After repelling "Flower Sword" Vista, Lancelot's gaze locked onto "Diamond" Jozu like a hawk.
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing a chilling smile.
In the very next instant, the fist that had been clashing with Jozu's suddenly retracted.
This abrupt change caught Jozu off guard; his body, still propelled by inertia, surged forward, leaving him no time to react.
Yet, in that split second, Lancelot moved with lightning speed.
With astonishing agility, he transformed his fist into a claw and lunged forward without hesitation.
This strike was precise, directly seizing Jozu's fist.
Jozu felt as if his fist had been clamped in iron tongs, immovable. A sense of dread washed over him, but despite his efforts to break free, he found himself powerless.
Immediately after, Lancelot swung with the momentum, unleashing his immense strength in an instant. The body of "Diamond" Jozu was hurled out like a cannonball, thrown with tremendous force.
The direction of this throw was precisely where "Flower Sword" Vista had just been sent flying by Lancelot.
"Not good!"
While still flying backward, Vista suddenly saw Jozu shooting toward him like a cannonball, and his expression instantly turned grim.
He had deeply experienced just how terrifying Lancelot's strength was, so he dared not be careless.
After all, Jozu's incredibly hard body now posed the deadliest threat to him.
Without a second thought, he swiftly twisted his waist mid-air.
This move, seemingly simple, required exceptional skill and control over his strength; the slightest misstep could injure him.
However, given his abilities, he succeeded in stabilizing his posture.
His hands tightly gripped his twin swords, their blades gleaming with a cold light, radiating boundless Sword Intent.
At that moment, a dazzling light shot toward him like a meteor—it was "Diamond" Jozu! Jozu's body was as hard as diamond, and the force of being struck by him would be astonishing.
Faced with such an attack, his expression turned grave. His eyes fixed intently on Jozu, he swung his twin swords with all his might.
This strike contained the full force of his strength, moving as fast as lightning and carrying devastating power.
He attacked without holding back for two reasons.
First, he had absolute confidence in Jozu's defensive capabilities. He knew Jozu's body was indestructible; even if he attacked with all his strength, it might not cause significant harm.
Second, he was acutely aware that if he didn't give it his all, the immense impact from this collision would be unbearable for him. Jozu's indestructible body would remain unharmed, but he himself would be severely injured, if not shattered to pieces.
Thus, at this critical moment, he had no choice but to pour everything he had into the fight, hoping to survive this life-or-death struggle.
At the very last second, a resounding "clang" echoed as "Flower Sword" Vista's twin blades shot out like lightning, striking "Diamond" Jozu with blinding speed.
This strike was both powerful and executed with remarkable finesse. The combination successfully altered Jozu's trajectory.
Boom… Accompanied by a deafening roar, the two crashed into the frozen tidal wave like meteors, one after the other, one to the left and the other to the right.
The tremendous force of the impact embedded them deeply into the icy wave.
In an instant, the ice layer seemed to be torn apart by this immense force. Centered around the two, fine cracks began to appear, spreading rapidly outward like a spiderweb. The cracks grew more numerous, denser, and larger as they expanded.
As time passed, the fracturing of the ice intensified. Eventually, the once rock-solid ice wave could no longer withstand such tremendous pressure.
After a few crisp cracking sounds, the ice wave completely shattered and collapsed, burying the two beneath the ice.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
With this low shout, Kizaru, who had already leaped into the air, finally made his move!
Like a dazzling meteor in the sky, he instantly unleashed countless brilliant light bullets.
These projectiles poured down like a dense rainstorm, targeting Whitebeard and the pirates below.
Wherever the light bullets landed, the hard ice surface was instantly shattered, sending countless ice fragments flying. The distribution of these light bullets was incredibly dense, leaving almost no gaps to evade.
Under such a fierce assault, many pirates were struck by the projectiles, collapsing to the ground with agonized cries.
However, at this critical moment, Marco leaped up like a bolt of lightning. His body rapidly transformed mid-air, and in the blink of an eye, he turned into a massive Phoenix.
Spreading its wings, the Phoenix stood like an indestructible shield, firmly blocking Whitebeard from the onslaught and intercepting every light bullet aimed at him.
Although Marco successfully defended against Kizaru's attack, his body suffered severe damage from the relentless barrage.
His entire form became tattered, as if it might fall apart at any moment.
