In this large-scale war involving hundreds of thousands of combatants, powerful individuals such as the Seven Warlords of the Sea were akin to "generals."
If a side lacked combatants of equal strength, these unchecked "generals" could sweep through the enemy ranks, steadily widening the gap in power and ultimately tilting the battlefield in their favor.
This was the value of top-tier individual combat power in warfare.
Though they could not single-handedly decide the war's outcome, they could significantly influence the course of battle at any given moment.
The Warlords' intervention had immediately halted the Whitebeard Pirates' advance.
Whitebeard, fully aware of the situation, turned to his nearby division commanders.
"Jozu, Vista, Blamenco, Rakuyo—you handle the Warlords."
"No problem."
Upon receiving Whitebeard's orders, Third Division Commander Jozu's body partially transformed into diamond. Using his shoulder as a weapon, he charged forward like a rhinoceros, sending Marines flying in all directions.
He set his sights on Doflamingo, who was toying with his subordinates.
"Then, I'll take on Mihawk."
Fifth Division Commander "Flower Sword" Vista twirled his twin blades, his fighting spirit surging as he looked at the world's greatest swordsman, who carved through the battlefield as if it were empty space.
As a renowned swordsman of the New World, the chance to duel Dracule Mihawk in this setting was an opportunity Vista had long desired.
"Heh heh, I'll take that tyrant, Kuma."
Sixth Division Commander Blamenco, a burly man wearing a purple triangular hat and sporting two stitched pockets on his chin, grinned, revealing his jagged teeth.
"I don't like fighting women, but this is war. No room for sentimentality."
Seventh Division Commander Rakuyo, a man with wild brown hair and a curled mustache, swung his uniquely shaped flail and locked onto the final Warlord—Boa Hancock.
The Whitebeard Pirates had sixteen divisions in total.
Strictly speaking, the divisions were ranked not by strength, but by tenure within the crew.
However, in the world of pirates, experience often correlated with power.
The Whitebeard Pirates' division structure was a clear example of this.
Excluding Ace, who had filled the vacancy of the Second Division Commander later on, those commanding the earlier divisions—such as Marco of the First Division, Jozu of the Third, and Vista of the Fifth—were among the crew's strongest fighters.
That meant that even commanders like Blamenco and Rakuyo were not significantly weaker than Jozu or Vista.
Because of their considerable strength, Whitebeard had sent them to hold back the Warlords.
It was worth noting that the Sixteenth Division Commander, Izo, originally hailed from Wano and had joined the crew later on.
In terms of tenure, he was far behind veterans like Marco, but in strength, he was by no means inferior to several commanders ranked above him.
Vista moved first, his twin blades creating a flurry of crimson petals as he charged Mihawk head-on.
"Hmm?"
Mihawk glanced up, calmly raising his black blade to meet Vista's strike.
Clang!
Sparks flew as the black blade clashed with Vista's twin swords, scattering petals in all directions.
"Whitebeard Pirates' Fifth Division Commander, 'Flower Sword' Vista."
Mihawk regarded Vista with a composed expression.
Though they had never fought before, their reputations in the New World spoke for themselves.
"First time meeting, Dracule Mihawk. You recognize me?"
Vista pressed forward, his crossed blades locking tightly against Mihawk's sword, their strength evenly matched.
"It would be strange if I didn't."
Mihawk's voice was indifferent.
"Heh..."
Vista grinned.
While Vista clashed with Mihawk, the other three commanders engaged their respective foes—Kuma, Doflamingo, and Hancock.
Blamenco, known for his ambush tactics, suddenly pulled a massive wooden mallet—larger than himself—from his chin pockets and slammed it against Kuma's back, sending the Warlord flying as he mercilessly cut down pirates.
Jozu, on the other hand, crashed into Doflamingo with sheer brute force. However, Doflamingo's advanced Armament Haki allowed him to absorb the impact steadily.
Still, the collision was enough to sever Doflamingo's Parasite String control.
"Fufufu... You just missed your chance to wound me, Whitebeard Pirates' Third Division Commander, 'Diamond' Jozu."
"There will be plenty of chances. One missed opportunity means nothing."
Jozu, now fully encased in diamond, gazed at Doflamingo with an impassive expression.
"Fufufu..."
Doflamingo let out a wild chuckle. He then launched a Five-Color String slash, aiming directly at the wound that Maude had inflicted on Jozu earlier.
Jozu made no attempt to dodge. The strings struck the same spot but failed to leave even a scratch on the layer of diamond protecting him.
"Trying to exploit a weakness? Give it up, Heavenly Yaksha."
Jozu's taunt was delivered with cool indifference.
With his wound covered by an impenetrable layer of diamond, Maude's earlier strike had no lingering effect on him.
Doflamingo, realizing this, let out a disgruntled snort.
Meanwhile, Rakuyo swung his Armament Haki-coated flail directly at Boa Hancock.
Her eyes flashed coldly as she pivoted, delivering a precise kick that sent the massive flail flying.
"Oh? Not bad, Pirate Empress."
Rakuyo pulled back his weapon, warily eyeing Hancock's impressive strength.
Had he not reinforced his weapon with Haki, that kick might have shattered it completely.
"A rude man—and an ugly one at that."
Hancock spoke with an air of condescension, looking down at Rakuyo.
"Uh..."
Rakuyo was momentarily taken aback.
Hancock wasted no time. She launched herself at him, her leg slicing through the air.
"Perfume Femur!"
The whip-like kick shot straight for Rakuyo's face.
Despite her slender form, the sheer force behind her leg was monstrous.
"Fast...!"
Rakuyo barely managed to raise his flail in time to block.
Boom!
The impact sent a powerful shockwave up his arms, causing him to stumble backward.
"For a woman... she's terrifyingly strong."
As he reeled, a gunshot rang out.
A Haki-infused bullet, fired with deadly precision, hurtled toward Rakuyo's heart.
Hancock and Rakuyo both reacted instantly.
The bullet's trajectory was so calculated that it would pass through one of the iron links of Rakuyo's flail chain—sealing his fate.
But in that split second, another Haki-infused bullet came from a different angle, colliding with the first mid-air.
The resulting shockwave knocked Rakuyo away, but it spared him from instant death.
"That was close..."
Rakuyo scrambled to his feet, his face pale with lingering fear.
He turned toward the sniper's location—and saw Maude staring coldly at him.
Maude ignored Rakuyo and instead focused on Izo, who had once again foiled his kill shot.
Meeting Maude's gaze, Izo smirked and blew the smoke from his gun barrel.
"Oh? Do you have a death wish?"
Maude sheathed his sword and transformed Bailey into twin pistols.
If he wanted to pick off Whitebeard's division commanders, he had to take Izo out first.
"I guess I'll deal with you first."
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