Suppressing his shock, Beckman fired a seemingly ordinary shot downward. The instant the bullet left the barrel, its temperature soared, igniting the freezing air around it. A massive fireball erupted, consuming all the ice spikes in its path.
"Not bad! Then try this!"
Esdeath kicked apart a newly formed ice pillar, its shattered fragments rapidly absorbing moisture from the air, transforming into countless needle-like ice shards that shot toward Beckman like bullets.
This technique was something she had learned from Kizaru. As her foot made contact with the ice, she infused its fragments with Armament Haki. The ice needles themselves weren't that powerful, but hidden within them were tiny shards of the original ice pillar, each imbued with her Haki. Every shard carried as much power as a Haki-infused bullet.
If Beckman's Observation Haki had been even slightly weaker and he failed to detect the hidden threat within the ice needles, he could have been riddled with holes.
"What a dangerous woman…"
Ben Beckman's mouth twitched—Esdeath's little trick hadn't fooled him at all.
However, faced with such a brutal attack, his best option was to evade. He wasn't suited for large-scale attacks, nor did he have strong defensive capabilities.
As Esdeath locked onto Beckman, the Oars Jr. controlled by both Doflamingo and Moria broke through the Red-Haired Pirates' defensive line. Without Beckman's sniping to suppress them, Doflamingo could focus solely on repairing Oars Jr. while also using his puppet strings to create even more trouble for the Red-Haired Pirates.
"Tch, what a pain in the ass!"
Yasopp tried to snipe Moria, but Moria's Shadow Mage blocked the shot. His Armament Haki wasn't strong enough to protect Oars Jr., but defending himself was easy. After that first shot, Moria began intentionally positioning himself behind Oars Jr., avoiding the crazed onslaught of the Red-Haired Pirates' snipers.
"This is bad! If this keeps up, the Navy will catch up!"
"I'll hold them off!"
"Then let's fight them head-on!"
"You guys go ahead—I'll cover you!"
As Oars Jr. and the pursuing Navy forces closed in, the Whitebeard Pirates found themselves caught in a dilemma. Staying behind meant certain death, but continuing to flee risked dooming their already retreating comrades.
After such prolonged fighting, even the Whitebeard Pirates' division commanders were utterly exhausted. No matter how strong the body, it had its limits. Even a top-tier powerhouse like Akainu, after intense battles against Delocas, Dragon, and Shanks, was now being more mindful of his stamina.
For the division commanders, it wasn't just about fighting strong enemies—they also had to protect their crew and the Revolutionary Army's allies. If not for their sheer strength and Whitebeard's legacy driving them forward, they wouldn't have lasted this long.
"Luffy! Stop Ace!"
Sabo, who had grown up with Ace, was the first to realize something was wrong. He quickly called Luffy over, and together, they tackled Ace, holding him down to stop him from running back to the battlefield.
Whitebeard's death had shaken Ace to his core. He felt responsible for starting this war, and every fallen crewmate of the Whitebeard Pirates weighed heavily on his conscience.
Now, seeing so many of his comrades still fighting and dying, Ace's overwhelming guilt and sense of duty consumed him.
"Huh? What's going on?"
Luffy didn't understand the situation but still followed Sabo's lead, wrapping his arms and legs tightly around Ace. With Sabo pinning him down as well, Ace had no chance of running back to his death.
"Let me go, Sabo! Dad and the others are dying because of me—how can I just run away to save myself?!"
Ace struggled, but against both Sabo and Luffy, he couldn't break free. Luffy, having learned Armament Haki, clung to him like a stubborn child, making escape impossible even with Ace's Logia powers.
"Don't be stupid! Do you really think—"
Sabo wasn't about to let Ace throw his life away. But before he could finish, something shocking happened on the battlefield.
Boom!
A towering golden Buddha reappeared in the center of Marineford, its massive, glowing hand slamming down to crush a mysterious figure who had, at some point, removed his hooded cloak.
"That man…?"
"This has to be a joke!"
"The right hand of the Pirate King…"
"Dark King Rayleigh!"
…
Rayleigh gracefully dodged Sengoku's attack as he threw off his hooded cloak, revealing a face that seemed gentle at first glance but held an incredibly sharp gaze.
Even after so many years, countless Marines and pirates recognized him instantly—the infamous "Dark King" who had once sailed alongside the Pirate King Roger!
"I just wanted to say a few words. No need to be so aggressive, Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Rayleigh calmly smiled as he swung his sword, slicing through the shockwave rushing toward him.
He hadn't originally planned to reveal himself, but seeing Whitebeard use his dying breath to spread Roger's final message, Rayleigh couldn't just stand by and do nothing as the crew's former first mate.
And with the Whitebeard Pirates on the brink of destruction, there was no longer any reason to stay in hiding.
"You better think this through, Rayleigh!"
Sengoku was livid. Kizaru had gone through so much trouble to stop Whitebeard from spreading the legend of Roger's treasure, yet now, this old relic had decided to take center stage.
Failing to execute Fire Fist Ace had already been frustrating enough. At least Kizaru had managed to kill Whitebeard, preserving some of the Navy's dignity.
