Mihawk was strong. That casual slash of his wasn't even serious—it was merely to test the waters—and yet it left a massive crater in the ice. It also gave me a clear measure of his strength, and that made me grin.
He was powerful, no doubt, but not something I can't reach.
From the slight smirk tugging at his lips and the way his hawk-like eyes bore into mine, I could tell he recognized my strength too. His piercing gaze was unnerving, but I met it without faltering. Neither of us had come close to going all out. That slash of his was casual, and I had only used a technique I had learned just two days ago:
Black Lotus Style, Fifth Form: Mirror's Edge.
His eyes spoke of a desire to fight me—swordsman to swordsman. But not here. This battlefield wasn't the place for such a duel. That's why we both sheathed our weapons, a silent symbol of truce between swordsmen.
With my task completed, I activated Blooming Step and reappeared beside Whitebeard. His towering presence was as commanding as ever. He turned to me and asked,
"How was it? How strong is Hawkeye?"
"He's strong," I replied with confidence. "But not someone I can't reach."
"You certainly don't lack confidence," he said, a chuckle in his voice.
I simply shrugged.
But I wasn't exactly in high spirits. My mood had nothing to do with the war; everything was progressing according to plan. Sengoku had realized by now that this side had a strategist too—me. I saw him glaring at me and in response I gave him a charming smile. Well, my cover is blown now. It wasn't really that solid to begin with. But that wasn't what had me irritated.
What really pissed me off was that Vergo wasn't here. I had wanted to kill him today, but it seemed it wasn't yet his time to die. Hunting him down later was going to be a hassle.
Whitebeard's commanders had already been dispatched, with Jozu leading the charge. That man was the perfect defensive tank—a literal diamond shield. But this war was far from over. None of the Admirals had launched a proper attack yet.
I doubted any commander could defeat an Admiral outright, though Marco might be able to seriously injure one if he went all out. The others could only hope to hold them off temporarily—and that would have to suffice.
The Warlords wouldn't make a move until we reached the plaza. Vista, being an excellent swordsman, could keep Mihawk occupied when we reach there. I've already devised a strategy to deal with Boa Hancock. It was unconventional, but it might just work.
Kuma was another major threat. I had instructed Jozu to handle him. His endurance might just be enough to not die from Kuma's Ursa Shock.
As for Moria, he wouldn't be too difficult to manage. Any of the haki using commanders can hold him off. But Doflamingo… he was the real wildcard. His unpredictability made him dangerous. I'd warned the others to avoid engaging him directly unless absolutely necessary. If his strings attached to any of the commanders, the casualties would skyrocket.
Izo might be able to keep him at bay with his ranged attacks, but it was risky.
The war hadn't fully started, yet we already had so much to deal with. The allied ships weren't here yet—they'd been ordered to focus on destroying the Navy's warships for now. Entering the battlefield prematurely would only make them liabilities.
My thoughts were interrupted as the sky lit up with a blinding light. Kizaru. That man had a flair for dramatic entrances. His body materialized from the light, and his hands moved in a graceful but deadly manner.
Yasakani Sacred Jewel.
Thousands of light particles formed a torrent, all aimed at Whitebeard. Each one of those particles was deadly enough to take out an elite soldier.
I stepped forward and spoke firmly, "Old man, let me handle this."
My eyes scanned the battlefield, my Observation Haki working in overdrive. I pinpointed as many Marines as I could, and with Nidai Kitetsu blackened by Armament Haki, I positioned myself.
As the light particles entered my range, my blade moved with incredible speed that seemed invincible to the naked eye, creating an illusion of a black domain around me. The technique was nothing fancy—it was just pure, precise parrying. Something I greatly excelled at. And these light particles were nothing but a few practice dummy for me.
I deflected every light particle, redirecting them toward the Marines. While I wasn't perfectly accurate, I didn't need to be. By the time I was done, five hundred Marines lay on the ground, incapacitated.
Five seconds. Five hundred soldiers down.
