Everyone froze in shock.
"Luffy!"
Ace ignored the Marines and Cipher Pol agents attacking him and rushed forward without hesitation. Panic filled his face as he grabbed Luffy from the ground.
Just moments ago, Luffy had still been fighting like a monster, full of energy and spirit. Now, he had suddenly collapsed.
"Luffy! What's wrong with you?! Wake up!"
Ace shouted desperately, but there was no response.
Luffy's lips slowly turned purple, and the life force around him rapidly weakened.
Whoosh, whoosh!
On the execution platform, Sabo struggled violently against the chains binding him.
"Luffy!"
His eyes reddened as fear and helplessness consumed him.
He did not know what had happened, but one thing was clear. Luffy's presence was fading.
"Damn it... it's all because of me. If I hadn't insisted on coming here, none of this would've happened."
Sabo gritted his teeth so hard that blood nearly seeped from his gums.
"If I were stronger, this situation would never have happened."
Vegapunk stood nearby and sighed softly.
"Sabo, this is not your fault. The true cause of all this is the World Government."
His gaze shifted toward the unconscious Luffy.
"If slavery did not exist in this world, countless tragedies would never happen."
After speaking, Vegapunk narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Believe in him. Your brother is not an ordinary man. He will survive this."
As someone who understood the truth behind the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, Vegapunk knew better than anyone that Luffy would not fall so easily.
Sabo remained silent.
His eyes never left Luffy.
He only hoped his brother would wake up.
...
Aramaki quietly let out a breath of relief after seeing Luffy collapse.
Compared to his relaxed expression, Marco looked visibly unsettled.
Bang!
Marco launched a powerful kick toward Aramaki, but the Admiral calmly blocked it.
Using the recoil, Marco immediately shot toward Luffy at full speed.
Aramaki narrowed his eyes before quickly reacting.
"Oi! We were in the middle of a fight. Where do you think you're going?!"
Marco completely ignored him and accelerated even faster.
"Tch, what an annoying bastard."
Aramaki raised his hand.
In an instant, massive vines erupted from the ground and shot toward Marco in the sky.
Marco's speed was incredible, but Aramaki's attacks were relentless.
Without slowing down, Marco relied on his powerful Observation Haki and agile movements to weave through the countless vines chasing him from behind.
Aramaki clicked his tongue.
"Slippery little bird."
He continued walking forward while increasing the output of his Forest Forest Fruit.
More vines burst from the battlefield, covering the sky like a massive net.
"Heh, let's see how you dodge this."
Marco sensed the increase in attacks and immediately prepared to counter.
But just then, a brilliant slash tore through the battlefield.
Shing!
The blade light swept across the sky, instantly cutting every vine apart.
Marco glanced back briefly before continuing toward Luffy without stopping.
Aramaki paused for a moment, clearly surprised that his attacks had been interrupted.
Then he looked toward the pale young man standing before him.
The man held a massive axe over his shoulder, his expression indifferent.
"Oh?"
Aramaki tilted his head slightly.
"You're Orlando, the new Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates?"
The pale-faced young man looked toward Marco first. After confirming Marco had no objections, he finally turned back toward Aramaki.
"I didn't think an Admiral would know my name."
A faint smirk appeared on his face.
"Should I feel honored or worried?"
Aramaki burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! You should feel honored, because you're about to die at my hands."
Orlando slowly raised his giant axe and pointed it toward the Admiral.
"I've never fought an Admiral before."
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"I wonder if you people are really as strong as the rumors say."
Aramaki's grin widened.
"Then let me show you why Admirals rule the seas."
The two instantly clashed.
Boom!
...
Kuzan frowned deeply while staring at the unconscious Luffy.
"This is bad..."
He had not focused entirely on Luffy earlier, so even he did not fully understand what had happened.
His eyes darkened slightly.
"Was this arranged by the World Government?"
This war determined the future of the world.
And among all the threats to the World Government, two names stood above the rest.
Rolan.
And Luffy.
One was a monster whose ambition surpassed even Rocks D. Xebec.
The other was the inheritor of Sun God Nika, the figure the World Government feared the most.
Because of that, Kuzan was not surprised the World Government had hidden additional preparations.
Three high-ranking Holy Knights had already been stationed near the execution platform alongside the Admirals.
But now it seemed there were more hidden agents involved.
"This became troublesome..."
Kuzan rubbed his forehead.
Before the war began, he had already informed Rolan about the Marine deployment.
