From the beginning of this war until now, it seemed as though only half a day had passed, yet countless lives had already been lost. War had never been a dinner party. It meant real bloodshed and death.
The lowest-ranking soldiers had suffered the most casualties, whether they belonged to the Sky Pirates or the Marines.
Looking out, the ice stretching from the coast of Kin'u Island into the depths of the sea had mostly shattered after being frozen by Kuzan, returning once more to open water. Only the outer edges still held thick layers of ice.
Countless bodies were scattered and piled across it. Some floated on the sea, while others lay collapsed on the ice, packed together like a mass grave. Blood flowed everywhere, chilling the heart. The air was thick with the smell of blood and gunpowder, and the sounds of slaughter rang through the sky.
By all rights, the soldiers of the Sky Pirates should not have been a match for the Marines, whether in numbers or overall combat strength.
The 150,000 soldiers deployed by the Marines were all elites. And these so-called elites were not merely ordinary Marines. Among them were many officers of every rank, men who, if placed out on the sea as pirates, would at least have bounties of around 10 million Belly.
This was the foundation of the Marines. Their officers and soldiers had been trained through a proper system built up over hundreds of years. They were absolutely not something the Sky Pirates' hastily assembled, scattered, and disorderly forces could compare to.
So why were the two sides still fighting back and forth?
Aside from the hatred for the World Government burning in everyone's hearts, which kept their fighting spirit high, it was also because the power of science had already been used on them before the war began.
The stimulant-like fungus created by the Noko Noko no Mi had entered their bodies before the war started, allowing them to fight far beyond their normal level.
But that was only the most basic scientific product.
What came next was the true power of science.
It was also the Sky Pirates' final stage of battle.
At that instant, as Yemu's voice rang out, all the captains and Zoan-type Devil Fruit users from the Thunder God Pirates, the Sword Wind Pirates, and the Kuja Pirates understood.
"So it's finally time?"
On the main battlefield, Wiggins, the High Priest of the Thunder God Pirates and the strongest in raw power among the Sky Pirates' four great fleets, including the Kuja, issued his command.
"Then everyone, fall back! Next, prepare to charge with the captains! Jinbe-san, I'll leave the command from here to you!"
"Yeah, leave it to me!"
Jinbe nodded heavily. Behind him, Arlong, who was fighting a Marine Vice Admiral, once again showed a conflicted expression.
For a fish-man, the power of a Devil Fruit was truly awkward. Even now, he still had not made up his mind.
Was a fish-man who could not swim still a fish-man?
On the other side, the Kuja were being commanded by Elder Nyon.
"Elder Nyon, I'll leave the rest to you."
"Ah, charge without worry! Warriors of the Transgender Kingdom, please leave the battlefield as quickly as possible and follow behind us."
That left the warriors of the Transgender Kingdom and Ivankov beside them briefly stunned.
However, Ivankov did not think too much about it.
"Babies, do what our friends say."
"Oh!"
Just then, every Zoan-type user pulled a blue pill about the size of a thumb from their pockets. With bloodthirsty smiles on their faces, they looked at the Marines across from them, making the Marines instinctively uneasy.
"Crunch..."
As they swallowed the pills, only a few seconds passed before roars like those of monsters rang across the entire battlefield.
Under the terrified gazes of the Marines, the bodies of the Zoan-type users before them began to swell rapidly. Their limbs grew thick and powerful, their fur, scales, and armor became denser, and their eyes turned scarlet.
In barely a dozen seconds, these Zoan-type users went from half-human, half-beast forms only two or three meters tall to enormous beast-like monsters nearly ten meters high. The wild, savage aura pouring from their bodies made every nearby Marine shudder.
"Hey... what the hell is that...?"
The Marines' morale had already plummeted after Fleet Admiral Sengoku was driven back and their warships were destroyed. Now, staring at the enormous monsters before them, they were pushed straight to the brink of collapse.
At that moment, the desperate soldiers who had barely rallied because of Sengoku's words were crushed all the way down again.
The Vice Admirals watching this were clearly anxious.
"Everyone, don't be afraid! They've only gotten bigger!"
A Marine Vice Admiral instinctively tried to reassure them, but the moment he finished speaking, he felt himself covered by an enormous shadow. Then an impact like a storm slammed directly into his body.
"Tekkai!"
Even in that instant, his many years of combat experience allowed him to unleash his strongest defense, but he was still struck so hard his eyes rolled back. His entire body flew backward like a kite with its string cut.
"Roar!!!"
The enormous monster, thrilled that its attack had landed, roared excitedly. Looking at the Marines before it, it grew even more excited.
Swinging its huge body, it charged straight into the densely packed Marine formation.
At that moment, the Marines on the front line broke down completely, firing the weapons in their hands nonstop.
But whether it was bullets from rifles or cannonballs from cannons, none of them could leave even the slightest injury on the enormous monster.
"Boom..."
In an instant, those enormous monsters charged in like wolves among sheep and began their rampage.
The entire battlefield had become a zoo for giant beasts.
And it was not only the Marines who were frightened by this sight. The Sky Pirates were as well.
After taking the pills and transforming into monsters, they were more terrifying than even the giants, whether in mentality, size, or the fearsome aura they gave off.
Fortunately, they had already prepared for this.
At that moment, both Jinbe and Elder Nyon stepped forward.
"Everyone, don't be afraid! The captains won't hurt you! Now, follow me and charge!"
"Victory in this war belongs to us!"
"Oh!!!"
In an instant, the situation on the entire battlefield was completely reversed for the first time. The Marines, who had held the advantage from beginning to end, fell into chaos for the first time. And in the eyes of those watching this war, it was also the first time they saw the Marines beginning to show signs of defeat.
"The Marines are starting to collapse."
But even more people were interested in what exactly that blue pill was.
Those were clearly ordinary Zoan-type Devil Fruit users who had barely reached Rear Admiral level, yet after swallowing that pill, they erupted with power beyond that of a Vice Admiral. With that monster-like size, the destructive power and defense they displayed were simply perfect weapons of war.
And at that moment, there were nearly thirty such weapons of war on the battlefield.
That was equivalent to the power of thirty giant Vice Admirals in a berserk state.
Completely shocked by this scene, Sengoku's face turned dark as he gritted his teeth and demanded, "What the hell is that? What exactly is that pill?"
The same question was asked on the deck of the Twin Goddesses by Reiju and Yamato, who had only recently joined the Sky Pirates and did not yet understand them very well.
"Flare, what kind of power is this?"
Yamato asked with a shocked expression. Her father, Kaidou, also had plenty of Zoan-type users under him, but she had never seen a state like this.
Flare did not answer. Instead, she said, "You should ask Ayala. She understands it better than I do."
Ayala did not keep them guessing and answered directly.
"Ranpo-maru. That's the name of this pill..."
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