Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 1.
Tens of thousands of citizens watching the live broadcast were utterly stunned.
Gulp! "So that's Leo, the one who killed a Celestial Dragon?!"
"Heavens! He's not even giving Vice Admiral Garp an advantage?!"
"Leo is a monster!"
"With Leo pinning down two of the Marines' top fighters, doesn't that give the Whitebeard Pirates a chance?!"
"Bastard! If they really save Ace, the seas will be thrown into chaos again!!"
After the brief clashes, the Marines were already showing signs of decline. If this continued, the consequences would be unthinkable. This wasn't just about the Marines' success or failure; it was about the stability of the entire sea. Countless reporters frantically clicked their camera shutters, while the citizens widened their eyes, afraid of missing any key moment.
What direction would the war take next?
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
On the third level of the execution platform, Sengoku gritted his teeth. After a brief moment of fury, he immediately used the internal Den Den Mushi to redeploy troops. Although they had two Admiral-level fighters tied up, they still had Aokiji and Sakazuki, and even the Warlords of the Sea hadn't truly acted yet. Furthermore, the only one on the Whitebeard Pirates who could truly hold the line was Whitebeard himself. Division commanders like Marco, Diamond Jozu, and Flower Sword Vista were troublesome, but not truly threatening.
"Everyone, don't panic! Leo coming here is a good thing! Today we wipe out all the scum of the sea in one go!!" Doberman, the scar-faced Vice Admiral, raised his long sword high, rallying the troops.
"That's right! The Marines will prevail! Justice will prevail!!" Vice Admiral Lonz roared to the sky after cutting down several Whitebeard Pirates members with his axe.
Many Marine officers responded in kind. Their words exploded like thunder in the soldiers' ears, and their previously wavering gazes once again grew firm. The officers were right. Today, Marine Headquarters was all-in, with powerhouses gathered. If they couldn't even handle a weakened, aged Whitebeard Pirates and a rookie pirate, how could the Marines hope to deter evil and uphold justice on the seas in the future?
"Brothers! Kill all these pirates!"
"Hehehehe~ You think you can save Ace? Go eat shit!!"
"Everyone, charge! Annihilate the Whitebeard Pirates! We'll all be heroes!"
"I'm going to take Whitebeard's head!"
The battlefield situation was changing rapidly. One moment the Marines were at a slight disadvantage, the next they were like they'd taken stimulants, launching a counter-offensive wave that harvested the lives of one Whitebeard Pirate after another.
"As expected of Fleet Admiral Sengoku. He really knows how to rally morale," Flower Sword Vista said coldly, his face dark as he watched the battle fall into a stalemate again.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Watch me!!" Diamond Jozu laughed, punching the ice surface.
Crack!
Crack!
With several crisp sounds, a circular crack appeared in the hard ice.
"HYAAAH!!" Jozu roared, plunging his hands into the ice and lifting a massive ice block weighing dozens of tons.
"Marines, taste this!!" Aiming at the execution platform, Jozu put all his strength into hurling the ice block.
Under the horrified gazes of countless Marines, the giant ice chunk flew over half the battlefield, carrying boundless terror straight towards the execution platform.
"It seems this war won't be so easily concluded today." On the second level of the execution platform, at the Admiral's seat. Admiral Akainu, his hat pulled low, slowly looked up, his face gloomy. If he didn't act now, the execution platform would be torn apart by these Whitebeard Pirates.
Akainu stood up. His right arm suddenly transformed into scorching magma. The magma fist swelled with the wind, easily piercing through the incoming giant ice block. After shattering the ice, the magma fist flew into the sky and exploded violently. Countless magma volcanic bombs fell like meteors, raining down across the battlefield.
Akainu's large-scale Area-of-Effect attack was indiscriminate. Both Whitebeard Pirates and Marine soldiers were affected. The fiercely contested battlefield descended into chaos.
"AHHH!!! Pops, save me!!"
"Dammit! So many magma bombs! Everyone, evade!!"
"It's so hot!! Akainu, I'll @#%& your *%¥@%...."
"Admiral Sakazuki, could you watch where you're aiming?!"
"Bastard! Why are we within Admiral Sakainu's attack range too?!"
"Baka, Akainu! Are you treating us like pirates?!!"
For a moment, the entire Bay of Oris was filled with miserable howls. Piercing screams became the battlefield's sole melody. Every second, Marines or pirates fell into pools of blood, losing their lives.
After this attack, Akainu did not sit back down. He stepped onto the battlefield. With this, aside from Fleet Admiral Sengoku guarding the execution platform, all high-ranking Marines were now deployed.
"Hehehehe~ As expected of Akainu. He only has his own brand of justice in his heart. When he gets ruthless, he even kills his own men." While locked in his fierce battle with Garp, Leo spared a portion of his focus to observe the changes across the battlefield.
