Roger had no sense of fair play—he finished speaking and immediately opened with Divine Departure.
The razor-sharp slash tore through the air, instantly igniting the battlefield.
Facing the incoming attack, World didn't back down in the slightest. He stomped his foot and let out a low shout, activating his ability—his massive figure vanished on the spot.
His speed was so fast that even Shiki, Newgate, and Roger found it hard to track. That was the terror of the Mora Mora Fruit.
In the next instant, World had already appeared in front of the Divine Departure. His fist, wrapped in Haki, smashed out, shattering the oncoming slash into pieces on the spot.
As the two clashed, battle intent also rose on the faces of Newgate and Shiki.
"Barging into the battlefield I set up and then telling us not to misunderstand? Don't you think that's a bit too disrespectful, Roger… World!?" Shiki sneered from the sky.
Then, with a graceful flip midair, he swung both of his swords—Oto and Kogarashi—downward. Two crossing slashes shot out, one aimed at Roger, the other at World.
Newgate had his own pride as well. He had come here to settle things with Shiki, yet World and Roger showed up uninvited and started stealing the show. At that point, there was nothing more to say—the stage was set, and whoever had the strength could take it.
Murakumogiri spun several times in Newgate's hand before he swept it horizontally. As the slash surged forward wrapped in overwhelming Haki, the very air itself cracked apart with the force of his quake power.
There was no specific target—this attack encompassed everything in front of him.
With the captains of the four great pirate crews already clashing, the rest naturally followed suit.
"Follow me—take them down!!!" Rayleigh drew his sword and kicked off the deck, his figure shooting forward first.
Gaban followed close behind, swinging his axes with a roar of laughter. "How many years has it been since we've had a battle this hot? This is exhilarating—cut them down!!!"
On the other side, the Whitebeard Pirates also sprang into action.
Blamenco grinned. "I'm going in!!!"
With that, he took several quick steps and leapt straight off the Moby Dick, kicking through the air with Geppo and charging directly toward Shiki's side.
As it happened, everyone had originally planned to land on Linderland Island before fighting.
But Valthior had frozen this entire stretch of sea, inadvertently creating an even broader battlefield.
As soon as Blamenco moved, Silver Axe from the Flying Pirates glared with fury. "Damn it, at God Valley it was this bastard who got in my way!!!"
With that, he grabbed the battle axe from his back, coated it in Haki, and charged straight at Blamenco without hesitation.
Following right behind, the likes of Catfish Strongman Babel, "Flower Sword" Vista,"Ice Witch" Whitey Bay, "Flail" Rakuyo, and many other famed pirates of the New World all picked their targets and plunged into battle.
It wasn't just the big names fighting—the lower-ranking members of each crew were also shouting and rallying, adjusting their cannons and unleashing volleys of artillery.
Gunfire, the howl of slashes, booming explosions, and human roars filled the sea in an instant.
The World Pirates also charged into battle one by one.
In the original story, these guys hadn't looked too impressive—but that was when they were all seventy or eighty years old, hiding for decades and barely fighting, with lingering grudges among themselves.
Now, in this era, every one of them had fought multiple times against crews like Roger's, Whitebeard's, Shiki's, and even Marine heavyweights—and were still active in the New World.
For example, the Fish Giant Sebastian, wielding two spiked clubs, was currently holding off both Sunbell and Nozdon by himself, exchanging several rounds without falling behind—it was clear he hadn't lost his eyesight yet.
Nightin, who specialized in medicinal martial arts, stuffed various powders into her mouth while weaving through the battlefield with refined taijutsu enhanced by Haki, knocking down enemies one after another.
At that moment, she kicked Doringo's arm, forcing him back several steps. Just as she was about to take another dose of powder—
A surge of freezing cold erupted behind her.
However, Nightin's reflexes were quick. Her long, elastic legs kicked upward, and her figure shot away. The spot she had just occupied froze solid with ice crystals.
"You alright, Doringo?" Valthior's figure reflected within the ice as he spoke.
Doringo flexed his now-swollen arm and gave a helpless smile. "Spent a few years playing nanny… seems I've gotten a bit rusty."
Just as he finished speaking, the ice beneath Valthior suddenly split neatly into countless cube-shaped chunks.
Immediately after, World's subordinate, Gairam, appeared nearby, pressing one hand against the ice while holding his cube hammer.
"Cube Break…"
Sensing the change, Valthior showed no panic, speaking casually, "That woman's yours…"
As he spoke, his hands overlapped lightly in front of him, fingers interlacing as a trace of frost shimmered between them.
The next second—his figure vanished from the ice.
This entire frozen battlefield was Valthior's domain.
A flash of Frost Mirror Reflection—his figure appeared on an ice spike behind Gairam. In the next instant, a chain axe burst out from the ice, smashing straight toward Gairam.
Gairam's Observation Haki picked up Valthior's movement. He swung his cube hammer backward, precisely striking the chain axe.
But before he could feel pleased, a chilling frost spread rapidly from the weapon in his hand.
Decades later, Gairam might have immediately abandoned his hammer. But now, in his prime—with a bounty exceeding 100 million—he had no intention of retreating.
A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes as Haki erupted from his body. Powerful Armament Haki coated both his arms and spread onto the hammer.
As a core fighter who had followed World through countless battles, Gairam clearly understood one thing—Haki counters Devil Fruit abilities.
As long as your Haki was strong enough, you could suppress abilities.
Clearly, he didn't take Valthior seriously at all. After all, Valthior didn't even have a bounty—aside from Shiki and a few others, no one in the pirate world knew who he was.
But just as his Haki surged—
Valthior flashed forward, appearing right in front of him.
Soru!
Having come from Mary Geoise, how could Valthior not know the World Government's signature techniques? For over a decade, he had trained in pure physical combat.
At this close range, Soru's burst of speed was incredibly effective. And as a Cat-Cat Fruit user, agility was never his weakness.
This sudden acceleration left the already careless Gairam completely unable to react. In a rush, he could only reinforce his body with Haki, unable to counterattack or even properly raise his hammer to block.
Taking advantage of his height and build, in that instant of close contact, Valthior's large hand grabbed Gairam's head, covering his face completely.
At the same time, freezing energy erupted from below—sharp ice spikes, also wrapped in Haki, viciously pierced into Gairam's abdomen.
Blood burst out, instantly freezing into crimson mist as it fell. The ice spike had already pierced through his lower back.
This devastating blow shattered Gairam's already compromised Armament Haki. The moment it collapsed, Valthior froze him into an ice sculpture.
Then, tightening his grip—
He crushed the skull with sheer force, blowing apart the head of this World Pirate with a bounty of 104 million Berries.
Gairam's entire head shattered into fragments of ice—red and white splattering across the ground.
"Over 100 million bounty… and that's all?" Valthior flicked the remains off his hand, sounding somewhat reflective.
Clearly, after spending years aboard the Roger Pirates without much real combat, he was still a bit unsure of how to gauge his own strength.
...
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