The high-ranking Marines were all rapidly processing the situation in their minds, especially Sengoku, who had to calmly consider the overall picture.
Based on the current situation, the pirates could generally be divided into two groups.
The first was naturally the Whitebeard Pirates.
The second was the Straw Hat Pirates alliance.
The second point was a conclusion Sengoku had reached after careful thought.
From a motivational perspective, the Beasts Pirates had no reason to make such a grand appearance to rescue Ace.
Yet they had come anyway.
There was only one explanation: they were here to help the Straw Hat Pirates.
Among those 30,000-plus pirates, only the Straw Hat crew had the motivation to rescue Ace. Judging by the Beasts Pirates' fearless behavior, they were now most likely become a subordinates of the Straw Hat Pirates.
After reaching this conclusion, Sengoku felt extremely heavy-hearted.
He had already witnessed Luffy's strength, while impressive, it alone couldn't possibly command the Beasts Pirates' allegiance.
Only one person could achieve the feat of subduing the Beasts Pirates: Ray, the one who had killed Kaido.
And with the news of Ray's death circulating, the Beasts Pirates still followed the Straw Hat crew—what did that signify?
Sengoku suddenly felt his throat go dry!
Ray was most likely still alive, and he was the one who had ordered the Beasts Pirates to join this battle.
'This...'
He immediately analyzed the current matchups between the top fighters of both sides.
Akainu was keeping an eye on Whitebeard while also dealing with Luffy, who was charging straight toward him.
Aokiji went to stop the Wolf Girl of the Beasts Pirates, who was accompanied by the Three Calamities.
One Admiral against four Yonko commanders—impossible to win quickly and with a slight misstep, he might even lose.
As for Kizaru, he was already restrained by the "Dark King," Rayleigh.
Sengoku knew Rayleigh well, though old, he could easily hold off Kizaru for hours.
If all three Admirals were tied up, no one would be left to stop the pirates' top fighters: Marco the Phoenix, Buggy the Clown, "Diamond" Jozu, Vista, Crocodile, and Jinbe.
Who would stop them?
The elite Vice Admirals were no match for these fighters—only the Admiral Candidates could handle them.
But both Momousagi and Chaton were already severely injured.
The Shichibukai? No chance with Moria.
Boa Hancock had been slacking off the whole time, it was clear she wouldn't fight seriously for the Marines.
Mihawk? Another slacker.
Sighing, Sengoku rubbed his temples in frustration.
The Marines' combat power was stretched thin, and the enemy still had Ray, who hadn't even appeared yet.
Only Sengoku and Garp could handle Ray, and they'd most likely still lose.
"Fuck me.."
After much deliberation, Sengoku decided to call Kong.
They needed to borrow some personnel from the Cipher Pol organizations for support.
...
The five-kilometer distance from the bay entrance to the inner wall took Luffy less than two minutes to cover at full speed.
Just as he was about to break through, a massive magma fist appeared before him.
But Luffy refused to back down.
To save Ace, he was going all out!
In his Gear Fourth: Bounce-Man form, he utilized both Ryuo and advanced Conqueror's Haki.
"King Kong Gun!"
A massive collision erupted as Luffy's Haki clashed with Akainu's magma fist from a distance.
Using the force of the impact, Luffy retreated backward, hovering in the air with Gear Fourth's elasticity.
"Get out of my way! I have to save Ace!" an urgent Luffy roared at Akainu.
Standing atop the inner city wall, Akainu was so furious upon hearing this that he laughed instead.
"You commit crimes yet openly demand that I, an enforcer of the law, step aside? Straw Hat Luffy, are you an idiot?"
Hearing Akainu's words, Luffy looked utterly confused. "Right now, I just want to save Ace. Get out of my way, or I'll hurt you!"
To Akainu, such words were incredibly naive.
Without further ado, he decided to eliminate Luffy right here.
So what if he was Garp's grandson? All pirates must die!
"Dai Funka!"
