Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Chapter 486 Xia Zuo is going to make a big splash.

Hawkeye Mihawk drew his black sword, Night, and pointed it at Whitebeard.

The next second, he unleashed the world's number one slash.

A massive surge of sword energy erupted, slicing through the ice field with meteor-like speed, heading straight for the white-bearded man standing on the ship.

Whitebeard remained motionless, seemingly unfazed by the world's strongest slash. Behind him, Team Three Captain "Diamond" Jozu charged straight at the slash, using his diamond-like body to withstand it.

Before the pirates could cheer, Admiral Kizaru's flippant voice rang out from the sky: "The world's strongest slash has been blocked. The Whitebeard Pirates, how terrifying!"

【Yasakani no Magatama】

The sky was filled with dazzling golden light, and countless golden beams of light shot out at the white-bearded man.

But before Whitebeard could move, another figure rushed out from behind him, transforming into a phoenix wreathed in blue flames, and took the brunt of Kizaru's fierce attack.

Then the blue immortal phoenix flapped its wings and soared towards Kizaru high in the sky.

Admiral Kizaru exclaimed cheekily, "Oh my god, this is terrible! It's Marco, the first division commander of Whitebeard's army! How terrifying!"

But his hands moved swiftly, a longsword of light appeared in his hand, and he slashed at the oblivious phoenix through the air.

The battlefield was ablaze with fire, billowing smoke, and the sounds of gunfire were as dense as rain.

The Whitebeard Pirates' ships served as fixed targets, and even with the smoke screen, they were frequently hit by the Navy, resulting in heavy losses.

The ship is the pirates' vehicle, their treasure vault, their spiritual anchor, and everything to them.

With their own ship riddled with cannonballs, everyone was naturally furious.

"Brothers, don't back down! Those in the front, charge towards the square and break through the navy's defenses!"

"Our comrades on the flanks storm the naval fortress, seize the naval coastal defense guns, and we'll use their guns to fire at the naval ships!"

"Go for it! The faster we go, the less we'll lose!"

As the captains of the pirate crews loudly gave orders, all the pirates were mentally prepared to fight to the death.

On the way of the charge, not only did some people fall, but some were even shattered into pieces by cannonballs, yet the pirates beside him did not even flinch.

Pirates kept pouring in, putting increasing pressure on the Navy.

The navy on the front is large in scale and stronger in combat, making it impossible for pirates to break through. However, the troops stationed at the fortresses on both sides of the harbor are in danger.

The pirates quickly broke through the first line of defense on both sides, and then the two sides launched a fierce battle in front of the fortress's cannons. The two sides fought to the death, and blood splattered and limbs flew everywhere, making the scene extremely tragic.

A naval lieutenant, his left hand severed, raised his sword and shouted, "Don't let the pirates get close!"

"Fire! Sink the Moby Dick! Dry Whitebeard!"

His slogan enraged the pirates, making him the target of their combined fire. Almost as soon as he finished shouting the slogan, he was shot multiple times and fell to the ground.

At this moment, Xia Zuo led his men in a square formation, wreaking havoc on the battlefield. When he saw the pirates pouring into the fortresses on both sides, he immediately felt something was wrong.

The turrets were an important source of firepower for the navy, suppressing the firepower of hundreds of pirate warships.

If the fortresses are occupied by pirates, not only will they be able to unleash the firepower of the pirate warships, but they can also turn their cannons to bombard the navy, which will immediately break the balance of power and put the navy in a predicament of defeat.

However, Xia Zuo did not adjust his troops because Marshal Sengoku, observing the entire battlefield from his high vantage point, had already discerned the situation and made adjustments in advance.

Two elite squads of Marines emerged from behind Marineford, swiftly cutting off the pirates' retreat on both sides and launching a pincer attack that routed the pirates.

With their attacks from the left and right flanks thwarted and their frontal assault proving ineffective, the Whitebeard Pirates were like beasts trapped in a snare, utterly trapped and left with no choice but to fight for their lives to escape.

The monster from the Whitebeard Pirates, the nearly 100-meter-tall Little Oars Jr., charged into the battle.

With a size far exceeding that of giants, he broke through the Navy's first blockade line in just two steps.

However, on a battlefield with multiple generals at the emperor level, an excessively large size is insufficient to provide adequate defense, making one a slow-moving target.

