Hiccup knew just how dangerous Hawkeye was, but he kept running towards him despite this.
'I don't have time to fight a strong opponent; my priority has to be rescuing Ace,' he said.
To that end, he instantly transformed into his Beta Form, hoping the extra speed would give him an edge.
"Beta Mode!" he yelled.
He then suddenly vanished right before Hawkeye, but somehow, he was able to keep up with his movements.
Mala, meanwhile, was still fighting against Kuma, who justified yet another laser blast. At first, it looked as if the blast hit her, but she jumped out of the smoke, looking perfectly fine.
"Death Wink!" she yelled.
Kuma fired off another laser, and they were attacked and clashed, cancelling each other out. Kuma continued to fire more lasers at her.
"Galaxy Wink!" Mala yelled, multiplying herself and unleashing her shockwave attack.
The two of them appeared evenly matched, but Mala saw Hiccup running across the ice.
'That is Hiccup Haddock; keep your focus on your brother and keep moving forward,' she said. 'You let us handle the rest.'
Two swordsmen from New Kama then charged at Hawkeye.
"Don't worry, we've got him!"
"Hey, Hawkeye, remember the time we challenge you?"
"Well, here comes a blast from the past to kick your smug ass!"
"We're powered up as New Kamas, and you're going to feel it
However, Hawkeye raised his sword and cut them down without a second thought.
"I don't remember you," he said without looking at them. "Your worms, a long line of them."
His eyes then turned to the rest of the battlefield, and he focused on Hiccup.
"Almost there," said Hiccup as he looked at the wall. "I need to keep going and don't look back."
Hawkeye swung his sword and unleashed a powerful slashing attack at Hiccup. It was so powerful that it began cutting through the battlefield and making contact.
"You're still in range," said Hawkeye.
Thankfully, the attack managed to graze him, but he had difficulty stabilising his footing and slid across the ice before crashing into the wall, creating what appeared to be a giant crater.
"He got me," Hiccup winced.
Jinbe then arrived, surprising Hawkeye. "Only Ace's brother could survive that attack. Anyone else would have been sliced clean in half."
"The turncoat, Jinbe," said Hawkeye.
"I'm going to make sure that is the last time you so much as touch Hiccup," Jinbe vowed. "Even if it costs me my life."
Hawkeye stared at him. "Why? Why are you doing this?"
"For one, I do not want to see Ace get murdered. And I would love to have a peaceful sea for a change. It may be too late to avoid the war we've gotten ourselves into now, but there is still hope." His head then turned towards Hiccup. "Namely, in that daring kid over there."
Hiccup was currently trying to free himself from the rubble.
"Hope you say," said Hawkeye. "We will see what fate lies in store for him." He then raised his sword. "But as for you, I'd step back."
Jinbe did the exact opposite and took up a fighting stance. "Fishman Karate!"
The Marines had all the cannons pointed at Jinbe and fired upon him.
"Brick Fist!" Jinbe yelled, swinging his fist.
The cannibals that had headed straight towards and then froze in their tracks. Hawkeye then swung his sword, slicing right through them, causing them to explode.
"Sharkskin Palm Thrust!" Jinbe yelled as he thrust his palm, blowing away the smoke. In so doing so, it revealed Hawkeye was charging straight at him. He then clenched his fist. "Sharkskin Brick Fist!"
Hawkeye thrust her sword forward, and their two attacks clashed, but Hawkeye's attack proved more devastating. Jinbe was sent flying into the air and crashed right through the ice before sinking into the depths of the sea.
"That guy is a monster," said Hiccup, who had seen everything.
Mala then saw Hawkeye leaping high into the air directly over Hiccup. "He's going in for the kill!"
Hawkeye his sword downwards and began to plunge straight down right on top of Hiccup. Fortunately, Hiccup managed to free himself at the last moment, rolled to safety and then quickly put some distance between the two of them.