Kizaru looked at me with his usual bored demeanor, not even bothered by the fact that I just took down five hundred of their soldiers.
"Whoa. Whitebeard's commanders are so scary."
I corrected him before the misconception spread among others.
"Not a commander. Just a friend of Ace."
"Whoaa!" He began another sarcastic comment but stopped when he noticed my free hand pointing upward. His eyes narrowed. "What's that?"
Grinning, I replied, "A signal."
Even before he could process what I had said, the talons of a blue phoenix smashed into his neck. He tried to defend at the last second, but his neck took the blunt force of the attack as he was thrown at the other side of the battlefield. The impact of his crash alone destroyed several warships.
Marco emerged with all his glory as the whole battlefield exclaimed seeing an admiral thrown around like that. Kizaru emerged from the rubble while rubbing his neck,
"That hurt."
He was being sarcastic again. His neck was damaged, but it was just a simple bruise. His arrogance still clear on his face.
Seeing that Kizaru was mocking him, Marco growled, "Don't lie!"
"Marco, stop!" I shouted before he charged forward. "Remember your role!"
"But—"
"Do your damn job!" I snapped.
"Tch! You're really annoying, you know that?" He backed off reluctantly. "Fine. But I better get a good fight later."
It was surprising to see that even Marco can lose his cool from time to time
"You will," I assured him. "Now, focus."
Marco listened, releasing blue flames that engulfed our allies. The Marines watched in shock, thinking we'd burned our own troops. But when they looked closer, they realized the flames weren't harming anyone. Instead, they were healing wounds and revitalizing Whitebeard's forces.
The renewed vigor allowed our troops to charge through the battlefield with unstoppable force.
From his position, Kizaru observed the spectacle. "So, this is his power. A devil fruit rarer than Logia. Mythical Zoan: Marco the Phoenix, with flames of rebirth."
Marco was the ultimate support in a war—his flames not only healed but also bolstered morale and attack power. However, the technique came at a cost. Using it on such a massive scale drained Marco's stamina, halving his combat capabilities.
That was why he hadn't used it in the original timeline. Whitebeard's forces couldn't afford to lose a fighter of his caliber. But now, with me here, I had taken on that burden. And I would be a fool to not make use of his healing capabilities.
Renewed with new vigor Jozu stabbed his fingers on the ice and cracks formed on a huge area around him. With a loud grunt he lifted up that giant block of ice. This raw strength this guy had is simply enormous. The block of ice was at least a thousand tons. Using the momentum, he threw it towards the plaza.
Akainu stood, grumbling something about how Aokiji and Kizaru had left their post. He raised his fist as magma started erupting. Before the ice could hit the marines a huge fist rivaling the size of the ice block smashed into it.
Great Eruption
The immense heat evaporated the block of ice within seconds. I could even feel the temperature in the air. But he wasn't done yet as more magma erupted from his fists and rained down across the battlefield.
Whitebeard's forces took defensive positions, but the attacks were too widespread. There would be some casualties. Acting quickly, I dashed around, destroying the magma chunks targeting our ships. Those ships were critical for later. I couldn't let them be destroyed right now.
As I finished blasting off the magma, my Observation Haki flared. Turning to my right, I saw a trident made of ice hurtling toward me. I intercepted it with a precise slash, shattering it instantly.
My eyes locked onto Aokiji. The Admirals were finally making their move. The Giant Squad has also been deployed. The Navy was upping their game. It's fitting that we do the same.
Using Blooming Step, I reappeared beside Whitebeard.
"The admirals are on the move, old man. It's time to show them why you're called the strongest."
"It's about damn time!" Whitebeard roared, grabbing Murakumogiri and spinning it with a crazed grin. "I was getting bored just standing here like this."
"Just destroy the Giant Squad," I warned. "Don't waste too much energy."
"Shut up, brat! I'll do what I want!" he shouted, leaping from the ship.
I sighed. Stubborn pirates. I glanced at Marco and gave him the signal.
It was time to go full offence.