Oars Jr.'s fat body could ignore artillery fire, but it couldn't ignore Devil Fruits and Haki. Even the Admirals didn't need to be mobilized; just a slight move from one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea was enough to bring him down without any resistance.

Oars Jr.'s sacrifice was not in vain. Before dying, he fell forward with his own will, using his hundred-meter-tall body to open an opening for the Whitebeard Pirates.

The Whitebeard Pirates trampled over his corpse, crossed the icy plain, and rushed towards the dock plaza.

The massive breach in the naval front allowed countless pirates to flood in and expand to both flanks, causing the naval defenses to collapse and creating more and more gaps.

The battlefield was no longer orderly; pirates and marines were now intertwined, each feeling that there was an enemy in front, an enemy to the left, and an enemy to the right and behind.

The illusion of being surrounded by enemies drives people crazy. No one dares to hold back in such a situation; they can only risk everything to survive.

The intensity of the battle escalated explosively, with deafening shouts of battle and screams and wails filling the air.

Almost in the blink of an eye, the entire battlefield was shrouded in blood mist, and the ice surface was covered with rivers of blood and corpses.

The brutal fighting allowed no room for carelessness; no one cared whether their comrades were alive or dead, because everyone could lose their own life at any moment.

Whitebeard, standing aboard the Moby Dick, and Sengoku, standing below the execution platform, both felt their hearts breaking as they looked at the horrific battlefield. These were their children who had died.

But as commanders of an army, they must suppress their emotions, appear calm and composed, without the slightest emotional fluctuation, and even have an expression of victory in their grasp.

They absolutely cannot panic, otherwise the consequences will be amplified thousands of times at the bottom level, causing their own side to collapse even faster.

No matter how difficult it is, we must hold on.

Suddenly, Sengoku smiled as he spotted the 77th Marine Division of the East China Sea Fleet.

On the chaotic battlefield, this force stood firm like a pillar, and neither fierce pirates nor collapsing marines could shake their square formation.

In the chaos of battle, a naval force that can hold its ground will have an ever-growing impact, attracting the attention of both sides like a magnet.

The naval officers and soldiers moved closer together, using the cover of the 77th Division to reorganize their formation and catch their breath.

With just a few minutes of respite, they can regain most of their fighting strength, become more confident and determined, and fight alongside their comrades.

As more and more naval personnel took the opportunity to reorganize, a new defensive line gradually took shape, centered on the 77th Branch.

The pirates also noticed the anomaly at the 77th branch. Several pirate captains led their crews over, only to be met with a well-organized barrage of fire in front of their neat formation, being mowed down in droves like grass.

The 77th Branch's killing efficiency was so high that in just over ten minutes, 11 of the Whitebeard Pirates' affiliated pirate crews were eliminated.

As the 14th Division Captain, Speed ​​Gil, was following the path opened by Little Oars Jr., he witnessed the Navy efficiently slaughtering pirates.

He immediately jumped off Little Oz, raising his lance and the gold shield bearing the Whitebeard symbol, and charged at the 77th Branch from the left.

Spido Kiel was very cunning. He chose the less powerful navy on the left side of the naval formation as cover, first crushing a force from G6 base, and then, under the cover of carnage, attacking the potentially weaker left side of the formation.

However, Spido Kiel was wrong. The formation that Shazo trained was specifically designed for melee combat, with combat power evenly distributed on all four sides, leaving no weak points on the sides.

Perhaps its only weakness lies at the four vertices, where the four strongest officers stand.

So Spido Kiel's charge failed; he only managed to wound three naval officers, leaving them severely injured.

The wounded soldier was immediately pulled behind the sergeant in the back row and then stood firmly in the front row, restoring the formation to an absolutely straight line.

Spidow flew into a rage, roaring, "Bastards! You're asking for death!"

He then unleashed astonishing speed, vanishing from the sight of the naval soldiers in an instant, before transforming into a raging, charging dragon that charged towards the same spot with a force a hundred times greater.

Colonel Faye exclaimed in alarm, "Oh no! Everyone, pay attention! Activate [Shield Wall]!!"

Xia Zuo interrupted his command: "Stop! Cancel the [Shield Wall] activation command!"

The next moment, he appeared on the left side of the formation, three meters in front of the line, and grabbed Spido Kiel's knight's lance with his left hand.

