The morale of the Whitebeard Pirates soared!
With Whitebeard personally entering the battlefield—and with his condition having recovered considerably—rescuing Ace seemed, in his eyes, no problem at all.
As for taking Leno as a son? That could wait until later!
On the execution platform—
Seeing Whitebeard finally make his move, Sengoku's expression grew extremely grave.
His gaze shifted to Garp, whose face was filled with complicated emotions.
Among those present, only he and Garp could face Whitebeard head-on.
But Sengoku had to remain on the execution platform—to command the overall battle and guard Ace.
He spoke in a deep voice:
"Garp! Whitebeard is yours! You must not let him approach the execution platform!"
Garp took a deep breath, staring at the old man below. His eyes were conflicted.
In the end, he nodded heavily.
The weight of the word Justice on the coat draped over his shoulders left him no room to refuse.
He let out a sigh and cast a complicated glance at Ace.
Then he looked toward Luffy and Sabo, who were desperately fighting their way across the frozen battlefield toward the platform.
He truly didn't want to go.
But on second thought—if he entered the fray… perhaps he could better watch over Luffy.
At the very least, he couldn't let anything happen to him.
As for Ace and Sabo… he couldn't make any guarantees. He would have to take it one step at a time.
No longer hesitating, Garp leapt from the execution platform and charged straight toward Whitebeard!
Watching Garp's back as he rushed toward Whitebeard, Ace's expression was incredibly complicated.
"You must understand," Sengoku said in a low voice, his eyes scanning the battlefield without looking down.
His words were clearly directed at Ace.
"You were never meant to live. Never meant to be born."
"If it weren't for Garp, you would've died long ago. The purpose of this war was never solely about you. You're merely… a fuse."
Finally, Sengoku added softly, almost inexplicably:
"Garp… is my old friend."
Ace listened in confusion, but kept his mouth shut.
He had nothing to discuss with the Marines.
If Leno had heard it, however, he would've understood why Sengoku had been holding back.
It wasn't just because Garp was his old friend.
It was also because the primary objective wasn't truly to kill Ace.
That was why he showed restraint.
After all, in the Whitebeard Pirates, the only truly overwhelming force was Whitebeard himself.
The others were not much of a concern.
To the Marines, the World Government, or even the other Four Emperors—
Without Whitebeard, the Whitebeard Pirates would no longer qualify as an Emperor's crew.
The remaining division commanders were strong, yes—but nowhere near enough to uphold an Emperor's banner.
At this moment, Leno naturally had no idea about the conversation on the execution platform.
He had already appeared in front of Luffy and Sabo, who were pushing forward with all their might.
Meanwhile, his female crewmates were each engaged with several Marine Vice Admirals.
As everyone knew, the strength gap among Vice Admirals was enormous.
At the very top were monsters like that old fossil Garp—stronger even than Admirals.
As for the ordinary, nameless Vice Admirals—
They were perfect sparring partners for Domino, Robin, Kalifa, and the others. Enough pressure to gain experience, but not so overwhelming that they'd collapse instantly.
"Straw Hat," Leno said, looking at Luffy, who was panting and already wounded.
There was a trace of mockery in his tone.
"With your current level of strength, you dare involve yourself in a war of this scale? You really have a death wish."
Seeing Leno appear so suddenly, Luffy's pupils shrank. His body trembled uncontrollably.
Twice defeated miserably by Leno—and if he counted the crushing humiliation at Sabaody Archipelago, that made three devastating blows.
Of course he'd have psychological scars.
Even as carefree as he was, he knew he wasn't a match right now.
"Move, Leno! Don't block me from saving Ace!"
Luffy still didn't retreat. In his heart, Ace mattered more than anything.
Sabo, who had been entangled with a Vice Admiral, narrowed his eyes. With a powerful swing of his supreme-grade iron pipe, he forced his opponent back.
His figure flashed forward, quickly positioning himself in front of Luffy, staring at Leno with vigilance.
"Fallen one, Leno," Sabo said coldly. "Luffy… hasn't provoked you, has he? Your target shouldn't be us."
Leno didn't immediately answer.
His gaze drifted between Luffy and Sabo.
A faint, complicated emotion flickered within, and his tone turned oddly distant.
"Brotherhood, huh… It's enviable, honestly. I once… wanted that too."
After transmigrating—and even becoming Garp's disciple—he had indeed once thought about looking after the three brothers.
Unfortunately, Garp wasn't worth it.
And by extension, he found himself unable to look kindly upon those around Garp.
Leno knew himself well.
He didn't consider himself a good person.
Nor did he believe in the nonsense of sparing family.
If he killed Garp, would Dragon and Luffy not seek revenge?
If Luffy sought revenge, would his two brothers not help him?
If that was the case, why shouldn't he strike first?
The previous times he'd beaten Luffy, it had always been under conditions he could control.
It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to kill him—he just hadn't found a better opportunity.
Besides, with his current strength, he truly couldn't withstand a completely enraged, reckless Garp.
Luffy and Sabo, of course, had no idea what was running through Leno's mind.
They simply remained on guard.
Sabo took a deep breath. "Mr. Leno, we—"
Before he could finish, Leno cut him off.
"Almost forgot the main point."
He stared at Luffy, then glanced at Sabo.
"I'm not interested in you. Just hand Straw Hat over."
Sabo laughed in anger.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
He stepped forward, fully shielding Luffy behind him.
"That's my otouto! You think I'd hand him over to someone like you?!"
Shing!
Sabo's hands instantly turned jet-black with Armament Haki as he assumed the stance of Dragon Claw Fist.
He had heard of Leno's notoriety—but had never personally seen him go all out.
He wasn't particularly afraid.
And even if he was, he would still protect his otouto.
"Tch."
Leno clicked his tongue, narrowing his eyes.
"I admire your brotherhood."
"But your stubbornness… is really troublesome."
The moment his words fell—
Leno's eyes flashed with a faint crimson glow.
A cold smile spread across his lips as he vanished from Sabo's sight in an instant!
"So fast!"
Sabo's pupils contracted violently. His Observation Haki screamed warnings.
But his body couldn't react in time!
The next second—
An indescribable force slammed brutally into his side!
"Pff—!"
Sabo felt as if his organs had shifted, as though his kidneys had been shattered. Agonizing pain surged through his entire body.
He flew backward like a kite with its string cut, the scenery in his vision retreating rapidly.
Boom!
He crashed heavily into a distant pile of broken brick and rubble.
The cloud of smoke was small.
Sabo struggled to rise—but a sweetness filled his throat.
"Bwah—!"
He spat out a mouthful of blood as if it cost nothing. His face turned deathly pale.
Leno slowly lowered his leg and looked toward the ruins, a trace of ridicule in his voice.
"Seems I overestimated you. Two years… really does make a huge difference."
Compared to the Sabo two years later—the Revolutionary Army's second-in-command who could clash with an Admiral—
The current Sabo was far too lacking.
Two years later, Sabo would be untouchable.
Two years earlier? Just a nobody by the roadside.
"Now it's your turn…" Leno turned, his gaze falling indifferently upon Luffy.
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