He slowly said, "I know you may have doubts about what I've said, but please believe me, I have absolutely no intention of deceiving you. The reason is simple: Ace is the son of the Pirate King Roger—that is a fact!"
"Most importantly, because he is Roger's son, before his execution, we naturally must reveal his true identity to the world. There is absolutely no need to deceive you. If you still harbor doubts about my words, you can wait until Sengoku publicly reveals Ace's identity, then observe Whitebeard's reaction. By then, you'll naturally understand everything."
Akainu's words struck Squard's heart like a heavy hammer, plunging him into complete silence.
After all, things had reached this point, and no matter how unwilling he felt, he had no choice but to believe it.
Moreover, before this, Akainu had laid so much groundwork, with all the evidence seemingly pointing to the same fact—Ace was the son of the Pirate King Roger.
However, even though Squard had begun to believe what Akainu said, a trace of doubt still lingered in his mind.
He stared intently at Akainu, as if trying to see through his eyes and uncover his true intentions, then asked, "If Sengoku and Whitebeard have already reached some kind of agreement, then why are you telling me this secret?"
Hearing this, a faint smile curled at the corner of Akainu's lips as he softly replied, "Interest."
Squard frowned slightly at this word, seemingly puzzled by Akainu's words.
Seeing this, Akainu sighed inwardly.
Indeed, it was easier to communicate with clever people—some things only needed a hint to be understood.
However, he then thought to himself that if Squard were truly that smart, their plan would be much harder to succeed.
Thus, Akainu patiently explained, "Sengoku needs to accumulate achievements to be promoted into the Holy Land, while I need more achievements to secure the position of Fleet Admiral. If we only deal with your forty-three pirate crews, the achievements I can gain are quite limited. But if we shift the target to Whitebeard and his pirate crew, it's a completely different story.
"As long as I perform exceptionally well in this battle, or even succeed in taking Whitebeard's head, my position as Fleet Admiral will be secure. Even if we can't defeat Whitebeard himself, defeating and capturing commanders like Marco, 'Diamond' Jozu, and 'Flower Sword' Vista would still be a great achievement.
"After all, these commanders hold significant positions within the Whitebeard Pirates, and their strength and influence can't be underestimated. Once these core members are lost, the Whitebeard Pirates will inevitably fall apart, which is essentially the same as wiping out the entire crew from the side."
Squard's expression darkened to the extreme, and he finally understood.
So, in the eyes of Akainu, the World Government, and Marine Headquarters, commanders like Marco, 'Diamond' Jozu, and 'Flower Sword' Vista were far more valuable than the captains of their forty-three pirate crews.
One could even say that, compared to Whitebeard, the achievements from capturing these commanders were not far behind.
However, even though it was hard to accept, Squard had to admit that this perspective was indeed reasonable.
After all, commanders like Marco, 'Diamond' Jozu, and 'Flower Sword' Vista were truly powerful.
If they were successfully captured by the Marines, the Whitebeard Pirates would likely struggle to survive.
By then, an aging Whitebeard alone would hardly be enough to intimidate the many pirates of the New World.
After all, everyone knew that Whitebeard was no longer young, and his strength might have greatly diminished.
It was likely that Marine Headquarters, knowing this, dared to scheme against Whitebeard.
At this moment, Squard was completely swayed by Akainu's words.
Akainu said no more, simply stating, "You already understand the situation. What you do next is up to you."
With that, he turned and left without the slightest hesitation.
Watching Akainu's retreating figure, Squard's expression shifted repeatedly. In the end, his eyes and expression hardened with resolve.
...
The scene abruptly shifted back to the intense battlefield.
Lancelot stood in place, his legs suddenly coiling with power.
Like an arrow released from a bow, he shot forward like a cannonball, charging straight toward the location of "Flower Sword" Vista and "Diamond" Jozu.
In the blink of an eye, Lancelot streaked through the air, leaving behind three consecutive afterimages like phantoms, dazzling and disorienting to the eye.
However, just as Lancelot was about to reach the spot where "Flower Sword" Vista and "Diamond" Jozu stood, a sudden change occurred!
With a thunderous crash, "Diamond" Jozu shattered the ice encasing him in an instant.
Without hesitation, he swung his fist—harder than steel—with the force of a thunderbolt, smashing it directly toward Lancelot.
The speed of this punch was extreme, like a meteor streaking across the sky, its momentum ferocious and overwhelming, as if intending to shatter Lancelot on impact.
