"Look! That's Whitebeard's First Division Commander, Marco!"
"They say Marco's strength is no weaker than an Admiral!"
"A Yonko Commander really is terrifying!"
"What are you scared of? The Marines have the Admirals backing them!"
Sharp vines collided violently against flaming phoenix claws. Blue flames exploded outward as a terrifying shockwave spread across the plaza.
The invisible impact shattered the ground beneath them. Cracks spread in every direction while chunks of stone rose into the air.
A violent gust swept through the battlefield, causing Luffy's vest and Ace's shackled clothes to flutter wildly.
Aramaki narrowed his eyes as he felt the monstrous force coming from Marco's claws.
A trace of surprise flashed across his face before disappearing completely.
As a Marine Admiral, and someone who despised pirates more than anything else, he naturally knew every major figure sailing the seas.
Especially the commanders serving under the Yonko.
Marco was one of the most dangerous among them.
Not long ago, Aramaki had sensed an aura from the fractured ground powerful enough to rival his own.
Now that same man stood directly in front of him.
The corner of Aramaki's mouth lifted slightly, revealing a bloodthirsty grin.
"First Division Commander Marco? Don't overestimate yourself. You're nothing special."
The moment his voice fell, the Armament Haki covering the vines intensified.
The blackened vines twisted violently as he poured more power into them.
Marco remained expressionless.
"Marine Admiral Ryokugyu, recruited through the World Military Draft. You're troublesome."
Even as he spoke, the blue flames around his leg surged violently.
Boom!
The sharp vines coated in Armament Haki finally lost the clash and were kicked backward at terrifying speed.
Bang!
Aramaki tilted his head slightly.
The vine grazed past his cheek before piercing deep into the plaza behind him.
Cracks spread instantly from the impact point like a spider web.
Aramaki activated his Devil Fruit ability and the damaged vine quickly shrank back into a normal arm.
His brows furrowed tightly.
He had always been extremely confident in his own strength.
But Marco's power made him feel genuine pressure.
Even so, retreating was impossible.
Because the opponent before him was a pirate.
And pirates were the people he hated most in this world.
Marco also stared at Aramaki seriously.
He had fought Admirals before.
During the Marineford War, Kizaru had been his opponent.
But this Ryokugyu felt even more difficult to deal with.
Although Marco had sent him flying just now, Marco himself had already become much stronger after joining the Ion Pirates.
That alone proved Ryokugyu's terrifying strength.
Marco's gaze slowly shifted toward the execution platform.
Six figures had originally stood there.
Now one of them had already joined the battlefield.
Besides Kizaru, Marco did not recognize the other four.
But one thing was obvious.
Every single one of them possessed power on the same level.
If one Ryokugyu was already this dangerous, then six monsters of this level standing together was enough to suffocate anyone.
And that still did not include Sengoku, Garp, Tsuru, or Kuzan, who had yet to truly act.
Marco remembered what Rolan once said.
The forces displayed by the World Government were not even one-third of their true power.
The thought alone was terrifying.
Currently, among the allied forces present, there were very few capable of matching an Admiral.
Even after adding the Revolutionary Army, they barely had enough top fighters to contend with the Marines.
Not to mention the countless Vice Admirals and Cipher Pol agents scattered throughout the battlefield.
The scale of the World Government's preparations was absurd.
Their foundation was far deeper than most people imagined.
On the execution platform, Kuzan frowned slightly after seeing Aramaki act without orders.
But after thinking about it, he said nothing.
Now was not the time to openly turn against the World Government.
Not before Rolan arrived.
Aramaki fighting the pirates would help lower the Gorosei's suspicions.
That would make things easier later.
And when he saw Marco forcing Aramaki back, Kuzan felt slightly relieved.
After all, Marco was now one of their own.
The stronger the Ion Pirates became, the better.
Just then, a clear female voice suddenly echoed across the battlefield.
"Sabo-kun!"
The voice cut through the chaos of war and instantly drew everyone's attention.
Sabo's entire body trembled violently.
The chains binding him rattled loudly.
"K... Koala?!"
His eyes widened as he desperately searched for the source of the voice.
At the same time, countless people across the battlefield looked upward.
A small aircraft slowly descended from the sky.
Thrusters beneath the vessel emitted flames as it hovered toward the battlefield.
The flags of the Revolutionary Army and the Ion Pirates fluttered side by side on the ship.
The voice had come from there.
The aircraft slowly landed beside the Moby Dick.
Compared to Whitebeard's massive ship, it looked unbelievably small.
Yet every eye on the battlefield focused on it.
Two women stood aboard the vessel.
One of them had short purple hair and a mature figure. She wore a red hat with goggles attached to it while a cigarette rested casually between her lips.
Belo Betty.
Beside her stood a young woman wearing a short dress and high heels.
Her short blonde hair swayed gently in the wind while her large eyes had already become slightly red.
Koala.
When Koala first heard that Sabo was going to be publicly executed, she immediately lost her usual composure.
No matter what anyone said, she insisted on coming to save him.
The Revolutionary Army's higher-ups ultimately failed to stop her.
In the end, they allowed Belo Betty to escort her here.
But Belo Betty was far smarter than she appeared.
After departing, she deliberately wasted time by constantly taking detours.
Her intention was simple.
She wanted to prevent Koala from arriving at the battlefield.
At first, Koala was too worried about Sabo to notice anything strange.
But after enough delays, she eventually realized what Belo Betty was doing.
Under Koala's constant urging, Belo Betty finally stopped wasting time and headed directly toward Crusimia.
Now, seeing Sabo chained atop the execution platform, Koala's eyes instantly filled with tears.
"Sabo-kun!"
The moment Sabo saw her, his heart shook violently.
"Koala! What are you doing here?!"
"I came to save you!"
Sabo's eyes turned bloodshot instantly.
He already knew Koala would never ignore something like this.
But after witnessing the World Government's true strength, he could not allow her to risk herself here.
In his heart, Koala's importance was no less than Ace or Luffy.
If anything happened to her because of him, he would never forgive himself.
"Leave this place immediately!" Sabo roared.
"This battlefield isn't somewhere you should be!"
Koala shook her head stubbornly.
"Aren't we partners?"
Her voice trembled slightly.
Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks.
"Sabo-kun, how could I stand by and watch while you suffer here alone?"
Sabo clenched his teeth.
"Koala, listen to me. Escape first. I'll definitely catch up to you later."
Koala bit her lip before looking directly into his eyes.
"We're comrades. We're partners."
"How could I live peacefully after abandoning you here?"
Before Sabo could speak again, Koala interrupted him.
"And... you're the most important person in my life."
"Even if I die, I want to face it with you."
===
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