Joining The Battle

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Kai stood at the edge of the battlefield, tense, and he breathed in deep. The air was thick with the heavy scent of war. "It reeks here of gunpowder, blood, and salt," he whispered beneath his breath, eyes scanning the chaotic scene before him. The words hung in the air, describing explicit devastation.

A nightmarish living hell of fire and ice, steel, and flame-the battlefield was a harsh, bitter place. Cannon fire echoed across the bay, shaking the very ground beneath his feet with each blast. The acrid stench of gunpowder filled the air, choked his lungs, while rising plumes of smoke came from shattered warships, their masts fallen like giants. The sea itself raged as if in protest as waves crashed against those frozen waves, standing tall like some sort of massive wall, a reminder of Aokiji's immense power-sealing the ocean in place and trapping men and ships alike in its icy grip. There was blood everywhere-on the ice, pooling around the fallen bodies of pirates and Marines alike.

Before him, the clash of swords and cries of war filled the air. Whitebeard's pirates plunged forward, faces contorted in frenzy and desperation, while they fought their way through the ceaseless tide of Marine soldiers. Looming huge in the distance, standing on top of his ship, Whitebeard himself watched serenely. "This is Marineford," Kai whispered to himself-the sound lost in the roar of battle. Standing amidst the mayhem at Marineford, Kai could feel the constant hum of subtle energy inflow-runes.

With his system absorbing the souls of each and every fallen person, whether Marine or pirate, with each death that occurred within the vicinity.

The battlefield was, in a sense, feeding him; his powers grew with each life that died. He looked down, watching with a steady stream of runes building up in his status screen. It was a great amount. "Ridiculous…", he said to himself in a hushed tone, as his voice took on the weird sound of disbelief and irritation. It was practical, but it also meant dawning on him with a bad taste in his mouth-the grotesque runes that he stood to make from endless carnage.

War didn't have a place for sentiment, and he knew this wasn't a time for doubting. If anything, he needed to exploit this advantage. His mind clear with the resolve of a survivor, his left hand tightly wrapped around his Meteorite Staff, imbuing him with raw, untapped magic; his right, calling into view the Cleanrot Knight's Sword, its blade shining bright in the dull smoke-filled light of the battlefield, humming with ominous power, with its edge slicing through everything in his way.

He looked down at the two weapons, so well-known in weight and yet commanding. "I think the time has come to leave an impression," he said evenly, his voice cold as steel. His eyes narrowed as he peered forward into the war-torn landscape. "Give them a taste of what the Elden Lord can do, even in this pitiful state I'm currently in."

Kai now was facing Jinbe and Ivankov, seasoned warriors who had been at his side through the horrors of Impel Down. The stoic Fishman Jinbe nodded strongly, clenching his fists in preparation to knock down any Marine that dared get in his way. Ivankov, dramatic as ever, grinned broadly, his eyes shining with the excitement of destruction in prospect.

"Let's go," Kai said. There was quiet in his tone, a sense of authority. "Let's tear these Marines apart."

Jinbe cricked his knuckles. The deep set of his voice rumbled, the ocean itself. "I've been waiting for this."

Ivankov flashed a toothy smile, since whatever chaos was about to ensue was already great. "Oh-ho! This is going to be fabulous, darling."

But as Kai's gaze moved over the battlefield, he realized something was off.

One moment they had Luffy and Crocodile with them; now, they were nowhere to be seen.

His gaze tore through smoke and debris till he found them-just next to Whitebeard on his ship, Luffy was already going all out, head-bumping against crocodile with his fist stretched ready to hit whatever was coming his way.

Crocodile stood as calmly as ever, his hook glinting ominously in the sun as if he too was preparing to unleash hell. Kai let out a long frustrated sigh. "Idiots… already fighting." He shook his head; there was no stopping them now. Luffy in particular, always charged into the battlefield first, and Crocodile was not too far from taking advantage of a good opportunity either. "So be it," he said, the tone of his voice resigned but determined. "It's a battlefield… splitting up makes more sense now, anyway." Kai cast a second glance at Jinbe and Ivankov before giving his nod. In one leap, the three plunged right into the middle of the battle.

As they landed, the ground quaked beneath them. Marines rushed forward, swords drawn, guns raised, their shouts filling the air. But Kai stood tall, his sword gleaming, his staff humming with unspent magic.

The first Marine reached him, swinging his blade toward his chest, but Kai sidestepped with ease and thrust his sword forward in a smooth, practiced motion.

The blade pierced through the Marine's armor and flesh like through butter. With but a slight twist of his wrist, he tore into the man's vitals, pulled the sword out clean as the body crumpled to the ground.

Blood splattered the ground, but as a warm feeling washed over him, Kai knew his own strength surged—health restored.

With each hit, Blood Tax kicked in, restoring hp from his enemies.

"This… will be extremely helpful now, i won't have to use my remaining flasks" he muttered to himself, a slight smirk tugging at his lips. He was finding with each kill that he grew in strength, in resilience; a vicious circle, more deaths equated to more power.

He looked ahead to see the huge plaza of Marineford still far away, the center of that, where the Admirals, Sengoku Garp, and the execution platform were waiting for him. The huge walls loomed over the horizon but before he could reach it, he'd have to cut through the swarming mass of Marines in front of him.

