บท 257: Chapter 257
"Abandoning the Marines to flee on their own, this is indeed the style of the World Nobles, isn't it? Truly a spectacular and ironic sight~"
"Even though I'm just a skeleton and have no eyes, yohohoho!"
On the deck of the Endless Dream, someone appears in a gentleman's suit.
The strange, joyful laughter sounded sinister to the Celestial Dragons, who were like startled birds.
Especially when they looked up and saw that skeleton head!
"Brook, hurry up and deal with these scum. We still have important things to do, nya."
Meowth stood on the figurehead of the ship, coldly watching the chaotic Celestial Dragons frantically urging the Marines to attack.
Almost simultaneously, the Marines responsible for the warship's safety turned their cannons towards the Endless Dream, firing a barrage of shells.
Brook remained calm as he slowly drew his cane sword and leaped off the floating Endless Dream.
With his light and agile movement, he dodged the cannonball trajectories and landed gracefully on the warship's deck.
The Marines reacted swiftly, drawing their weapons and preparing to fight.
However, before these officers could take action, Brook's ghostly figure had already silently flashed past them.
The cold gleam of his cane sword fell on the Marines, leaving no visible wounds—not even cutting their uniforms.
After a brief moment of shock, the Marines, thinking they had been toyed with, were furious, raising their weapons and shouting as they rushed at the skeleton, intent on cutting him to pieces!
Brook, with his back to them, remained calm, empty eye sockets gazing forward as he sheathed his sword.
"Nose Song Three Verse: Arrow Notch Slash."
As soon as the words fell, sharp slashes erupted simultaneously on the Marines, who just a second before were charging angrily. With muffled grunts, they all collapsed, completely losing the will to fight!
Even the inhabitants of the Nation of Gods, under the protection of their goddess, had gained strength far surpassing that of ordinary pirates. As a companion, Brook's enhancement was even greater.
Moreover, during his time at Twin Cape with Laboon, he had received considerable training from the former ship's doctor of the Pirate King, Crocus, remembering the combination to the safe and successfully logging in.
Now his power had far surpassed that of the average Marine officer!
Seeing the guards all taken down in one move, the Celestial Dragons were terrified, frantically pushing each other back in fear.
"You bastards, do you even understand what kind of consequences your actions will bring?!"
A tall figure pushed through the Celestial Dragons and confronted Brook.
The navy cloak with the word "Justice" swayed gently, and a massive greatsword stood out conspicuously.
Marine Vice Admiral, Bastille.
After all, considering the "noble" status of the Celestial Dragons, it was natural for a vice admiral-level powerhouse to be onboard for protection.
In response, the Endless Dream, together with its second unit, unleashed a full-power electromagnetic attack.
Boom! Boom!
The terrifying energy devoured the fragile Marine warship completely, the Celestial Dragons' screams and wails echoing amidst the raging flames.
The shattered warship broke into several pieces, sinking into the bottomless ocean.
None of the fleeing Celestial Dragons survived; all of them met their end in the stomachs of fish!
Vice Admiral Bastille managed to withstand the high-energy bombardment thanks to his tough physique.
However, before he could adjust and search for any surviving Celestial Dragons, the scene before him left him stunned.
Following the terrified gaze in his eyes, he saw, just beneath the island of the Nation of Gods, a massive shadow sprawling endlessly.
That was…
An enormous whale!
What made Bastille even more incredulous was that at the base of the island, the inhabitants of the Nation of Gods were continuously emerging.
The giant whale opened its massive jaws, and the swirling currents dragged the helpless civilians into its stomach!
'What the hell is going on?!'
Bastille's breathing quickened as he recalled how, upon Zyhark's appearance, lightning had descended over the entire island, and a terrifying realization emerged.
It turned out that his real goal wasn't to massacre the Celestial Dragons, but to pierce the island and transfer its inhabitants into the giant whale's stomach?!
Sitting atop the whale's head, completely unaffected by the ocean water, was a blue-haired girl, confirming Bastille's guess.
That was Aqua, the water goddess and suspected Water-Devil Fruit user, who had not followed Zyhark and the others in their appearance!
"Ara ara, leaving it to Meowth and Brook is one thing, but King is just as unreliable, letting this Marine find us."
Aqua, with her extraordinary perception in the ocean, detected Bastille's presence and lightly flicked her pale fingers.
Swoosh!
