First Half of the Grand Line – Marineford, Naval Headquarters
As Lucifer wages war against the Whitebeard Pirates, the Red-Haired Pirates, and the Marines, his subordinates—Byrnndi World, Inuarashi, Nekomamushi, and Denjiro—have already led the samurai army and the Mink tribe warriors into Marineford.
Though their combined forces number only 10,000, each soldier is an elite fighter with exceptional combat strength.
Marineford has been plunged into chaos, engulfed in flames, with the sounds of battle and agonized screams filling the air.
With Sengoku and the three Admirals leading Marine's strongest forces elsewhere, Naval Headquarters is left dangerously vulnerable.
Though a few Vice Admirals remain to defend the base, they are no match for World.
In mere moments, four Marine Vice Admirals fall before him, slain on the spot.
"Naval Headquarters will fall today!"
Standing before the towering headquarters building, World grips a Marine Vice Admiral by the neck, laughing maniacally.
A suffocating killing intent surges from him, spreading across tens of thousands of meters.
When it comes to hatred for the Marines, Byrnndi World stands at the pinnacle among the Ghost Pirates.
Thirty years ago, he was defeated by both the Marines and rival pirates before being imprisoned in Impel Down.
Losing his freedom for over three decades fueled his relentless hatred toward the Marines, making his thirst for revenge insatiable.
Since his escape from Impel Down, World has been obsessed with taking vengeance on both the Marines and the World Government.
And now, the opportunity has finally come.
"Momo Hundredfold Cannon!"
Tossing aside the Vice Admiral's lifeless body, World hefts a massive cannon and fires a shell directly at the Marine Headquarters building.
The cannon is dozens of times larger than ordinary artillery, custom-made specifically for World.
The shells fired from it are already immense, but with the power of his Momo Momo no Mi, he magnifies the cannonball a hundredfold.
The shell expands rapidly as it soars through the air, growing to the size of the entire headquarters building.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rocks Marineford, and a colossal mushroom cloud rises into the sky.
The iconic Marine Headquarters building is obliterated—reduced to nothing but dust and rubble.
"Ahahahaha! This is incredible!"
World roars with laughter, an overwhelming sense of satisfaction washing over him.
Years of resentment and frustration finally feel released.
"You bastard! How dare you?!"
A furious roar echoes through the battlefield.
A black shadow streaks through the air, closing the distance in an instant.
BAM!
A powerful punch crashes into World's face.
Yet, his skin turns pitch black as he activates Armament Haki, effortlessly blocking the attack.
He doesn't budge an inch.
"Tch, that hurt… Damn you, Zephyr!"
The attacker is none other than former Marine Admiral Zephyr, now semi-retired and responsible for training Marine recruits.
Since he wasn't part of the crusade against Lucifer, he was instead tasked with protecting Marineford.
Though his strength has waned over the years, Zephyr still holds the power of a quasi-Admiral, a force that ordinary pirates wouldn't dare to challenge.
Unfortunately for him, this time, the invaders are the Ghost Pirates.
Despite only four commanders—World, Inuarashi, Nekomamushi, and Denjiro—each one is monstrously strong.
Even alone, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi together could suppress, or even defeat, Zephyr.
With World's terrifying abilities added to the mix, Zephyr stands no chance of victory.
"Zephyr, you're getting old!"
World smirks, glancing at Zephyr's mechanical arm.
"I heard a pirate cut off your arm… If I remember correctly, that pirate is now part of the Ghost Pirates."
"Whitebeard Jr… Edward Weevil, isn't that right?"
At the mention of Weevil's name, Zephyr's pupils shrink, his eyes radiating uncontrollable fury.
"Heh… Looks like I was right."
World sneers.
"To think you lost your arm to a brat… How pathetic.
"Zephyr, you're no longer the Marine I once knew!"
Thirty years ago, Zephyr was still an Admiral, and World was a fearsome pirate feared across the seas.
The two had clashed many times and knew each other well.
But now, everything has changed.
BOOM!
World throws a punch, sending Zephyr stumbling backward.
Though Zephyr blocks it with his mechanical arm, the sheer force leaves him shaken.
WHOOSH!
A dark blur flashes through the battlefield—World isn't letting up.
He presses the attack, his speed and power skyrocketing as his fists become nothing but afterimages.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Each strike lands on Zephyr's body, forcing him into a purely defensive stance.
He struggles to keep up, unable to find an opening to counterattack.
Valdo roared, his voice filled with fury. "Zephyr, is this all you've got?"
