It seemed as though they had perfectly timed their arrival to coincide with Akainu's attempt to suppress Whitebeard's assault.
The Straw Hat Pirates had appeared out of nowhere near the execution platform.
Aside from Maude and Fujitora, no one present had any idea how they had managed to approach the execution platform so stealthily, completely undetected.
This unexpected turn of events shocked everyone, including the seasoned Sengoku, whose expression momentarily betrayed his surprise.
"Luffy, why are you here?!"
Garp, who had been holding Marco at bay, couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Luffy suddenly appear.
"That boy is…"
Seizing the opportunity, Marco spread his wings and shot skyward, attempting to break past Garp's defenses and rush toward the execution platform.
However, Garp, a battle-hardened veteran, quickly recovered from his momentary lapse. Despite his surprise at Luffy's arrival, he reacted with astonishing speed, delivering another powerful punch that sent Marco crashing back to the ground.
"Damn it."
Marco quickly got back on his feet, his blue flames flickering as he gritted his teeth and glared at Garp, who stood before him like an immovable guardian deity.
On the execution platform.
"Luffy, you…!"
Ace's reaction mirrored Garp's, his face filled with shock as he looked at his suddenly appearing brother.
Sengoku quickly regained his composure, his voice steady as he muttered, "How exactly did they 'get here'...?"
Under the watchful eyes of Ace and Sengoku, Luffy propelled himself high into the air, using Sanji's kick for extra momentum to ascend above the execution platform.
"Third Gear!"
Looking down at Ace and Sengoku below, Luffy took a deep breath and bit down hard on his right thumb, inflating his bones with a massive intake of air.
Whoosh!
His right arm swelled to an enormous size in an instant.
"Gigant Pistol!"
Harnessing the recoil of his rubberized limbs, Luffy launched his colossal fist straight at Sengoku with full force.
Despite facing the legendary Fleet Admiral, the fearless young pirate showed not a trace of hesitation.
"Even if you are Garp's grandson…"
Sengoku's face darkened as his entire body was suddenly engulfed in a radiant golden light. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a towering golden Buddha.
The Mythical Zoan-type Human-Human Fruit, Model: Buddha.
Bathed in the divine glow of the golden Buddha form, Sengoku emanated an overwhelming aura of authority and power.
"What the hell is that…?"
Luffy's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Sengoku, who had completely dwarfed him in size and presence.
There was no time to think—his gigantic fist was already closing in.
Sengoku raised his right palm.
Hum—
A deep, resonant sound, like a temple bell tolling, reverberated through the air.
A white shockwave burst forth from Sengoku's palm, instantly enveloped by his golden light, as he prepared to counter Luffy's attack head-on.
Although Luffy had no idea what kind of power Sengoku possessed, his massive fist pressed forward undeterred, striking directly into Sengoku's palm.
The moment his knuckles made contact with the Buddha's hand, an overwhelming force erupted against him.
Without even budging, Sengoku unleashed a devastating shockwave from his palm, which surged through Luffy's enlarged arm and slammed into his body.
"Wahhh!"
Luffy's entire body trembled violently as he coughed up a mouthful of blood. The force of the impact sent him flying backward, his gigantic fist reverting to normal as he was hurled through the air.
"Luffy!!!"
Ace's voice rang out in distress.
Sengoku, however, remained cold-eyed as he watched Luffy's battered form soar through the air.
At that very moment, below the execution platform, Zoro swung his sword and severed the steel framework supporting the platform.
Creak, creak—
With its foundation compromised, the execution platform groaned under Sengoku's immense weight. Before it could fully tip over, the steel support beams at its base twisted and buckled with an ear-splitting screech.
"Hm?"
Sengoku glanced downward, his expression darkening as he realized the platform was beginning to collapse at an alarming rate.
What was supposed to be a flawless public execution had now been completely disrupted by an upstart pirate crew that had barely begun making a name for themselves.
