The Celestial Dragons, who had just been immersed in the thrill of their "hunt," now let out panicked, frantic screams.
The Marine Vice Admiral they had relied on had actually been cut down so easily by that boy King of Lulusia they regarded as the "grand prize prey"!
For the first time, the shadow of death truly wrapped itself around them. They no longer cared about any so-called hunting pleasure; all they wanted was to flee this dangerous harbor at once.
The surviving Celestial Dragon bodyguards and a portion of the Marines immediately tightened their formation, hurriedly clustering around those world nobles who had completely lost their composure, trying to retreat toward the direction where the ships were moored in the harbor.
At the same time, the other Marines clenched their teeth, forced themselves forward, and formed a dense defensive line, attempting to block Ronan's advancing steps.
Looking at those Celestial Dragons retreating in panic and the Marines desperately trying to obstruct him, there was not the slightest ripple in Ronan's eyes.
He knew very clearly that he absolutely could not allow these Celestial Dragons to make it back onto their ships! Once they left the harbor, relying on the mobility of the Marine fleet, it would be harder than reaching the heavens to keep them here. Only by leaving all of them behind could he make the World Government truly feel pain, and reclaim at least a small blood debt for the countless civilians who had died at the harbor!
He drew in a deep breath, and his voice, steady and clear, spread across the entire chaotic battlefield—especially to Alicia, who was locked in fierce combat with a member of the God Knights.
"Alicia! Destroy every ship! Don't leave a single one!"
The face of the God Knight fighting Alicia suddenly changed. He immediately understood Ronan's intention and tried to forcefully shake Alicia off and rush over to stop her. However, Alicia reacted even faster.
Almost at the very instant Ronan's order left his lips, Alicia's figure sprang backward, instantly disengaging from the fight!
The God Knight wanted to pursue, but was blocked three times in a row by the clone soldiers' suicidal attacks!
And it was this brief instant of delay—
Alicia's figure had already appeared at the edge of the harbor! She raised the greatsword in her hand high overhead; Yoki and Armament Haki flooded over the blade, turning it a dark crimson.
"Cut!"
The next moment, several enormous slashes raced along the surface of the sea, precisely sweeping over the area where every ship outside the harbor was anchored!
As the slashes skimmed across the water, the sea itself was shoved aside by that invisible power, forming temporary, vacuum-like trenches!
Then—
"Boom!!! Rumble—!!!"
Thunderous explosions roared one after another!
Those dozen or so luxuriously decorated Celestial Dragon ships were sliced cleanly in two the instant they touched the slashes. Their massive hulls split apart with ease, disintegrating as they slowly sank into the sea!
Next were the Marine warships forming the outer blockade! In the face of those slashes, they appeared exceedingly fragile. One warship after another was shredded into wreckage and quickly swallowed by the depths!
In the blink of an eye, the several dozen ships once moored just off Lulusia's harbor had all turned into drifting scrap floating upon the waves. Every vessel capable of carrying people away had been annihilated—there was not a single survivor among them!
"It's over! It's all over!"
"We can't go back! We can't go back!!"
"Help! Someone save me!"
Watching helplessly as their final hope of escape was completely shattered, the Celestial Dragons who had just withdrawn to the edge of the dock collapsed altogether.
Some slumped limply to the ground, staring vacantly. Others let out hysterical shrieks, their minds clearly pushed to the brink. Never in their lives had they so vividly felt death pressing this close to them.
The instant destruction of the harbor fleet was also witnessed by the Marine commanders locked in battle—Kizaru, Momonga, Doberman—and by Saint Garling and the other members of the God Knights.
Kizaru's lips twitched slightly, a complicated emotion flashing deep in his eyes, but faced with Enel's lightning, he had no way to be distracted. All he could do was vent the anger and frustration boiling in him into his clash with the opponent before him.
Yamakaji's eyes were bloodshot. Stainless's death had already left him wracked with grief and rage; now, seeing the fleet destroyed, his fury burned so hot it nearly consumed him. Yet he was being suppressed utterly by Neferpitou—one careless moment and he might suffer a grave wound.
At the center of the harbor, Ronan at this moment was like a killing machine, sweeping away every obstacle in front of him. Marine bodies piled up along both sides of the path he carved forward.
The distance between Ronan and that group of panicked Celestial Dragons was shrinking at a speed that could drive a person to despair.
The harbor had become a true hell, and Ronan was the king of vengeance walking out from its depths. His goal was clear: to drag down these so-called "gods" and dye the soil beneath his feet red with their blood.
On the other side of the harbor battlefield, the three Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals facing Neferpitou—Yamakaji, Momonga, and Strawberry—looked utterly miserable.
Yamakaji's face was thick with blood and grave tension. The long blade he favored had already been broken, leaving only half the weapon in his grip. His left arm was fractured, and blood continuously spilled from the corner of his mouth.
The three Vice Admirals' stamina and Haki were being rapidly drained, while Neferpitou seemed to know no fatigue at all. They were fighting more and more fiercely, studying and adapting to their opponents' fighting styles as the battle went on.
During one particularly intense exchange, Yamakaji's movements stalled for just a fraction of a second.
That fleeting flaw, under Neferpitou's battle instinct and their all-encompassing En, was magnified without limit!
"Got you."
Neferpitou's figure flashed, instantly appearing right in front of Yamakaji. Their left hand, claws pressed tightly together and coated in extremely dense Armament Haki, drove straight toward Yamakaji's chest!
"Yamakaji!!" Momonga and Strawberry both noticed immediately. They roared in fury and charged forward to rescue him, but could not match Neferpitou's speed at all.
"Squelch—!"
With a dull, wet sound, Neferpitou's Haki-coated left hand pierced straight through Yamakaji's chest without the slightest resistance. Fragments of his heart still clung to their fingertips.
Yamakaji's body went rigid. He lowered his head with difficulty to look at Neferpitou at arm's length. His lips moved, as if wanting to say something, but only torrents of blood poured from his mouth.
Neferpitou violently yanked their arm back, sending a hot rain of blood spraying outward. Yamakaji's body swayed, then crashed heavily into the spreading pool of red. Just like Stainless before him, he became yet another Marine Vice Admiral who fell here.
"Bastard!!!" Momonga's eyes were about to split. He no longer cared about his own wounds, pouring every last drop of his remaining Haki into his longsword. With an all-or-nothing momentum, he charged forward, slashing wildly at Neferpitou!
Strawberry did not shout, but the killing intent erupting from his usually silent face was terrifying. The two Vice Admirals had both resolved to die; they only wished to cut down this monster who had slain their comrade, even if it cost them their lives.
(End of Chapter)
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