"Wipe out the Marines!!"
The battlefield exploded into chaos.
Countless pirates surged toward the Marines, eyes bloodshot, faces twisted with frenzy.
Cornered, with no way out, they knew there was only one path left—to fight through or die trying.
"Protect Commodore Darren!!"
"Don’t let them break through!!"
The Marines opened fire in unison, forming a wall of bodies around Darren.
"...This has never happened before,"
Borsalino suddenly grinned and rose effortlessly into the air.
"Pirates... attacking the Marines first?"
He cracked his knuckles, raised his hands—delicate fingers held in a graceful pose.
Brilliant golden light surged from his body, and a barrage of light bullets rained down like a golden typhoon.
"Yasakani no Magatama."
It was like a divine cleansing. The bombardment landed relentlessly in the pirate ranks, tearing bodies apart mid-charge. Many pirates didn’t even have time to react before the bullets swallowed them whole.
Fire surged into the sky. Black smoke choked the battlefield. Screams echoed as men burned alive, writhing until only scorched bones remained.
Behind the Marines, Darren flinched slightly as he watched.
When Borsalino gets serious with that move... it’s basically guaranteed death.
"Great Buddha Impact!!"
Sengoku had lost all patience. His colossal golden form, encircled by wave after wave of pirates, swung out his massive palm.
Each blow sent dozens of enemies flying—coughing blood, bones breaking on impact.
Shockwaves thundered across the field, tearing up the earth.
"HKAHAHAHA!! Yes!! THIS!! This is what I live for!!"
A triumphant roar rang out.
Bullet hurled himself into the pirate mob like a raging beast—his attacks were wide, brutal, overwhelming. Not a single pirate could stand against him.
"Damn it, Bullet, you bastard!! You’re a pirate too!!"
"Go kill the Marines! What the hell are you doing attacking us!?"
"We’re on the same side right now, aren’t we!?"
Bullet punched through one pirate’s skull, then launched a whip-kick that sent a hundred-million bounty pirate flying a hundred meters.
Eyes glowing red, he roared with laughter:
"Why the hell would I take orders from YOU!?"
"Pirates, Marines—I’ll kill whoever I damn well please!!"
"I’m not on the same side as a bunch of pathetic trash like you!!"
"Kahahaha!! Darren—watch closely!! I’m way stronger than you!!"
He was silent for a moment. Then he sneered:
"Oh? I don’t buy it."
"I single-handedly annihilated Golden Lion’s fleet."
"If you want to prove you’re stronger than me—then take out all the pirates here with bounties over 100 million."
"There aren’t that many. Just forty or fifty or so. Do that, and I’ll admit you’re stronger."
Then his eyes lit up—glowing with feverish energy.
"Hahaha!! You said it!!"
"Get ready to eat your words!!"
"You’re too injured to be worth killing right now anyway!!"
The pirates facing him blanched.
Bullet licked his cracked lips, eyes gleaming like a wolf staring down prey.
"Sorry, but you lot... better try your best to entertain me."
He activated his Devil Fruit again.
A swirling vortex of purple-black energy expanded from his body.
Rocks and soil from the battlefield gathered around him in a torrent—and in seconds, he transformed into a colossal figure over a hundred meters tall.
Rising from the earth.
"This time... I’m gonna kill to my heart’s content!!"
Bullet howled, laughing madly as he brought down a mountain-sized fist.
Dozens of pirates were crushed instantly—before they could even react.
The ground split apart. Debris soared.
Bullet’s maniacal laughter shook the sky. His fortress-sized body charged into the densest mass of pirates—obliterating everything in his path.
Blood flooded the battlefield.
...This is really happening?
Is he a complete idiot?
He turned to Darren, dumbfounded.
Darren gave a tired shrug.
Of course—not everyone was without escape.
Perospero supported the badly wounded Daifuku, glancing around the chaos and muttering low.
Daifuku bit his lip, silent.
The More-More Fruit had already fallen into Marine hands. Their chance was gone.
Coin Island might be crawling with pirates, but against the elite force the Marines had brought, they were nothing more than a scattered mob.
Even if they outnumbered them for now—Sengoku and Borsalino were still fighting at full power.
It was only a matter of time before the rest were wiped out.
They were already injured. If they stayed any longer—they’d die here too.
And it wasn’t just them.
King dropped down onto a broken rooftop, panting heavily.
One hand clutched his bleeding abdomen.
Blood flowed beneath his mask, staining his chest.
"...Time to retreat."
He whispered hoarsely.
Borsalino’s strength had far exceeded anything he’d anticipated.
The fact that the man still looked completely relaxed... meant he hadn’t even gotten serious yet.
"Hey. You’re still here? If you don’t leave now, you won’t get another chance."
King suddenly called out toward a shadowy corner nearby.
After a pause, a figure stepped out from the gloom.
Marco lifted the edge of his hood, sighing.
"You hid well. But that phoenix scent of yours? I could smell it from miles away."
As a fellow Zoan-type user, with special racial lineage, King’s sense of smell for other races was especially acute.
That hesitation cost him.
A streak of black light shot through his body.
Marco’s pupils froze.
Blue flames flickered to life in his abdomen, healing the wound rapidly.
He jerked his head up.
In the crowd of Marines, Darren was staring right at him.
"Marco. It’s been a while."
"How’s Kozuki Oden doing? Oh, and when you see him again—tell him something for me."
Darren raised his hand.
The black light that pierced Marco flew back into his grasp.
"This sword—Enma—fits my hand perfectly."
Darren smiled faintly.
"If I get the chance... I’ll visit him again."
"Ame no Habakiri... has caught my eye too."