Sengoku had no choice.
The enemy before them was far too great—there was no way he could afford to lose Garp, one of the navy's absolute top powers.
Otherwise, even with himself, the three Admirals, and Vice Admiral Tsuru and other heavyweights, how could they not manage to suppress a single Garp inside Marineford headquarters?
But this time, the threat they faced was unlike anything before. If Garp were removed from the equation, Sengoku had no doubt—Marineford would be wiped from history.
Hearing Sengoku's words, Garp finally paused, surprise flickering across his furious expression.
"You… you'd really do something like that!?"
He knew his old friend well. If Sengoku had arrested Luffy, then logically there was no reason to let him go. Luffy was no ordinary pirate. His father was the leader of the Revolutionary Army.
Sengoku's face darkened, his voice edged with a killing intent. "And what do you expect me to do!? What brilliant plan do you have, Garp!?"
If he didn't at least promise this, he was certain Garp might actually turn against them—side by side with Whitebeard, no less.
The strongest man in the world, fighting alongside the Navy's Hero? Just the two of them would be enough to crush even the Admirals.
At that, Garp actually chuckled, clapping Sengoku on the shoulder.
"As expected of an old comrade! You're not like that brat with the magma. If you hadn't stopped me, I would've broken his arm clean off!"
Sengoku's face darkened further. "…You did break his arm. He just healed quickly, that's all."
"Bwahahaha!" Garp roared with laughter, then leaned closer and whispered, "Alright, Luffy I understand… but Ace too, eh? How about you just turn a blind eye?"
To Garp, both boys were his flesh and blood. He couldn't save one only to abandon the other.
Sengoku nearly spat blood. His whole face turned pitch black as he glared at his old friend.
This was robbery! First one grandson, then the other!?
He was only considering Luffy because he was Garp's grandson—otherwise, how could the son of the Revolutionary Army's leader ever be released!?
And Ace!? That was the son of the Pirate King. The very bloodline the world feared most.
Just as Sengoku was about to refuse flatly, his face suddenly shifted. He whipped his head toward the sea, eyes wide.
"They're… invading from there!?"
BOOOOM!!!
The calm sea erupted into chaos.
One after another, coated pirate ships burst up from beneath the waves, tearing the ocean apart in a fury of whirlpools. At the forefront was none other than the massive flagship—the Moby Dick.
"What!?"
Shock rippled through the marines, their faces pale as they stared at the colossal ship.
"They came from below the sea…?"
"I thought they'd storm us from the front!"
"This is bad—they've invaded straight into the heart of Marineford itself!"
"Is that… Whitebeard!?"
On the deck, towering like a giant, stood Whitebeard himself.
Holding his massive bisento, radiating overwhelming Haōshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki), his eyes locked on the execution platform where Izo was held.
"Izo! Your old man has come to save you!!!"
Seeing Whitebeard's massive form, hearing those words—tears instantly burst from Izo's eyes.
"Father… why would you come to save me!?"
"Don't talk nonsense!" Whitebeard bellowed with laughter.
"You are my son! How could I ever let you die here!?"
CRAAAACK!!!
Before countless horrified marine eyes, Whitebeard clenched his fist and smashed it into the very air beside him.
The space itself fractured—like cracks splintering across a giant mirror, threatening to shatter the world.
A catastrophic shockwave exploded forth.
The inner sea of Marineford erupted in titanic waves, the water surging into tsunamis dozens of meters high.
Watching the walls of water hammering toward the shore, the marines broke into cold sweat.
"This… this is the power of the world's strongest man!?"
"One punch nearly tore the sea apart! The shockwave reached even this far…"
"No wonder they call the Gura Gura no Mi (Quake-Quake Fruit) the power to destroy the world—it shattered space itself!"
Among the stunned silence, Aokiji tilted his head slightly, frowning.
"This guy… he started fighting immediately?"
Akainu and Kizaru also frowned, staring at Whitebeard with confusion.
As top powers on both sides, neither should've been the one to strike first. Whoever moved first expended their strength early—never wise in a clash of monsters.
But Kizaru's lips curled as a thought crossed his mind.
"Could it be this old man found some way to restore his body completely?"
At those words, even Tsunade and Tenten, watching from the shadows, drew sharp breaths.
If Whitebeard had truly regained his prime, his strength would be at its peak—an absolute force that could destroy the world itself.
Taking a deep breath, Aokiji shoved down the shock and spoke gravely.
"All soldiers near the shore—fall back! Something big is coming!"
The marines blinked, confused.
Something big?
Wasn't what they were seeing already big enough!?
Then they understood.
Their faces turned ashen, their bodies trembling as their eyes turned skyward—at the wall of blackness blotting out the sun.
A tsunami. A tsunami hundreds of meters tall, bearing down upon them like a mountain range of death.
It wasn't just Marineford at risk. The entire coastline was about to be swallowed.
"AAAHHHH!!!"
Those with weaker minds collapsed onto the ground, faces ghost-white as they stared up at the towering apocalypse.
"This… this is Whitebeard's true power!?"
Even the most hardened soldiers shuddered in terror.
The power of the Gura Gura no Mi…
With a single punch, Whitebeard had summoned a tsunami that could crush the very headquarters of the navy.
Meanwhile, the Whitebeard Pirates were ecstatic.
Eyes burning with fanaticism, they cheered wildly, raising their weapons and voices to their "old man."
"…Hmph."
Aokiji exhaled softly, his figure flashing forward.
In an instant, he was at the center point of the falling tsunami walls.
Spreading his arms wide, he unleashed his power with a cold shout:
"Hyōga Seigyō!!! (Ice Age!!!)"
CRACK!!!
In an instant, the titanic waves froze solid.
What had been roaring walls of death became towering mountains of ice—an eternal frozen sculpture sealing Whitebeard's attack.
(End of Chapter)
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