"Too weak! Too weak! You alone can't protect Naval Headquarters!"
Under Valdo's relentless onslaught, Zephyr struggled to keep up.
Whenever he showed even the slightest opening, Waldo struck mercilessly.
Valdo's fists, coated in high-density Armament Haki, carried enough power to shatter a mountain with a single punch.
Blow after blow landed on Zephyr, forcing him to cough up blood.
Worse still, the injuries aggravated his asthma. His breathing grew more and more ragged, each gasp accompanied by a wheezing sound, as if he might suffocate at any moment.
Realizing this, Valdo's attacks became even more aggressive. He was not the type to show mercy.
Instead, he would exploit Zephyr's condition to kill him outright.
Boom!
A devastating punch struck Zephyr square in the chest.
Blood spewed from his mouth as his body was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing headfirst into the sea of flames.
"Teacher Zephyr!!!"
"Teacher Zephyr!!!"
The Marine soldiers screamed in horror at the sight of their mentor falling.
Almost the entire Marine force had been trained by Zephyr. Every soldier here was his disciple.
Seeing him battered and bleeding, falling helplessly into the inferno, their fear turned to rage. Their hatred for Valdo and the Nether Pirates burned fiercer than ever.
"Damn pirate, die!!"
"Protect Naval Headquarters!"
"Annihilate the invaders!"
Determined to defend their stronghold, the Marines fought desperately.
But against the might of the Nether Pirates, they were completely overwhelmed.
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi had transformed into their Sulong forms—a saber-toothed tiger and a monstrous mammoth—rampaging through Marineford like living calamities.
Any Marine unfortunate enough to cross their path was crushed into bloody pulp.
Denjiro led the samurai army in a relentless slaughter. Every warrior who had joined the battle was at least at the level of an iron-cutting swordsman.
Countless flying slashes crisscrossed the battlefield, slicing through Marine soldiers like a hurricane of steel.
The deafening roar of artillery fire mixed with the bloodcurdling screams of the dying.
The 20,000-strong Marine garrison was rapidly falling apart.
All seven Marine Vice Admirals had been slaughtered.
All six Rear Admirals had met the same fate.
By the time Zephyr stumbled out of the sea of flames, the battlefield was a wasteland of charred corpses, severed limbs, and rivers of blood.
"Everyone..."
Zephyr's voice trembled with grief.
Tears welled in his eyes as he took in the nightmarish scene.
"BASTARD!!!"
With a heart-wrenching roar, he charged at Valdo in a blind fury.
His chest was caved in, his body riddled with wounds, his flesh burned black by the fire.
But Zephyr ignored the pain. He had long since forgotten his own suffering.
Right now, all he wanted was to kill Valdo, Inuarashi, and Nekomamushi—send them straight to hell for what they had done.
Yet, in his injured state, he was no match for them.
ROAR!
A bone-chilling growl rang out as Nekomamushi, in his saber-toothed tiger form, leaped from the shadows.
He crashed into Zephyr with monstrous force, sending him hurtling through the air.
Zephyr's mechanical arm—reinforced with Seastone—was shattered instantly, reduced to nothing but a pile of twisted scrap metal.
A second later, Inuarashi, in his towering mammoth form, came crashing down from above.
With a single slash of his massive sword, he carved a deep, bloody gash down Zephyr's back, exposing bone.
Then came the killing blow.
Valdo loomed over Zephyr, wielding a massive scythe wrapped in Armament Haki.
With a cold sneer, he drove the blade straight through Zephyr's chest, piercing his heart.
Outnumbered, outmatched, and gravely wounded, Zephyr had no chance.
His once-proud body shuddered violently before finally going still.
Even in death, he refused to collapse completely.
Half-kneeling, eyes wide open, he stared at Valdo—or perhaps at the burning ruins of Marineford.
In his last moments, he wanted to look at his homeland one last time...
The place he had devoted his entire life to protecting.
"Kill them all. Wipe Marineford off the map!"
Valdo's hatred for the Marines ran deep.
And with the title of "World Destroyer," he wouldn't leave until he had turned everything to ashes.
Under his ruthless command, the massacre continued.
The Naval Headquarters garrison was completely wiped out.
Only when not a single Marine remained standing did Valdo finally order his men to retreat.
As the samurai and the Mink Tribe warriors boarded the ships, Valdo turned back one last time.
A wicked grin spread across his face as he hoisted his massive custom-made cannon.
Taking careful aim at what little remained of Marineford, he prepared to deliver the final blow…
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