The exchange was completed, and Roy retreated with the others.
As the Whitebeard Pirates' four ships prepared to leave, the Marine fleet began to disperse.
"Fufufu, it's about to begin." Doflamingo and the others walked out from the warship.
"Hehehe, the Whitebeard Pirates won't escape this time. The Marines have gathered 80,000 troops here. Against just one Emperor's crew? They don't stand a chance against us."
"Hawkeye," Mihawk and Boa Hancock didn't say anything; they simply stood on the deck, staring into the distance at the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Only four of us showed up. The other three are missing—Kuma has clearly betrayed the World Government, and Jinbe's Sun Pirates are Whitebeard's allies. And that Blackbeard… he took advantage of our absence to attack Impel Down. Things are getting more and more interesting. I wonder where this world is headed to" said Doflamingo excitedly.
"Prepare."
Akainu stepped off the warship, holding a Den Den Mushi. Beside him, Aokiji was sitting on the deck, leaning against a box, head tilted, propping his chin with one hand.
At this moment, the Marines were like a cat staring at a mouse, just waiting for it to run.
Every canonn of every warship were aimed directly at the four Moby Dick ships of the Whitebeard Pirates.
The sea, which had been windy just moments ago, suddenly became eerily still.
"Fire the cannons!"
At the command, dozens of warships opened fire in unison.
Ace, who had just returned to the deck and barely caught his breath, saw countless cannonballs flying toward them like a dense swarm.
"The Marines are attacking!"
There was no formal declaration, Jozu and the others quickly got busy, preparing for the coming battle.
"Eat something first, and recover your strength. You'll need it soon," Marco said, dropping Ace unceremoniously.
"You've been through hell. Here I brought some food," Thatch said cheerfully, pushing over a food cart piled high.
"Thatch, I…"
"Alright, don't get sentimental. We're family. Everyone makes mistakes. What you need now is to recover quickly. We'll need your strength in this fight, Second Division Commander."
"I understand," Ace nodded and began devouring the food.
After just a few bites, he leaned against the cart and fell into a deep sleep, still eating as he dozed, his body instinctively replenishing energy for the battle to come.
Thatch watched with a smile, then he looked up at the sky filled with cannonballs. He drew his twin blades from his waist.
"So it's started. And since you made the first move, you can't blame us. Big Bro prepared a little gift for you."
Despite the grin on his face, Thatch's eyes radiated boundless killing intent.
As the cannonballs fell, Whitebeard was the first to act. With one mighty punch, he shattered the air itself. The shockwave exploded the incoming cannonballs within a fan-shaped range.
The remaining cannonballs were intercepted by the division commanders.
The Marines continued to fire while advancing; the Whitebeard Pirates, fighting as they retreated, were heading towards Egghead Island.
"They've started the war!"
On Egghead Island, Vice Admiral Doll and others exclaimed in shock.
"Admiral Kizaru, is this our plan?" asked Vice Admiral Hound.
"Yes, we were always going to fight the Whitebeard Pirates," Kizaru replied with a nod.
"Then let us join the battle too. The Whitebeard Pirates are getting close," a rear admiral suggested.
"Go grab your weapons," Kizaru nodded.
Suddenly, Kizaru sensed something and broke into a cold sweat.
BOOM!!!
A massive explosion erupted from where the Marine prisoners were stationed. Flames shot into the sky, engulfing everyone present.
The blast was overwhelmingly powerful—Marine soldiers were torn apart by the shockwave. Casualties soared instantly.
Kizaru grabbed Vegapunk and vanished from the scene in a flash. The other six Vegapunks couldn't react in time and were blown away by the blast, falling into the sea.
The Marines' attention was immediately drawn to the towering flames rising from the island.
Far off, the Marines' ships, still bombarding the Whitebeard Pirates, froze in shock. Aokiji leapt to his feet.
"Damn you Whitebeard Pirates!" Aokiji said angrily.
"Fufufufu, Now that's a ruthless move, Whitebeard Pirates," Doflamingo said excitedly.
"They must have planted explosives beneath the prisoner area ahead of time," gasped Gecko Moria.
"That explosion just killed at least ten thousand people," said Hawkeye grimly.
"We were planning to turn the prisoners into a fighting force… but now they're all dead. They traded back our men just to blow them up the moment we attacked. Cold. Brilliantly cold," Doflamingo said, a mix of thrill and fear in his voice.
Akainu's fists trembled with rage as he watched the inferno consume the shore.
Flash.
Kizaru reappeared on the flagship, Vegapunk in tow.
"You alright?"
"I'm fine, but…" Vegapunk turned back to the devastation—the dock now flooded, the sea littered with body parts. Only a handful, like Doll, had survived.
Akainu stepped forward, magma flowing from his body in rage. He raised his arms to the sky.
"METEOR VOLCANO!!!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Balls of molten magma launched into the air, then began falling under gravity's pull.
On the Whitebeard side, the man himself looked toward the explosion. The shockwave had nearly capsized their ship, a testament to the blast's strength.
Before he could speak, a cheer erupted.
"WOOOOOHOOOO!"
No need to guess who that was.
"That explosion packed quite a punch," Roy said with a smile.
"What you did just now ensures this is a war to the death with the Marines," Whitebeard said.
"It was always going to be that. We're pirates. You don't think the Marines would let us go, do you? They underestimated us and made their intentions clear. Why would I let them keep those soldiers and boost their power?" Roy replied coolly.
He was never a kind-hearted person. At first, Roy avoided unnecessary killing.
But since the Marines chose to fight, they were enemies.
And for enemies, there was no need for mercy.
Mercy to your enemy is cruelty to yourself.
"The Marines are attacking," Marco said as he approached.
Roy, having foreseen this, turned to Marco and said, "Everyone, retreat into the island immediately!"
"It's too late, they're coming," Whitebeard said as he looked up at the sky.
Indeed, it was too late. Countless magma projectiles, each as large as a giant's fist, rained down from the sky, engulfed in flames.
With the aid of gravity, they crashed down with overwhelming force.
There were too many of them—far worse than cannonballs.
The scene looked like the end of the world.
...
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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