BOOM—!!!
Another direct clash of Conqueror's Haki!
Dark red arcs of lightning intertwined and collided in midair.
Leno was enjoying himself.
He was in dire need of such selfless "benefactors."
But the mid-tier Marines and pirates caught in between were not enjoying it at all.
They were simply unlucky beyond belief.
"Ugh—!"
"N-not again!"
"Spare us…"
The fodder who had barely endured the previous clash between Whitebeard and Sengoku—
Now felt like they'd been struck in the back of the head again.
Their vision went black as they collapsed in waves.
As for those already unconscious—
Good thing they hadn't woken up.
Otherwise, they'd surely complain:
Is this never-ending? Are we not down enough already?
Preventing corpse-revival or what?!
Those strong enough to remain standing were stunned.
Leno's Conqueror's Haki—
Was evenly matched with Fleet Admiral Sengoku's!
The battlefield split cleanly in two, neither side yielding.
"Y-you've got to be kidding…"
"The Fleet Admiral's Conqueror's… can't suppress him?!"
"That Leno… is he really that strong?!"
The Marines who had only heard of Leno but never seen him in action nearly had their eyeballs pop out.
They stared in disbelief.
Were they dreaming?
A monster like that—
Defected from the Marines?!
What were the higher-ups thinking?!
Couldn't they have retained him?!
If anyone ran into him at sea, wouldn't that be a death sentence?!
As for those who had once trained alongside Leno or worked with him—
Their jaws nearly hit the ground.
They knew exactly how strong he used to be.
And now?
It hadn't even been that long!
Sure, he'd been talented before—but not like this.
Doubts began spreading among the Marines.
"Was driving Leno away… really the right decision?"
"If Vice Admiral Garp weren't the Marine Hero… I'd suspect he was a pirate plant!"
"Exactly! Forcing a monster genius like that to the enemy's side!"
"Or… was he hiding his strength all along?"
"…."
What, did betraying the Marines cause your strength to skyrocket?
Then maybe they should try it too.
Meanwhile, some Marines who knew the inside story glanced at Koby—lying like a dead dog.
Then at Leno, clashing Haki with the Fleet Admiral.
The comparison made their lips twitch uncontrollably.
They had actually agreed to that ridiculous decision back then.
"Vice Admiral Garp… really lost his senses."
"Abandoning Leno for someone like Koby… that's throwing away a watermelon to pick up a sesame seed!"
"What sane person does that?"
"…."
On the execution platform, Sengoku and Garp both felt their hearts sink.
"This brat's growth rate… is terrifying!" Sengoku muttered gravely.
Garp looked at the spirited Leno below—
Then at the useless Koby.
An indescribable regret surged within him.
But he quickly suppressed it.
He had personally trained Leno.
He had once been proud of him.
But so what?
It was too late to turn back now!
"ENOUGH!!!"
Garp roared, finally unable to remain seated.
A powerful Conqueror's Haki erupted from him—
Joining Sengoku's in crushing down on Leno!
Two against one!
Facing the combined Conqueror's Haki of two Marine legends—
Afraid?
Not a chance.
Leno grinned. "Now that's more like it!"
He welcomed the pressure.
The fiercer, the better.
To him, these two were the finest whetstones imaginable.
Unfortunately—
He was still young.
Compared to Garp and Sengoku—two veterans who had stood at the top of the world for decades—
He was at a disadvantage.
Under their joint suppression, his Conqueror's Haki was gradually compressed, its range shrinking bit by bit.
Over on the Whitebeard side—
Marco flew to Whitebeard's side and whispered,
"Old man, we can't let the Marines crush Leno! We need to cooperate with him. At the very least, let him draw fire while we rescue Ace!"
Whitebeard shook his head.
"Gurarararara… Marco, it's not my time to act yet."
His gaze locked onto Leno.
"Didn't you notice? That brat's Conqueror's… is getting stronger."
Marco froze.
Nearby, Jozu, Vista, and the other commanders turned to stare at Leno in shock.
Conqueror's Haki…
Could grow stronger mid-clash?!
And under suppression from Garp and Sengoku?!
They felt like they hadn't fully woken up.
Too absurd.
"That kid… what monstrous talent!"
"Why exactly did the Marines drive him away?"
"Who knows? But with him here, our chances of saving Ace just improved!"
Whitebeard's eyes gleamed.
He had a bad habit—
Whenever he saw a promising youngster, he wanted to adopt them as a son.
"This growth rate… it's monstrous! Could he be the man Roger was waiting for?"
"But… he's not of the D clan…"
Whitebeard pondered internally.
"…Doesn't matter! After this war, I'll make him my son!"
Meanwhile—
Garp and Sengoku, as the ones clashing directly with him, and Tsuru watching from afar—
All noticed it too.
Garp and Sengoku exchanged stunned glances.
They saw the same thing in each other's eyes—
Regret.
Deep, gnawing regret.
They wanted to go back in time and slap their past selves.
Leno's potential…
Was far more terrifying than they'd imagined.
What kind of idiotic decision had they made?!
The stronger Leno appeared—
The more it felt like swallowing flies.
Their intestines were turning green with regret.
Yet though regret filled their hearts—
Their hands showed no mercy.
Better to swallow a dead fly than let a living one keep buzzing.
Their Conqueror's Haki intensified, determined to crush Leno completely.
If they could break him here—
Then perhaps the stain would cease to exist.
In the distance, Staff Officer Tsuru watched with weathered eyes full of complexity.
"Little Leno… I watched you grow up. You were close to that child Kujaku too… how did it come to this?"
"Why couldn't you endure it a little longer… Garp only acted for the future of the Marines…"
Leno: Endure your mother!
Back then, Leno's talent had been good—but not this outrageous.
Diverting resources to Koby had seemed a reasonable choice.
Tsuru didn't think it wrong.
She had never once considered Leno's feelings.
She sighed.
"…Once we capture you, I'll personally cleanse the jealousy and resentment in your heart with my Wash-Wash Fruit."
"I'll wash you clean… and return you to being that fine Marine seedling."
If Leno knew what she was thinking—
He'd kick her on the spot.
Was that even human logic?
—
Just as Leno was in a painful yet exhilarating state, reveling in the strengthening of his Conqueror's—
Someone couldn't stand him any longer.
"MEIGŌ!!!"
A roar filled with absolute killing intent exploded behind him!
A magma-wreathed fist shot straight toward Leno's back!
"A Marine who betrays the flag is nothing but a deserter! A degenerate pirate scum dares show his face here?!"
"Do you take me for a corpse?!"
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