However, they were peaceful and comfortable on their side, having entered a sweet dream.
But the Marines were suffering immensely; at this moment, everyone on the entire Marine fleet was furious, and many were practically flying into a rage.
What a crew, truly what a crew
having just suffered a devastating defeat, both the Marines who participated personally and those who came for support were miserable.
After all, this was an unprecedented massive defeat in Marine history, and counting previous incidents, the Marines had already lost count of how many times they had been defeated by the Pink Hat Pirates.
Fortunately, on the way back to Marineford after the crushing defeat, although the Marines were still at a disadvantage this time, their Marine hero, Garp, the pillar supporting the sky, still stood firm.
He brought the Marines final hope and confidence, as if telling the world that Vice Admiral Garp had not lost this war, and the Marines' defeat this time was only temporary.
However, just recently, when their Marine hero returned to his warship to rest, he was actually attacked by villains.
If it weren't for the Marine communication soldiers and the Marine Soldier on Garp's warship reporting in time, and the Marine powerhouses noticing promptly, those four villains might actually have succeeded.
At the same time, the Marines truly almost lost Garp, their mainstay.
Furthermore, if Garp had truly been killed, it would undoubtedly be a heavy blow to the Marines; setting aside the loss of a Yonko-level combatant, the Marines' overall strength would certainly be greatly diminished.
Moreover, many current Marines deeply admire Garp, and if the news of his death spread, it would absolutely be a collapse of faith for these Marines.
In short, for the Marines, if Garp had truly died, the disadvantages were far too numerous.
But they were also extremely fortunate that these criminals did not succeed.
Even though this incident failed, it still infuriated the entire Marine force beyond measure.
Tokikake and Black Horse, the two men who had not eaten a Devil Fruit, immediately jumped into the sea and rescued Garp.
The Marine powerhouses, swift as the wind, quickly brought Garp back onto the warship, then carefully placed him on a mobile medical bed and escorted him into the previous conference room.
The doctors, who had been summoned earlier, acted like well-trained soldiers, immediately dedicating themselves to Garp's treatment, addressing both the symptoms of drowning and the gruesome, terrifying slash wound on his chest.
While several doctors focused entirely on treating Garp in the conference room, all the Marine powerhouses who had attended the previous meeting
Staff Officer Tsuru, Momousagi, Tokikake, Black Horse, and the Three Admirals of the Navy, Aokiji, Kizaru, and Akainu
sat steadily in their seats.
On the surface, they appeared calm and composed, like an undisturbed lake, but the fine beads of sweat on their foreheads, like glistening dew drops, betrayed their inner anxiety.
Even Akainu, the iron-blooded Admiral, was no exception; after all, he knew deeply that, especially after this heart-stopping battle, the Marines truly could not afford the price of losing Garp right now.
However, when the doctors gingerly used tweezers and other tools to remove Garp's shirt, revealing the two gruesome slash marks deeply cut into his flesh, all the Marine officers and soldiers couldn't help but gasp
this was too ruthless!
Momousagi, in particular, was already a renowned Great Swordsman, and while she was deeply worried about Garp, she was also incredibly astonished.
Because to inflict such a terrifying wound
a cut that went deep into the flesh, nearly exposing the bone
against a peerless powerhouse like Garp, who had cultivated his Haki to the pinnacle of perfection, was astonishing.
She had only witnessed such fierce swordsmanship from two people, but now it seemed that the man dressed in a black robe, whose face was half-covered by an eye patch yet still couldn't hide his handsome appearance, had likely also reached this transcendent level.
"The person who wounded Mr. Garp, I dare say, in terms of swordsmanship, is probably in no way inferior to Shanks and Hawk Eyes," Momousagi said, her face filled with shock and looking grim.
Her shock was naturally due to the emergence of another peerless, top-tier Great Swordsman; her grim expression, however, was because this Great Swordsman was now irreconcilably opposed to the Marines and had completely taken a hostile stance.
"What?" Hearing this, the Marines present were thunderstruck, every one of them gaping in astonishment.
They knew deeply that the swordsmanship of Shanks and Hawk Eyes Mihawk was terrifyingly ghostly, and its profound secrets were unfathomable.
Yet, among the four people who attacked Garp this time, there was actually such a Great Swordsman! How could this not leave people utterly astonished?
"It is indeed possible. If it were me, I would probably also find it difficult to cut through Mr. Garp's Haki," Kizaru said after a moment of contemplation, and with that, the voices of doubt among the Marines grew scarce.
After all, Kizaru and the others knew that besides the power of the Glint-Glint Fruit, he was also a powerhouse with exquisite swordsmanship.
"In fact, even I couldn't achieve that. But back then, Silvers Rayleigh and Pirate King Roger might have been able to, though it wouldn't have been easy, as Mr. Garp was in his prime back then. But if we talk about now..." Bogard murmured softly from the side.
At this point, the Marines could no longer doubt that the enemy truly possessed a Great Swordsman not inferior to the level of Shanks and Hawk Eyes.
It was the man with one eye covered; their eyesight was excellent, and they had clearly witnessed all four individuals.
"Cough, cough, cough."
Following a few coughs, Garp's voice was heard. It turned out that while the others were talking, thanks to the careful treatment of the doctors and Garp's own astonishing recovery ability, he had finally woken up.
After all, compared to the slash wound, Garp had suffered more from drowning this time.
"There are no major issues now; he just needs quiet rest, and the chest wound will require some time to heal," the doctors quickly moved away from Garp's side, and one of the leading old doctors turned around, saying with a relieved smile, his words signifying that Garp was out of danger.
Upon hearing this, the Navy High Command immediately felt relieved, and bright smiles instantly bloomed on their faces.
Garp immediately opened his eyes, but he was still very weak.
"Garp, are you alright?" Staff Officer Tsuru, his old comrade, immediately stepped forward and asked with concern.
"Haha, I'm fine, I can still handle it, but I didn't expect to be ambushed. I really don't know when those people sneaked onto my ship," Garp said with a faint smile, yet the smile looked bitter, especially when he reached the end of his sentence.
"Mr. Garp, do you know the background of those people?" Aokiji stepped forward and asked, his concern evident.
Garp had taken great care of him in the past, and he deeply respected this elder; among the Three Admirals, only Aokiji showed such reverence for his teacher.
Otherwise, Aokiji would not have let Luffy and his crew go earlier.
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