Throwing Luffy toward Garp.
Such a reckless and shocking move left Nami and the others inside the barrier utterly dumbfounded.
They didn't even have time to check Luffy's fate before the spherical barrier carried them toward the main force of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Garp was stunned as well, his eyes widening as he watched Luffy hurtling straight toward him.
As a grandfather, his instinct was to catch Luffy safely.
As a Marine hero, his duty was to strike Luffy down without hesitation.
He had less than a second to decide.
But in the end, he was a seasoned veteran.
Garp quickly reacted and, without hesitation, swung his fist directly at Luffy's approaching face.
Boom!
Luffy took a heavy blow to the face, his entire body crashing into the ground with a loud impact, sending up a cloud of dust.
At first glance, the punch seemed overwhelming, but in reality, it caused no real harm to Luffy.
Because when Garp threw that punch, not only did he refrain from using Armament Haki, but he didn't even use half of his true strength.
Bound by familial ties, he had clearly held back—but he still had to put on a convincing act.
Fortunately for him, the surrounding Marines were too focused on Maude and his crew to notice Garp's supposed "devastating" punch.
However, Sengoku and Tsuru did see it.
"..."
Several black lines appeared on Sengoku's forehead.
Garp, who had been knocked down twice by Luffy before, finally had the chance to retaliate, yet he still chose to hold back.
Sengoku completely gave up on relying on Garp's strength.
Since Garp was no longer dependable, Sengoku mentally removed him from the equation.
Instead, he turned his gaze to Maude, who was now surrounded by countless Marines.
"Risking yourself to get those pirates out of here… What exactly are you fighting for, Bacardi Maude?"
Now that the spherical barrier had landed within the ranks of the Whitebeard Pirates, eliminating Nico Robin had become significantly more difficult for the Marines.
...
On the Battlefield.
The surrounding Marines locked their eyes on Maude, while Maude, in turn, looked at Garp, who had just sent Luffy into the ground, a trace of mockery appearing at the corner of his lips.
He had clearly seen that Garp's punch was nothing more than an empty display, devoid of Armament Haki.
"If you had used Haki just now, Luffy wouldn't be standing right now. At the very least, he'd be out of the fight."
Maude narrowed his eyes at Garp.
As if following Maude's cue, Luffy suddenly rose from the crater.
"Grandpa!"
Luffy instinctively called out to Garp the moment he stood up.
"..."
Hearing Luffy call him "Grandpa" in front of so many Marines, Garp's face twitched several times.
If other people had issues with their fathers, then Luffy was certainly making trouble for his grandfather.
"Haha."
Amused by Luffy's reaction, Maude couldn't help but laugh and drive the dagger in deeper.
"Even a legendary Marine hero can't bring himself to strike down his own grandson."
Deliberately raising his voice, Maude continued provocatively, "If you can't even deal with a pirate who openly disrupted the execution platform, then maybe it's time for you to step aside."
He ensured his voice carried over the surrounding battlefield noise, making sure every Marine in earshot heard him clearly.
"Vice Admiral Garp…"
Many Marines who weren't aware of Luffy's identity started to waver.
If it weren't for Sabo's current predicament, Maude might have gone even further and revealed that Luffy was the son of the Revolutionary Army's leader, Dragon.
However, Garp had never been one to care about reputation or the opinions of others.
Hearing Maude's words, he remained unaffected, simply furrowing his brows as he gazed at Maude with a deeper understanding of his intent.
He realized that Maude had thrown Luffy toward him solely to force him into a dilemma.
If he subdued Luffy here…
Unless Ace and Sabo could reclaim Luffy, they would have no choice but to fight to the death.
In the end, all three of them would be captured by the Marines.
Once again, Garp was caught between two impossible choices.
Should he uphold his duty and strike down his own grandson, or should he abandon his Marine responsibilities and hold back?
"If I let Luffy knock me down here…"
A strange thought flashed through Garp's mind.
In the end, he leaned toward holding back—he refused to let his two grandsons fall here.
But to make it convincing, he would have to play along and stay down.
That meant that until Luffy and Ace escaped, he couldn't openly fight Maude.
Perhaps Maude had anticipated this, which was why he had thrown Luffy over so decisively.
Within mere seconds, Garp's mind raced with countless thoughts.
A man who always resolved problems with his fists was now forced to face an impossible dilemma.
"Tch…"
Garp clenched his fist tightly and followed his heart's decision.
With countless eyes watching, he raised his arm, preparing to throw another punch at Luffy.
"Grandpa…"
Luffy, though often reckless, could read the situation in critical moments.
If he was captured here, he would only hinder Ace and Sabo.
"No matter what, I'm leaving here with Ace and Sabo!!!"
With determination blazing in his eyes, Luffy leaped into the air, dodging Garp's fist.
"Jet Pistol!"
From midair, Luffy swung his steam-covered fist, landing a solid punch on Garp's face.
Boom!
Garp staggered to the side and crashed onto the ground.
The impact shattered the few remaining stone slabs beneath him.
"This should do…"
Garp thought to himself.
Focused solely on Luffy and Ace's escape, he failed to notice a small black speck hidden between Luffy's fingers.
That black speck was a Shadow Mark, discreetly placed by Maude when he had wrapped Luffy with his shadow tendrils.
Just as Luffy's outstretched fist retracted—
Whoosh!
Maude swapped places with the Shadow Mark, suddenly appearing beside Garp.
At that moment—
Garp, still in the process of falling, hadn't expected Maude's instant movement.
By the time he sensed danger, Maude's blade was already swinging down toward him.
A flash of steel.
Slash!
Blood sprayed as an arm flew into the air.
Garp tumbled several times across the ground, leaving a long trail of blood. He quickly propped himself up into a half-crouch, his sharp gaze locking onto Maude, who still held his sword in a finishing stance.
Blood gushed from his left shoulder.
"As expected of a 'legend' from the previous era… Even in that situation, you managed to minimize the damage."
Maude calmly raised his left hand and caught Garp's severed arm as it fell from the sky.
Failing to land a fatal strike was a pity.
"I let my guard down…"
Garp's brows furrowed, sweat dripping down his face.
He had been too preoccupied with Luffy and Ace's escape, giving Maude the perfect opening.
"Grandpa!!!"
"Vice Admiral Garp!"
"Garp!!"
Seeing Garp lose an arm, Luffy, Sengoku, and the assembled Marines were all stunned.
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