"Thank you for your hard work. Leave things here to us."
Fujitora nodded in thanks to Kuma and Chameleone. The two of them then vanished from the spot.
They were only responsible for transporting personnel, not for directly participating in battle.
Their true value was never meant to be limited to combat.
"I'll find somewhere safe first. Fighting doesn't suit me. Support is more my specialty."
A cigarette dangling from her lips, the scantily dressed beauty holding a large flag spoke to Fujitora before she began waving the flag and walking toward a position away from the center of the battlefield.
As she advanced, the flag continuously released strange waves of energy.
When the Whitebeard Pirates' crew members were affected by that energy, they felt the power hidden within their bodies being drawn out!
Their fighting spirit immediately soared, and their strength increased as well!
"The Paramecia-type Pump-Pump Fruit? As long as the user waves her flag and rallies the people around her, she can awaken the power hidden within their bodies. It truly is an exceptionally powerful support ability and is perfectly suited for a large-scale battlefield like this one. No wonder the Revolutionary Army has grown so powerful over the years."
Fujitora watched Belo Betty gradually depart before drawing the sword at his waist.
"Come to think of it, we're cooperating with the Revolutionary Army for this operation. I wonder how things are going on Captain's side."
"Never mind. There's no point thinking so much about it. I should get started as well."
"Meteor Fall!!"
"I won't let you do as you please, Fujitora!"
At that moment, a green figure suddenly appeared in front of Fujitora and threw a punch directly at his face, interrupting his attack.
"It's you? I never expected you to join the Marines. Aren't you the person who hates trouble more than anyone? Why would you participate in the War of the Best?"
Fujitora was not angered by being stopped. Instead, his tone carried considerable surprise.
"Of course I hate trouble! I haven't even eaten in years."
The man speaking with Fujitora wore a green suit. His hair was wavy, and his face was exceptionally handsome.
"As for why I came to participate in this war, Sengoku promised me that as long as I display sufficient strength here, I'll receive an exceptional promotion to Admiral."
"They've even chosen my codename already."
"Green Bull!"
"Then why didn't you join the Thunder God Pirates? The two of us have known each other for years, and with your monstrous strength, you would have received a high-ranking position among the Thunder God Pirates as well."
"Tch! But the Thunder God Pirates don't have any beautiful women!"
"Marine Headquarters is completely different. There are gorgeous women everywhere, and when summer arrives, they all wear miniskirts!"
"Several female Marine officers are especially beautiful. There's the Admiral candidate Momousagi, the distinctive mature beauty named Hina, and that adorable young Tashigi who follows the smoking guy around."
"The Marines are practically paradise!"
Although the exceptionally handsome man spoke frivolously, his eyes remained completely serious as he faced Fujitora.
The two had known each other for many years and understood each other's strength extremely well.
Although Green Bull had managed to stop Fujitora, Fujitora could summon meteors capable of devastating an entire area!
With Fujitora and the others joining the battle, the situation—which had previously remained relatively balanced, with the Marines holding a slight advantage—was instantly reversed!
With his meteors and gravity blade, Fujitora possessed overwhelming power even among Admiral-class fighters.
The same was true of Zephyr, whose body and strength had been restored to their prime.
If Jack and Queen consumed Rumble Balls, the power they could display would not be inferior to that of an Admiral either.
On the elevated execution platform, Sengoku watched Zephyr send Weevil flying with a single punch, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.
Sengoku grabbed a Transponder Snail and released a furious roar that echoed across the entire battlefield.
"Zephyr! Is this the choice you've made?!"
"Zephyr-sensei?"
Aokiji suddenly stopped moving and looked in a certain direction.
It was not only Aokiji. Many Marine officers also paused their movements and silently watched Zephyr.
Zephyr's influence within the Marines was simply too great!
"That's right. The Thunder Emperor healed all my injuries and illnesses. He even restored my missing arm and returned my strength to its prime."
Zephyr pushed up his sunglasses and spoke without the slightest hesitation.
"Furthermore, I firmly believe that the Thunder Emperor can lead the world and its people toward a new tomorrow!"
"I already told you, Sengoku. The next time we met, we would be enemies!"
"Bastard!!"
Zephyr was a former Admiral of Marine Headquarters and the headmaster of the Marines' training academy.
When a man of his standing appeared on the battlefield as their enemy, the Marines' morale inevitably suffered a severe blow.
The Whitebeard Pirates seized this opportunity to rally themselves and begin their counterattack.
The agents hiding in the shadows could no longer afford to remain concealed. They all stepped into the open and began displaying their abilities.
Users of the Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: Lion; the Croc-Croc Fruit, Model: Crocodile; the Bird-Bird Fruit, Ancient Zoan, Model: Divine Ancestral Bird; and numerous other Zoan-type abilities appeared one after another.
The entire battlefield became even more chaotic.
...
While Zephyr and the others were joining the War of the Best, elsewhere—
High in the sky not far from the Holy Land Mary Geoise, a tiny black dot was rapidly approaching!
Such an undisguised approach was naturally detected by Mary Geoise's sentries.
However, before they could take out their Transponder Snails and report the situation, the tiny black dot appeared directly before them.
"How can it be so fast?!"
"BOOM!"
The thought had only just appeared in the guards' minds when the black object smashed into the ground, sending enormous clouds of dust into the air.
Alarm bells instantly rang throughout the skies above Mary Geoise!
"Cough! Cough! Hey, Yasopp! Can't you control the speed properly?!"
"Shut up! I'm a sniper, not a helmsman! You should blame Jinbe!"
"This old man has only ever steered ships across the sea! When have I ever navigated through the sky?!"
Several voices gradually emerged from within the dust.
Some of the guards with particularly sharp eyesight suddenly widened their eyes and shouted in trembling voices:
"That's... the Thunder God!"
"It's the Thunder Emperor's vessel!!"
The guards all retreated more than ten meters in unison.
It was not that they were unwilling to fulfill their duties.
The Thunder Emperor's reputation alone was enough to terrify them.
He was the strongest man in the world!
(End of Chapter)
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