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Moria felt an overwhelming sense of humiliation as he met Kitaro's gaze.
"Damn it! You dare to look down on me!"
"Shadow's Asgard !!"
Moria unleashed his most powerful technique, absorbing all the shadows under his control into his own body. His figure rapidly grew larger, his strength skyrocketing along with his colossal size. With this newfound power, a single strike from him could shatter an island.
Kitaro, however, merely glanced at him, his voice calm and indifferent:
"Amaterasu."
Whoosh—!
Black flames suddenly appeared on Moria's body, spreading rapidly.
"AAARGH!!"
Moria's pained screams echoed as he rolled frantically across the ground, crushing several Marine soldiers under his massive frame. Unfortunately for them, the cursed black flames latched onto their bodies as well.
"It's so hot!"
"Help! It's burning me alive!"
Some Marines desperately threw themselves into the ocean, hoping to douse the flames. But even submerged in water, the fire refused to extinguish, consuming them until they perished beneath the waves.
"Ice Age!"
Aokiji immediately unleashed a wave of freezing air, encasing the soldiers and Moria in solid ice. However, within seconds, the ice began to melt, and the black flames continued to burn.
"What?! Impossible!"
Aokiji was shocked. Never before had he encountered flames his ice couldn't extinguish.
Suddenly, a tall figure appeared beside Moria. With a calm demeanor, the figure raised his hand toward him.
"Ursus Shock!"
BOOM!
A massive paw-shaped shockwave spread out, scattering the black flames away from Moria. Yet the flames fell onto other Marines, igniting them anew.
"AHHH!"
Some soldiers, panicking, tore off their burning uniforms to save themselves. Others weren't so lucky—the fire consumed their limbs, forcing them to amputate to survive. Severed, burning limbs lay smoldering on the ground, the flames relentless.
Despite narrowly surviving, Moria lay unconscious, barely clinging to life.
"What terrifying flames..."
Aokiji's expression grew grim. The black fire didn't behave like any ordinary flame; it seemed intent on burning its target to ashes, no matter what.
The surrounding Marines and pirates watched in stunned silence, their faces pale with fear.
At the heart of the battlefield, Kitaro stood motionless, exuding an oppressive aura that weighed heavily on all present.
Unlike Whitebeard, whose age and failing health made him seem like a hero in his twilight, Kitaro appeared young and vigorous, as if he could fight endlessly without tiring.
But Kitaro wasn't content to stand still. Forming a series of hand signs at lightning speed, he unleashed:
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
A torrent of fire as vast as the sea erupted from Kitaro's mouth, engulfing everyone in its path.
Since absorbing the progenitor demon Muzan Kibutsuji, Kitaro's energy reserves had become virtually limitless. Chakra, the product of fusing physical and spiritual energy, now surged within him in unimaginable quantities.
For most shinobi, the power of a jutsu depended on the amount of chakra they could pour into it. The Majestic Destroyer Flame, originally a B-rank technique, became a catastrophic force in Kitaro's hands, surpassing even the mightiest S-rank jutsu.
Even the legendary Uchiha Madara, with his Rinnegan and enhanced power from Hashirama's cells, could not hope to match the devastating scale of Kitaro's fire.
"AAAAHHH!!"
"HELP!!"
The Marines caught in the blaze screamed in agony, writhing as they were consumed by the inferno.
"Not good!" Aokiji cried.
"Ice Age!"
This time, he poured all his strength into his freezing attack, managing to encase the burning soldiers and flames in a thick layer of ice. Barely, he succeeded in saving their lives.
"Horrifying..."
"This man... Is he truly human?"
"This is the new world's strongest warrior?"
"No... His power is beyond comparison, beyond dimensions!"
Across the world, spectators watching the live broadcast were left speechless, their hearts trembling at the devastating power Kitaro displayed.
Back at Marineford, Fleet Admiral Sengoku gave the order with a grim expression:
"All Marines below Vice Admiral rank, retreat from Marine Headquarters immediately!"
Faced with Kitaro's overwhelming strength, ordinary soldiers were utterly powerless. To stay was to court death.
"Retreat! Fall back!"
"Hurry! Run for your lives!!"
Despite their training and loyalty to justice, the Marines fled in terror, understanding that this was no ordinary battle. It was a one-sided slaughter.
For Kitaro, they were less than insects, crushed without effort. Against such a godlike being, resistance felt meaningless.
At that moment, Kitaro was no longer a man but a force of nature—an evil god standing unchallenged, beyond the comprehension of mortal strength.
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