The sudden appearance of the Straw Hats caused confusion among the Marines. They could not rule out the possibility that the Straw Hats intended to actively attack them, so the Marines had to proceed with caution.
Sengoku thought for a moment, then spoke decisively. "Vice-Admiral Tsuru (Little Crane) and Kizaru (Borsalino), come with me. We will go and ask them what they intend to do." Sengoku felt that the Straw Hats probably hadn't come to fight, believing they were only interested in watching the duel. However, just in case, it was the responsibility of these three high-ranking officials to stop them.
A small Marine warship then sailed toward the Thousand Sunny.
When they were about one nautical mile away, Sengoku and the others clearly saw the extremely cool and confident Straw Hat crew. At that moment, each member of the Straw Hat Pirates was holding a posture they believed looked powerful and serious. The sunglasses worn by both Luffy and Carl seemed to emanate waves of Conqueror's Haki. The resulting pressure was overwhelming. The ordinary sailors on the small warship immediately started trembling, clearly unable to withstand the intimidating aura projected by the Straw Hats.
Carl saw their reaction and was very pleased with their intimidating appearance. Still, he mused that it was somewhat less imposing than the dramatic entrance of the Supernovas when Kizaru first arrived in the original story. It would be nice to ask Kizaru for some guidance sometime, Carl thought.
"Straw Hat Luffy, what are you doing here!" Sengoku yelled loudly.
"Oh, I heard that Akainu and Aokiji were dueling, so we came to watch," Luffy replied, maintaining his imposing stance, his voice sounding serious and authoritative.
"You are not welcome here. Please leave immediately, or the Marines will take action!" Sengoku warned.
"Oh? You'll take action?" Luffy retorted. "I want to watch the duel, and no one can stop me. I'm starting to see why the Marines are so rude!" Luffy seemed to be getting into the role, directly confronting Sengoku.
However, Carl had to admit that even if it was just an act, the performance was good and put a lot of pressure on the Marines. Carl figured Luffy's acting skills had probably reached their limit, so he stepped forward and spoke. "Marshal Sengoku, please don't be so tense. You and Vice-Admiral Tsuru have been Mr. Garp's colleagues for decades. For Mr. Garp's sake, we won't try to conflict with the Marines. We just want to watch the duel. Can't we do that?"
Sengoku and Vice-Admiral Tsuru exchanged glances, and they were inclined to believe Carl's statement. After all, Carl had brought up Garp. Although the crew were pirates, Carl was Garp's grandson's captain, and they didn't think he would use Garp's name to deceive them.
Sengoku then conceded. "You may watch from a distance. Do not approach the island, and do not approach any of our warships!"
Luffy pouted. "You're really stingy! We wouldn't do anything to you. What danger is there in getting a little closer?"
Sengoku and Vice-Admiral Tsuru were speechless at Luffy's comment. Doesn't this kid realize how great the threat of an Emperor crew is? How could the Marines allow the Straw Hats to get closer to observe the battle?
In the end, the small warship did not leave but retreated a short distance and remained there to block the Straw Hats. The Straw Hats also did not press forward, instead taking out their binoculars to watch the fight.
At this time, the battle between Akainu and Aokiji had reached a fever pitch, with magma and ice constantly clashing. The two men traded blows, and the resulting destruction, with ice and magma spreading everywhere, made the island look like the end of the world. It was a terrifying sight.
"What horrifying power! This island has completely become an island of ice and fire!" Usopp's voice trembled.
"A Marine Admiral is indeed a monster. This kind of power is nothing short of a natural disaster. It's hard to imagine how many people in this sea are as strong as them, or even stronger," Brook said, his jaw dropping in shock.
The others were also shocked. Although they had seen the strength of the two Admirals during the Summit War, they had been too busy fighting to pay much attention. Seeing it up close now was truly chilling.
Carl seized this chance to start teaching. "Ahem, everyone pay attention. Akainu and Aokiji are not only incredibly powerful because of their Devil Fruits, but their Haki has also reached the highest level. The way they elementalize their Logia Devil Fruits in advance to avoid attacks shows that their Observation Haki is extremely advanced. Furthermore, applying Armament Haki to a Logia user is very difficult, because the Armament Haki cannot be used on an elemental body. The body parts using Armament Haki must be consciously restored to their solid form... "
"Akainu's 'Red Dog' (Inugami Guren) attack is extremely powerful. Be very careful if you ever encounter it. Dodge if you can, and don't try to fight recklessly."
"Don't try to take on Aokiji's 'Violent Pheasant' (Ice Pheasant). You'll either be frozen solid or knocked out..."
Carl acted as a running commentator, explaining techniques whenever he spotted something noteworthy. While everyone should ideally understand these things on their own, some crew members had not yet awakened their Haki, meaning they might not understand certain aspects of the fight, so an explanation was necessary. He also pointed out the weaknesses of the two Admirals, so the crew wouldn't be completely helpless if they encountered them in the future.
The duel continued, and no one knew how long it would last.
The Straw Hat crew decided to simply stay and watch, occasionally eating a meal while observing the fight, which made for a surprisingly pleasant time. Sengoku, Vice-Admiral Tsuru, and Kizaru could not stay there the entire time, so they took turns standing guard. Even though the Straw Hats claimed they wouldn't cause trouble, the Marines still had to remain vigilant.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the duel continued. Fortunately, the Straw Hats had not yet grown tired of watching it. Also, thanks to Carl's ongoing explanations, many crew members had gained a greater understanding of top-tier combat, making the time well spent.
Feeling bored and idle, Carl stepped onto his giant sword and flew into the air. He looked around, trying to find other people who were also watching the battle, and he soon spotted a few reporters. These reporters were probably working for Morgans, otherwise, they wouldn't dare to be so bold.
"Huh? This person is..." Carl was taken aback when he spotted a single person on a small, unassuming boat. It was a square-faced man in a purple kimono. The most striking features were his blind eyes and a gruesome scar across his forehead. This was none other than Issho, better known as Fujitora, the man who would later become a Marine Admiral through the worldwide conscription!
Seeing Fujitora smiling, Carl couldn't help but smile too. Carl had few Marines he admired, with Zephyr being one, and Fujitora being the second. Fujitora was a gentle, upright man with a strong sense of justice. He greatly valued the safety of innocent people and hated the injustice of the world. He had intentionally blinded himself because he no longer wanted to see the corruption and sin in the world! In the original story, Fujitora disregarded the so-called "Marine face" and publicly knelt with a group of Marines to apologize to the people of Dressrosa for the suffering they endured, a moment that was profoundly moving. It was impossible not to like such a person.
Carl stepped onto his giant sword and flew over to him. He was not surprised that Fujitora had come to watch the duel. Although he was blind, his Observation Haki was excellent, allowing him to perceive the duel as clearly as if he could see it. Carl believed that it was precisely because he was blind that he was better able to distinguish between true justice and injustice.
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