"I'll come too."
Crane's voice echoed calmly, but with a resolve that froze the battlefield.
The veterans—Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr—turned in surprise.
She had remained silent, watching the battle from the sidelines with the Op-Op Fruit in hand, fulfilling her assigned mission.
But now, something had changed.
Ayr's strength had shaken her.
Not just his power—but his potential.
And even though Ayr hadn't reached a point where he could kill them in an instant... she now understood: he would, eventually.
"Crane, your mission is to return with the Op-Op Fruit—not to engage in this dangerous battle!" Garp shouted, his tone unusually urgent.
The mission was clear. The World Government had ordered the return of the fruit at all costs.
Even if the three of them—legends of Marine Headquarters—were to fall in this confrontation, it would be worth it so long as the fruit remained out of Ayr's hands.
But as Crane watched the fight unfold, her resolve wavered.
Her mind returned to her decades of camaraderie with Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr.
And she realized—she could not abandon them.
"Yeah, Crane," Zephyr added, glancing back at her, "Ayr may be a monster, but the three of us can hold him off. You don't need to risk yourself!"
But Crane shook her head.
"After everything we've seen, everything we've faced… I know what I must do. Today, I'm not a strategist. I'm your comrade."
They had expected her to leave once they began fighting.
She should have escaped with the Op-Op Fruit while they stalled Ayr.
But she hadn't taken a single step.
Crane had stood in silence, weighing everything—and watching Ayr.
His power wasn't just dangerous.
It was growing.
Ayr's Conqueror's Haki, his swordsmanship, and the eerie dark aura surrounding him—it was too much.
Even that single strike of black sword energy had injured all three admirals, and the next one could very well kill them.
And if they failed—if Ayr took the Op-Op Fruit—he would become immortal.
That single outcome… would change the balance of the world forever.
"If we win, then Marine Headquarters will have taken down the most dangerous man alive," Sengoku said solemnly.
"And if we fall... then so be it."
Even if the World Government unleashed its entire might, not even Imu, the mythical sovereign of the throne, might be able to defeat what Ayr could become.
They were standing on the edge of a global shift.
This battle would not only determine the fate of the Op-Op Fruit, but the future of the world.
"Crane! Get out of here while you can!" Garp roared once more.
"No."
Her reply was calm—but absolute.
She took a step forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with them.
"I've thought it through. I'm not leaving," she said. "We either defeat Ayr together, or the four of us fall here together."
The three men were stunned.
They had made peace with dying today. They believed their sacrifice would give her enough time to escape.
But now, that plan was gone.
"Even if we all fall, we'll make sure Ayr can't reach the future he wants!" Zephyr shouted.
"Let's go then! No holding back!" Sengoku nodded, lifting his fists once more.
They all knew what this meant.
Ayr could still choose to retreat, to vanish into the shadows of the sea.
But if he chose to fight, if he stayed—then this would be a war that would echo through history.
They turned back to face him.
Ayr, the man with limitless potential, the shadow of the future, stood calmly, blade in hand, with a silent smirk.
This was it.
Four Marine legends vs. the future monster of the world.
And the world would never be the same.
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