Hiccup grimaced; he knew he could just charge in recklessly, as Hawkeye was indeed a master swordsman. If he made one wrong move, he would be sliced in two, and he suspected that his long-range attacks were just as useless.
"I can't be reckless, not with him," said Hiccup.
"Good instincts," Hawkeye acknowledged.
He swung his sword without hesitation; Hiccup quickly leaned back, causing the swords to pass over him. Everyone on the battlefield could feel Hawkeye's slash, and everyone stopped the attack sword right over their heads. Everyone stared in shock as the attack sliced right through the top of the frozen tsunami.
"Okay, a sword should not do that."
"Can we please call that thing anything other than a sword?"
"He's definitely earned that World Stronger Swordsman title," Gustav gulped.
"He's stronger than a mountain of ice?" Sven whimpered. "There's no way Dragon is going to survive, not if he's fighting him."
The Marines are more concerned with the large chunks of ice falling straight towards them on the Navy ships.
"That's why you don't slice through icebergs!"
The massive ice chunk of water caused massive waves, and the Marines on the Navy ships were desperate to make sure they didn't capsize. The Marines were so focused on the ice that they failed to notice Buggy sneaking up behind.
"Baby footsteps," Buggy whispered as he climbed to the ice. He then looked down at his followers. "Okay, you guys ready? Time to put Operation: Make Captain Buggy Look Like A Badass In Front Of The World in action. The Navy loves propaganda, so I'm sure they're broadcasting the war. We just got to find a video transponder snail. Let's go!"
"Yeah!" they cheered silently.
Mr 3 just shook his head. "It's shocking how easy it is to encourage them with such great directions."
Viggo and Johann were still talking, and poor Sven was forced to listen.
"So you want to team up?" said Viggo, narrowing his eyes. "Nonsense."
"Why not?" Johann asked. "The reign of these antiquated geriatric pirates like Stoick is coming to an end. He is the last of them."
Sven growled angrily, but there was nothing he could do, not when he was in Johann's power.
"We are on the brink of a new era, and it belongs to us. An era where all that matters is what power you wield. Sounds appealing, right? You know you want a piece of it."
Viggo just stood there in silence.
"Oh, come on, now I can tell you're intrigued," said Johann. "Sure, technically, you have been stripped of your title, but when you get down to it, we're both Warlords at heart, aren't we?"
"Stop looking at me like you're my equal because you're far from it," Viggo glared. "If anything, you should be begging to work for me."
Johann merely smiled. "Well then, and here I thought you had been humbled by prison, but not even Impel Down can dent you."
"You got that right; I've heard enough talk," said Viggo, raising his hand and conjuring up a small sandstorm. "Get lost you jackal!"
A sandstorm erupted and consumed Sven and Johann, but Johann somehow somersaulted out of the sandstorm's range.
"I thought you could be reasoned with, but I was obviously mistaken," said Johann.
Buggy and his followers were sneaking across the battlefield, and the Marines and pirates were so focused on fighting each other that they failed to notice them.
"These dumb jar heads don't notice you if you don't try to fight them," Buggy smiled. "We could just breathe through."
He laughed, but then he heard a noise behind him, and moments later, he was swept up by a massive sandstorm.
"This is not a breeze!" Buggy yelled.
"No, Captain Buggy!"
"He literally got sucked into someone else's fight!" Mr 3 stared.
Astrid, meanwhile, was still fighting against Smoker.
"Your loyalty to your captain is moving," said Smoker.
"Hiccup saved my village when the Navy failed. Of course, he has my loyalty!" Astrid spat. "You Marines claim to be the good guys that you fight injustice, but you're just as crooked as the pirates you fight, and at least they're honest about it!"
The two of them began swinging their weapons, trying to overpower the other.
"I won't deny that there are some crooked Marines within our ranks, but you pirates are one of the main causes for that corruption."
"Yet ever since I became a pirate, I've done a lot more good than you Marines," Astrid glared.
"You call burning down Enies Lobby good?"