But if Rayleigh were to preach about Roger's so-called "great treasure" here in Marineford, it would be a humiliating slap in the face for the Navy.
"That's quite the terrifying threat… but I'm not so old that I've lost the courage to speak my mind!"
Rayleigh chuckled, his words making Sengoku's expression darken even further.
And when he realized that everyone's attention had shifted entirely to Rayleigh, his mood only worsened.
The Revolutionary Army, having hijacked the broadcast signal, quickly adjusted the feed, making sure that all the cameras were now focused squarely on Rayleigh.
When his face appeared on screens worldwide, every Marine who knew his identity immediately sensed disaster.
Kizaru sighed, rubbing his forehead in exasperation.
First Whitebeard, and now Rayleigh? These old-timers just didn't know when to quit.
But things weren't the same as before. If Rayleigh thought Kizaru would let him walk away like he did back in Sabaody, he was dead wrong.
Just as Kizaru was about to make his move, a massive figure suddenly blocked his path.
"Oi, oi, what's going on here? Weren't you supposed to be out of commission, Kuma?"
Even with all the strange things Kizaru had seen in his life, this still made him widen his eyes in surprise.
Everything—Vegapunk's reports, Kizaru's own observations—had confirmed that Bartholomew Kuma had lost all sense of self after his final modifications. And yet, there was something… off. A faint, lingering presence that shouldn't have been there.
And now, Kuma was standing directly in Kizaru's way. His face was emotionless, his mouth silent, but his intent to block Kizaru was as clear as day.
To be honest, even at his peak, Kuma wouldn't have been able to stop Kizaru.
But now, despite supposedly being "dead," he was moving like some kind of ghost, determined to hold Kizaru back.
And that was giving Kizaru a headache.
Kizaru didn't have many people he considered friends—he could count them on one hand. But without a doubt, Kuma was one of them.
Not being able to stop Kuma from undergoing the final stage of his modifications had already been a lingering regret. Going against what was likely his final "will" was pushing Kizaru's limits.
By this point, if Kizaru still couldn't see Dragon's hand in all of this, he'd be insulting his own intelligence.
For now, though, he had no choice but to let Rayleigh continue his "performance"—all while deciding that before settling the score with Ivankov, he was going to make sure to punch Dragon in the face first.
"Who is that guy? Why's he in Marineford?"
"He's crazy strong! He's going toe-to-toe with both an Admiral and the Fleet Admiral!"
"Could he be some legendary pirate? Wait a minute… that face looks really familiar!"
"Wait a minute! This man... could he be—?"
People all over the world watched the live broadcast with a mix of tension and curiosity.
Among the older generation, many had already recognized the infamous "Dark King" Rayleigh, their faces turning pale with fear.
Most ordinary citizens never bothered distinguishing between "good" and "bad" pirates. In truth, they didn't really need to—after all, the vast majority of pirates were ruthless criminals who pillaged, murdered, and burned everything in their wake.
To them, pirates were evil. And if the Pirate King was the worst of them all, then his right-hand man, Rayleigh, was undoubtedly a villain on par with the terrifying Whitebeard.
— New World, Totto Land, Cake Island
In the heart of her domain, Charlotte Linlin—Big Mom—was enjoying her afternoon tea. She lifted a cake the size of a table and swallowed it whole.
She had originally planned to finish her tea time, but after witnessing Whitebeard's death, her appetite suddenly surged, prompting her to order more food.
Yet, every time the camera panned to Kizaru, a look of pure hatred flickered across her face.
"Ma-ma-ma-ma... That man looks awfully familiar. Where have I seen him before?"
As Rayleigh's face appeared on the broadcast, Big Mom paused mid-bite, swallowing the cake before grabbing a plate of chocolate cookies. Speaking through a mouthful of crumbs, her voice was thick with suspicion.
"M-Mama! That man is Gol D. Roger's right-hand! The Pirate King's 'Dark King'—Silvers Rayleigh!"
Her eldest son, Perospero, spoke with a trembling voice.
Long before Roger had claimed the title of Pirate King, the Big Mom Pirates had clashed with his crew when they dared to trespass into Totto Land.
The result? Roger's crew had escaped unscathed, taking with them a rubbing of the red Poneglyph. A humiliation that Big Mom had never forgotten.
— CRACK!
The sharp sound of a plate shattering rang through the grand hall, and an overwhelming pressure instantly filled the space.
The living homies cowered in fear, terrified that their mother's wrath would be unleashed upon them.
"Silvers Rayleigh..."
Big Mom's voice came out like a snarl, forced through gritted teeth.
Her expression twisted into a mask of fury and hatred.
Back then, it had been Roger and Rayleigh—the perfect duo. While Roger distracted her, Rayleigh had broken into her Cake Castle and stolen the red Poneglyph's rubbing.
Of course, her hatred for Roger was far deeper.
But Roger was dead.
And since she couldn't take revenge on him, she would just have to settle for the next best thing—his right-hand man, Rayleigh.
Unaware of the storm brewing in Totto Land, Rayleigh continued his speech in Marineford, completely oblivious to the fact that he had just caught the attention of one of his old enemies.
°°°
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