable to the Four Emperors!
"— Clang!"
Hawkeye parried Vista with a single strike, sheathing his black blade, Yoru, behind him, and turned to leave.
His unusually sharp eyes swept over Vista. "Does a lion use its full strength to fight a rabbit? Unfortunately, I am not such a foolish lion!"
Vista surveyed the entire battlefield. Some people had already boarded pirate ships and fled the sea.
But the vast majority of people were still at Marineford.
The commanders had to deal with Vice Admirals and Pacifista, and at this point, they could only barely hold them off, fighting and retreating.
Ace and Sabo cooperated tacitly, still having energy left against Aokiji.
Little Oars Jr., with Mr. 3, was wreaking havoc in the lower-tier battles.
And the most crucial point was the clash between Whitebeard and Akainu.
Even with Jinbe's help, Whitebeard was already at the end of his rope... he probably wouldn't last much longer!
In the sky,
lightning and light were still clashing,
but the offensive initiative was now entirely in Luffy's hands, and Kizaru's chances to retaliate were becoming fewer and fewer.
However, this damned yellow-skinned monkey was incredibly slippery; no matter how he tried, he couldn't catch him!
"— Clang!"
Iron Fist collided with a light sword. Kizaru retreated dozens of meters, a faint glint flashing in his brown glasses, and he said with a half-smile, "It seems a big shot has arrived?!"
Luffy was startled, then his eyes glowed red. His extreme Observation Haki spread like a radar for tens of kilometers around him!
Then, his expression became extremely solemn. "...Things have become even more unpredictable!!"
Dark clouds gathered like ink, and the light grew dim.
A terrifying, overwhelming aura,
scorching black lightning constantly swirled, and an unimaginable eerie presence began to emanate.
"Sengoku, after all this time, you can't even take down an old man and a brat? ...We are very disappointed in you."
A powerful wave of air swept across Marineford.
A snake-bodied monster with two wings landed, its bird beak sharp and long, its sharp claws reflecting a dazzling cold light.
It was Itsumade, one of the Gorosei, "Environmental Warrior God" Saint Mars.
At the same time, all the Marines and pirates currently fighting all trembled, as if they felt some terrifying monster was descending upon the world.
"Who is that?!"
"Is that a monster?!"
Upon first seeing Itsumade, both Marines and pirates felt a physiological revulsion, as if he were a demon crawled out of hell, to be reviled by all things.
Only the Fleet Admiral, Admirals, and a few Vice Admirals were stunned. They never expected that the Gorosei, who resided high in the heavens, would actually descend to the mortal realm.
However, Akainu merely frowned, his gaze becoming even more sinister as he attacked Whitebeard and Jinbe.
Aokiji's expression changed slightly.
He knew all too well what kind of monstrous existence the Gorosei were, but he could only choose to ignore it, attacking Ace and Sabo... though his force was undoubtedly much lighter.
Kizaru continued to entangle with Luffy.
Clearly, the Admirals didn't want to deal with this so-called Gorosei.
Only Sengoku felt as miserable as if he had eaten excrement. He slapped Marco and Jozu away with two blows, a very ugly smile on his lips.
"I wonder why the Gorosei-sama has descended to the lower world?"
"Please rest assured, Gorosei-sama, your subordinate will do his utmost to annihilate the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"Hmph! Sengoku, we have given you many chances. Do not forget how you obtained your position as Fleet Admiral!"
Itsumade exhaled a puff of demonic energy, his tone full of displeasure.
At the same time, the Marine side was stunned!
"What? Gorosei-sama?!"
"How could he be Gorosei-sama?!"
"Isn't this just a pure monster?!"
The Marines began to whisper, as this appearance clearly didn't bode well.
"— Silence!"
Itsumade let out a sharp shriek. The moment he spread his massive wings and took flight, his huge bird beak suddenly opened, spewing out a crimson, vast pillar of fire... and its target was the Marine!
"— Ah!!"
Hundreds of Marines turned to ash in the flames, stunning everyone present.
"— Mere insects, do you presume to judge the world's highest authority?!"
The faces of all the Marine officers present turned extremely ugly. Without a doubt, this was a direct slap in the face of the Marine.
Countless Marines with a sense of justice couldn't help but begin to wonder, is this truly justice?
Is loyalty to the World Government truly right?!
Sengoku clenched his fists but dared not move.
He was no longer the spirited Admiral Sengoku who once wanted to achieve "Justice Ruling the World." Now, he carried the burden of the entire Marine.
He, above all, could not act impulsively!
Saint Mars naturally saw the unease among the Marines, but he didn't care.
His expression was arrogant.
"I am the Gorosei, the highest authority of the World Government. Power, fame, status, glory, wealth... as long as I wish, I can have anything!!"
"Your slow actions, Marines, displease me greatly!!"
"However, I will give you all one chance."
He glanced coldly at Luffy, who was clashing with Kizaru, and Whitebeard, who was on the verge of death.
"As long as you can eliminate these two insects within half an hour, you will gain power, status, fame, and wealth...!"
Upon hearing this, the Marines' eyes became complex.
Some felt disgusted by Saint Mars's condescending attitude,
while others were attracted by Saint Mars's conditions, their eyes burning as they charged towards Whitebeard!
The Marine... was in chaos.
Sengoku sighed. Why did this Gorosei have to be the one to come!
Among the Gorosei, there were naturally wise individuals. If it had been Saint Varcolica, things wouldn't have come to this.
But Sengoku dared not say anything more. Their statuses were unequal; anything he said would be meaningless!
At the same time,
"Kowai ne, you don't seem to be under any pressure at all, you're truly a monster, Straw Hat!"
Kizaru felt the terrifying power transmitted through the ama no murakumo sword.
With Saint Mars's arrival, his pressure had skyrocketed. If not for his Observation Haki, which far surpassed Luffy's, he would have been out of commission long ago!
Hearing this, Luffy chuckled, and a punch imbued with Haoshoku slammed onto the sword. "So, you're tempted too?!"
"Is there anyone in this world who can turn down money?!"
Kizaru quipped, his sunglasses emitting a faint golden glow!
"Tsk!"
Luffy's hand shot out like lightning, grabbing the ama no murakumo sword. Then, his left foot deftly touched the ground, and he twisted his body.
Rampant Haoshoku wrapped around his leg, and he kicked fiercely towards Kizaru's head.
Kizaru raised his left hand to block.
"— Bang!"
The moment Kizaru's body suddenly shook, he transformed into a golden beam of light, kicked directly thousands of meters away by that one strike, piercing through a dozen buildings!
"— Boom!!"
The golden light detonated the ammunition in the military base, and in an instant, a huge mushroom cloud rose into the sky!
Saint Mars was stunned.
How come the moment I arrive, you, Kizaru, run into trouble!
"If you want my head, why don't you come and take it yourself!"
A red-clothed youth, his entire body wreathed in Haoshoku lightning, clenched his fist and instantly flashed above Itsumade's head.
Without a word, he raised his fist and smashed it down onto its forehead!
"Bang!"
Itsumade's pupils widened in shock, taking Luffy's meteor-like punch head-on!
Bang!
A magnificent wave of air exploded in ripples.
Itsumade's head burst open with a crash, red and white splattering all over the ruins.
Its massive body fell freely, kicking up a cloud of dust!