The image shows Kai clenching his sword tightly, pushing his way forward, and cutting through soldiers with swift, precise strikes. Another Marine charged forward, but Kai dodged the wild swing of the man's sword, and with a swift upwards slash, he cleaved armor and bone alike. More blood spilled onto the battlefield, and Kai's health replenished even further. 

But as he continued carving his way through, a shadow loomed over him.

The foremost was a giant of a Marine, towering above his fellows. He whirled a massive battle-axe, at least twice as large as any normal weapon, his muscles bulging against the fabric of his uniform as he did so. With a roar, the Marine lifted the axe high overhead, threatening to bring it down in a crushing overhead blow.

Kai narrowed his eyes against the oncoming threat. "Let's see how this spell feels now," he muttered, turning his attention to the Meteorite Staff in his left hand. 

As the Marine charged, Kai extended the staff and whispered, "Night Shard."

A thin, semitransparent blade of dark magic shot from the staff, slicing through the air with an uncanny silence. For one heartbeat, the Marine did not look like he was going to be fazed by the attack, continuing his swing down with full force, but then his body jerked violently as the shard pierced his chest.

Kai's eyes widened in surprise. The Night Shard had blown through the Marine's bulky form with eerie ease. The towering man froze mid-attack, eyes glazing over as blood spilled from the clean wound. The axe fell from his grasp, clattering onto the dirt as his massive body collapsed limply to the ground in a lifeless heap.

Kai let his breath out softly, impressed with just how well the new upgrades worked. "Huh… ." He couldn't help but smirk as he looked over at the fallen brute. "I feel like the spells are much more powerful than in game."

In an instant, as Kai struggled further into the thick of battle, the air around him chilled, and a figure materialized directly over him from above. Before Kai could say or do a thing, there came a swift and strong strike, raining down at the top of his head.

Clang!

Kai barely had time to raise his sword for the block, the Cleanrot Knight's Sword locking against a strange, black-tipped weapon. His arms buckled under the sudden force of the strike heavier than anything from any Marine he had faced so far. Gritting his teeth, Kai looked up to find the man responsible: a tall, imposing figure in a Marine jacket, with a cigar clenched between his teeth and smoke billowing around him.

"Smoker," Kai growled low, instantly recognizing the White Hunter. 

Beads of chill framed the eyes of the Marine as he sneered, "Another sea scum trying to play hero," Smoker growled, cocking his jitte-a black-tipped weapon made to neutralize Devil Fruit powers backward-and was suddenly up for another strike.

In one swift movement, Kai raised his sword and barely caught the next blow; sparks flew from the contact. He was under incessant, quick, and brutal attack, for each of Smoker's blows fell heavy enough to shatter Kai's bones. But he would not back off.

As Smoker swung again, Kai dodged and parried at just the right moment to send himself sideways, coming around with his sword for a counterattack. The blade cut through the air with fatal, sure accuracy in an arc toward Smoker's midsection. To Kai's shock, his sword passed right through the man's torso as if he was striking the air.

"I See… Logia….What a cheat" Kai stumbled back, fighting for his balance again. A perfect hit, really perfect, but Smoker didn't even flinch; the upper half of his body turned to smoke then solidified again.

Smoker snorted in derision. "You're wasting your time," he sneered coolly, his body barely shifting into smoke as he jumped forward, the jitte hashing in with a vicious horizontal strike.

Kai raised his sword to block once more, the ring of metal loud in his ears. But by now, the realization had set in-his physical attacks were useless. No matter how well he fought, Smoker's Logia powers made him untouchable by conventional means.

Kai's teeth clenched, his head churning as Smoker continued the attack. The two clashed once more and again, weapons slapping into each other with intensity. Each of Smoker's strikes was calculated, precise, but Kai was managing to hold his own, parrying and dodging as his agility and reflexes allowed him to stand his ground.

"You're keeping up better than most," Smoker said gruffly between swings, his eyes darting momentarily to catch Kai's form and acknowledge, begrudgingly, that his opponent wasn't completely inept. But it was a compliment wrapped in venom. "Too bad it won't make a difference."

Kai heavily panted as he blocked another strike, the mere force sending a vibrating shriek through the blade binding to his grip. "You're tough I'll give you that," Kai said, smirking despite the intensity of the fight. "But it seems I've hit a little problem…"

Smoker's jitte came down once more, but this time Kai hunched underneath the swing, sidestepped to get a little distance between them. He straightened, regarding the Marine with growing comprehension. he thought to himself, "physical attacks won't work on Logia users....So i'll just do this."

Kai cast his spell. "Night Shard!"

A thin shard of night sorcery leapt from the staff and scythed through the air, slamming into the torso of Smoker. This time, the response was instant. Widening his eyes, Smoker stumbled back from it as the shard of magic tore through his smoky form, smoke around him blowing away in the impact.

Kai smirked, giving Smoker an ironic bow as the latter was still fathoming what had just occurred. "They call you…. The White Hunter, Right?" he jeered, replete with sarcasm in his tone. "Well, in that case, you'll remember the name of the Elden Lord after this."

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