Hawk-Eyeās coffin ship drifted along, sailing from the outer perimeter of the sea area towards the inner circle.
The Marines had deployed several Warlords of the Sea on the periphery, originally to guard against pirates attacking from various directions. However, the pirates now launched a surprise attack from underwater, which meant their defensive plan had failed.
Naturally, Hawk-Eye received the Marineās orders to engage. But honestly, he wasnāt particularly interested in these pirate lackeys. Unless they obstructed his path or attacked him first, Hawk-Eye had no intention of making a move.
The reason he appeared here to participate in the war after receiving the Marineās summons could be summed up in one sentence: to pass the time!
He neither sided with the Marines nor with the pirates. He was here for two people: Edward Newgate, known as Whitebeard, and Ian!
Hawk-Eye had seen the news about Ianās attack on Impel Down. Though he didnāt know what his nephew was planning by assaulting Impel Down, his intuition told him Ian would undoubtedly appear in this war.
Until Ian or Whitebeard showed up, Hawk-Eye had no intention of actingā¦
Sharing Hawk-Eye Mihawkās sentiments was Boa Hancock. She sat aboard a naval vessel, lazily reclining on a chaise lounge formed by Salomeās body, her hand propping up her chin, commanding the Marines on board to engage in combat with the pirates.
āWhy should we listen to her?ā Although some Marines had this thought, upon seeing Boa Hancockās breathtaking beauty, they were immediately enchanted and exclaimed, āButā¦ sheās so beautiful! Forget itā¦ā
As a result, even the shouts of the naval commander commanding the ship were ignored. All the Marines on board gathered around Boa Hancock, engaging with the pirates rushing towards them.
However, a pirate who had boarded the warship recognized the identity of the Empress Boa Hancock. Holding a mortar launcher, he fired a shell towards Boa Hancockās position through the crowd.
āHow annoying!ā Boa Hancock frowned, and with a puff from her hand, she blew out a massive heart. She stretched out her hand, and a flurry of Slave Arrows shot out.
Not only did she deflect the incoming shell, but many Marines standing in front of her were also hit, immediately turning into stone statuesā¦
āDamn it! Attacking the Marines too!?ā A Rear Admiral commanding the ship shouted furiously upon witnessing this scene, āBoa Hancock, you truly are untrustworthy!ā
The Marines had long suspected a connection between Ianās attack on Impel Down and Boa Hancock. However, lacking evidence, they couldnāt act against her, but they certainly had their guard up.
Yet, upon hearing the Rear Admiralās words, Boa Hancock turned her head and said to him, āBut, you will forgive this maiden, wonāt you?ā
āYouā¦ youā¦ā Seeing Boa Hancockās watery eyes, the Rear Admiral felt as if heād been struck by something, his heart softening considerably. His face flushed involuntarily, and a voice inside him kept shouting, āForgive her, forgive her, such a beautiful ladyā¦ā
Then, the Rear Admiral truly yielded. Dizzy and infatuated, he saluted Boa Hancock and said, āYesā¦ā
From then on, all the Marines on board the ship were entranced, becoming devoted guards to Boa Hancock.
Among the four Warlords present, two were idly watching, while the remaining, Gecko Moria, had his attention focused entirely on Little Oars Jr.
āHehehe! Iād love to have his corpse!ā Moria chuckled strangely, watching Little Oars Jr. wreak havoc. Unable to contain his itch for action, he knew that Little Oars Jr. was a descendant, an offspring of the Oars who had died hundreds of years ago. Compared to the long-dead Oars, Little Oars Jr.ās body was intact and without any hidden risks. If he could kill him and turn him into his zombie soldier, he could create a super soldier even better than Oars.
Beside him, Donquixote Doflamingo sat cross-legged on the deck, his hands resting on his knees. Upon hearing Moriaās words, he burst into laughter, āHahaha, Moria, you fool! Are you still thinking about assembling your zombie army to challenge Kaido?ā
Moria gritted his teeth, āDoflamingo, you bastard! After being stripped of your title, have you lost all sense of pride? I thought your alliance with Kaido was just a facade, but now, from what youāre saying, are you really planning to be his lackey?ā
āIām not as delusional as you!ā Doflamingo grinned menacingly at Moria, āI know the difference between me and Kaido. That man has the power to easily destroy my pirate crew. Whatās wrong with pledging allegiance to him?ā
Undeniably, Doflamingoās words stirred up Moriaās terrifying memories of Kaido. Ever since Kaido single-handedly defeated Moriaās pirate crew in the New World, leaving only Moria alive, Kaidoās name became Moriaās nightmare. The thought of Kaidoās terror made him break out in a cold sweat, rendering him unable to retort to Doflamingoās words.
