Big Mom also nodded in agreement: "With this distance, our cannon fire can really hit the port and enemy warships over there. Besides, that kid Aokiji actually gave us convenience. There are many Devil Fruit users here; fighting on an ice layer is definitely far safer than fighting on the sea surface!"
Devil Fruit users were cursed by the sea; once they touched seawater, their entire bodies would lose strength. Now Aokiji had frozen the sea; though it stopped their ships' advance, indirectly it helped Devil Fruit users from both sides. They could now jump onto the frozen sea surface to fight without fear.
Whitebeard draped his large cloak, then waved his hand while shouting loudly: "My children, attack! Bring down the World Government today!"
"OHHHHHHH—!"
"KILL! KILL! KILL—!"
"Bring down the World Government—!"
Receiving orders from the Yonko, thousands of pirates immediately jumped down from their ships, shouting while raising weapons and charging toward Mary Geoise.
They looked like an extremely dense swarm of locusts, filling the wide sea surface until it was packed. The sound of their war cries shook the sky.
The generals at the port felt horrified seeing this scene. The enemy numbers were too many, their end couldn't be seen by the eye. However, they didn't hesitate in the slightest and immediately gave orders.
"Fire—!"
Marine soldiers who were already prepared immediately loaded bullets into cannons and lit them.
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
One by one black round cannonballs launched in beautiful arcs toward the middle of the pirate crowd.
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
Dazzling fire flashes exploded on the thick ice layer. Unlucky pirates were sent flying by explosions, and those with low strength immediately died on the spot.
"Return fire—!"
The pirate side didn't want to lose. Pirates on guard on ships began loading bullets and returning attacks.
In an instant, cannonballs from both sides crossed in the air; so dense that some bullets even collided in the sky and exploded into fireballs.
Although many explosions occurred on the ice surface, the pirates weren't deterred at all. Because they had already chosen the pirate path, they were all cruel people. Although the enemy's attacks were very strong, their side wasn't weak either, moreover they had absolute numerical advantage!
"Fleet Admiral, should we take action?" Kizaru pursed his lips while looking toward the battlefield with an interested expression.
Of course he was just talking. Kizaru always adhered to the principle of Unclear Justice; if he could be lazy, he would never work seriously. He didn't reach the stage of sabotaging work, but he clearly wasn't a leader with diligent work performance.
Sengoku shook his head, his eyes remained fixed on Whitebeard and the others still standing at the ship's bow.
"Now isn't the time yet. Once we take action, the pressure won't be bearable for those small fry. As long as those old men haven't moved, let's just watch first."
Sengoku wasn't in a hurry. Though on the surface the pirate side was superior in personnel numbers, everyone there knew that was because the Marines' ace card hadn't been played yet.
Sengoku didn't want to play it now; if he pressed Whitebeard and the others too quickly, the situation would become uncontrollable once they moved.
If it were before, Sengoku wouldn't care. However now, because the Gorosei were seriously injured, high-level combat power on the Marine side was slightly behind compared to the pirate side. Just the figures of Roger and Whitebeard were enough to overwhelm them.
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"Hahahaha! Marines are only this much!"
A pirate swung his machete, and the head of a Marine charging in front of him directly separated from his neck. Blood gushed heavily, soaking the pirate's face. However he didn't care, instead licking his lips and shouting again while charging into the crowd.
After bombardment lasting nearly half an hour, the cannon fire exchange finally stopped.
Ships in the front lines close to the battlefield suffered damage at various levels; many ships emitted thick black smoke, some even burned fiercely with fires difficult to extinguish.
The ice layer on the wide sea surface was now full of holes and uneven surfaces. If not for Aokiji's very strong ability and sufficiently thick ice layer, many people might have already sunk to the sea bottom due to broken ice.
On the ice, corpses were scattered everywhere; some died from sharp weapons, others charred from cannon explosions.
This tragic war had truly never happened before. Even figures at Yonko level furrowed their brows slightly.
The number of pirates gathered from the four seas was truly terrifying; the bombardment for half an hour earlier only reduced troop numbers by less than one-tenth. Humans still appeared to fill the ocean.
"Roger, did you ever participate in a battle this great?" Whitebeard turned toward the Pirate King who had now changed bodies.
Honestly, Roger's current handsome face appearance made Whitebeard slightly uncomfortable looking at it.
Roger shook his head: "Back then our fights with Marines were always chase actions. Sea battles never reached this scale; at most it was just battles between high-level combat forces. This war gathered most pirates from the entire world; you could say this is unprecedented history!"
Kaido laughed wickedly: "Whitebeard, we've experienced a war like this before, haven't we?"
Whitebeard fell silent, neither confirming nor denying. Back then he, Kaido, and Big Mom were crew on Rocks's ship. They were involved in the legendary God Valley Incident; at that time the conditions were also very tragic until Captain Rocks himself died on the spot.
Actually, their coming this time was also to settle an old grudge. Back then they had received kindness from Rocks, then were forced to flee; there was a slight feeling of guilt toward Rocks. Now they were far stronger than before; perhaps this was the opportunity for revenge.
"Until now I haven't seen them appear..." Whitebeard stared into the distance.
He only saw Sengoku's group sitting in high chairs, but he hadn't seen several old men he wanted to meet.
Kaido grinned cruelly: "Relax. After we slaughter these self-righteous Marines, those old men will surely come out themselves!"
Kaido also had a thorn in his heart. Back then he was just an apprentice crew on Rocks's ship; his strength wasn't too prominent, only relying on natural physical endurance and still far below Whitebeard or Big Mom. However after eating the Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit Uo Uo no Mi model Azure Dragon, his strength surged to a terrifying level until he was dubbed the strongest creature on land, sea, and air.
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It must be admitted, the pirates rampaging on the ocean were very fierce and cruel. They were accustomed to killing, so they were many times more brutal compared to Marines who spent most of their time training formally. Especially for pirates who had bounty values; ordinary Marine soldiers looked like flowers in a greenhouse that were very fragile before them.
"Yahahaha—so satisfying!" A three-meter-tall pirate swung his large sword very quickly, instantly slashing dozens of Marine soldiers into two parts. Blood spurted wildly, coloring the white ice layer dark red.