A powerful underwater current instantly formed, sweeping the helpless Bastille toward the dark depths of the ocean!
Immediately afterward, Meowth, King, and Brook, who were aboard the Endless Dream, appeared on Laboon's head, joining Aqua and Uta.
"Yohohoho, Miss Aqua, it seems you've become a little less dangerous since we last met."
Brook smiled, commenting on Aqua's change.
Pay no mind to how he could speak underwater—after all, he was just a skeleton.
"What do you mean? Are you saying this goddess used to be dangerous?!" Aqua shook her fist threateningly.
This ghost skeleton's words were just as infuriating as ever!
Seeing Aqua in this state, Meowth gave King a knowing glance:
See? I told you we didn't need to dive underwater so soon, nya. Otherwise, it wouldn't have just been that vice admiral getting swept away by the underwater currents!
After spending so much time with the foolish goddess, he had somewhat gained a future-sensing Kenbunshoku Haki—limited only to matters related to Aqua.
Uta, staring blankly, looked at the perverted skeleton who always tried to peek at girls' panties, then at the whale beneath them, resembling a small island, her delicate face full of emotions.
Although she had already experienced the bizarre style of the crew, the sight before her was beyond anything she could have imagined.
Who would have thought they had such an unconventional companion?
And…
Uta's eyes shifted slightly, looking at the massive creatures surrounding them.
Besides the island whale, Aqua even had control over the Sea Kings lurking in the Calm Belt!
Although they weren't the legendary giant Sea Kings, this ability was definitely far superior to any other Devil Fruit power on the sea!
Unfortunately, her mind didn't seem entirely stable…
Watching Aqua's incessant chatter, Uta sighed helplessly.
Boom!
A terrifying wave from above the island interrupted Uta's thoughts.
Some residents still evacuating were affected, drifting away in the turbulent sea currents.
However, the followers, with madness in their eyes, showed no fear. Some even swayed along with the rhythm of the currents.
As long as Lady Aqua was present, they had nothing to fear!
Just as the followers believed, Aqua simply raised her hand, pulling everyone back and directing them along the original path into Laboon's gaping maw.
The stomach space of this island whale was quite spacious, and aside from the gastric acid to be wary of, accommodating a thousand people was no problem.
With the Endless Dream and the Sea Kings surrounding them, transferring all the inhabitants of the Nation of Gods was merely a matter of time!
This was Zyhark's plan for the Nation of Gods battle.
To protect all the inhabitants from evacuating by sea, under the eyes of admirals, the World Government, and hundreds of warships, was simply impossible.
Thus, this relatively concealed method, which only the Sea Restaurant crew could implement, became the optimal choice.
Once everyone was safely submerged into the deep sea, they could either unleash full power to create chaos or, if things went awry, escape without any concerns!
The underwater evacuation was proceeding in an orderly manner, while the battle on the island above was a perfect representation of chaos.
In this battlefield, where the strong fought individually, Conqueror's Haki, a rarity among millions, spread across the Nation of Gods like it was free, extending continuously to the surrounding seas.
Terrifying Haki attacks ripped the ground apart, Devil Fruit abilities struck out in dazzling succession.
Lightning, Haki, magma, ice, sword slashes, sandstorms, golden shockwaves…
Various destructive energies clashed, and in an instant, the entire island teetered on the brink of collapse.
The poor sky was split open countless times!
This was undoubtedly the pinnacle of battle in the pirate world, where even New World Pirates and vice admirals of the Navy, who were a force to be reckoned with, were relegated to the sidelines, ensuring their safety.
For anyone below that level, all they could do was clasp their hands together and pray to see the next sunrise.
"Mamamama! Wipe out all these nuisances, Kaido!"
Big Mom used a Heavenly Fire attack to disperse the sandstorm sweeping towards her, her Emperor's Sword bursting with menacing Haki.
In response, Kaido, who was in a physical fight with Barrett, used Thunder Bagua to knock him back, leaping high and landing beside Big Mom.
"Are we going to use that move, old hag?" Kaido grinned.
This battlefield, more intense and vast than even the God Valley incident back in the day, had Kaido's blood boiling.
The former powerhouses were still present, but he, Kaido, was no longer the naïve young apprentice he used to be!
"Let's show them what hell is like!"
"Alright!"
Reaching a consensus, Kaido and Big Mom raised their aura to the maximum, the Emperor's Sword and Hassaikai crossing behind them.