"We were just trying to rescue a friend; besides, it was you Marines above the island down on us. Not to mention, your precious World Government attempted to assassinate a man while framing us. Is that justice?"
Smoker just remained silent.
"So this silence is your answer?" Astrid roared.
Hiccup, meanwhile, was facing Hawkeye, doing his best not to be cut in two by his mighty sword. It was only thanks to his Beta Form that he was able to dodge him, but even then, it was very close.
"You'll never make it to your brother in time," said Hawkeye as he swung his sword. Hiccup dodged the swinging thing and moved closer, hoping to get inside his guard. "You shall perish after all."
Buggy was still trapped within Viggo's tornado.
"Just breezing through, nothing strange here!" he yelled.
Hiccup moved in to deal a decisive blow to Hawkeye.
"There's no denying that his fighting skills have improved," Hawkeye acknowledged. "But I've already seen all his moves. There is no chance I'll miss again. Not from such a close distance."
At that point, Viggo's sand tornado, still carrying Buggy and his followers, arrived on the scene.
"Don't remind me?" Buggy yelled. "Just passing on through!"
Hiccup then quickly jumped up into the air to grab him.
"Nice save," Buggy smiled.
Hiccup then used him as a human shield, just as Hawkeye swung his sword, slicing him in two. Fortunately, he was perfectly fine. He immediately turned his torso and grabbed Hiccup furiously.
"What's wrong with you?!" he roared. "I'll die!"
Hiccup looked at him blankly. "Don't tell me you forgot your own Devil Fruit power? You can be cut into into square chunks and still be alive."
"And what makes even you can use me as a human shield without my permission?" Buggy yelled.
"Since when do pirates ask permission?" Hiccup asked.
"Uh, good point."
Hiccup then tossed his torso at Hawkeye, who sliced into ribbons with his sword in seconds. Then, just a few seconds later, Buggy pulled himself together.
"All right! Enough!" Buggy yelled. "Your sword is not working! Suffer the special Buggy Ball!"
Buggy fired off one of his special balls for his legs a minute at Hawkeye. However, he merely deflected the ball with his sword, and it bounced back towards Buggy.
"Or maybe not," Buggy gulped.
The moment it made contact with Buggy, it exploded in his face.
"Now, my chance to get away," said Hiccup as he ran off.
"We're not done!" Hawkeye yelled.
He swung his sword, launching another slash attack at Hiccup, blowing him away.
Gobber turned to Flashburn. "Flashburn, Stoick doesn't want Hiccup to get killed. Go and back him up!"
"Certainly," said Flashburn as he rushed in. "I shall make haste."
Hawkeye was awarding coming in for the kill and swung his sword at Hiccup. However, Flahburn's dual blades blocked him.
"We meet at last," said Hawkeye. "Your reputation precedes you, Flashburn the Flashmater."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, too," Flashburn grinned. "I am thrilled that you have heard of me."
"You can drop the false modesty."
Hiccup reverted back to his human form and hit the ground.
"Flashburn?" Hiccup gasped.
'I see Dragon's true strength,' said Hawkeye, not taking his eyes off Hiccup.
"Go, Hiccup, leave this foe to me," said Flashburn.
Hiccup nodded and ran off. "Good luck."
Flashburn and Hawkeye then separated before moving in for another clash. The two of them kept swinging the sword's deflecting blow after blow; they appeared to be evenly matched. However, despite all this, Hawkeye could still cast his eye upon Hiccup and watched as he headed towards the wall.
'It has nothing to do with physical strength; its power is to rally those around him,' said Hawkeye. 'Friends and former enemies alike, even those who have different goals.'
"That's the spirit, Hiccup Haddock! Keep running!" Mala called.
"At least he got past, Hawkeye," said Jinbe as he pulled himself out on the water.
"Hiccup, save your brother!" said Atali.
"You can do it!" Astrid smiled.
Several Marines attempted to stop Hiccup, but he overpowered them and kept moving.
"Out of my way!" he yelled.
