Lightning struck down with a thunderous roar, hitting Queen, who froze in place as Ace swiftly made his escape.
The damage from the lightning was not severe; Queen quickly recovered from the paralysis but did not pursue Ace. Instead, she turned and slashed with her twin blades.
Bang.
The two blades were held in place by a single hand, which was enveloped in Armament Haki, shaped like a dragon's claw, gripping the swords tightly.
"Revolutionary Army Leader Dragon."
Queen looked at the figure before her, her eyes filled with apprehension.
"Mr. Dragon, what brings you here?"
Ace's expression showed surprise upon seeing him.
"I received news from Kera yesterday about Luffy and learned that you were fighting against an Admiral, so I rushed over here."
Dragon stepped back gracefully, landing beside Ace. "I arrived nearby this morning and called Kera to confirm, but before we finished, I heard Kaido's attack."
"I see," Ace replied. "If you hadn't shown up, I might have already been dead. Thank you for saving me, Mr. Dragon."
"It was merely a small effort."
The Dragon looked into the distance and suddenly reached out with both hands. A fierce wind swept back, only to return in an instant, bringing with it a figure wrapped in its embrace—none other than Vivi and Heckler.
Heckler was fighting Icarus and found himself at a disadvantage, his body covered in blood and injuries, teetering on the brink of collapse.
Meanwhile, Vivi was running while attacking; although she was uninjured, her strikes were largely ineffective.
Once the hurricane enveloped them, they immediately followed it back to this place.
"Thank you, Mr. Dragon."
Heckler and Vivi expressed their gratitude to Dragon Road, recognizing his silhouette.
"Where is your captain?" Dragon asked coldly.
"He is fighting Kaido and has gone underwater," Ace replied. "However, the underwater realm is our captain's territory; Kaido won't be able to match him down there. The battle should end quickly."
"Kaido is a Fighting Fish Half-Giant," Dragon Road remarked. "Your captain may not easily defeat him."
"Is that so?"
Ace was taken aback by this statement. His encounters with the Whitebeard Pirate Crew and Kaido had been limited, and very few knew the secrets surrounding Kaido.
Dragon nodded slightly, but his gaze was fixed on the distance, where Queen and Icarus had them surrounded.
Below, the Sea Vessel enveloped the figures of the four.
"Dragon, what are you doing here?"
Queen looked at Dragon, gripping his sword with a worried tone.
As the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Dragon's strength was beyond doubt. Even his chief of staff, Sabo, had recently seen his bounty rise to 750 million, but in terms of raw power, he would not be inferior to himself.
Dragon, as the world's most dangerous criminal and the number one enemy of the World Government, had once fought against an Admiral and left unscathed.
His strength was unfathomable; based on his earlier attack, he clearly surpassed Queen.
"I am here to stop the war."
Dragon looked at Queen and said, "Do not continue this. Let this battle come to an end."
"No way."
Ace and Queen shouted in unison.
Queen spoke first: "You killed Jack and many of our people. How could we just let you leave?"
Ace added, "The Captain is still underwater, holding Kaido back. If you make a move, we can take care of them."
"First you."
The Dragon looked at Queen and said, "If I assist Ace and the others while Kaido is still underwater, how great will your losses be?"
Upon hearing this, Queen lowered her head. If the Dragon intervened, her death would be certain, and these Vessels would also be destroyed.
However, she believed in Kaido. As long as Kaido could kill that giant beast, he would be able to hold his ground against the Dragon once on land. At that point, defeating them with numbers would be a foregone conclusion.
So the critical factor was the timing of Kaido's kill on the giant beast. If he could emerge now, then they would naturally continue their efforts.
But if he did not come, perhaps she would be the first to die.
The Dragon then turned to Ace and asked, "Do you believe the captain can definitely kill Kaido?"
"I..."
Ace gritted his teeth. Knowing that Kaido was a Fighting Fish Man made him somewhat lose hope.
The Dragon sighed and said, "Even if he can distract Kaido, my involvement in the battle against a large number of enemies would lead to significant losses for us. How many will die then?"
Upon hearing this, Ace also felt that Trouble was immense. They had many injured members, and some were relatively weak; the danger for the Straw Hat Pirates was considerable.
Losing even one person would be a significant loss.
"I understand."
Ace nodded and agreed to the Dragon's request.
"Let's leave first."
The Dragon nodded, raising both hands as countless energies gathered around the four of them. Then he shouted, "Do not resist."
"Understood."
Vivi and Heckle Ace, propelled by the raging winds, followed the Dragon as they flew into the distance.
"Damn it."
Queen wanted to intercept them but knew that if she continued to evade while attacking, she could only hold on for so long. If she actively engaged, she would undoubtedly perish under the combined assault of the Dragon and Ace.
"Captain Queen, what should we do?"
Icarus asked as he looked at Queen.
"Rally the crew and follow them."
Queen replied, "We can't engage right now, but we need to be cautious of their powerful attacks. Icarus, you and I will follow them. The rest should contact the Eastern Fleet and Northern Fleet to surround them together."
"Yes."
Icarus immediately disembarked to contact the Main Ship, while Queen reached out to her commanding Northern Fleet.
...
The battle between Sabo and Ken was causing massive destruction; both were formidable hand-to-hand fighters.
Ken transformed into Titan Python, his strength surpassing Sabo's by a third. Ken's massive form made it impossible for Sabo's Dark-Dark Fruit to absorb him, and the points of contact were protected by armor formed from Armament Haki, rendering Sabo's Devil Fruit ability temporarily ineffective.
The force of Ken was partially diminished by Sabo's attraction, as he absorbed the impact with the Dark-Dark Fruit, waiting for the right moment to strike.
The gap in strength between the two was not significant; neither could gain the upper hand, resulting in a stalemate.
Ken was not in a hurry, as he had more subordinates landing one after another, while the others struggled to hold their ground.
It was Sabo who felt the urgency, but he was restrained and unable to assist.
One by one, the others began to falter, and injuries started to accumulate.
Luffy was struck by a punch and fell heavily to the ground, while Kera had her arm slashed and was bleeding profusely.
Law and Zoro were barely holding on against their formidable opponents, their strength waning.
If this continued, defeat would come soon.
Sabo felt a growing anxiety; the more anxious he became, the harder it was to secure victory.
But just then, the sky darkened once more, and a fierce wind howled through the air.
"Stop it all."
A figure descended with a thunderous crash, pressing its right hand against the head of Titan Python. The creature sensed the attack and immediately retaliated.
Boom.
The figure slammed Titan Python's head into the ground. Then, pointing with its right hand, a whirlwind surged in the direction of the finger, and lightning struck down, transforming the area into a web of electricity.
A tremendous aura suddenly erupted, bringing with it a sense of oppression.
Thud, thud.
One figure after another collapsed to the ground.
"Mr. Long."
Upon seeing that figure, Sabo's expression turned to one of surprise.
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