Chapter 573: Overwhelming Haki
This single strike had taken out thousands of Marine soldiers. It was the first time Ian had killed so many people at once, and naturally, he felt unsettled inside.
However, he didn't show it on his face, because he understood clearly: this was war!
Not to mention those Marines and pirates who had been cut down by swords or shot to death in the battle, even the number of people who had fallen into the water earlier and been devoured by ferocious sea beasts was far from small.
Whether Marine or pirate, casualties in this war were heavy on both sides. But if you didn't have the resolve to be killed, then why even step onto the battlefield!?
Letting out a breath, Ian looked at his now-empty Psychic Power gauge, then raised his head to gaze at the sky behind him. There, a pitch-black circular shadow was gradually dissipating—an anomaly left by the collapse of space, so dark it felt eerily unsettling.
His task of clearing the field was complete. From the clouds above, a large number of black specks were drifting down toward the ground.
That was the crew of the Dragon Hunter Pirates...
"I see!" Aokiji also looked up and spotted the Dragon Hunter Pirates' arrival. Having finally recovered from his weakness, he said, "So it was to allow them to land without being attacked?"
Ian turned his head to glance at him but said nothing. That was indeed the case. Not every member of the Dragon Hunter Pirates was strong enough to ignore Marine attacks. They could only descend by grabbing onto balloons, and if the Marines spotted and attacked them during this process, the casualties would be severe.
Now, after Ian had unleashed his big move, a massive clearing had been created within a two-mile radius, allowing the Dragon Hunter Pirates' members to land safely.
Marco and the others finally snapped out of their shock. Looking up at the reinforcements above, the pirates under the Whitebeard Pirates exchanged glances, then suddenly erupted into thunderous cheers.
Clearly, Ian's powerful move after his appearance proved that the Dragon Hunter Pirates were an incredibly formidable support. Just as the Whitebeard Pirates were on the verge of being pushed into a desperate situation, this strong reinforcement arrived, filling everyone with a surge of excitement.
"One Ian is already enough! Don't bring any more..." Kizaru muttered, raising his finger to fire a laser at the figures in the sky.
He was genuinely panicking. Among the three Marine Admirals, he had clashed with Ian the most times, yet every time, Ian brought him new "surprises," making him keenly feel Ian's growing threat.
In Kizaru's mind, his assessment of Ian's "Pay-to-Win Fruit" had reached an unparalleled level. He thought it was even more formidable than Whitebeater's Tremor-Tremor Fruit!
Perhaps after this war, the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia would add a new description for the Pay-to-Win Fruit: The strongest Paramecia Devil Fruit in the world! Countless people would want to obtain this Devil Fruit, whose appearance no one had even seen...
However, just as Kizaru raised his finger, a bolt of lightning descending from the sky stopped him!
This lightning bolt was enormous, flashing with blue-white light, and struck straight at Kizaru's position. Seeing this, Kizaru instantly turned into particles of light to dodge, while Aokiji and Akainu, not far away, also leaped back.
With a thunderous boom, the lightning hit the ground, sending fragments of the earth flying everywhere. As the electric light faded, Enel's figure slowly rose from the ground.
"...Enel!" Kizaru said, looking at Enel's sinister smile and uttering his name.
Enel leaned on his golden staff, laughed heartily, and leaped backward, landing beside Ian. He said to Kizaru, "Don't be nervous, just saying hello!"
Earlier, Ian had greeted Akainu, and now Enel appeared to greet Kizaru. This made Aokiji pause, and he couldn't help but look up at the sky: Would he be the next one to get greeted?
Sure enough, as soon as he looked up, a massive gravitational force suddenly descended from the sky, pressing down on Aokiji. Under this immense gravity, Aokiji's body shattered into pieces of ice, crashing to the ground with a crack.
The powerful gravity directly crushed the ground into a circular crater, even trapping Aokiji inside. But the gravity lasted only a moment before quickly disappearing. Aokiji's body reformed from the ice, and he stood up, leaning on his knees, then silently used Moon Step to leap out of the crater.
When he landed, he saw Fujitora slowly descending from midair, also standing beside Ian.
Fujitora gripped his staff sword, closed his eyes, and smiled slightly in Aokiji's direction, saying, "Admiral Kuzan, it's been a while since we parted ways at Dressrosa..."
