Chapter 204: Ashen Faces

BOOOOM—

The deafening explosion caused both pirates and Marines engaged in battle to pause momentarily.

"Oh? The 'Ice Witch' couldn't hold back any longer, huh?"

With a single strike, Vice Admiral Wright pushed back Vista, whose face, once confident and composed, now reflected grim determination, beads of sweat trickling down his brow.

Wright glanced toward the source of the explosion. It was the sound of a shell detonated mid-air, shattered by Hina's iron spear before it could reach its target.

"But your allies are here too. She still fired the cannons?" Wright teased.

At this, Vista smirked confidently.

"Our brothers are all elites! Mere cannon fire? That's for your warships, not us!"

He grinned. "Our men are experienced enough to avoid such attacks!"

"Fair enough. But your so-called 'elite' comrades don't seem to be faring so well. Doesn't the loss of your own men sting?"

"Recruiting new blood hasn't exactly been easy for us lately, has it?" Vista retorted.

Wright's relentless assault forced Vista to retreat again. Pausing briefly, Wright raised a hand and unleashed a Holy Light spell, revitalizing a breathless Smoker on the other side of the battlefield. Vista's expression darkened.

"Again with this… How are we supposed to fight against that?"

Vista gritted his teeth. The Marine Vice Admiral's abilities were proving overwhelming. Unlike him, Wright showed no signs of fatigue, even after prolonged high-intensity combat. Worse yet, Wright could heal his subordinate, the Logia-user Commodore, restoring his stamina with ease!

That Commodore was now firmly keeping McGuy at bay, engaging him relentlessly.

Since when were Commodores this powerful?!

To make matters worse, the entire Marine ship had an air of invincibility. The Marines seemed almost immune to injury—or rather, even when injured, they recovered rapidly!

It wasn't Wright who was healing them mid-battle. Could it be…?

Vista's gaze fell on the golden sheen emanating from the Marine warship.

Could that ship itself possess healing capabilities? Impossible!

And why didn't it work on us? Was that why their Marines could turn the tide and suppress our forces?

On top of that, their soldiers were terrifyingly strong. Since when could a mere G-5 branch deploy such an elite unit of Marines?

"Vista, if we keep this up, it'll be a stalemate for a while," Wright said with a grin. "But it looks like Whitey Bay intends to make her move and crush us in one decisive blow. Otherwise, with this deadlock, my men will wear yours down to nothing."

"Still, if all she's doing is minor harassment with these cannon shots, it's pointless."

Vista clenched his teeth. "I underestimated you, Vice Admiral Wright. Your swordsmanship and abilities are truly top-notch…"

"No wonder you've crossed blades with Mihawk and earned such trust from Maine Headquarters."

As they spoke, Whitey Bay's massive icebreaker ship rapidly closed in on the Dawn.

BOOOOM—

Before everyone's eyes, a massive ice bridge shot forward, connecting the icebreaker to the Dawn!

"Wow, that's some freezing speed," Wright quipped. "Almost on par with Kuzan-senpai! Though it seems to surpass the Snow-Snow Fruit in terms of development."

He added with a smirk, "Too bad its power doesn't match up. If it were Kuzan-senpai, this whole stretch of sea would already be frozen solid."

"Charge!"

The pirates on the ice bridge roared as they charged forward, reinvigorating the struggling pirates aboard the Dawn. Their reinforcements brought renewed morale and confidence.

"Well, well…"

The grin faded from Wright's face. Vista, ever the tactician, had executed a thorough and calculated test of their defenses.

"Wings of Holy Light!"

With a slash, Wright forced Vista back and soared skyward.

"Smoker! Hold Vista off for 10 seconds!"

"Got it!"

Smoker abandoned his fight with McGuy, surging toward Vista with dense white smoke swirling around him.

"White Spear!"

"You think that can stop me?" Vista sneered, unleashing a flurry of powerful flying slashes that cut through the smoke spear. He quickly shifted his position, wary of falling into the same trap McGuy had.

"White Decuple Walls!"

Smoker set up layer upon layer of defenses in front of Vista. With Wright replenishing his stamina, Smoker spared no effort, giving it his all!

"Ashes Awaken!"

"Holy Judgment!"

While Vista could barely withstand Wright's powerful techniques, McGuy had no such luck.

"Condemnation Strike!"

Vista's heart sank as McGuy's anguished scream reached his ears.

"Damn it!"

"Rose Waltz!"

Vista unleashed his ultimate move, shattering Smoker's defenses in one go. Rushing to McGuy's aid, he found the Thunder Lord bloodied and beaten.

"Vice Admiral Wright, stop! You know why we're here. We've accomplished our goal. There's no point in dragging this out any further!"

Vista stood protectively over the fallen McGuy, his twin blades ready.

"Oh? That doesn't sound like you, Vista," Wright replied mockingly.

With Smoker now aiding Hina and Ain in holding off Whitey Bay's crew, the pirates had no choice but to retreat. Without Whitey Bay herself entering the fray, the reinforcements were little more than cannon fodder.

As McGuy shakily stood, freed from the lingering effects of Wright's attack, he muttered bitterly, "Vista… I couldn't even withstand a single blow."

"He's a Great Swordsman and a Devil Fruit user. His explosive attacks aren't something you can simply block."

Acknowledging the futility of further combat, Vista ordered the retreat. "Let's go, brothers!"

Despite their defeat, Vista maintained his composure, unwilling to disgrace Whitebeard's name by dwelling on their humiliation.

As Whitey Bay's forces quickly retreated with their wounded, Wright watched them leave with his signature grin.

"Vista," Wright called out, halting him in his tracks.

"You don't think a Vice Admiral would just let you pirates come and go as you please, do you?"

"Even with Whitebeard standing behind you!"

"Oh? And what do you intend to do?"

Vista gripped his twin swords tightly. The Vice Admiral on the opposite side had made no move to stop their retreat. Even the two Captains responsible for leading the group battle, along with the Commodore from earlier, had already ceased fighting.

Two new bridges of ice appeared as Whitey Bay quickly acted on Vista's command to retreat, connecting the Dawn and the two pirate ships.

Whitey Bay's subordinates swiftly shifted from being reinforcements to acting as the rearguard, efficiently taking over from their battered and beleaguered comrades, helping them to withdraw as quickly as possible.

When had the Whitebeard Pirates ever been reduced to such a sorry state?

But there was no denying it—they had come with confidence, only to be beaten into disarray by a naval force far smaller in number. What else was there to say?

To dwell on it would only disgrace Pops—Whitebeard himself!

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