Buzz!!
With a fierce output of Haki and Devil Fruit power, the area around them transformed, painted in the dark hues of hell.
A terrifying energy storm gathered at the ends of their weapons, and the moment it reached its peak, Kaido and Big Mom swung with full force.
"Hakoku!!!"
The beam of energy, enough to shatter space, exploded out, its destructive force shocking every powerhouse on the battlefield.
After all, this was a joint strike from two peak-level Emperors!
Powerhouses like Mihawk and the Golden Lion had no choice but to dodge as quickly as they could.
Zyhark, paired with Kanna, was confident enough to use an electromagnetic combination technique to block it, but since Kaido and Big Mom weren't targeting them, there was no need to waste their strength.
Escanor, his entire body wrapped in flames, looked on with interest.
Were it not for the importance of the current mission, his extreme pride would have driven him to take the attack head-on.
But for now, the greater objective took priority.
Thus, the strong ones evaded the overwhelming Hakoku, allowing it to head straight for the Holy Knights, led by Figarland Garling!
Kaido and Big Mom weren't fools; they knew pirates, with their individual goals, couldn't unite as the Navy could.
Therefore, in demonstrating the overwhelming power of the Emperors, their first target was naturally to weaken the forces of the World Government.
This was also why this chaotic battlefield had maintained such a delicate balance from the beginning:
Before anyone acquired the treasure, the pirate faction remained united, with any conflicts only being probes and skirmishes, without a true all-out deadly battle.
"Naive sea emperors, do you really think such an attack is enough to defeat us?"
Figarland Galres held his sword in front, the Conqueror's Haki concentrating along its blade.
Others might evade, but with the entire Holy Knight squad behind him, he had no choice but to intercept this attack.
Before he could make a move, Garling stepped forward, raising a hand to stop Galres's action.
The next second, the red, blue, and yellow cloaks of justice swayed, and three emotionless figures appeared at the forefront.
Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru raised their hands simultaneously, unleashing their Devil Fruit powers without reservation while releasing their respective Haki.
Whether they wanted to or not, as subordinates of the World Government, they had to take a stand at such a moment.
Boom!!!!
Hakoku met the energy barrier created by the three admiral candidates, erupting in a cataclysmic explosion!
In that moment, heaven and earth dimmed, and energy flew wildly.
Even just the leaking remnants of the storm and Haki forced countless strong men to grit their teeth and use all their strength to defend.
The terrifying shockwave lasted for over a minute.
When it finally began to subside, aside from the prize platform where the Holy Knight stood, the island's terrain had been completely altered, every structure reduced to dust.
Looking around, there was nothing but a barren wasteland, and…
The three standing proudly, enveloped in red, blue, and yellow!
"Urara! The new generation of the Navy is really not easy to deal with!"
Although Kaido was somewhat surprised, he did not show any astonished expression.
"Those three brats who followed Z all the time have grown to this extent. Each one of them is really getting on my nerves!"
Big Mom, in contrast, was far more annoyed.
Whether it was Akainu, Aokiji, or Kizaru, or even the younger ones like Zyhark and Shanks, all of these brats had grown to challenge her strength!
Recalling Zyhark, who had humiliated her not long ago, Big Mom's expression grew darker.
However, the clashes on this battlefield didn't cease because of this brief interlude.
The Golden Lion directly challenged his old rival, Sengoku, using the powers of his Fuwa Fuwa no Mi to hurl massive boulders at him;
The probing attacks from earlier were left behind as Mihawk wielded his Black Blade, Yoru, swinging the world's strongest slash towards Zyhark;
Old rivals Crocodile and Barrett were locked in fierce battle;
Rayleigh, clashing swords with Garling, wielded his blade wrapped in Conqueror's Haki;
Zephyr, leading the three admiral candidates, faced off against Kaido and Big Mom's combined pirate crews;
The Shichibukai also renewed their mutual assaults;
And on the outer seas, the Navy and pirate ships were fiercely engaged, cannon fire continuously erupting over the waves.
This chaotic and shocking melee continued, and it wasn't going to end anytime soon!
The waves spread to more distant waters.
There, an unremarkable boat bobbed with the current.
In a dark corner, a man with missing teeth grinned, revealing a sinister smile that was entirely different from his seemingly honest facade.
Zehahaha...
(End of Chapter)
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