"It's no wonder they're called the Four Emperors…"
Nicolas looked at Shanks and remarked, "You really are quite terrifying."
Almost all the officers of the pirate crew were powerful fighters. Both the captain and vice-captain could use Conqueror's Haki infusion. Although they had fewer members compared to the other three Yonko crews, their overall strength was the most balanced, making them the true 'Iron Wall' among the Four Emperors.
In the grand scheme of things, numbers don't really matter to the strong in the sea.
In terms of quality, Shanks' crew was clearly a cut above the rest.
No wonder during the Summit War, Shanks had the confidence to declare that they'd fight against the Navy if it came to that.
After all, with Shanks' Conqueror's Haki at full strength, there probably wouldn't be many left standing in Marineford.
"I have to admit, Nicolas, you're the strongest opponent I've ever faced."
Shanks, fully infused with Conqueror's Haki, raised his sword Griffin with a solemn expression, staring at Nicolas.
"If possible, I really don't want to fight you!"
The moment those words fell, Shanks instantly appeared in front of Nicolas and slashed down with his sword.
Clang!
The two long blades clashed, and the terrifying energy burst toward both the ground and the sky. The ground behind Nicolas was instantly split with a slash mark stretching thousands of meters, while the clouds behind Shanks were cut in two.
Boom!
After separating, Nicolas gripped his long sword and dashed toward Shanks like a bolt of lightning, leaving only a blue streak of electricity in the air.
"Divine Departure!"
Shanks shouted as his flaming Griffin struck forward with a powerful slash. The attack was so forceful that the very ground was torn apart, leaving a massive trench in its wake.
Right after unleashing this slash, Shanks quickly switched to a horizontal guard.
Clang!
A black sword emerged from thin air and collided fiercely with Griffin.
The gust of wind generated by the clash blew Shanks' hair and cloak wildly.
While Shanks was locked in a power struggle with Nicolas, he suddenly noticed Nicolas's left hand moving and instinctively dodged.
Just as he did, a brilliant streak of lightning shot from Nicolas's left hand, barely missing him.
Seeing Shanks evade his attack, Nicolas didn't seem to mind. With both of them possessing highly advanced Observation Haki, and with abilities that could negate it, their battle was purely a test of raw combat instincts.
Nicolas continued to discharge lightning from his left hand, sweeping it toward Shanks.
Shanks's pupils shrank as he quickly separated Griffin from Nicolas's sword and slashed toward the incoming lightning.
Sizzle—
With a sharp sound, Shanks actually cut through the lightning.
...
"Fufufu, those monsters really are terrifying. That idiot Moria actually thought he could interfere in a battle like that."
Doflamingo taunted as he looked at the distant battlefield through his binoculars.
At such a distance, only a binoculars could clearly view the fight; relying on the naked eye alone was impossible.
"Anyone who can't recognize their own strength deserves to die. What I'm curious about is why the Navy hasn't made any moves yet."
Crocodile put away his binoculars and gazed at the distant sea, where there wasn't a single Navy ship in sight.
He couldn't believe that the Navy would remain indifferent with such a large commotion in the New World.
On another front, Ben Beckman and the others were also locked in a tough battle against Dragon.
"Dragon, I don't think there's any need for us to fight to the death."
Ben Beckman said as he dodged another bullet and saw Dragon vanish into the wind.
"I disagree. Based on the intelligence we've gathered, the Red-Haired Pirates seem to have ties with the World Government. Just as Nicolas said, if you're not friends, you're enemies. I can't entrust the success of the revolution to the whims of your crew."
Dragon's calm voice echoed from behind Lucky Roux. Immediately, a Conqueror's Haki-infused "Dragon Claw" swiftly struck toward the back of Lucky Roux's neck.
Sensing the attack from behind, Lucky Roux felt a chill as he fully activated his Armament Haki and began burning his stored fat.
He twisted his body in an unnatural way and swung his fist.
At the same time, other officers also sprang into action. Yasopp aimed his gun at the spot behind Lucky Roux and fired, sending a Haki-coated bullet speeding toward Dragon.
Ben Beckman and the others also launched their own attacks to support him.
They didn't expect to seriously wound Dragon, knowing the terrifying strength of the Revolutionary Army's leader, but they aimed to push him back.
As the attacks came, Dragon immediately abandoned his strike. For him, if the cost outweighed the gain, it wasn't worth it.
This cautiousness was a habit the Revolutionary Army had developed over time. Compared to the World Government's vast resources, the Revolutionary Army was far weaker and had to be extremely careful with every move.
Meanwhile, in a hidden cave on Lodestar island, Teach, who was being hunted by the Whitebeard Pirates, watched the broadcast with a grin.
"Zehahaha, keep fighting, fight harder—what the hell is that?"
Suddenly, a mass of flickering purple crystals appeared under Teach's feet, rapidly expanding in scale. From above Lodestar island, one could see that in the island's center, this wave of crystals was sweeping outward.
The scale of this phenomenon naturally drew widespread attention.
Many quickly noticed that as the crystal wave moved, it grew larger and larger.
Buildings, shipwrecks, forests, and rocks—everything in its path was absorbed into the crystal wave.
"Is this Bulett's ability…"
Nicolas and the others, who were fighting, all noticed the crystal wave approaching from the distance.
"The range of this 'influence' is insane…"
On a warship flying the NEO Navy flag, a commander stared at the live broadcast showing the massive purple crystal wave, shock written all over his face.
In all their years capturing pirates in the New World, they had never seen a Devil Fruit awakening on such a colossal scale.
"The Fusion Fruit, huh~~~"
Zephyr, wearing his signature sunglasses, muttered as he observed the countless buildings and shipwrecks being swallowed by the crystal wave and the enormous structure rising in its center.
It was hard to imagine what kind of monster Bulett was creating with such a terrifying awakened ability. Zephyr was relieved he hadn't hastily led the NEO Navy onto Lodestar island.
In the face of Bulett's awakened powers and the ongoing battles among monsters, they would have suffered heavy losses.
"Ain, initiate the detonations."
"Understood, Teacher Zephyr!"
...
Marine commanders watching the broadcast were equally grave, all sharing the same thought: they were glad they hadn't gotten involved in this battle earlier.
Even seasoned Marine officers were stunned by the sheer scale of this ability, let alone civilians who might never have left their islands.