Yet, astonishingly, under the power of his ability, the damaged parts rapidly regenerated at a visible pace, restoring themselves to their original state in an instant.
Marco stared coldly at Kizaru with his dead-fish-like eyes, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth as he whispered, "That hurt!"
Faced with Marco's taunt, Kizaru appeared lazily indifferent.
He curled his lips slightly and responded dismissively, "Don't lie."
In the midst of their standoff, Marco suddenly launched another attack.
His body spun rapidly in mid-air, transforming into his Human-Beast Form in an instant. His claw-like legs shot toward Kizaru like lightning.
Kizaru curled his lips into a contemptuous smile. Casually raising his leg, his knee as hard as steel, he effortlessly blocked the attack.
Then, in a mocking tone, he said, "How scary!"
Marco's eye twitched violently, clearly enraged by Kizaru's sarcasm.
He glared at Kizaru and roared, "Who are you trying to fool?!"
While the two were locked in fierce combat, Akainu quietly appeared in a secluded corner on the other side.
His figure was shrouded in darkness, with only a pair of sharp eyes gleaming coldly in the shadows.
Squard stood before Akainu, staring intently at him, his eyes filled with vigilance and hostility.
His voice was icy, as if it could pierce through one's soul. "Akainu, what's your purpose in luring me here?"
Akainu looked expressionlessly at Squard, a faint, inscrutable smile appearing on his face, as if hiding some deeper meaning.
After a moment of silence, Akainu slowly spoke, "If I remember correctly, your Pirate Crew was destroyed by the former Pirate King, Roger, wasn't it?"
Squard's body trembled violently, his brows furrowing tightly as his expression instantly darkened.
This matter had always been the deepest pain in his heart, a taboo he refused to mention. For years, almost no one dared to bring up this past in front of him.
Yet, Akainu chose this very moment to mercilessly expose this secret.
What puzzled Squard even more was why Akainu had deliberately led him to this deserted place and brought up this matter.
What exactly was he trying to do?
Although Squard didn't answer, Akainu seemed to see through his confusion.
The corners of his lips curled slightly, forming a faint, ambiguous smile tinged with undisguised mockery.
In a tone that seemed to know everything, he said, "It seems just as I expected. That old man Whitebeard didn't tell you the truth!
"When I saw you on the battlefield, I found it strange. Your Pirate Crew, your crew members, and your comrades all died at the hands of Roger and his men. Why would you come to save Roger's son? It doesn't make sense!"
Upon hearing this, Squard first showed a look of confusion, as if surprised by this claim.
However, in an instant, his expression changed drastically, and his voice involuntarily rose by an octave.
"Roger's son?"
This sudden revelation clearly shocked him, and the image of the straw-hat-wearing guy quickly flashed through his mind.
As his thoughts raced, Squard's expression changed again, his gaze growing sharper, even flickering with a cold glint.
He stared intently at the other, as if trying to see the truth hidden beneath the surface.
Finally, his face revealed an expression of disbelief as he asked, "Are you saying that Ace is Roger's son?"
Akainu seemed to have anticipated his disbelief and chuckled lightly. "Don't believe me? Let me ask you this: what was the name of the sword Roger wielded?"
Upon hearing this, Squard instinctively replied, "The Supreme Grade Great Blade, Ace!"
Yet, as soon as the words left his mouth, he froze in place as if struck by a paralysis spell, motionless.
The expression on his face solidified. For a moment, his eyes seemed to lose focus.
Then, his pupils contracted to the size of needle points, trembling as if shaken by an earthquake.
"A coincidence? This must just be a coincidence!" Squard snapped back to reality and denied it.
His voice carried a slight tremor, as if he were both shocked and angered by Akainu's words.
Afterward, Squard's gaze shot toward Akainu like icy stars, his once gentle eyes now turning cold and piercing.
He stared at Akainu, as if trying to see through his eyes to discern his true intentions.
"Do you think I'm a fool?"
Squard's voice was low and suppressed, revealing an anger born of feeling his intelligence had been insulted: "If I'm not mistaken, you're trying to use this coincidence to drive a wedge between me and Pops, so I'll turn against him, right?"
Facing Squard's questioning, Akainu didn't answer immediately.
He watched Squard quietly, an inscrutable expression on his face.
After a moment, Akainu slowly shook his head, then nodded.
Finally, Akainu spoke, his voice calm and cold: "I won't deny that point, because I do hope you'll go after Whitebeard. Otherwise, why would I go to such lengths? But Ace truly is Roger's son, there's no doubt about that."