Beneath the execution platform.
As the platform tilted precariously, the Straw Hat Pirates' eyes lit up with hope.
"Robin, take care of Luffy."
Sanji called out to Robin while keeping his gaze locked on Ace, who was still shackled by Seastone restraints.
Robin nodded.
"Spider Net!"
Crossing her arms, Robin conjured a woven net of hands at Luffy's anticipated landing spot.
As Luffy plummeted from above, he landed safely on Robin's net, preventing further injury.
After confirming Luffy was unharmed, Sanji, Zoro, Franky, and Usopp steeled their resolve, preparing to rescue Ace together.
Meanwhile, Bartolomeo's eyes gleamed with a red glow as he activated his Observation Haki, assuming a defensive stance with his Barrier-Barrier Fruit power.
His role in this mission wasn't to show off—his job was to create an impenetrable defense the moment his comrades needed protection.
Everything was going exactly as planned.
The sudden twist of events had drawn countless gazes across the battlefield.
Even Whitebeard and Akainu, who had been moments away from clashing, paused their battle to turn their attention toward the execution platform, their expressions complex.
"That brat…"
A memory flashed through Whitebeard's mind—Ace, holding up a bounty poster with an excited grin, introducing him to Straw Hat Luffy.
"They let a few rats slip through."
Akainu's face darkened, his eyes burning with murderous intent.
Rumble—
The execution platform continued to tip forward.
As its tilt increased, Sengoku and Ace began losing balance, both on the verge of plummeting to the ground.
Just as the Straw Hat Pirates eagerly awaited the critical moment—
A sharp whistling sound suddenly pierced through the air, like a willow branch slicing through the wind.
It was the unmistakable sound of a lead bullet tearing through the air.
The one who had fired it—was Maude.
Shadow Flow—Phase Shift.
Following the trajectory of his bullet, Maude's form flickered and reappeared right beside Sengoku.
"Shadow Pin."
Maude landed lightly beside Sengoku, arriving just as the lead bullets flew.
"Shadow Pin."
With a wave of his hand, a cluster of shadows resembling a beehive formed in his palm. Several strands quickly split off, morphing into sharp nails that shot downward, embedding into the shadow beneath the execution platform.
Fixed.
The Shadow Pins, shaped from the prisoners' shadows, effortlessly halted the collapsing execution platform. The steel framework below had been separating and severely bending, yet now it came to an abrupt stop—balanced as if it were a masterpiece crafted by a grandmaster of equilibrium.
"It stopped falling?!!"
Franky stared in disbelief at the bent steel beams of the execution platform.
The contact points between them were so thin—barely the width of a toothpick. How could that possibly support the weight of something so massive?
"That must be Maude's ability."
"Master..."
"Maude!"
"What now? The platform didn't collapse…"
The Straw Hat crew craned their necks, looking up in shock at Maude standing above them. Their astonishment quickly shifted to a sense of imminent danger.
Sengoku, equally surprised, gazed at Maude.
He had never expected Maude of all people to be the one to neutralize this crisis.
Maude, in turn, lowered his gaze to the Straw Hats below and sighed.
"Terrible timing for an entrance."
"Hmm?"
Sengoku furrowed his brows at Maude's words.
But Maude paid no mind to Sengoku's reaction.
Having already reclaimed the majority of the prisoners' shadows, he no longer needed to concern himself with maintaining balance.
The next step was clear—claiming Whitebeard's experience points as quickly as possible.
However, before that…
If the Straw Hats successfully rescued Ace, the Whitebeard Pirates would immediately retreat.
Sure, there was a high chance that Whitebeard, just like in the original timeline, would stay behind to cover their escape…
But who could say for certain?
With an expressionless face, Maude stated coldly:
"You really chose the worst possible moment to show up. You might die here."
As if in response to Maude's words, a sudden gravitational force descended upon the Straw Hats.
Immediately after Maude spoke, Fujitora made his move.
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