A magma fist infused with Haki surged toward Luffy once more.
"Gomu Gomu no Leo Bazooka!"
Their attacks collided, flashing with red and black lightning. Then, Luffy and Akainu resumed their brawl, exchanging blow for blow.
This scene left the Marines on the inner city walls utterly stunned.
"He can fight evenly with an Admiral?"
"Has the Straw Hat Kid reached Yonko level too?!"
"This is terrible. With all three Admirals held back, who will stop Whitebeard?"
In the eyes of the Marines now, the Straw Hat Pirates were even more terrifying than the Whitebeard Pirates.
Everyone holding back the three Admirals was from the Straw Hat alliance.
"Does that mean the entire Whitebeard Pirates crew is now free?"
"What do we do? Will the others have to step in?" The Vice Admirals discussed the situation among themselves, while the other Marine soldiers were pushed to their psychological limits.
But the next moment, the breath they had been holding in their chests suddenly released.
Straw Hat Luffy was struck by Akainu's fist, spitting blood as he landed on the Seastone city wall.
Though only lightly injured, he had completely lost the ability to move.
Akainu immediately gave the order. "Non-Devil Fruit officers, apprehend him!"
"Yes, Admiral Sakazuki!"
The Marines were overjoyed.
It seemed they still had an Admiral capable of holding off Whitebeard, coupled with Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp stationed at the rear.
They would not lose!
Half a minute later, two ordinary Vice Admirals arrived below the Seastone city wall, pulling out handcuffs also made of Seastone, ready to clamp them onto Luffy's wrists.
Suddenly, a black shadow appeared before Luffy at a speed invisible to the naked eye.
His feet glowing red as he kicked the two Vice Admirals away.
Sanji had arrived!
With his awakened exoskeleton, he was now the fastest member of the Straw Hat crew.
Among the Marines, only Kizaru might surpass him in speed. But this was merely Sanji's speculation; the truth would only be known after a fight with him.
The black-clad cook activated his Shunpo, carrying Luffy away from the Seastone city wall.
With a few flashes, he headed toward the location of the other Straw Hat crew members.
Akainu did not give chase.
At the very least, he knew his speed was no match for that subordinate of the Straw Hat Kid.
But the killing intent in his eyes as he looked toward the Straw Hat Pirates grew stronger and stronger!
"Black Leg" Sanji, with a bounty ranked after Ray, Luffy, and Zoro, was the fourth highest in the Straw Hat crew.
But judging by his performance just now, even elite Vice Admirals were no match for him.
If he was also skilled in Haki, Sanji's true strength might have reached the level of an Admiral Candidate.
If that were truly the case, it would be disastrous.
This pirate crew had become a major threat on the battlefield!
...
At a gun battery base on the harbor platform, Zoro simply swung a sword slash, cleaving the massive, ten-meter-tall cannon into two pieces.
The entire gun battery base was split in half as well.
Soon after, Robin activated her Flower-Flower Fruit ability, instantly tossing all the Marines inside the base onto the icy battlefield below.
Whether they lived or died would depend on their luck.
This was war, and the Straw Hat crew's approach could already be considered merciful.
Just after destroying one of the artillery bases, Zoro and the others were preparing to advance further when they saw Sanji bringing Luffy over.
Freed from the Seastone wall, Luffy had fully regained his mobility.
He roared, eager to charge forward again, but as expected, his companions gave him a good beating.
Sanji lit a cigarette and sighed helplessly as he commented on Luffy's recklessness.
"There are still 40 minutes until Ace's execution, and it'll take us at most 15 minutes to break through from the side. Destroying the artillery bases along the way will also help ease the pressure on the battlefield below. There's no need to go all out against an Admiral."
Hearing this, Luffy let out a sigh and agreed that they had no other choice.
He had finally faced reality—he was still no match for an Admiral.
...
Meanwhile, Aokiji had also engaged in battle with Yamato and the Three Calamities.