"Ahhhhh!"
Some slaves even charged toward the wall of fire with firm resolve.
At this moment, their weak momentum seemed to converge. That momentum, filled with hope, determination, and freedom, became incomparably vast and surging.
At this point, nothing could stop their steps toward freedom anymore.
Even the Marines surrounding them could not help but stop, hesitation appearing on their faces as they stared blankly at those pairs of eyes yearning for freedom.
No one knew how long passed, perhaps a moment, maybe just the blink of an eye, until the weapon in the marine's hand fell to the ground.
"Clatter!"
Countless marines found that they could no longer hold onto their weapons, and all of their weapon fell to the ground.
This sudden change caused the slaves who had rushed out to let out excited roars. But they did not stop, still running forward crazily, wanting to escape this beautiful yet filthy Sabaody Archipelago.
And it was precisely because of this that, as these slaves rushed out and as the marines stopped, the order of the entire Sabaody Archipelago... was completely shattered!
Seeing this scene, Sakazuki's expression grew increasingly gloomy.
Without any further hesitation, he fired a magma fist.
But this time, it was not aimed at Gerd, nor at the smiling Rayleigh. Instead, it was aimed at the Marines standing still.
"What the hell are you idiots doing?! Pick up your weapons right now!"
With an icy tone, he continued speaking: "Anyone who dares to disobey my orders again will be dealt with by military law immediately! Also, have the marine fleet blockade the entire Sabaody Archipelago. Don't let these guys escape!"
At the moment Sakazuki's order fell, the Marines finally reacted.
Shame appeared on their faces as they understood the current situation... they could not just stand here watching.
"Hurry up! Didn't you hear Admiral Akainu's orders?!"
"Move it! Those are Celestial Dragon slaves!"
"Report the situation here to headquarters and request reinforcements. Sabaody Archipelago... has been completely thrown into chaos!"
However, even though they had reacted, after picking up their weapons, they no longer had the same momentum as before.
Sakazuki: "..."
Seemingly sensing the change in the marines' morale as well, Sakazuki's face turned ashen.
He glanced at the pink dragon in the sky and at Rayleigh beside him, who was smiling happily.
Without any hesitation, he directly charged toward the Straw Hat crew.
But…
Whoosh!
A sword instantly blocked his path, forcing him to stop. With an ashen face, he looked at the person before him.
"At this point, you still won't give up?"
Rayleigh said with a helpless tone. "Why don't you just let it go like this?"
"Let it go? A bunch of people who defied the World Government's orders!!!"
Sakazuki stared gloomily at Rayleigh. The cigar at the corner of his mouth had already been taken down and was burned to ashes by the magma in his hand. "You actually want me to let it go?"
Facing his icy words, Gerd, having vented her anger, felt much more refreshed. She glanced at Sakazuki and Rayleigh in front of her.
Without hesitation, she smiled and said, "Looks like I don't have anything to do here anymore, so I'll be leaving first!"
However, just as her words fell and she was about to leave…
"Rumble!"
Countless streams of scorching magma suddenly surged forth. At this moment, the Sabaody Archipelago seemed to have turned into a volcano about to erupt, no, one that had already erupted.
And at the center of that volcano... was Sakazuki.
Surging magma spread outward and upward from Sakazuki, sweeping toward the surroundings and the sky.
It was as if it had turned into a world-destroying net, about to envelop the entire island.
"Leave? You still have the nerve to talk to me about leaving?!"
Sakazuki's voice rang out once more. If earlier he had still been a volcano suppressing its eruption, now, he was like a volcano intent on destroying everything before him.
"How ridiculous. I was wrong from the very beginning. There was never any need to negotiate with criminals like you. From the start, I should have kept all of you here. That way, maybe none of this would have happened!"
"Since you want to play, then I'll play along with you properly. Let everything be destroyed!"
As this cold voice fell, Rayleigh, Gerd, and everyone around them had a drastic change of expressions while staring in disbelief at Sakazuki, who looked like the embodiment of magma.
"Are you insane?! Damn it, there are still Celestial Dragons here! Stop this right now!"
But it seemed it was already too late.
The magma spreading outward was like a surging sea. At this moment, it finally exploded, and wherever it went, everything was destroyed.
"Rumble!
A scene of the world about to be destroyed appeared before everyone's eyes. Wails instantly resounded across the entire island, and countless people began running madly toward the sea.
However, just as this world-destroying molten lava was about to sweep across the entire island, a chilling wind suddenly brushed over the entire island.
Everything it passed over was frozen, including the scorching magma itself.
"Ice Age!"
If the magma before had seemed intent on destroying the entire world, then this sudden cold was like it was going to freeze the entire world instead.
"Admiral Aokiji!"
When all the magma was frozen over, the scorching heat vanished, and a terrifying cold instantly enveloped the entire island.
All the marines raised their heads and looked at the figure standing atop the magma that looked like a gigantic frozen wave, their voices filled with excitement.
The one called Admiral Aokiji had both hands in his pockets. He was wearing a white suit vest and a dark blue shirt, with a marine coat of justice draped over his shoulders.
A green eye mask rested on his forehead. Frowning, he looked at Sakazuki below, whose face was gloomy. "Are you crazy? Wasn't it said there are still Celestial Dragons on the island?"
"You're here?"
Sakazuki looked at the man who had frozen his magma. He was not angry, nor did he use his ability to melt the ice. He simply took the cigar from the corner of his mouth and said in a flat tone: "No need to worry. That old guy, Garp, is over there."