"Luffy-san..." Koby steeled his resolve and began walking toward Luffy.
On a battlefield of this scale, he and Helmeppo were little more than cannon fodder. He had once boldly declared to Luffy that he would become a Marine Admiral, yet now he found himself lacking even the courage to step into the fray. How could he ever face Luffy again?
Ignoring Helmeppo's frantic cries, Koby finally reached the center of the plaza.
"Luffy-san..."
"Koby..." Luffy was slightly surprised to see him, but he quickly read the determination in Koby's expression.
With a faint smirk, Luffy lunged forward. No words were needed; everything was expressed through action!
"Gomu Gomu no..."
Luffy leaped into the air, throwing a powerful punch.
"Pistol!"
"Soru!" Koby vanished instantly, leaving the punch to strike only air.
Luffy concentrated, sensing every movement around him. Koby struck from the left, but Luffy spun, evading the blow, and countered with a heavy right hand to Koby's face.
BANG! The punch sent Koby skidding back. Luffy didn't pause to watch; he was immediately swarmed by another wave of Marines.
"KOBY!!" Helmeppo, who had been watching from the sidelines with his heart in his throat, rushed to his friend's side. He collapsed beside him, wailing, "Koby! Koby! Don't you die on me!"
"That damn Straw Hat, he didn't hold back at all..."
Slowly, Koby opened his eyes.
"Koby!" Helmeppo pulled him into a tight embrace. "Thank god you're okay... but Straw Hat really went for it, didn't he?"
"I'm still too weak," Koby muttered, his heart filled with regret but his resolve burning brighter than ever. "I have to get stronger! I will become a Marine Admiral and show him!"
"Right!" Helmeppo cheered. Though they had started as reluctant partners, their time under Garp's tutelage had forged a bond of absolute trust. They were brothers in arms, and they would chase their dreams together.
KABOOM!!
The focus shifted back to the center of the storm: the duel between Whitebeard and Garp.
Every exchange between them was a masterclass in peak combat. Even Sengoku had stepped back to watch this clash of titans. He knew the situation had spiraled. Whitebeard wasn't just "healed"—he was faster, more agile, and more powerful than he had been in years.
This was the miracle of the Senzu Bean. The decades of accumulated internal damage had vanished. Whitebeard felt a primal urge to unleash his full strength; the sensation of being "young" again was an intoxicating rush.
In this entire world, the only one who can match me now... is you, Garp!
Sengoku watched with a grim expression. He knew that even an Admiral would struggle to stand against Whitebeard's current output. This wasn't the old man they had planned to execute. This was a man with the speed and power of his prime.
"Gurararara!"
"Whitebeard! I am a Marine! As long as I draw breath, you will not run wild in Marineford!" Garp's fists were coated in a dense, obsidian Armament Haki as he traded blows with the Emperor's blade.
"The old man's Sword Saint cultivation is no joke," Drake thought, teleporting to safety while watching the two legends tear the island apart. This was a collision of powers that only occurred once in a decade.
"Heh heh heh..."
Donquixote Doflamingo watched the spectacle, his eyes gleaming behind his shades. "It just keeps getting better. I wonder how this era is going to evolve... I can't wait to see it..."
"Hero Monkey D. Garp... he really lives up to the name," the other Warlords noted, mesmerized. Garp had always seemed like a harmless, eccentric old man, but they were now seeing why he was a legend. Since Roger's death and Shiki's capture, Garp hadn't needed to go all out—until today.
"You haven't lost a step, Garp!" Whitebeard roared as they clashed.
Garp's face was solemn. "Whitebeard, to think you still possessed such strength."
"Hmph..." Whitebeard smirked. "I want Teach's head. Hand him over to me, and I will withdraw. You know as well as I do that you can no longer stop us from leaving."
Whitebeard was right. With his health restored, the Whitebeard Pirates had the momentum to break the blockade. Sengoku and Garp both knew it.
"We can give you Blackbeard," Sengoku suddenly spoke up.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku!" the Marines gasped. Handing over a pirate was one thing—Teach was an enemy to them too—但 agreeing to Whitebeard's terms felt like a surrender.
"But we want Ace!"
The Marines breathed a sigh of relief at Sengoku's caveat.
"Hmm?" Whitebeard's eyes narrowed, and his Commanders bristled with hostility. Hand over Ace? They had come across the world to save him; there was no scenario where they would give him back.
"Gurararara!" Whitebeard laughed toward the heavens before his gaze turned cold. "Whitebeard Pirates, FULL RETREAT!"
"Marco, execute the traitor Teach on the spot!"
"Understood." Marco's blue wings unfurled as he streaked toward the fallen Blackbeard.
At Whitebeard's command, the pirate fleet began to move, ships turning to navigate away from the bay. The Commanders took their positions, some holding back the Marine pursuit, others protecting the vessels.
"Kizaru, destroy their ships!" Sengoku ordered.
"On it."
But the moment Kizaru moved, Whitebeard intercepted him. He hoisted Murakumogiri, his eyes glowing with a faint red light.
He swung the blade through the air.
Trailing arcs of dark red lightning, Whitebeard's aura shifted instantly. He stood like a god of war emerging from a blood-soaked abyss.
BOOM!
The strike didn't even need to touch Kizaru physically; the pressure alone sent the Admiral flying backward.
CRACK-BOOM!
The air around the impact zone solidified.
Conqueror's Infusion!!
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