Faced with such a fierce assault, Lancelot showed no trace of fear.
His brow lifted slightly, and a faint smile curled at the corner of his lips—an expression brimming with mockery.
"Hmph, do you really think your defense is invincible?"
Lancelot's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached "Diamond" Jozu's ears.
Then he continued, "Kaido was just as confident back then, and yet I broke through his defense with ease. Let's see if your so-called 'diamond' defense is truly as strong as his!"
Crackle... crackle...
Accompanied by a series of crisp sounds, electricity danced and flickered at Lancelot's fingertips, as dazzling as lightning in the night sky.
Simultaneously, a powerful surge of Armament Haki erupted from within him like raging waves, swiftly Entangling around his hand.
This Armament Haki wasn't ordinary, it manifested through a technique known as "Ryuō."
At the very moment Lancelot completed these actions, an energy resembling black lightning suddenly flashed in his hand.
Like a phantom in the darkness, it appeared silently yet radiated an aura that chilled the heart.
Lancelot had fused Armament Haki, Conqueror's Haki, and the lightning controlled by his Dragon Fruit into a single move.
One could only imagine how devastating the power of this next strike would be.
Immediately after, Lancelot took a decisive step forward. His body instantly lowered by a third, like a tiger poised to strike.
...
At the same time, his arm shot out like lightning, executing a move akin to "Black Tiger Plucks the Heart," aimed directly at "Diamond" Jozu's chest.
This move wasn't only fast but also struck from an unexpected angle, making it difficult to defend against.
More importantly, Lancelot cleverly used his crouching motion to successfully evade Jozu's attack, allowing the opponent's fist to graze past his body.
However, Jozu clearly hadn't anticipated Lancelot's agility in countering his strike, leaving his chest momentarily exposed to Lancelot.
Lancelot's Black Tiger Plucks the Heart struck "Diamond" Jozu's chest with lightning-like precision. A powerful force erupted instantly, producing a dull thud.
Crack, crack...
From the dazzling diamond on "Diamond" Jozu's chest, a crisp sound suddenly rang out.
Immediately afterward, a fine crack spread across the diamond's surface like a spiderweb.
At the same time, the purple and black lightning in Lancelot's hands seemed enraged, flickering wildly as they intertwined, forming a powerful torrent of energy that surged relentlessly toward Jozu.
Eventually, it enveloped him entirely.
However, most of the force was concentrated in Lancelot's hand.
As the energy continued to pour in, the crack deepened and lengthened at an astonishing rate, as if the entire diamond were about to shatter under the impact of this power.
Crash...
With a deafening roar, "Diamond" Jozu's body was sent flying backward as if struck by a cannonball.
As he flew backward, the cracked area on his chest finally gave way under the immense pressure, shattering completely.
For a moment, countless tiny diamond fragments scattered like raindrops, glinting brilliantly under the sunlight.
Finally, before hitting the ground, they transformed into flesh and blood.
Pfft...
The sent-flying "Diamond" Jozu violently spat out a mouthful of blood mid-air, resembling a blooming crimson flower.
The blood traced an arc through the air before splattering onto the distant ice, forming a shocking pool of blood.
Finally, "Diamond" Jozu crashed heavily into the towering, frozen tidal wave.
A thunderous roar echoed as the entire wave shook violently from the immense impact, as if on the verge of collapse.
Boom!
This collision was clearly more powerful than before. "Diamond" Jozu's body pierced through the entire frozen tidal wave like a cannonball, disappearing from everyone's sight, leaving only a massive hole and a sky filled with swirling ice fragments.
Although Jozu was sent flying at great speed, the sight of the diamond on his chest shattering, the scattered fragments turning into flesh and blood, and the blood spurting from his mouth was witnessed by the many powerful figures present.
Among them, Whitebeard and Marco reacted most intensely. Whitebeard's pupils contracted sharply in that instant, narrowing to pinpoints.
His wariness toward Lancelot reached its peak at that moment.
"Jozu!"
Marco cried out in alarm, his voice filled with shock and concern.
Without hesitation, he mustered all his strength and forcefully repelled Kizaru with a single strike.
Then, with a flap of his wings, he shot toward "Diamond" Jozu's direction like a bolt of lightning.
The sea outside was covered by a thick layer of ice, resembling a world of silver-white.
However, this seemingly calm frozen ocean concealed immense danger.