"Leo, you should worry more about yourself!!" Garp's aura was astonishing, his attacks rapid and fierce, carrying sharp killing intent. His burly physique brought a mountain-like pressure.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Well met!" Leo laughed, meeting him head-on. He threw a punch aimed directly at Garp's face. Garp, refusing to be outdone, also threw a punch. A direct, hard clash!
The powerful impact force from the collision erupted, forcing both men back simultaneously.
"Iron Fist Garp. The reputation is well-deserved." Leo took a step back to stabilize himself. He felt as if he hadn't hit a human fist, but a solid mountain peak. To rank among the sea's top powerhouses relying solely on physical skills and the three types of Haki, Garp was truly one of a kind.
Compared to Leo, Garp was even more shocked. His ever-victorious iron fist actually felt helpless when facing Leo. The other's fist was also unbelievably hard.
"Damn brat!!!" Garp's gaze was icy. Discarding all distracting thoughts, he closed in again! Given Leo's growth rate, if he escaped today, given time, he might become another Rocks.
"JUST DIE!!!" Garp moved, his tall figure leaping into the air, his black iron fist smashing down towards Leo from above.
Leo snorted coldly, quickly retreating to create a safe distance from Garp. Garp's attack arrived in an instant, landing furiously on the ice surface. In that moment, the ice layer collapsed, cracks spreading out like a spiderweb for hundreds of meters.
"Garp, take one of my moves too!!"
"Divine Lightning: Ray of Light!!"
Seizing the opportunity in the blink of an eye, a several-meter-wide pillar of lightning, carrying destructive power, shot from Leo's chest. Aside from the surging lightning, Leo had also infused it with high-density Armament Haki: Ryou. This was the most powerful single-target attack he had developed to date.
With a BOOM, the lightning pillar, entwined with silver and red energy, shot forth. Wherever it passed, countless ions were sent flying. Everything in its path was ground into dust, turning to nothingness.
Garp's pupils contracted sharply. Having just landed, he had no time to react. In desperation, he could only cross his arms in front of his chest.
The next second, the lightning pillar struck dead center. A sea of lightning and a domain of Haki instantly swallowed Garp. A deafening explosion pierced the sky, resonating throughout all of Marineford. The terrifying blast affected the entire headquarters; even Sengoku on the execution platform felt a distinct tremor.
"AGH!!!"
While the lightning beast ran rampant, a piercing, miserable scream came from within the silver-white sea. The voice was powerful and full of vigor, reaching everyone's ears. When they realized who the owner of the scream was, all the Marines were left dumbfounded, shocked into silence.
After a brief, deathly silence, someone finally broke it, saying in disbelief:
"Could... could Vice Admiral Garp have lost?!"
"How is that possible? Vice Admiral Garp is the Marine Hero! How could he lose to a pirate?!"
"Impossible! How could Leo possibly be a match for Vice Admiral Garp?!"
"Then that scream just now..."
"Damn it! I can't see anything clearly!"
For a moment, the Marines argued incessantly. From the moment they became Marines, Garp had been their benchmark. Although he only held the rank of Vice Admiral, in the hearts of countless Marines, even the Admirals might not carry the same weight as Garp. Over time, Garp had become synonymous with invincibility in their minds, the nightmare of countless pirates. But today, they witnessed with their own eyes that he might have been defeated by Leo?! The reality before them clashed fiercely with their ingrained beliefs, leaving everyone struggling to accept it.
While the Marines were distracted and dazed, the Whitebeard Pirates seized the opportunity to launch a new round of counterattacks, inwardly praising Leo. So fierce! A true badass!
Garp was the man who once chased the Pirate King Roger across the world. And now, he was howling in pain after being struck by Leo? Especially in front of 100,000 Marines... his old face was completely丢光了 (lost, shamed).
In a corner of the battlefield, Admiral Aokiji, fighting several Whitebeard division commanders, paled upon seeing this. Just as he prepared to disengage and support Garp, he used his Observation Haki to sense the situation and stopped, refocusing on his current enemies.
At the center of the battlefield, Leo hovered in the air, his Observation Haki firmly locked on the area below, not letting his guard down in the slightest. If Garp were really that easy to finish off, he would truly be the shame of the Marines.
BOOM!
Sure enough.
The next second, a tall figure tore through the lightning domain with a bang. Garp broke free. However, the current Garp looked much more狼狈 (disheveled). His Marine justice cloak was in tatters, his body had multiple charred marks, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"LEO!!!"
"I'LL MAKE YOU DIE!!!"
Garp gritted his teeth, his face ferocious. He radiated a terrifying aura as he charged at Leo like a berserk beast. At this moment, the aura erupting from Garp didn't diminish; it increased. He was truly enraged!!
