The Blackbeard Pirates were suddenly transported by Law's ROOM ability to the center of the encircling Marine forces in front of the execution platform.
If they wanted to break out by force, they would have to engage in a desperate battle against the Marine elites surrounding them.
On the other hand, the Marines had no intention of letting the Blackbeard Pirates escape easily.
The moment both sides locked eyes, they launched into an all-out battle without hesitation.
Even with their current strength, the Blackbeard Pirates had little hope of breaking through in a short time.
As the battle escalated, they might even lose a crew member or two in the process.
"Those two bastards!!!"
Amidst the life-or-death struggle, the Blackbeard Pirates burned with hatred for Maude and Law.
This was especially true for the prisoners who had escaped from Impel Down's Great Prison Break. They had just barely tasted the sweet air of freedom, only to be thrown into yet another life-threatening predicament.
Desperately fighting to escape, they had no idea that Maude and Law had something even crueler in store for them.
Maude and Law swiftly moved across the battlefield, cutting through most of the plaza.
To avoid unnecessary conflicts, Maude deliberately bypassed the remaining Whitebeard Pirates, who were struggling to carve a path through the Marine defenses.
At this moment, all three warring factions were under immense pressure.
But without a doubt, the one facing the greatest pressure was Fire Fist Ace, who was going up against Admiral Aokiji alone.
Despite both being Logia users, Aokiji's overall abilities far surpassed Ace's.
However, Ace fought smart.
He was well aware that Aokiji's Haki and close-combat skills were superior to his own. To counter this, Ace avoided direct clashes and focused on long-range elemental attacks.
This decision allowed him to hold his ground—at least for the time being.
Fire versus Ice.
The intense clashes between their elements created massive clouds of steam rising into the air.
To an outsider, their battle seemed evenly matched.
But Ace knew better. He and Aokiji were operating under vastly different margins for error.
In this battle of attrition, Ace could not afford a single mistake. If he slipped up even once, he would lose within a few exchanges. Meanwhile, even if Aokiji made over a dozen mistakes, it wouldn't change the final outcome.
That was the difference in their strength.
"How do I escape with everyone…?"
Flames flickered before his eyes as Ace's heart grew heavier.
Facing a Marine Admiral head-on was already an uphill battle. Escaping or even pushing Aokiji back seemed near impossible.
At the very least, he needed to hold out until reinforcements arrived.
If there was any hope of breaking free, it rested in the hands of his comrades—the Whitebeard Pirates—who were fighting desperately to open an escape route.
"Luffy, Sabo… Hang in there!"
Ace couldn't spare any attention for the battles around him, silently praying in his heart.
Aokiji continued to press forward, gradually cutting off Ace's retreat options.
Defeating or executing Ace was only a matter of time.
Elsewhere, Morley and Karasu fought side by side against Fujitora.
Even though they outnumbered him, their situation was just as dire as Ace's.
From the very beginning, they saw no chance of victory. Their defeat was inevitable.
As for Marco and Sabo, who were facing Akainu, their situation was even more precarious.
Akainu, the most fearsome of the three Admirals, held a clear advantage even while fighting both the Revolutionary Army's second-in-command and the Whitebeard Pirates' first division commander at the same time.
As the battle dragged on, Akainu quickly gained the upper hand.
From the looks of it, Aokiji, Fujitora, and Akainu would soon defeat their respective opponents.
The one-sided nature of the fight left Sabo and Ace feeling as though they were teetering on the edge of a cliff, ready to plunge into an abyss at any moment.
Just as the situation became increasingly dire, Maude and Law stepped onto the battlefield.
"Hmm?"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku immediately turned his gaze toward them, his expression grave.
"I won't let you run rampant any longer!" he declared.
Even before he finished speaking, Sengoku charged straight at Maude and Law.
However, someone moved even faster—Chaton, who had previously been sent flying by Maude.
"Maude!!!"
Chaton's bloodshot eyes burned with rage. The normally easygoing Vice Admiral now wore a ferocious expression.
His body swelled even further, his muscles hardening like steel. With a flawless execution of Shave, he rapidly closed the distance between himself and Maude.
Maude glanced at the enraged Chaton but quickly averted his gaze, focusing instead on the struggling Sabo, Morley, and the others.
Seeing Maude ignore him only fueled Chaton's anger. All he wanted now was to smash Maude into pulp with his fists.
"Room."
Law, gripping his Kikoku in his left hand, stretched out his right, palm facing downward.
A spatial ripple emerged beneath his palm, instantly expanding into a hemispherical light sphere, encompassing everything within its range.
"Shambles."
With the ROOM field established, Law flipped his right palm upward and lifted his index finger.
His ability activated instantly!
SHWIP!
Chaton, who had been charging at Maude, was suddenly swapped and appeared directly in front of Sengoku.
SHWIP! SHWIP!
Next, Sabo, Ace, Morley, Karasu, Marco, and even Luffy—who had been restrained by Garp—were all teleported away from danger and reappeared in front of Maude.
"Hmm?!"
"Huh?!"
The sudden change in scenery caught them all off guard.
Law ignored their reactions, his expression focused as he raised his middle and index fingers together.
The battlefield was littered with debris—perfect material for another switch.
Once more, Law activated Shambles.
SHWIP! SHWIP!
In under two minutes, the Blackbeard Pirates, who had been fighting desperately to escape the Marine encirclement, experienced yet another forced teleportation.
This time, they were placed directly in front of Akainu, Aokiji, and Fujitora.
"???"
Having nearly broken through the Marine blockade, the Blackbeard Pirates now found themselves face-to-face with two Admirals, their expressions darkening instantly.
And Teach, looking at the looming figure of Akainu, felt his lips twitch involuntarily.
Under Maude's deliberate arrangement, Law had specifically teleported Doc Q and Van Augur to Fujitora, while Burgess and the other Level 6 escapees were thrown before Aokiji.
As for Teach himself? He was given the highest level of treatment—left alone to face Akainu.
"Maude, I swear I'll kill you!!!"
Teach felt as though he had swallowed poison.
With Law now completely exhausted, the battlefield had been completely reshaped.
Everything that had happened—everything that was still unfolding—had all been within Maude's calculations.
This war was being played right into the palm of his hands.
"Good work," Maude said, steadying the nearly spent Law.
Law shook his head, his chest rising and falling as he gasped for breath.
The successive large-scale ROOM operations had drained him completely.
"Maude…"
Sabo and Morley could hardly contain their joy.
From the moment Maude abandoned his Warlord of the Sea title, they had no more reason to hold back.
"Now's not the time for reunions."
Maude turned his gaze toward Akainu.
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