"Stop him!"
Sengoku's command rang out sharply across the battlefield just as Jiang Lin began to move.
At once, the surrounding Navy soldiers obeyed, retreating from the center of the chaos. Meanwhile, Aokiji and Kizaru, responding to Sengoku's orders, immediately shifted their paths—one toward Akainu, the other toward Ivankov—converging with precision.
"Ace!"
With a bellow, Garp charged to Jiang Lin's rear, finding Luffy and Ace forming the so-called "grandson alliance" before him.
"Heh! You infuriating little brat… if you've chosen this path, then let me have one last bout of madness with you!"
Whitebeard's cold laugh echoed as he lifted his Murakumogiri and strode toward Sengoku. Once he advanced, the squad captains flanking Ivankov immediately braced themselves, facing down the rapidly approaching admiral, Kizaru.
In an instant, the battlefield fractured, violent clashes erupting across the plaza.
"Death Dog!"
Akainu roared, extending his arm as he lunged at the charging Jiang Lin.
Dark-Dark Fruit loaded. Duration: 10 minutes. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
A blinding golden light flared above Akainu's head, and suddenly, an unnatural force pulled at his body.
"Die!"
Even as his body was drawn forward, Akainu's gaze blazed with unyielding combat intent. His haki-infused fist shot straight toward Jiang Lin's chest.
"Laser Beam!"
Jiang Lin abandoned the pull and widened the distance, countering with a precise strike. But Akainu, relentless, clung to him like a malignant tumor, refusing to be shaken.
Clearly, after repeated clashes, Akainu had already discerned Jiang Lin's weakness.
"Heh… Akainu, you'll never have me. Better give up!"
With a cold shout, Jiang Lin transformed into a streak of yellow lightning, darting to a nearby retreating Navy unit. He seized a standard-issue long blade over a meter in length, spinning to face the pursuing Akainu.
System Shop activated. Points recalculated: 3,400 (Note: Each Devil Fruit card grants 100 points; awakened fruits grant an additional 1,000 points).
One-time Character Card – Swordsman: Roronoa Zoro (100% development) purchased. 100 points consumed.
Zoro character loaded. Duration: 10 minutes.
One-time weapon replication: Wado Ichimonji, Sandai Kitetsu, Enma, Yubashiri, Shusui, Akui. Duration: 10 minutes.
"Heh… so the character card comes with all his weapons too?"
Jiang Lin tossed aside the standard blade and drew the swords on his back. Two in hand, one clenched between his teeth—classic Three-Sword Style—he confronted Akainu directly.
"You brat! Your swords won't reach me!"
Akainu roared, swinging a molten fist at Jiang Lin. The blazing magma burned a fiery path across the sky, forcing Aokiji, rushing to support, to pause mid-step.
"Is that so?"
Jiang Lin's lips curled in a cold smile as he infused his swords with dark, pulsating haki.
One-time Observation Haki & Armament Haki Trial Card purchased 10 points consumed.
Trial activated. Duration: 10 minutes.
With the system's voice echoing in his ears, Jiang Lin shot upward like a cannonball, cutting through the torrents of fire.
Three-Sword Style – Black Rope Tornado!
He vanished in a flash, intersecting with Akainu before unleashing a storm of swirling blades at the very spot he'd crossed.
Great Eruption!
Akainu, struck by the whirlwind, shifted tactics. A colossal hand of magma emerged, amplifying the storm with a crimson intensity. Lava cascaded from the top of the vortex, flinging debris across the plaza.
"Run!"
Screams of despair rang out, both pirate and Navy alike, halted in awe by the fire-and-blood spectacle. For now, one instinct ruled them all—escape.
"Heh… what a terrifying little brat!"
Whitebeard's fist collided with Sengoku's in a thunderous strike, yet his gaze drifted approvingly toward Jiang Lin.
"Jiang Lin's drawing his swords… why do those blades look so familiar?"
Luffy squinted toward the distance. Though cloaked in haki, Jiang Lin's swords retained the unmistakable silhouettes of Zoro's blades. Any closer, and the truth would be obvious.
"Old man, get out of my way!"
Jiang Lin's focus remained unwavering; his real opponent was Garp. Without hesitation, Luffy surged forward, landing a shocking punch squarely on Garp's face.
"What?"
The stunned reactions of both sides reverberated across the battlefield.
"C-C-Captain Garp… taken down?!"
Navy soldiers halted mid-escape, dumbfounded that the revered Marine hero had been floored by a single strike.
"Garp!"
Sengoku's gaze sharpened with worry.
"Distracted while facing me, Sengoku… you dare treat me so lightly!"
Whitebeard's shout echoed as Murakumogiri met Sengoku's chest, blasting him backward in a flash of blinding light.
"Fleet Admiral… Sengoku… defeated…"
The two pillars of the Navy had fallen consecutively, and the morale of their forces crumbled instantly.
"What are you waiting for? Chase them down!"
Kizaru appeared in a streak of golden light, kicking fiercely at Jozu.
"Heh!"
Half of Jozu's body turned diamond, smirking as he absorbed the blow.
"Admiral Borsalino! Mobilize! Don't let any Whitebeard pirates escape!"
Under Kizaru's roar, the other admirals quickly organized their units, reigniting the pursuit.
Amid the frenzy, Jiang Lin glanced at Ace's position, planted one foot, and pivoted to face Akainu emerging from the storm.
"Nine Mountains, Eight Seas, unbroken by me… Three Thousand Worlds!"
His hands crossed and spun, blades whirling with unrelenting intent as he charged Akainu. The overwhelming aura centered in his chest and surged into his spinning swords. Here, he was the world—and the world was what he would cut down.
"Jiang Lin… so your swordsmanship has reached this level? Why didn't you wield your blade against me before?"
Hawkeye's eyes narrowed, his hands trembling as he observed the battlefield. It wasn't fear—it was the thrill of facing a rival of equal caliber.
"What a terrifying man… where does your true strength lie?"
In the shadows of the plaza, Blackbeard trembled violently. Unlike Hawkeye, his fear was pure terror, born from Jiang Lin's overwhelming power. Since the battle at Sphinx, Jiang Lin had become a nightmare for him. Any plan he had was now shattered.
"Damn it!"
Slamming his fist against a wall, Blackbeard's crew looked on in confusion.
"Captain… are you giving up?"
Rainmaker Shiryu narrowed his eyes, sensing weakness in his captain.
"Heh! Give up? Jiang Lin's power will be mine eventually. Shiryu, do you oppose my decision?"
Without a backward glance, Blackbeard departed Marineford. Even if his schemes failed, seizing Jiang Lin's Devil Fruit power would make him stronger than ever.
"Heh… enjoy your arrogance while it lasts, Jiang Lin…"
With that, his laughter faded into the alleys of Marineford.
Jiang Lin, undeterred, charged forward at Akainu. A dazzling flash of blade split the whirlwind he had summoned, cutting Akainu's half-body cleanly in two.
"Pfft!"
Crimson geysers erupted from Akainu's mouth. Even his elemental transformation faltered under the force of the haki-enhanced strike. The damage he suffered exceeded all prior battles combined.
Jiang Lin staggered slightly—though the character cards enhanced his physicality, he couldn't freely replicate Zoro's full capabilities. Yet, this was enough. One strike, just one more strike, and it would be over.
"…Akainu. This next sword… will end it."
Breathing heavily, eyes ablaze with endless combat intent, Jiang Lin prepared the ultimate attack.
"One World, Three Thousand Worlds… the worlds converge, no being survives… Three-Sword Style, Secret Art…"
A brilliant surge of blade energy radiated around him.
"Blazing Heron Beak!"
Aokiji's eyes widened, raising a massive ice bird toward Jiang Lin.
"Meteor Volcano!"
Akainu, directly ahead, erupted with molten fury. Above, ice and fire clashed in an apocalyptic symphony. Below, only Jiang Lin dared stand.
He tilted his eyes skyward, smirking faintly, and struck.
"One Great, Three Thousand, Great Thousand Worlds!"
A cold shout erupted with blinding light, his sword slicing a piercing path skyward.
Crack!
The colossal ice bird and the surrounding clouds split in two.
"Is… this… truly the pinnacle of the world's swordsmanship?"
From beyond the attack's range, Navy soldiers trembled uncontrollably at the awe-inspiring display. Jiang Lin's prowess—both Devil Fruit and swordsmanship—was peerless.
Booms echoed as the shattered elements of the attack rained down, smoke and debris blanketing the plaza.
"Laser Beam!"
Through the smoke, a haki-coated beam shot forward, striking Akainu directly.
"Jiang Lin!"
A roar of fury erupted from the molten flow, which surged toward Jiang Lin's feet.
"Still fighting, Miss Akainu?"
Jiang Lin ignored the lava, flashing a devilish smile as he advanced. Akainu, now fully monstrous, lunged with eyes full of murderous intent.
"One-Sword Style – Iai: Death Lion Song!"
Their blades met with a sharp clang!—then a new figure appeared, moving with effortless grace, intercepting their clash.
"Do me the courtesy of letting this war end here, won't you?"
Red-Haired Shanks, one of the Four Emperors, had arrived—his presence absolute and domineering—intervening in the Summit War.