Garp's bloodshot eyes were fixed on Leo. Along the way, he scooped up a giant cannonball that had fallen onto the ice surface.
"Leo, DIE!!"
"Goken: Meteorite!!"
With a savage roar, the pitch-black cannonball, saturated with Haki, was hurled swiftly by Garp. The cannonball, fast as lightning, created sonic booms as it shot towards Leo at high speed. A cannonball launched by Garp possessed immense power. In the original story, Garp used this move to say goodbye to his grandson Luffy at Water 7. The air currents generated by its explosion could travel dozens of miles.
"You think I'm afraid? Take this!!!" Leo snorted coldly and threw a powerful punch. A fist force empowered by multiple attributes erupted violently. The atmosphere was directly punched through. A visible energy shockwave, layered like tidal waves, directly blasted the incoming cannonball apart.
BOOM—
Accompanied by a violent sound, a sea of fire erupted in the sky. Energy scattered, and a powerful air wave swept out in all directions.
"Leo, it's not over yet!!!" Garp launched another killing move, giving Leo no chance to catch his breath. He mobilized all his physical energy, his three Haki types firing on all cylinders! His Observation Haki firmly locked onto Leo. Pitch-black Armament Haki and dark red Conqueror's Haki shot into the sky like two energy pillars, tearing through the clouds and poking a large hole in the sky.
Even a lion uses full force to catch a rabbit, let alone when facing a powerful opponent like Leo. At this moment, Garp was no longer holding anything back.
On the battlefield, everyone watched the gathering dark clouds in the sky with shock. Other people's battles affected parts of the area, but the fight between Leo and Garp affected the entire battlefield. Who could withstand that?!
When the Marine side personally felt the formidable aura erupting from Garp, they trembled with excitement.
"Th-this... is this Vice Admiral Garp's true strength?!"
"I never thought Vice Admiral Garp would even use Conqueror's Haki!"
"HAHAHAHAHA! I'd already forgotten when Vice Admiral Garp was last this angry!"
"If Leo dares to face this head-on, his name will be erased from the seas after today!!"
Countless Marine soldiers clenched their fists tightly, looking at the berserk Garp with agitated expressions. If Garp could successfully take down Leo, it would be a shot of adrenaline for all Marines, the sounding of the victory horn!
"Garp." Sengoku looked into the distance at the Haki domain ravaged by black and red lightning, his expression heavy. Only by witnessing it firsthand did he know how strong Leo truly was. The last person to push Garp to this extent was the Golden Lion Shiki.
"Leo, this is the end for you~" Sengoku murmured quietly. His thoughts aligned with those of countless Marines. The reason Sengoku was so certain was that he could see Leo had no intention of dodging. Unless Leo used his teleportation to escape, even if he didn't die, he would be severely wounded. This was exactly what he wanted. As expected of a youth, impulsive and not knowing his limits.
At the center of the battlefield, under the watchful eyes of all. Leo and Garp stood facing each other, powerful Haki undulating around them both.
"Goken: Meteorite!!!" Garp, his hair standing on end, leaped high into the air. His fists were coated with high-density Armament Haki and overbearing Conqueror's Haki. With the dual Haki enhancement, his fists were the most powerful weapons in the world, overwhelming all before them.
"DIE!!!" After spitting out this final, icy word, Garp descended like a meteor, carrying a terrifying force that could destroy everything, smashing down towards Leo. He only used this move when facing Emperor-level enemies. Leo... was worthy of it.
"Haki Infusion?!" Looking at the red lightning flickering on Garp's fist, a mocking, teasing smile curled on Leo's lips. What a coincidence. He had it too!!
"Garp, say goodbye to this world!!"
ROAR!
In an instant, a Conqueror's Haki just as overbearing, tyrannical, and aggressive as Garp's erupted violently from Leo's body. Leo summoned the Shichiseiken. Black and red lightning quickly coiled around the blade. After receiving the dual enhancement of Armament and Conqueror's Haki, the Shichiseiken trembled with an unprecedented hum, as if transmitting a signal of excitement to Leo.
"Garp, Marine Headquarters will be your burial ground!"
"Spirit Fox Fire: Serpent Slash!"
Leo's eyes flashed with cold light as he swung his sword fiercely towards Garp! Several consecutive hundred-meter-long flying slashes, imbued with three colors, shot through the air, slashing straight towards the descending Garp.
Garp's face changed dramatically. His Observation Haki was in unprecedented turmoil. But at this moment, the arrow was already on the bowstring; he had to release it. Gritting his teeth, Garp increased his falling speed even more. Even if he died today, he would drag Leo down with him.
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T/N :
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