But even he had not known about these hidden arrangements.
Trying to explain things now was impossible.
He could only hope Rolan had already prepared for unexpected situations.
Kuzan then looked toward Dragon.
At this moment, Dragon's expression was terrifyingly cold.
A storm-like fury burned behind his eyes as he stared at Luffy lying on the ground.
"What exactly happened?"
His fists tightened until his knuckles turned white.
"Poison?"
From Dragon's understanding, Luffy already possessed combat power comparable to an Emperor of the Sea.
No one on Brown Square should have been able to bring him down silently.
The only possibility was an ambush.
But who did it?
And how?
Even he had failed to notice it.
Dragon looked toward Kuzan.
Kuzan merely shook his head slightly.
Dragon's eyes narrowed further.
"Even Kuzan doesn't know?"
...
The scene also reached the Marine fleet offshore.
Garp's expression instantly twisted with rage.
Boom!
He jumped onto the bow of the warship, his terrifying aura exploding outward.
"Garp!"
Sengoku immediately grabbed him.
"What are you doing?!"
Garp violently shook Sengoku's hand away.
"Don't stop this old man! My grandson is down there!"
"Garp, control yourself!"
Sengoku's face darkened.
"Luffy is your grandson, but he's also Rolan's disciple. He won't fall so easily."
"We still have a plan to follow. Don't ruin everything because of impulse."
Crunch!
Garp clenched his fists so tightly that cracking sounds echoed from his joints.
"I don't care about any damn plan!"
His eyes were bloodshot.
"I only know my grandson is lying there right now!"
"Garp!"
Sengoku raised his voice.
"Everyone on Brown Square is watching us. If we lose control now, everything falls apart!"
Garp glared at him furiously.
"That's my grandson!"
At that moment, Tsuru calmly spoke from the side.
"Garp. Do you want us to fail?"
Garp froze slightly.
Tsuru continued.
"Straw Hat Luffy is not weak."
"And don't forget, Rolan is still there."
Hearing that name, Garp's expression changed repeatedly.
After a long silence, he finally loosened his fists.
Sengoku and Tsuru both quietly sighed in relief.
If Garp truly lost control here, the entire battlefield would descend into chaos.
...
Among the Red Hair Pirates, the atmosphere became terrifyingly heavy.
Shanks stared at the unconscious Luffy with a frightening expression.
Moments ago, he had still been smiling proudly while watching Luffy fight.
Now, his face was colder than ice.
Boom!
An overwhelming wave of Haoshoku Haki erupted from his body.
The members of the Red Hair Pirates immediately looked toward him in shock.
They knew one thing very clearly.
Their captain was furious.
The terrifying pressure spread across Brown Square like a natural disaster.
Marine soldiers and Cipher Pol agents collapsed one after another.
In mere seconds, over fifty thousand people lost consciousness.
"What... what is this?!"
"Fifty thousand people fainted instantly?!"
Fear spread through the battlefield.
The pressure released by Shanks felt like the wrath of a monster.
Even the sky reacted.
The clouds above split apart, creating a massive hole in the heavens.
Dragon silently looked toward Shanks.
Even he found the reaction excessive.
Anyone unaware of the truth might genuinely believe Shanks was Luffy's father.
For a brief moment, even Dragon himself felt suspicious.
At that moment, Shanks slowly drew Gryphon.
Crimson-black lightning exploded around the blade as his Haoshoku Haki wrapped around it.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Every step he took caused more Marines and agents to collapse unconscious.
Kizaru watched the scene with narrowed eyes.
"How terrifying..."
His usual mocking tone became noticeably more serious.
"The Yonko is completely enraged."
He understood Shanks' strength better than most.
In Kizaru's eyes, Red Hair had always been one of the most dangerous men alive.
And now, his Haki felt even stronger than before.
Kizaru's lips curled slightly.
A stronger ally benefited him.
Nearby, Admiral Renn stared at Shanks with sharp eyes.
"So this is the world's strongest Haoshoku user..."
Even he felt pressure.
Beside him, the three Holy Knights also focused on Shanks with growing interest.
"Heh, Red Hair Shanks really lives up to the rumors."
One of them smirked.
"I thought this mission would be boring."
Another cracked his neck slowly.
"But now things are finally getting interesting."
The third Holy Knight said nothing.
He simply stepped forward.
However, at that exact moment, streaks of purple-black flames suddenly erupted from the ground.
===
If you want to read more, check out my patreon.
Patreon.com/ _Zeph