āDamn it, how did the Marines find you and even assign you to my shipā¦ā Moria had no choice but to change the subject, saying, āThey really consider nothing!ā
āHahaha!ā Doflamingo couldnāt help but burst into laughter again, saying, āMoria, thatās because our statuses are completely different. Even if Iāve lost my Warlord title, as long as Iām alive, the World Government and Celestial Dragons wouldnāt dare touch me! Even the Marines can only send warships to capture me, not kill me. But you? What do you think will happen if you lose your Warlord title?ā
āHmph!ā Moria failed to grasp the true meaning behind Doflamingoās words and thought Doflamingo was merely trying to provoke him. After all, Doflamingoās past with the Celestial Dragons wasnāt a secret among the Warlords. He snorted coldly and retorted, āA dog of a bereaved family defeated by that young kid Ian has the nerve to speak to me?ā
āDo you want to die, Moria!?ā This struck a nerve with Doflamingo. His veins bulged as he clenched his fists, glaring at Moria and speaking through gritted teeth.
āIsnāt it the truth?ā Moria wasnāt afraid and stood up to Doflamingo, glaring down at him. āYou were defeated by that kid Ian, werenāt you?ā
āDo you think you can fare any better against Ian?ā Doflamingo sneered, pointing at him. āYou dare to talk big here just because you havenāt met Ian yet! As for me, just wait until Ian shows up. Iāll give him a big āsurpriseā!ā
āHope you can live up to your words!ā Moria snorted. āDonāt end up hiding like a turtle when Ian really appears!ā
Their argument naturally ended without reaching an agreement, but there was no intention to engage in a physical fight either. Moria turned his attention back to Little Oars, only to find a small meatball-shaped bubble flying towards where Little Oars was.
āWhatās this?ā Little Oars paused when he saw the bubble flying towards him, almost reaching out to poke it.
This reckless action, akin to poking a leaking pipe or welding a bulb, immediately alerted Little Oars of his mistake. The tiny meatball-shaped bubble suddenly expanded the moment it touched Little Oars!
A violent shockwave exploded at that instant, sweeping through everything around like a category twelve hurricane!
Whether it was pirate ships or marine vessels, ship masts and sails, or other fragile objects, they turned into debris and were blown away by the force of the impact. Some smaller ships were even directly crushed into the sea, sinking immediately.
With Little Oars at the epicenter, the shockwave spread out. Those closer were blown away by the hurricane, flailing in the air in panic. Those farther away held their hands in front of their faces, using all their strength to stabilize themselves against the force.
Like a passing gale, everything around Little Oars vanished. Even the seawater was stirred into a circular depression by the explosionās force, only returning to normal once the power had dissipated.
As for Little Oars, who directly bore the brunt of the attack, he fared the worst. The immense force in that split second felt like it had crushed his internal organsā¦
Little Oars, eyes rolling back, was on the verge of fainting. He barely managed to stabilize himself on the rocky ground beneath his feet, spewing out a mouthful of blood with a loud āWaaaah.ā
āDamn it, thatās my prey! Bartholomew Kuma, that guyā¦ā Moria immediately recognized the move, Kumaās Impact, and looked towards the direction to his left. There, on the bow of a military ship, the towering figure of Kuma stood motionless.
āHeh heh heh! Interesting!ā Doflamingo couldnāt help but burst into laughter, saying, āWas that his own initiative, or was he acting on orders? Probably the latter, right?ā
āI canāt let him steal my prey!ā Moria gritted his teeth and suddenly conjured countless dark bats in his hand, hurling them towards Little Oars. āGo, Shadow Spear!ā
With Moriaās movement, the swarm of dark bats instantly converged into a thin black light strip, piercing through Little Oars effortlessly. The bats transformed back as they exited through his back.
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In that split second when his body was pierced, Little Oars shuddered all over. Still recovering from the Kumaās Impact, he was struck hard by Moria again, causing him to falter and collapse towards the sea.
With a loud crash, the sea surface was hit by the fallen body of Little Oars, creating massive waves.
āHahaha! Heās mine now!ā Moria excitedly moved his claw-like fingers and transformed into a shadow, sinking suddenly below the deck.
Then, on the pirate ship closest to Little Oars, Moria emerged from a pirateās shadow. Although he couldnāt fly, he could achieve teleportation-like effects through his shadows.
āUp close, he really is terrifyingly tall! Hahaha!ā Moria laughed manically, holding a large pair of scissors.
His appearance startled everyone on the pirate ship. Having just been hit by Kumaās Impact, the pirates on board had only just managed to get up, each feeling sore all over. But their intuition told them that Moria, this Warlord of the Sea, appearing here might pose another threat to Little Oars. So, gritting their teeth, they picked up their weapons and rushed towards Moria to protect their comrade.
Before they could swing their blades, however, countless small bats with sharp teeth and fangs separated from Moriaās body, flying towards the pirates and biting them all over, leaving them covered in wounds.
With no one blocking him, Moria, scissors in hand, reached out to lift Little Oarsā shadow from the deck, intending to cut it off.
He deliberately chose this pirate ship, which was opposite to the light, to capture Little Oarsā shadow. Little Oars was simply too massive; even lying in the sea, he was like a small mountain, casting his shadow on this pirate ship, making it convenient for Moria to act.
However, just at that moment, a loud voice suddenly echoed: āI wonāt let you harm Little Oars!!!ā
With that voice, a blazing white flame, trailing a long tail of fire, shot from the Edd War Island reef towards Moriaās position from a distance!
āFire Fist!!ā