The Golden Lion destroyed over two hundred Ruin Guards with a single attack.
This didn't surprise Ren at all.
After all, he had essentially flipped the entire island's surface.
It would be strange if such a terrifying attack couldn't overwhelm them.
Anyone witnessing this scene wouldn't blame the Ruin Guards.
Any weapon, even in the hands of a strong warrior, would marvel at the Golden Lion's power.
Especially the rookie pirates who had just arrived at Sabaody Archipelago.
They had traveled through the first half of the Grand Line.
Overcoming hardships along the way, the journey was somewhat difficult.
But they had overcome it all.
The pirate crews of the Grand Line were indeed powerful.
But they had ultimately been defeated.
They thought the second half would be similar.
Those so-called legendary pirates might not be so extraordinary after all.
Just as they were filled with ambition, they witnessed this scene at Sabaody Archipelago.
It's conceivable that these rookie pirates' confidence was greatly shattered before even entering the New World.
The war continued, or rather, had only just begun.
The Ruin Guards were merely the appetizers sent by Ren's side.
Similarly, while the Golden Lion's forces had lost more than half their numbers, the remaining troops still outnumbered Ren's.
This middle-aged lion flew into the sky, arriving at the center of the battlefield.
Instead of joining the fight, he simply drew his sword and made a signal to attack.
This reignited the morale of his forces.
What was there to fear?
This was the legendary Golden Lion!
Following him meant invincibility!
Who else in the world possessed the power to overturn islands with a mere wave of his hand?
As the Golden Lion signaled a full assault, his powerful pirates began charging!
Though their numbers were reduced, each one was far stronger than their predecessors.
"Charge!"
"Show the Golden Lion our true strength!"
These were not useless cannon fodder.
Every charging pirate had a bounty of at least 50 million berries.
Even more astonishing, among them were five giants over thirty meters tall!
"Watch out for bombardment!"
A pirate sprinted across the shattered ice plain.
He suddenly noticed that the Ruin Guards with broken limbs were not completely combat ineffective.
Some guards' torsos remained intact.
Though immobile, they continued launching fireballs into the sky!
He quickly broke off his attack.
Then thrust his naginata toward the Ruin Guard.
With Haki reinforcement, the weapon pierced through the guard's torso.
Only after its core was destroyed did the Ruin Guard truly shut down.
"Really tough," he muttered, pulling out his naginata.
He noticed the tip had chipped slightly.
They continued charging, launching counterattacks.
When encountering still-operational Ruin Guards, they delivered the finishing blow.
The giants moved even faster.
Each step covered dozens of meters.
Every footfall was like an earthquake!
The giant race in the original story was often used as background fodder to highlight powerful characters.
Like Saul at Ohara.
Also a Navy Vice Admiral.
His existence perfectly demonstrated Aokiji's strength.
And that poor fool who was punched apart by Whitebeard at Marineford was the same.
But in reality, giants' combat power shouldn't be underestimated.
Their size and weight alone gave them tremendous destructive power.
Speed equals power.
Weight also equals power.
"The counterattack has begun. Now let me see what other strange things you have," Shiki sneered.
Ren looked at the Golden Lion hovering in the air.
Calmly, he waved his right hand.
Shutenmaru received the signal and immediately grabbed the Den Den Mushi.
"Activate the Ruin Heavy Machinery! Prepare to charge!"
"All Kairagi, follow me!"
Shutenmaru stripped off his haori.
He jumped from the ship's bow.
He didn't land.
Instead, he flew through the air with a sonic boom!
The Marines' Rokushiki techniques of Moon Walk and Shave were required skills.
Actually, Ren wanted all his subordinates to learn all six techniques.
These moves weren't necessarily powerful.
But they could be useful sometimes.
Following Shutenmaru, a hundred tall warriors in red or purple heavy armor charged from the ships.
These warriors averaged nearly three meters in height.
They were elite samurai.
Each one had mastered Ryuo.
Their strength was formidable!
After Shutenmaru led his unit into battle, Yayoi also entered her half-beast transformation.
She flew up like a tengu.
A katana at her waist, a bow in her hands!
Black feathers scattered as she took wing.
"Oni-warriors, follow me to kill the enemy!"
Black crow feathers rained down.
Shiado was the first to receive her command.
She transformed into her owl form and dove into battle.
She was a Zoan ability user, now also a member of the Oni-warriors.
The Oni-warriors' numbers rivaled the Kairagi.
At Yayoi's command, beast-human warriors charged across the ice plain.
Like a pack of wolves hunting prey!
But the Oni forms weren't just wolves.
Various creatures and subspecies were represented.
Warriors built like small mountains with horns.
Dogs, cats, even snakes and spiders.
It was like a Night Parade of One Hundred Demons!
Some had gained their powers from Ren's gifts.
Others were true Zoan ability users.
Some ability users who hadn't become squad leaders among the earlier pirates were mostly assigned to the Oni-warriors.
Including that goat Mink who had joined them.
"Lord Ren, I'm going too," Yukiko said.
She took a deep breath and cleared her mind.
The thick scent of blood in the air put tremendous pressure on her.
But Yukiko quickly adjusted her mindset.
She remembered following Ren to Kuri years ago.
Back then, there was only one enemy.
She hadn't retreated then.
This time would be no different.
"Go. Be careful."
Yukiko nodded.
Her body scattered like snowflakes.
"Fatui Vanguard, charge!"
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