Upon hearing these words, Akainu's body trembled slightly, clearly taken aback.
The corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily as he thought to himself, "Truly Burns' son—his skill in handling people is truly extraordinary!"
In the past, Akainu had looked down upon such ways of dealing with others, dismissing them as nothing more than hypocritical tactics.
In the face of absolute strength, such methods were beneath notice and unworthy of the stage.
However, as his position within the Navy gradually rose, he began to realize that a person's social skills and ability to handle relationships had an undeniable impact on their career development and achievements.
Nevertheless, deep down, Akainu still held some reservations about this approach.
But compared to the past, he no longer looked down upon those skilled in such matters as he once did.
He gazed deeply at Lancelot, as if able to see through his exterior to the potential and future achievements within.
Akainu firmly believed that this young man would achieve extraordinary things in the future, perhaps even surpassing himself.
The position of Fleet Admiral, for Lancelot, was likely just a starting point.
Just as Akainu was pondering these thoughts, an astonishing scene suddenly unfolded before his eyes.
The members of the Whitebeard Pirates, who had been preparing to charge out of the harbor, were blocked by a group of identical-looking individuals.
"Kuma!!"
The members of the Whitebeard Pirates exclaimed in shock, their voices echoing through the air as if the entire world had been shaken by this sudden turn of events.
Everyone's eyes were wide as saucers, their faces etched with expressions of utter disbelief, as if they had just witnessed the most inconceivable event in the world.
The scene before them was simply too shocking, making it impossible to trust their own eyes.
The massive figure, the familiar appearance, the iconic bear ears—all unmistakably told everyone that standing before them was one of the Warlords—Kuma!
Not only were the members of the Whitebeard Pirates stunned, but even the Marines widened their eyes in disbelief. It was utterly inconceivable.
Who could have imagined that Kuma would suddenly appear here, and in such a manner?
At this moment, they all shared a single thought: where did so many Kumas come from?
Lancelot naturally knew that these so-called Pacifistas were actually a group of robotic replicas of Kuma.
Although they were nothing but trash compared to the later Seraphim, even so, these things currently possessed the power to overwhelm the Supernovas.
Thus, they must not be underestimated.
Trash, after all, is a relative term. In the face of absolute strength, any underestimation could lead to fatal consequences.
Boom!
Accompanied by a series of dull rumbles, the Pacifistas began their assault.
Some extended their hands, while others opened their mouths, and from their palms and mouths emerged laser beams reminiscent of Kizaru's attacks.
The dazzling light was almost blinding.
"Not good!"
Jozu and Vista, standing at the forefront, suddenly turned pale, as if they had witnessed something utterly terrifying.
The reason was simple: from those laser beams, they sensed an unprecedented and immense threat.
They were not unfamiliar with Kizaru's attacks.
The speed of those laser beams was swift as lightning, making them nearly impossible to evade.
Often, before they could even react, the deadly beams would strike their bodies like vipers.
Perhaps Jozu, with his formidable defensive abilities, could withstand such attacks, and Vista, as one of the world's rare Great Swordsmen, possessed the skill to deftly dodge or block the laser beams.
However, others might not share such strength.
Sure enough, in the very next moment, the terrifying laser beams erupted like volcanic eruptions.
Wherever they passed, whether people or objects, they were pierced as easily as thin paper.
Immediately afterward, a series of earth-shattering explosions erupted, as if tearing the entire world apart.
The shockwaves from these violent explosions swept through the surroundings like a storm, engulfing everyone nearby.
Those with slightly stronger abilities might barely withstand the immense force, but they were still inevitably wounded.
As for those with weaker strength, they simply couldn't endure such overwhelming power and were instantly obliterated in the explosions.
As for those unfortunate enough to be directly struck by the laser beams, there was naturally no chance of survival—they perished instantly.
In an instant, the area where the Whitebeard Pirates had stood was transformed into a horrifying scene of utter devastation.
"The outcome is decided!"
A cold smile curled at the corner of Lancelot's lips.
