The helmsmen demonstrated remarkable skill as they maneuvered the ships in twisting, snake-like movements, skillfully avoiding the incoming bombardment.
At the same time, the gunners accelerated the loading of cannon shells. Not only did they intensify their artillery fire, but they also attempted to intercept enemy shells midair by unleashing dense barrages of their own.
Clang!
On the No. 1 flagship leading the fleet, Lafayette leapt into the air. With his slender cane sword, he unleashed several slashing waves, cutting apart the cannonballs that occasionally slipped past the fleet's evasive maneuvers.
But Lafayette was not the only one taking action.
On the deck of the No. 1 flagship, Robin, Law, Mangu, and the others were equally busy.
"Dazzling Hundred Blossoms — Spin!"
"ROOM — Scan!"
"Six Styles: Moonwalk!"
Some intercepted shells directly using their abilities.
Others rushed to different ships in the fleet to provide protection.
Still others used Moonwalk to leap into the air ahead of the fleet, intercepting incoming projectiles before they could reach the ships.
Robin's actions were particularly eye-catching.
Using the powers of the Flower-Flower Fruit, petals scattered through the air as arms suddenly sprouted directly from the flying cannonballs. With a powerful swing, the arms altered the cannonballs' trajectories, spinning them off course and sending them crashing harmlessly into the sea below.
Law acted just as efficiently.
With the spherical energy field created by his Op-Op Fruit ability, he transferred any shells that entered the field directly into the ocean.
Meanwhile, Neferpitou, Mangu, and Sandy used Moonwalk to leap toward the front of the fleet.
Neferpitou slashed through incoming shells with her sharp claws.
Mangu smashed them apart with swings of his massive mace.
Sandy, transformed into his massive bear form, swatted them away with powerful blows of his paws.
Through a variety of coordinated methods, the War Pirates managed to advance steadily toward the Treasure Jade Iceberg without suffering any damage.
As for Kaito Arisawa—
He stood calmly on the figurehead of the flagship with his arms crossed, silently watching the glacier coastline draw closer.
The resistance from the Eight Treasures Navy was fierce.
After their signal flares were fired earlier, the guards stationed at other sections of the Treasure Jade Iceberg had rushed over to provide reinforcements.
Even so, the Eight Treasures Navy could not stop the advance of the War Pirates.
By the time the fleet reached the glacier coast, fewer than two hundred of the defenders remained alive after enduring the overwhelming artillery bombardment.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Now that the ships had moved closer, the War Pirates' attacks were no longer limited to cannon fire.
Gunfire erupted across the decks.
Under the command of their brigade captains, each brigade lined up along the ships and opened fire relentlessly on the Eight Treasures Navy soldiers on the shore.
Bullets tore through the defenders' ranks.
Although the Eight Treasures Navy fired back as the ships approached, their firepower was far weaker.
Under the overwhelming assault, their numbers dropped sharply once again.
Soon, barely a hundred soldiers remained.
"Six Styles: Shave!"
It was not only the brigade members who attacked.
Robin and the other cadres also shifted from defense to offense.
The first group to land on the glacier shore consisted of Robin, Mangu, Lafayette, Law, Neferpitou, and Sandy.
Each of them radiated a powerful killing intent as they plunged into the enemy ranks.
Boom!
Mangu transformed into his humanoid Tyrannosaurus-like form and charged forward.
With a single swing of his brutal mace, he instantly blasted more than a dozen enemies blocking his path.
Sword light flashed brilliantly.
Lafayette moved like a phantom through the crowd. Wherever he passed, soldiers of the Eight Treasures Navy collapsed in screams, their limbs severed by his lightning-fast sword strikes.
Robin, Neferpitou, Sandy, and Law were no different.
Each of them cut down enemies with ruthless efficiency.
"Bastards! Don't get so arrogant!"
"Damn pirates! Die!"
"Everyone back off! Leave these people to us!"
There was no denying that the Eight Treasures Navy stationed at the Treasure Jade Iceberg had suffered terrible casualties under the War Pirates' overwhelming firepower.
However, the hundred or so survivors were undoubtedly the elite among them.
As Robin and the others slaughtered their way forward, several powerful figures suddenly rushed out to intercept them.
Eight-Impact Fist.
Armament Haki.
These fighters of the Eight Treasures Navy displayed impressive strength.
Upon closer inspection, however, one detail stood out.
None of them were young.
Each of them appeared to be at least fifty or sixty years old.
At such an age, possessing this level of strength meant only one thing.
These were likely the cadres of the previous generation of the Eight Treasures Navy.
Standing atop the figurehead of the flagship with his arms folded, Kaito observed the battle on the glacier shore.
When he saw Robin and the others being intercepted, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Get down here!"
Suddenly, a burly figure burst from the shoreline.
As he rushed forward, he suddenly leapt high into the air and hurled a punch toward Kaito.
The wind from the strike roared violently, distorting the air in its path.
The attacker's fist was not only wrapped in powerful Armament Haki, but it also carried the unique shockwave produced by the Eight-Impact Fist.
Kaito shifted his gaze calmly from the battlefield below to the man lunging toward him.
Whoosh!
His right hand, previously resting calmly before his chest, suddenly vanished.
In the next instant, it appeared ahead of the attacker's strike.
His fingers clamped onto the man's face.
Crunch!
Kaito's grip tightened.
Before the burly man could even react, his entire face—no, his entire head—was crushed instantly in Kaito's hand.
The man's body froze.
His powerful punch never reached its target.
His lifeless body fell powerlessly into the sea below.
Splash!
Water erupted into a bright spray.
"Ridiculous."
Kaito shook his hand lightly, flicking away the blood and filth before once again turning his gaze toward the battle unfolding on the shore.
Just as Kaito had guessed, the ones intercepting Robin and the others were indeed the previous generation cadres of the Eight Treasures Navy.
After Don Chinjao had been defeated by Garp and returned to West Blue in humiliation, the warriors who had fought alongside him also gradually retired from the front lines.
However, retirement did not mean abandoning their duties.
Instead, they had been reassigned.
Their responsibility became the protection of the Treasure Jade Iceberg.
For the Eight Treasures Navy, the iceberg that preserved centuries of accumulated treasure was their most important stronghold.
Naturally, it could not be left undefended.
"AAAAH!"
Blood splattered across the ice.
The previous-generation cadre who had been fighting Lafayette struggled for a short time, but Lafayette's blade ultimately pierced straight through his heart.
The man's scream weakened rapidly before falling silent.
As if it had been predetermined, the other veteran cadres who had intercepted Robin and the others were also unable to withstand the relentless assault.
One by one, they fell beneath the blades and abilities of the War Pirates' commanders.
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