"Fujitora Issho..." Aokiji rubbed his forehead in frustration, saying, "It has indeed been a while, but I'd rather not have seen you..."
"Hehehe!" Fujitora laughed heartily at that.
With Fujitora and Enel's appearance, the members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates, clutching balloons, landed one after another. They touched down behind Ian, stretched their bodies, and then began greeting familiar faces from the Whitebeater Pirates.
Robin, Reiju, Konenai, Walnut, Aldi, Matthew, Dorry, Sardine, Zeke, Baby-5, and even Sugar, wearing a little bear outfit and constantly eating grapes, along with Waldo in his white lab coat, all descended. Beside him, several Dragon Hunter Pirates sailors carried two Thunder Stone Cannons that Fujitora had lightened with his gravity ability. As soon as they landed, Waldo eagerly directed people to set up the cannons.
The entire Dragon Hunter Pirates had arrived...
A blood-curdling scream came from above. Luffy, with his arms stretched long, was carrying the Straw Hat Pirates crew as they fell from a great height. Just before hitting the ground, this carefree guy suddenly inflated his stomach, bounced a few times on the ground, and landed safely with a loud laugh.
But Nami, who had been scared to tears, got up and started beating Luffy mercilessly. Chopper and Usopp, also crying and sniffling, joined in the assault.
Zoro, Sanji, Franky, Brook, and Bon Clay stood by, watching without any intention of defending Luffy. That bastard deserved the beating...
Then, Crocodile and Ivankov's Revolutionary Army landed. Jinbe appeared from another direction and, together with Crocodile and Ivankov, stood behind Ian.
Trafalgar Law's Heart Pirates and Urouge's Monk Pirates, along with the prisoners from Impel Down, landed one after another. After touching down, Law, carrying his nodachi, smiled and raised his tattooed middle finger at the Marines.
"Damn it, that little punk..." Akainu lit a cigar and bit down on it, glaring at Law's gesture with great displeasure.
But it wasn't over yet. Three massive black shadows suddenly appeared in the sky, crashing to the ground with heavy thuds. Amidst a cloud of dust, three Pacifistas, identical to Bartholomew Kuma, slowly stood up.
Faced with this scene, the Marines didn't know how to react. The appearance of the Dragon Hunter Pirates and the Heart Pirates had already been anticipated by the Marines, but what about these three sudden Pacifistas!?
Akainu and the others didn't think these three Pacifistas were their own weapons, because they stood on the pirates' side, showing no hostility at all, instead staring straight at the Marines.
"Oh dear, this is bad!" Kizaru said. "Aren't these the three Pacifistas that Kuma sent flying on Sabaody Archipelago? I always said Kuma was suspicious..."
"What use is talking about that now?" Aokiji said expressionlessly. "Kuma is dead. Can you get anything out of a man who has lost his consciousness?"
"If you can't, then dismantle him!" Kizaru said with a chuckle.
"Go ask Dr. Vegapunk..." Aokiji replied.
Behind them, Vice Admiral Tsuru sighed and said to Sengoku and Garp, "What an astonishing lineup..."
But Sengoku and Garp said nothing, their faces dark.
On the battlefield, Smoker and Tinashe exchanged glances, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.
Kuina, gripping the hilt of her Wado Ichimonji sword, clenched and relaxed nervously, her mind in turmoil...
Ian's forces had all arrived. Though their numbers were small, only about five hundred, their overwhelming presence greatly boosted the pirates' morale.
In contrast, a massive commotion broke out among the Marines.
The appearance of the three Pacifistas terrified the Marine soldiers: Weren't those supposed to be the Marines' war weapons? Why did the pirates have them too!?
For those unaware of the truth, this was mind-shattering. Even some viewers watching the live broadcast, who had been hoping for a Marine victory, collapsed to the ground in fear upon seeing this.
"How could this be? How could this be?"
"That Warlord Ian's forces are so terrifying—they even have Pacifistas!"
"How does the Whitebeard Pirates have such powerful reinforcements!?"
"It's over now. The Marines probably can't win this war..."
One famous figure after another gathered behind Ian, tacitly acknowledging him as their leader. Ian looked left and right, feeling a surge of boldness. He spread his arms, facing Akainu, the other two, and the remaining tens of thousands of Marines, and declared loudly, "Alright! The halftime break is over. So, shall we start the second half now!?"
At this moment, Ian's Haki was overwhelming...