He'd lost interest in the ongoing battle, for what followed would be nothing but a one-sided slaughter.
With the loss of Whitebeard and Marco, the two powerful combatants, the entire Whitebeard Pirates were like fish on a chopping block before the Marine Headquarters, utterly at their mercy.
Lancelot turned, preparing to leave this battlefield devoid of any suspense.
There was simply no need to watch any further…
However, the moment he was about to step away, his Observation Haki suddenly detected an utterly terrifying presence.
This aura was flamboyant, domineering, sharp and exposed, as if its owner disdained concealing their strength at all.
What shocked Lancelot even more was that surrounding this terrifying presence was a group of equally powerful auras.
Although these auras weren't as formidable as the main one, they were absolutely not to be underestimated.
Even the weakest among them possessed strength comparable to a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral.
Lancelot was inwardly horrified.
He immediately realized that this battle was likely far from over.
But who was the owner of that terrifying presence, and who were the powerful individuals accompanying him?
A certain someone with the "Face Devil Fruit" suddenly surfaced in Lancelot's mind.
Come to think of it, he and this person were actually somewhat related.
Right!
In the original story, this guy had indeed shown up to meddle, so his appearance now was normal enough.
However, he was still some distance away from here.
Thinking this, he couldn't help but glance back at the besieged Whitebeard Pirates.
He thought to himself, "Whether he can arrive before the Whitebeard Pirates are annihilated is still an unknown!"
Nevertheless, he was quite curious about Shanks.
After all, before his own time, this guy had been the world's number one genius.
The youngest Emperor—that title was well-deserved, without a hint of falsehood. S
o, he was somewhat looking forward to Shanks's arrival.
"Soru!"
But he vanished from his spot, reappearing right beside Sengoku.
"?"
Sengoku stared suspiciously at Lancelot, seemingly puzzled as to why he wasn't continuing the pursuit of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Seeing this, Lancelot quickly added, "I suggest you immediately order Kizaru and Aokiji to pursue with all their might, or I fear something unexpected may occur!"
Sengoku's brow furrowed even tighter, the confusion on his face growing more pronounced.
He pressed, "What do you mean by that?"
Hearing this, Lancelot said meaningfully, "The range of my Observation Haki is very extensive, so I detected a group of people heading this way. The leader's strength is on par with Whitebeard's, and he has other powerful individuals with him. Based on this, I infer it must be an Emperor-level Pirate Crew."
Sengoku himself was an extremely intelligent man. If he couldn't grasp the implication after Lancelot had spelled it out so plainly, he truly wouldn't deserve the title "Resourceful General."
He lowered his head slightly in thought for a moment, then his expression darkened as he said sternly, "The Red-Haired Pirates!"
Before the words had fully left his mouth, Sengoku's eyes narrowed involuntarily, as if pondering something important.
He was well aware of the Red-Haired Pirates' strength, of course.
As the Fleet Admiral, he naturally had a thorough understanding of these powerful pirate forces.
At that moment, his mind began rapidly calculating.
Although the Whitebeard Pirates had suffered heavy losses in the previous fierce battle, aside from Whitebeard and Marco—their two most powerful members—only a few minor underlings had been lost.
The core of the entire pirate crew remained largely intact.
Even worse, with the sudden intervention of the Red-Haired Pirates, the situation became even more unpredictable and volatile.
Faced with such a challenging scenario, he gave the order for a full pursuit without hesitation.
In an instant, Kizaru and Aokiji shot forward like arrows from a bow, their speed swift as lightning, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.
Kizaru, in particular, took the lead, catching up to Jozu with astonishing speed and blocking his path like an unshakable mountain.
Standing before Jozu, Kizaru appeared remarkably calm and composed.
His demeanor suggested he wasn't in the midst of a fierce battlefield but rather strolling leisurely through the streets.
However, when his gaze fell upon Jozu, his seemingly casual eyes revealed a hint of scrutiny and curiosity, mixed with a touch of amusement.