Facing the joint assault of Garp and Akainu—
Whitebeard was already in poor condition, and now it plummeted even further.
He dropped to one knee, using Murakumogiri to support himself as he coughed violently.
Blood continuously spilled from the corner of his mouth.
It couldn't be helped. Even though the severe illness in his body had mostly been cured by Law and Marco working together—
That didn't mean he could endure a battle like this indefinitely.
A man must admit when he's old. Not everyone was "Garp the Cannon," whose combat power didn't decline with age.
Whitebeard was too old. Even if healed, his vitality hadn't increased.
And both Garp and Akainu were powerhouses on his level. Fighting one against two—he was ultimately running out of strength.
"Old man!!"
Marco and several division commanders roared anxiously at the sight of their heavily wounded captain.
Unfortunately, each of them was entangled by Marines.
Marco especially couldn't move an inch.
The flames of the Phoenix around him flared violently as he tried to fly over and assist Whitebeard.
But perhaps he was being naïve.
What did he take Sengoku for? Your grandpa wasn't Garp—holding back was not in his dictionary.
A massive golden Buddha palm slammed down.
"Don't even think about leaving!"
Boom!
Marco didn't even get a chance to resist before being swatted into the ice, tumbling over and over.
Sengoku had acted too obviously when he'd held back earlier.
Anyone with a brain could see it.
Now was the perfect time to regain face using Marco.
To prove that he, Sengoku, wasn't slacking off!
On the other side—
Garp directly clashed with Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit attacks, creating an opening for Akainu.
His feelings were complicated. He didn't want to personally kill a rival from the same era.
Watching an old contemporary fall stirred sorrow in his heart.
Better to let Sakazuki do it.
And let the hatred of the Whitebeard Pirates concentrate on him instead.
Even if Akainu knew Garp's thoughts, he wouldn't refuse.
He had no such sentimental concerns.
He wanted only one thing—kill Whitebeard.
Slaying a top-tier pirate like him would be the ultimate merit and the purest enactment of justice.
"Hellhound!"
Seizing the gap Garp created, Akainu's fist, radiating destructive magma, blasted straight toward Whitebeard's unguarded chest!
Whitebeard tried to block—
But Garp restrained him.
"In that case…" Whitebeard's eyes sharpened, and he dropped his defense entirely.
Conqueror's Haki and Tremor power surged to the limit around his fist as he swung toward Garp's head.
"Even if I die, I'm taking you with me, old man! We're both relics of the old era!"
Garp's expression changed drastically.
Even with full confidence in himself, taking that punch head-on would leave him crippled—if not dead!
At that critical moment—
A figure swiftly cut into the battlefield!
Clang!
A pitch-black blade intercepted Akainu's magma fist.
Rayleigh adjusted his glasses.
"Ambushing an exhausted old man… doesn't quite match the Navy's sense of justice, does it, Sakazuki?"
Akainu's face darkened. He felt like his magma fist had been stopped a little too easily.
Rayleigh's appearance sent the battlefield into an uproar!
"Dark King Rayleigh!"
"He actually came!"
"Is he here to save Ace? What loyalty!"
Sengoku's expression completely sank.
Rayleigh—who had clearly intended to retire quietly—showing up was not in his calculations.
He immediately stopped playing around with Marco.
A golden Buddha palm smashed Marco into the ground, leaving only a pineapple-like head sticking out.
"Stay down!"
Without another glance, Sengoku leapt into the air in his Buddha form.
A Buddha Shockwave blasted straight at Rayleigh!
"Dark King Rayleigh! Since you've shown yourself, don't think you're leaving today!"
Rayleigh swung his blade in response. Sword energy and shockwave collided violently.
Garp, who had narrowly avoided a fatal blow but was still struck down, gritted his teeth and resumed attacking Whitebeard.
Damn it—Whitebeard hadn't died, and he'd taken a heavy loss instead.
For a moment, four legends of the old era clashed together.
The "young soldier" Akainu was squeezed out of the battlefield.
But he wasn't about to stand idle.
He scanned the battlefield, eyes cold.
"Filthy pirates everywhere… the perfect time to enforce absolute justice!"
His gaze fell upon Ace and Sabo, who were fleeing.
"Two Admirals couldn't stop them? What kind of joke is that?"
Akainu's expression was icy. Only an idiot would believe that.
He understood Borsalino and Kuzan's thinking.
But that didn't mean he would accept it.
"The bloodline of sin must be completely eradicated!"
Magma surged around him as he strode toward Ace and the others.
The arrival of an Admiral didn't particularly alarm Ace.
After all, he'd just fought Aokiji to a standstill. What was there to fear from Akainu?
Aokiji's deliberate restraint had given Ace a great deal of confidence.
Sabo, however—whose brain was functioning properly—looked far more serious.
He had just been kicked away by Kizaru without even being able to react. He knew how terrifying Admirals were.
He grabbed Ace's arm and said in a low voice, "Ace! Don't clash head-on! Let's go!"
But Ace broke free, wearing a confident grin.
Having finally reunited with his "resurrected" brother, how could he not show off a little?
"Sabo! Watch this! I'm not afraid of him!"
"There are three Admirals. We're only two. A direct confrontation puts us at a disadvantage," Sabo warned.
"That's exactly why I have to hold him off—to create an opening for our escape!" Ace replied.
Sabo frowned deeply.
Seeing that, Ace added, "Relax. I know I can't beat him. I'll just stall him for a bit—buy time for us to get away!"
Hearing that, Sabo relaxed slightly.
Good. At least Ace wasn't as reckless as Luffy.
If it was just stalling, it wouldn't be a big problem.
He knew his own limits. He wasn't an Admiral's match yet.
But holding one off briefly shouldn't get him killed.
Kizaru and Aokiji saw Akainu charging over and inwardly cursed.
They could hold back for Garp's sake—
Akainu absolutely would not.
Ignoring the two Admirals entirely, Akainu attacked directly.
A Hellhound as a greeting.
"Son of Pirate King Roger! Second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army! You will die here today!" Akainu's voice was frigid.
"Fire Fist!"
"Dragon Claw!"
Flames and Haki intertwined as Ace and Sabo attacked simultaneously.
Akainu's eyes were filled with disdain.
"Trifling tricks! Hound Bite: Crimson Lotus!"
An even more violent magma hound erupted forth, devouring the flames and crushing both Ace and Sabo!
Mercy did not exist in Akainu's dictionary.
With that single punch, Ace's dream of matching an Admiral was shattered.
The two were blasted away, blood spraying from their mouths like it cost nothing.
Sabo quickly accepted reality—realizing the gap between himself and an Admiral was even greater than he'd imagined.
Ace, too, sobered up. His eyes cleared as he shouted to Sabo:
"Run!"
The two struggled to their feet and stopped fighting Akainu, turning to flee desperately toward the Whitebeard division commanders.
They had to regroup!
Facing an Admiral alone was suicide!
As if Akainu would let them.
"Moonwalk!"
"Soru!"
He stepped rapidly through the air, his figure flickering at high speed.
Closing the distance in an instant, his gaze locked firmly onto the fleeing pair.
He hadn't even been this serious when he first joined the Navy!
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