Chapter 9: The Iron Blood Battle
The people in the pirate world are poorly informed, mostly relying on newspapers for external news. They can only see what the World Government wants them to see.
After the rise of Morgans, the king of the underworld, his newspaper only revealed a small corner of the world's mysteries. This birdman always glossed over bloody scenes and frequently helped the Marines whitewash events to maintain an appearance of peace.
For example, when Golden Lion Shiki, user of the Float-Float Fruit, attacked Marine Headquarters, Marineford, the Marines suffered considerable casualties from top to bottom. In the end, the news reported only the good and not the bad, stating that Garp and Sengoku joined forces to imprison this legendary great pirate in Impel Down, without mentioning the number of Marine casualties in the newspapers.
In summary, the people of this world live in an information cocoon. The hardships brought by the Great Pirate Era are rarely reported, which could be considered a form of protection for civilians. However, the cruel scene on the sky screen today completely shattered the false peace maintained by the World Government.
Even mentally mature adults couldn't stomach such a bloody scene, vomiting uncontrollably where they stood until there was nothing left to vomit. Many children were frightened into unconsciousness, and it became a permanent nightmare in everyone's hearts, leaving lasting psychological trauma.
The image on the sky screen continued to change, switching from a distant view to a battle scene on Iron Island. A tall man, over 4 meters in height, was fighting a group of Marines wearing "Justice" on their backs. This pirate had even more garish clown makeup on his face, and with the obvious feature of a red nose, everyone realized that the one being besieged was Buggy the Clown.
"Your World Government went back on its word, abolishing the Warlord system; you should have known this outcome today! I've killed so many Marines, why aren't you crying?" Buggy laughed maniacally on the spot, an evil aura emanating from his very core. Weaker individuals would feel their legs go soft and lose the ability to resist just by seeing him.
Vice Admiral Onigumo, having lost both arms, continued to manipulate his hair to wield dozens of swords. Armament Haki was imbued on these swords, each one slashing towards Buggy the Clown. "I'll make you pay with your life!"
Vice Admiral Yamakaji was a master swordsman, and Rear Admiral Tashigi was also a master swordswoman. The slashes released by the man and woman came one after another. "Your life!"
Vice Admiral Hina, user of the Cage-Cage Fruit, spread her hands, and two black iron bars continuously extended, imbued with Armament Haki. If she could just restrain Buggy the Clown's body, he wouldn't be able to use his Chop-Chop ability. "Hina is very angry. Hina wants your life."
"Chop-Chop."
With Buggy the Clown at the center, whether it was the slashes of the master swordsmen, the hair manipulated by Life Return, or the black bars created by the Devil Fruit user, a powerful, invisible force tore apart and split anything that dared to approach. Even the island beneath his feet was cut with several bottomless ravines.
"You are all too weak. If Admiral Smoker came himself, I might get a little serious."
Buggy the Clown on the sky screen definitely possessed the strength of a Marine Admiral. Right now, he was merely toying with the Marines.
"Buggy the Clown has already achieved Devil Fruit Awakening! Why has this guy been hiding it for so long?" Vice Admiral Onigumo realized the severity of the situation. Advanced Haki could only slightly resist Buggy the Clown's disintegration ability, but Haki would eventually run out.
"Among you Marines, only the Admirals have found the right path. The rest of you Marines superstitiously believe in trash like Haki. In the face of a powerful Devil Fruit, everything else is futile. I can even disintegrate the Haki within your bodies!"
As soon as his voice fell, Buggy the Clown pointed his finger at Vice Admiral Yamakaji. "Unary Decomposition!"
Yamakaji's Observation Haki sensed the impending danger. His entire body was instantly enveloped in Advanced Armament Haki. This technique had once brought him a great sense of security, but today, he died because of his confidence in it.
"Vice Admiral Yamakaji!"
"Yamakaji, your body..."
This Marine Vice Admiral, who had participated in many Buster Calls, didn't even leave a single word at the final moment of his life. Vice Admiral Yamakaji's dark-clad body and his beloved sword were sliced into more than ten pieces together. Armament Haki, flesh, and bone were all destroyed by the Chop-Chop power.
"Aaargh... Buggy the Clown, you beast! I will avenge Yamakaji! Life Return!" This Marine hardliner, Vice Admiral Onigumo, once again used Life Return with his hair. With his swords broken, he turned his hair into one black fist after another.
The black fists, coated in Armament Haki, rained down on Buggy the Clown. But before the fists could even get close to the pirate's body, they were split apart by his Devil Fruit power. Onigumo could only continuously use Life Return, creating more fists with his hair. This old fellow was about to make himself bald.
"Boring," Buggy said, lifting his foot to kick Onigumo.
"Iron Body - Steel!" Advanced Armament Haki plus a Rokushiki secret technique, yet he still couldn't withstand the blow. Vice Admiral Onigumo was sent flying like a cannonball.
Vice Admiral Onigumo had the misfortune of a bad landing. He was impaled through the stomach by the flagpole of a Marine warship, left hanging in the air, unable to move. A large amount of blood flowed down the pole; his internal organs were severely damaged. Yet, even so, he was not dead. "I... can still fight... My... life... Buggy!"
"Tashigi, Hina doesn't want to deceive you; Hina is going to die here today." Vice Admiral Hina, in her red suit and "Justice" cloak, revealed a mature, alluring smile in the face of death. This flower of the Marines was truly beautiful.
"Sister Hina, your little sister will accompany you today," Rear Admiral Tashigi said, raising her Great Grade Sword.
"Hina, do you want to awaken your Devil Fruit? If you kill the female Marine next to you, you can become my subordinate."
"In your dreams! Marines will never yield to pirates!" The last two female Marines, with the determination to die, charged towards Buggy the Clown, each unleashing their full strength.
"A pity I didn't find any amusement. Binary Decomposition."
The camera pulled back again. Before the power of decomposition, the entire Iron Island was terrifyingly and instantly sliced into several smaller islands. Amidst billowing dust, most of the land sank into the sea. No one could stop Buggy the Clown.
The scene on the sky screen transitioned from day to evening. A man entirely wreathed in smoke flew in from the horizon. The current Admiral Smoker was rushing at full speed using his White Smoke Accelerator, his speed far exceeding that of the fastest Marine warship.
The Admiral, wearing his "Justice" cloak, landed on Iron Island, which had shrunk considerably. As soon as he set foot on the island, he saw the "gift" Buggy the Clown had left for him.
Rear Admiral Tashigi's and Vice Admiral Hina's heads were placed together, their eyes open, shedding tears of blood. Beside them, Buggy the Clown had left his mark. It seemed he had used the two female Marines' arms as a pen and their blood as ink to leave a message for the Admiral: "Thank you, Mr. Smoker, for helping me get into Impel Down that day. Love, your Buggy the Clown." He had also drawn a happy clown face.
"Buggy, I want you dead! Aaargh... I'm going to kill you..."
Admiral Smoker knelt before his close friends, tears streaming down the strong man's face. His expression of unbearable agony was captured in a close-up by the sky screen, allowing the entire world to feel this man's despair...