Akainu paused briefly before continuing: "Otherwise, why would Whitebeard bring his entire Whitebeard Pirates, along with the forty-three pirate crews under his command, to attack our Marine Headquarters all for the sake of one son? This is no small matter—he must have a reason for doing this."
Upon hearing this, Squard was about to retort, but Akainu cut him off.
"Don't tell me Whitebeard would attack Marine Headquarters for just any son. That kind of talk can only fool yourself." Akainu's words carried a hint of disdain, as if mocking Squard's naivety.
At this point, Akainu paused, seemingly giving Squard some time to think.
Then he continued: "If he truly would disregard everything for just one son, then what did he do back when Thatch was killed by Blackbeard?"
These words struck Squard's heart like a heavy hammer.
His eyes widened in shock, his face filled with astonishment, his mouth agape as he tried to say something to refute Akainu, but found he couldn't utter a single word.
Because when Blackbeard killed Thatch back then, it sparked anger among many.
Everyone was filled with hatred toward Blackbeard, the traitor of the Whitebeard Pirates, and some suggested pursuing him.
However, in the end, these people were all stopped—only Ace insisted on going after Blackbeard.
But now, the situation was different.
Ace had been captured, yet Whitebeard was displaying an attitude unlike before.
Placing these two events side by side left Squard confused and conflicted. He didn't want to believe what Akainu was saying, yet the facts were right before his eyes, leaving him unable to deny them.
Squard's silence made the scene grow tense.
His heart was locked in fierce struggle—on one side, his trust and loyalty toward Whitebeard; on the other, the facts Akainu had pointed out.
In the end, he chose silence, for he couldn't find suitable reasons to refute Akainu's words.
Seeing the moment was ripe, a faint, cunning smile curled at the corner of Akainu's lips. Without hesitation, he dropped a bombshell shocking enough to shake anyone to their core.
"Not only that, but your Pops, Whitebeard, has secretly reached an agreement with the Fleet Admiral of our Marines."
Upon hearing this, Squard's eyes widened as if struck by lightning, his face filled with shock, and he exclaimed in disbelief, "What agreement?"
Seeing this, Akainu inwardly rejoiced and replied unhurriedly, "It's simple. It's about sparing Ace and the Whitebeard Pirates, but on the condition that Whitebeard must leave behind his forty-three subordinate pirate crews. Only in this way could Fleet Admiral Sengoku accumulate enough achievements for promotion, thereby entering the Holy Land and becoming a member of the World Government's power center."
"What?"
Squard's face turned deathly pale, as if all color had drained from it.
His lips trembled as he uttered an exclamation of disbelief.
This news struck him like a bolt from the blue, beyond his imagination.
His eyes widened in shock, his face filled with astonishment, as if the world had collapsed in that instant.
Yet, despite the shock in his heart, Squard still felt there was some rationality to it.
After all, Whitebeard was one of the world's strongest men, his strength and status indisputable.
Reaching such an agreement with Marine Headquarters wasn't impossible for Whitebeard.
However, these words came from Akainu's mouth, which made Squard feel conflicted.
Akainu was an Admiral of Marine Headquarters, their adversary, so normally, his words shouldn't be trusted.
Moreover, Squard's trust and respect for Whitebeard were ingrained. In his heart, Whitebeard had always been a respectable and trustworthy man.
How could such a person make such an agreement with the Marines?
At this moment, Squard's mind was a tangled mess, with various thoughts intertwining, making it difficult for him to distinguish right from wrong.
He began to recall every moment spent with Whitebeard, trying to find some clues or evidence to prove Akainu's words wrong.
But no matter how hard he tried, the thoughts in his mind grew chaotic, as if stirred by an invisible hand.
Yet, just then, a seed of doubt took root in his heart.
Though tiny, this seed spread deep within him, gradually eroding his trust in Whitebeard.
Squard couldn't help but start to wonder: Did Whitebeard truly have some hidden secret?
Akainu took in Squard's reaction, the corners of his mouth unable to suppress an upward curve, forming a smug arc.
What he desired was precisely Squard's current state of confusion, for only when a person's thoughts were in disarray would they do things they wouldn't normally do.
And this was exactly what Akainu wanted to see.
Finally, Akainu revealed his last card, undoubtedly his trump.
---------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator