Just as Ally was about to pull the trigger, the entire birdhouse balloon began to shake violently.
A hidden mechanism clicked inside the structure, and in an instant, a massive wooden panel swung out, striking Ally and sending her hurtling out into the open air.
Morgans' enormous hot air balloon accelerated rapidly, propelling the airborne birdhouse far away from the raging battlefield below.
"Hahahaha! You dogs of the Celestial Dragons!" Morgans bellowed, his laughter echoing through the wind. "The World Economic Journal is still run by me, Morgans-sama! I'll make sure this breaking news shakes the entire world!"
He gripped his Den Den Mushi tightly, feathers ruffled but spirit untamed.
"This war, these betrayals—every corner of this story will hit the front page! The whole world will know what truly happened here! Hahahaha!" he cackled triumphantly, even as the balloon climbed higher into the stormy sky.
With a sharp motion, he activated the Den Den Mushi. "All camera crew, retreat immediately! All reporters, fall back to safety!" Morgans commanded, his voice booming with authority.
Below, Ally—knocked from the airship—steadied herself midair, her expression unreadable. She pressed her boots against the air itself, executing Geppo (Moonwalk) to stay afloat. Watching the balloon drift farther away, she allowed herself a cold smile.
"Morgans, you slippery old bird... you do have some tricks," she said quietly. Her lips curled into something between amusement and threat. "But it ends here."
A moment later, a fiery explosion blossomed across the sky. Ten of the hot air balloons around Morgans' birdhouse detonated in unison, engulfing the horizon in flames.
The shockwave rolled across Marineford, casting a scarlet glow over the chaos below.
---
Meanwhile, on the battlefield itself, Fleet Admiral Kong had arrived—accompanied by three masked figures from Cipher Pol and a hundred modified soldiers from the Science Division.
Kong's muscles flexed beneath his uniform, the sheer pressure of his presence enough to make even veteran Marines stand straighter. His eyes locked on Ashveil, who stood calmly amid the destruction.
"That attack just now... it came from this man?" Kong's tone was deep, his frown revealing rare unease.
Even he, the former Fleet Admiral and current Commander-in-Chief of the World Government, could not underestimate what he had just witnessed.
The three Cipher Pol operatives behind him wore distinctive masks: the leader in crimson robes with a single-eye mask, one tall with a wild, explosive hairstyle, and the last a short figure under a wide hat. None spoke. They merely observed Ashveil silently, their presence like shadowy sentinels of judgment.
The Science Division soldiers behind them were something out of nightmares—hybrid constructs of steel and flesh. Some had three arms, others were fused with reptilian scales, and a few carried weapons integrated directly into their bodies.
Ashveil narrowed his eyes, his expression unreadable. He could recognize some of these forms from what he had once seen in the anime, yet now they stood before him as living, breathing monsters.
The sky above Marineford darkened. Clouds gathered thick and heavy, swirling like a living storm. Bolts of lightning split the heavens, striking down in waves of thunderous rage.
And from within that chaos, a colossal azure dragon emerged.
"Dragon... that's a dragon?!" Marines screamed, panic spreading like wildfire.
Even Whitebeard, standing tall in the chaos, looked upward, his face turning grim as a familiar presence stirred the air.
"Kaido," Whitebeard muttered, his voice heavy. "So you decided to show yourself as well."
Sengoku's golden form flickered with light as his eyes widened. "Kaido? How did Kaido escape from Impel-Down?"
Beside him, Garp frowned deeply, his fists tightening. "Don't tell me that monster broke out just to join this fight..."
Kaido's serpentine body twisted through the sky, lightning dancing across his scales. He laughed, his voice rolling like thunder.
"Hahaha! Don't look so shocked, Sengoku! Kong himself released me! Isn't that right?"
Kong's expression did not change, though the air around him seemed to vibrate. "That's correct," he admitted. "The S-Level Emergency Directive authorizes the release of any potential weapon... even those from Impel-Down. To maintain balance, we'll use every force necessary."
Kaido's massive form descended slightly, his grin widening. "Then let's start with that one," he said, his gaze falling directly on Ashveil. "Take him down first, then we'll clean up the rest."
Thunder rolled again.
Kong's eyes sharpened. "Agreed. Sengoku, have the Marines hold off the pirates. Our primary objective—destroy Thorne Ashveil."
The battlefield exploded with motion. Marines surged forward, reorganizing ranks as cannons fired and Admirals shifted positions.
Across the field, Whitebeard's expression darkened. His grip on Murakumogiri tightened.
"You coward, Kaido!" he roared, his voice echoing across Marineford. "You hide behind others instead of facing your own battles!"
The ground split beneath his feet as he swung. A transparent wave of quake energy rippled outward, aimed straight at the dragon above.
Before it could hit, an enormous wall of ice erupted upward.
"Ice Age!"
Aokiji's calm voice rang out as his hands touched the ground, summoning a glacier between the two titans. Frost spread through the air, freezing the quake's shockwave into glittering shards.
"I won't let you advance any further, Whitebeard," Aokiji said, his breath visible in the cold mist.
Whitebeard snarled and swung again, his quake energy smashing into the ice wall with a deafening crack. Shards exploded like cannonfire, and fragments the size of ships plummeted from the sky.
Marines below screamed as they saw the frozen debris falling.
"We're gonna be crushed!" one shouted, his voice lost in the roar.
"Wash... everything!"
A serene voice cut through the panic. The falling ice began to melt midair, transformed into a gentle cascade of snowmelt that fell harmlessly over the crowd.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru!" the Marines shouted in relief. "Thank you, Tsuru-san!"
Through the mist walked Vice Admiral Tsuru, her coat fluttering softly. Calm and composed, she nodded once, assessing the chaos.
Whitebeard grimaced. "Another troublesome one..."
His words were drowned by laughter—deep, booming, and filled with madness.
"Hahahaha! So the old monsters crawl out one after another!" Douglas Bullet bellowed, his fists crackling with power. "Let's see if you can still stop me!"
The ground shattered as Bullet charged forward, every step shaking Marineford to its core.
A giant Vice Admiral of the Marine Giant Unit rushed to intercept, raising a massive shield. "You will not interfere with Commander -in-Chief Kong and the others!"
Bullet sneered. "Weaklings have no place in this world."
He coated his massive fist in Armament Haki and swung. The blow connected with devastating force, shattering the giant's shield like glass and driving him deep into the ground.
The resulting shockwave sent a mountain of dust a hundred meters high into the air.
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Milestone
100 Power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter.
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