There was no denying it—Maude's ability to swap positions with his shadow at any moment was incredibly troublesome.
The nature of their confrontation meant that Maude could attack them without warning, while they had no reliable way of landing a hit on him.
An enemy like that was the most terrifying force in warfare.
Even the fearsome pirates of the New World found themselves at a loss when faced with Maude's unpredictable maneuvers.
However, once Izo pointed out the weakness of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit's position-swapping ability, the solution became clear.
"If that bastard tries to switch places with his shadow again, focus your attacks on the shadow itself!"
"We can't let him run wild any longer!"
"Exactly!"
"Captain Izo's shot clearly pierced through that shadow, but it only grazed his side."
"That damn Warlord… he's definitely not going to use a shadow placed at a vital spot."
"No matter—we just have to make sure we don't miss any chance to hit his shadow when he uses it!"
"As long as we can strike his shadow…"
Countless hostile gazes swept across the chaotic battlefield, locking onto Maude in the center of the plaza.
Feeling the focused attention from the Whitebeard Pirates, Maude lightly stomped the ground before curling his fingers in a taunting gesture, signaling toward the fleet captains under Whitebeard's command—as well as Izo, who had been fixated on him since the battle began.
No words were necessary.
That single gesture conveyed his message loud and clear.
"That bastard!!"
Some of the more hot-tempered captains couldn't contain themselves at Maude's provocation.
"Don't fall for it," Izo said calmly, lowering his rifles slightly. "The priority right now is to push forward onto the plaza. As for Bacardi Maude… don't worry, I'll take care of him when the opportunity arises."
His voice was filled with confidence.
"Then we'll leave it to you, Captain Izo."
The surrounding pirates had absolute faith in Izo's abilities. Even the furious captains forced themselves to stay calm.
They understood the importance of priorities. They wouldn't let their anger jeopardize the bigger picture—especially now that Izo had taken on the burden of dealing with Maude himself.
"Captain Izo, you have to take that bastard down!"
"Yeah." Izo nodded firmly.
With that, the vengeful captains led their crews in a charge against the Marines guarding the plaza's perimeter.
Izo's sharp gaze remained fixed on Maude.
From this moment forward, his sole focus was to track Maude's every move.
The next time Maude attempted to use his shadow-swapping ability…
The Armament Haki-infused bullets from Izo's twin pistols would be waiting for him.
"I won't let you act recklessly any longer."
A cold glint flashed in Izo's eyes.
On the battlefield, Maude stood tall among the Marine forces.
"So they plan to counter me by targeting my shadow? Maybe even kill me that way?"
Sensing the murderous intent directed at him, Maude lightly ran his fingers over the gunshot wound on his waist, a faint smile forming on his lips.
"Heh… you all know nothing about the true power of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit."
Muttering to himself, Maude shifted his gaze away from Izo, turning his attention toward the battle at the edge of the plaza.
With the scattered remains of the island now serving as their foothold, and the towering encirclement wall buried beneath the rubble, a broad, unobstructed path had opened up before the Whitebeard Pirates.
Whitebeard wouldn't waste such an opportunity.
With sheer brute force, he led his crew in a decisive charge, finally breaking through onto the plaza.
"Haha! We made it up here!!"
"Fight your way through! We're getting Ace out of here!"
"Marines! You'd better be ready for this!"
"Time to show them the might of the New World!"
The moment they set foot on the plaza, the Whitebeard Pirates roared with renewed fervor, surging toward the Marine defenders like a tidal wave.
"Hold the line! Engage them head-on!"
"For justice!"
The Marines standing guard at the plaza's edge did not back down. They upheld their sense of duty, brandishing their weapons and charging forward to meet the oncoming pirates.
The battlefield erupted into chaos.
The clash of steel, the roar of gunfire, and the cries of the wounded merged into a deafening symphony of war.
With the battle reaching this point, even the Warlords of the Sea had no choice but to join in.
"Fufufu… quite the desperate gamble, Whitebeard Pirates."
Doflamingo, watching the enemy forces flood the plaza, momentarily set aside his interest in Maude. Raising a hand, he sent several Parasite Strings flying toward the pirates.
In the midst of the frenzied melee, his nearly invisible strings easily found their mark, latching onto several sword-wielding pirates.
"Huh?! I can't move?!"
One of the pirates caught by the threads cried out in alarm.
"Be careful! It's Doflamingo's ability!"
Another ensnared pirate, recognizing the danger, immediately shouted a warning to his comrades.
The timely warning gave the others a chance to react.
However…
The true horror of Parasite was forcing enemies to turn against their own.
"Dodge!!"
A controlled pirate abruptly swung his sword at a nearby ally.
The targeted comrade couldn't bring himself to attack his own crewmate, leaving him with no choice but to dodge desperately.
Those controlled by the strings suffered as they fought against their own will.
Those forced to defend themselves hesitated, trapped in a moral dilemma.
"Fufufu…"
Doflamingo smirked, his sunglasses reflecting the grim spectacle of Whitebeard's men slaughtering each other.
Under the effects of Parasite, even a fallen corpse could be puppeteered to continue fighting.
In other words, killing the controlled allies wouldn't solve the problem—it would only make it worse.
The seasoned pirates of the New World weren't fools. They quickly attempted to charge Doflamingo directly.
However, without even moving from his position, he used his living puppets to intercept their attacks, keeping them at bay effortlessly.
Between his manipulations and the combined assault of the surrounding Marines, the pirates found themselves unable to break through.
And Doflamingo wasn't the only Warlord fighting.
Bartholomew Kuma had been relentlessly attacking ever since the Whitebeard Pirates stormed the plaza.
Dracule Mihawk was equally unyielding—each swing of his blade posed a devastating threat to Whitebeard's forces.
Even Boa Hancock, despite her clear distaste for the overwhelming number of men around her, increased the frequency of her attacks.
The Seven Warlords' combined offensive became a formidable obstacle to the Whitebeard Pirates' advance.
"What a troublesome group," Whitebeard muttered, watching as the Warlords unleashed their strength against his men.
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