At this moment, Xia Zuo turned around and explained to all his subordinates, "The enemy is extremely fast and has an illusion-creating effect. He will charge into the formation before you can activate [Shield Wall]."

His all-out attack was abruptly blocked, which, for Speedo Kiel, was tantamount to being hit head-on by someone exerting their full strength.

A full second passed before his vision returned and he realized he was vomiting blood.

Spido Kiel roared in fury: "A mere brigadier general! How dare he—"

boom!!

With a flick of his left hand, Xia Zuo snatched Spido Gil's spear, then casually swung it like a longsword, unleashing a devastating [Flying Slash].

A massive sword aura flew out diagonally, cleaving a bloody path through the pirate group, even splitting Little Oars' corpse in two.

As for Spido Gil, the first one to be hit by the sword energy, he was naturally killed without a trace, his flesh and blood turning into a red stain on the sword energy.

Xia Zuo did want to let the Whitebeard Pirates go, but that didn't mean he would let any particular pirate go.

Especially those pirates who charge up and yell at their own men to kill them—they all deserve to die!

The sudden appearance of unfamiliar sword energy signifies that a great swordsman has joined the battlefield.

This is a top-tier fighting force capable of changing the course of the war, naturally attracting the high attention of both pirates and the navy.

Below the execution platform, the returning Admiral Kizaru looked at Xia Zuo and the square formation around him, his old face scrunched up in deep thought, but he couldn't remember which powerful unit of the headquarters this was.

He could only ask, "What was that commodore's name? He killed the Whitebeard Pirates' captain so easily. Does our Navy have such a powerful rookie?"

Akainu's tone was icy, a stark contrast to the Devil Fruit he had incinerated: "It's normal for one or two out of 100,000 Marines not to recognize him; we can't even rule out the possibility that he's a pirate in disguise."

After resting for a while, Aokiji said lazily, "It can't be a pirate in disguise. He is obviously the commander of that force. Pirates would never have a force capable of stopping Speed ​​Gil's attack."

"Hmm, although I don't know who he is either—"

The Warring States Marshal was in a state of great inner conflict. While he breathed a sigh of relief, his heart began to race uncontrollably.

All my thoughts and feelings eventually turned into a sigh.

Marshal Sengoku took out a red snail-shaped telephone, dialed the number, and said, "Tsuru, Xia Zuo's rank can no longer be suppressed. Submit a report for promotion to lieutenant general after the war ends."

Lieutenant General Tsuru's voice came through the phone: "I saw it on the live broadcast, and I'm about to report."

"Warring States Period, are we getting old?"

"We've made one mistake after another regarding Xia Zuo's matter, dragging it out until today, and now we're in an even more passive position—"

—”

The Warring States marshal replied, "What does this have to do with being old? If we know we've made a mistake, we'll correct it."

"So what if the Five Elders misunderstand that we're hiding our strength?"

"I, Sengoku, can withstand it!"

Vice Admiral Tsuru's laughter came through the phone: "Hahaha, that's great! Sengoku, you truly deserve to be called Fleet Admiral!"

Seeing Shazam unleash his power, Garp's gloomy mood finally improved a little.

He opened his mouth and burst into laughter: "Hahaha, Xia Zuo, you're finally getting serious!"

The naval hero's voice was so loud that it suppressed the booming cannon fire, making it clear to everyone.

With the naval hero's approval, the navy personnel naturally had no doubt about Xia Zuo's identity. They raised their weapons and cheered, celebrating the addition of another admiral-level combatant to their side.

The marines ignored Shazo's commodore uniform and, with their morale soaring, threw themselves into the battle, suppressing the pirates' advance once again.

Upon hearing Garp's words, Shaza knew he could no longer hide his true feelings.

He did not return to the formation. He casually tossed aside the spear, which was now only half intact, untied the large cloak he was wearing, threw the cloak of justice on the ground, and then rolled up his sleeves.

Clearly, he's ready to make a big splash.

Upon seeing their commander's actions, the naval officers and men of the 77th detachment tacitly retreated, creating distance between themselves and their superiors.

Leave.

This isn't about disliking the officer; it's just that when the officer takes action, the recoil is too great and too violent, and everyone can't withstand it. For the sake of their own lives, everyone must keep a sufficient distance for safety.

They weren't overthinking it.

Just as the 77th branch's formation separated from its own commander, a blue flame descended from the sky and struck Xia Zuo squarely.

Marco, the first division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, is attacking.

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