'Of all the people seeking to conquer the sea, he may possess the greatest talent of all,' Hawkeye acknowledged.
"Ace!" Hiccup yelled.
Buggy and his followers fell from the sky because of Buggy's ball.
"Not again!" Mr 3 moaned as they crashed into the ice.
"That damn Dragon," Buggy moaned. "You will pay for this."
On the other hand, his followers seemed enthusiastic despite the circumstances.
"Once again, you have proven how amazing you are."
"You let Hawkeye think he had beaten you, but in reality, you got exactly what he wanted."
Buggy looked at them, confused. "What do you mean?"
One of his followers then grabbed his torso. "Don't be so coy. You did it, captain!"
Buggy's eyes widened when he saw he was holding a video transponder snail in his hands. "A video transponder snail?!"
He instantly pulled himself together and smiled proudly at his followers. "Uh, yeah, that was definitely my plan. But did you expect anything less from the man who's going to rule the world?"
He then laughed triumphantly while his followers cheered.
"We'll follow you until the end of time, Captain Buggu!"
"Shhh," Buggy hissed, reminding them they had to be silent.
His followers then cheered very quietly.
"Now, this is where the important part starts," said Buggy.
Mr 3 just shook his head. "I wish the universe would stop encouraging him."
It was becoming clear to everyone that Ace's planned execution was shaking the world. The execution had even started, and already, there were several world-breaking incidences. Naturally, it all began when Hiccup freed over 200 inmates from Impel Down, and some influential prisoners took a leading role in the war.
"Fleet Admiral, everything has been arranged," said a Marine.
"The bay is fully prepared as well?" Sander asked.
"Yes, sir. We're all set."
The people watching the war at Sabaoday watching with bated breath, wondering what the next world-shattering revelation would be. They soon got their answer as executioners began to take their place on the scaffold. The two of them raise their blades in a cross formation before Ace.
"What?! They're already preparing for the execution?"
"Hold on, is this really happening?"
"This is ridiculous. Why would they announce that I change it at the last minute?
Stoick's forces were also aware of this sudden change in the schedule.
"Those bastards! They're pushing up the schedule, aren't they? Men, we don't have much time!"
Sander looked at the Marines. "Cut the feed! Kill every single video broadcast out of this place! As representatives of the Navy and the World Government, we're fighting to preserve the righteous cause of absolute justice, and we must prevail. Even if that means stepping over the line, it's too much for this naive world to understand, let alone see. There is no reason to submit innocent civilians to the horrific imagery we are about to unfold."
Stoick's forces were now dashing towards the wall as quickly as possible.
"Move faster!"
"Looks like they really are going to execute Ace ahead of schedule," said Hiccup.
"The only news that shall be spread around the world after this war is of our victory, and the details are irreverent," said Sander.
Within moments, several explosions erupted around the pirate ships.
"They're attacking our ships!"
"Look at the bay head. There's something out there!"
They saw figures within the smoke, and then suddenly, lasers shot out of it.
"Pretty sure they're not on our side. The Navy must have found a way to get some reinforcement around the ice walls somehow."
"But are they Admirals? I mean, these guys are blowing up ships. Shouldn't they be upfront?"
Then, they saw movement within the smoke as the shadowy figures stepped out into the open. Everyone was utterly stunned, and merging from the smoke was a whole army of Kumas.
"Is that—?"
"What the hell are they?"
Stoick frowned when he saw them. "Of course. I was wondering when I would catch a glimpse of the Government's human weapons."
"It's those robots that look like Kuma," said Hiccup. "You have to be more of them, but I didn't think there would be this many."
Mala looked at the Kumas and looked back at the original, perplexed. "What is going on here?"
An hour and a half had passed, and the war began. The Navy had plans to end it in one strike. With this credible push, the tide of the battle once again changed and began to enter its final stages.
"I am tired of waiting," said Sachihiro, who was standing in front of the Kumas. "Let's get this done! Go out there and make me proud."