Chapter 393: Five Elders vs Rocks Pirate!

"Silver Axe, Wang Zhi, John…"

At the southern coast, some seven or eight Marine warships stood in the path of several pirate vessels.

A tall figure in his fifties with a partially bald head—Vice Admiral Mayson—wore a dark scowl on his face. Fixing his gaze on three menacing pirate ships at the forefront, each flying a distinct Jolly Roger, he bellowed:

"You three Shichibukai—do you intend to betray the World Government?"

"Heh, how could that be?"

"We're on the same side, right?"

"Wahahaha, step aside—we've come specifically to 'save the king!'"

On the leading trio of pirate ships, Silver Axe, Wang Zhi, and John let loose wild laughter.

"Boohoo…"

John, visibly tipsy, clutched a bottle of rum and gulped it down without pause, draining it in one go. Casually flinging the empty bottle aside, he raised his sword, hiccupping and roaring with laughter:

"Hey, lads—break the Navy line and save the king!"

"Puh—puh—"

A mass of pirates, waving weapons, roared with excitement. The Marines under Vice Admiral Mayson turned livid, scarcely able to contain their rage.

"Crack… crack…"

"Boom… BOOM…"

Before Mayson could give the order to open fire, one pirate ship, loaded with cannons, preempted them by bombarding the Marines first—instantly sinking two of their ships.

"Heh, it's been ages since we teamed up!"

"Show these fools what we can do!"

Simultaneously, John, Wang Zhi, and Silver Axe—the three Shichibukai—grabbed their weapons in unison, battle lust skyrocketing. Before the shocked and pale-faced Vice Admiral Mayson and his men, they rose imposingly:

"Conqueror!!!"

In that moment, the three pirates attacked together, unleashing a terrifying blast.

"Boom… BOOM…"

A massive shockwave crashed forward, obliterating the Marine warships in front, smashing them to fragments. The pirate vessels continued barreling ahead, bearing down on the shore.

…

"Everyone, stop them!"

"Protect the Celestial Dragons—don't let them reach the center of the island!"

"Gyahaha, lads—go kill these World Government stooges!!"

"Dadadada…"

And at the eastern coast, with Golden Lion, Whitebeard, and other officers now ashore, the Rocks Pirates were unstoppable, forcing Marines and the Holy Knights to retreat step by step.

All at once:

"Buzzz—"

Just then, around the area where Rocks, Golden Lion, Whitebeard, Saint Dennis, and Saint Garling confronted each other, all felt their hackles rise. They stared wide-eyed in the same direction, visibly startled.

"Swish… swish…"

Seemingly from nowhere, among the rubble-strewn ruins—and beneath the intense gazes of Rocks, Whitebeard, and Golden Lion—one gigantic magic circle after another began appearing, all wreathed in wisps of black flame.

"Roar… roar…"

One by one, towering beings with staggering auras materialized, morphing into bull demons with fearsome faces. Also present was Saint Saturn. He looked over at the astonished Saint Garling and said:

"Garling, you've already won this contest…

We'll handle things here—go claim your prize.

The rest of you younger Holy Knights, following the points you earned, pick your own rewards!"

"Yes, my lord Five Elder—"

Saint Garling, with no hesitation, pivoted and dashed off toward the central plateau of the canyon. Several younger Holy Knight members followed suit.

"Hey, you didn't even ask our opinion!"

Rocks sneered, brandishing his sword. He darted forward at lightning speed:

"Shoo…shoo…"

But abruptly, Saint Nasujuro—transformed into a horse-bone form—charged forth on four hooves at astonishing speed. In a flash, he took on a half-beast shape: lower half horse, upper half human. He glared coldly, brimming with killing intent, holding the original Kitetsu, infusing it with freezing energy.

"Tch—!"

Locking onto Rocks, he slashed mercilessly. A scorching, potent arc of energy ripped through the air in an instant.

"Clang!!"

In that crucial split second, Rocks paled, forced to raise his blade in defense. The immense slash hammered his sword, forcing it aside with brute force.

"Boom…"

In an instant, that fearsome slash ricocheted skyward, spiraling like a cyclone and ripping through the thick cloud layers. It left onlookers trembling.

"You…"

Rocks' face grew grim, murder radiating as he confronted the menacing Saint Nasujuro blocking him.

"Bastard… Those treasures belong to the Rocks Pirates!"

Rocks, bellowing, found himself stymied. The Golden Lion, unwilling to stand by, lunged into action, furiously swinging his twin famed swords, Oto and Kogarashi:

"Lion: Thousand Cut Valley!!"

"Tch… tch…"

Instantly, blinding sword arcs poured forth like a raging storm, raining down upon Saint Garling and the others.

"You won't succeed…"

It wasn't only Golden Lion. The towering Whitebeard likewise wasted no time. Grabbing his naginata, muscles taut, veins bulging:

"Bzzz—"

A blade gleaming with cold light, sheathed in a radiant aura, built up a formidable quake power. He cleaved across the distance toward Saint Garling and the others:

"Slash of the Clouds!!"

"Roar—!"

Yet—with an ear-splitting bellow, the massive boar Fengzhi pounced into the air. Ferocious and seemingly impervious like iron, it knocked aside each slash, blocking Golden Lion's assault. Meanwhile, Saint Saturn, in his bull demon form, opened wide his gaping jaws and spat a few visible toxin orbs at Whitebeard's quake slash. A violent explosion followed:

"Boom… BOOM…"

The roar echoed; flames billowed high, shockwaves rolling out. On the battlefield, both sides squared off. But the Rocks Pirates glowered, for though they felt no fear of these five monstrous foes, they couldn't break past the Five Elders' interference any time soon. From the start, their aim wasn't to fight the World Government to the death. If they kept this up much longer, they'd lose their chance altogether.

~~~

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