Wherever they passed, everything was destroyed and burned.
At this moment, Teach and the Straw Hat Pirates were both desperately trying to escape.
However, Teach did not stick with the Straw Hats. He knew that with so many people trying to escape under the gaze of an Admiral, it was absolutely impossible.
Not to mention, another marine Admiral had now arrived.
If they all gathered together, the end result would only be total capture.
He did not believe that the Straw Hats could survive this time. Those guys, although full of potential, were far weaker than him now, let alone able to contend with an Admiral.
The last time at Enies Lobby, it was only because Ace and Marco had shown up that they had successfully escaped.
But this time, the Umbrella Corporation seemed unwilling to interfere, and facing two marine admirals along with countless marines, there was no way the former right-hand man of the King of the Pirates could stop them alone.
Therefore, they had to split up.
Only by splitting up would he have a chance to survive.
His dream hadn't even begun yet; he absolutely could not die here.
So, he had no choice but to let the Straw Hats attract the marines' attention.
A grimace spread across Teach's face. He ignored the Marines chasing him, only lowering his head and running with all his might.
At this moment, the only thought in his mind was: To survive!
And it was getting closer by the second.
Staring at the shore that was within reach, Teach's grimace twisted into an excited, manic laugh.
As long as he reached it, he would surely find a way off this damned island. Even if he jumped into the sea... He still had a chance to survive!
But if he were caught by the Marines, he would be finished.
However, just as Teach was getting closer to the shore…
"Crack!"
"Crack!"
"Crack!"
A wave of cold air suddenly surged over him, instantly freezing his feet.
Feeling the chill from below, Teach's expression changed. He stretched out his hand while staring at the sea right in front of him, and let out a sharp roar: "No!!!"
...
On the other side, as Teach had said, the Straw Hat Pirates were even weaker than him.
Facing the endless line of marines, even though they had already cleared the first half of the Grand Line, at this moment, they too felt despair.
Of course, compared to Teach's situation, the Straw Hats were slightly better off, at least an Admiral had not come to their side.
"Nami!"
Zoro swung his sword to fend off a marine, then delivered a whirlwind kick to send another marine flying.
Then he shouted to Nami: "Still haven't found an opening?"
"The wind is wrong, and the coast is blocked!"
Nami held her staff, her face showing urgency. She fended off enemies while shouting in despair: "Even if we get on the ship, we won't have a chance to escape!"
Luckily, before landing, they hadn't listened to Luffy and sold the ship.
But even with the ship, with them facing this blockade... There was nothing they could do!
If things continued like this, they would definitely be caught!
Nami let out a wail in her heart, even thinking about giving up and waiting until they were captured to find a way to escape.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, she raised her head sharply. At that very moment, a barely visible drop of water fell on her face, then she showed an excited expression and shouted loudly: "Everyone run to the left, then get on the ship!"
Everyone: "...?"
This sudden command left the Straw Hats momentarily stunned, but within a second, they recovered.
Smiles appeared on their faces, the fatigue seeming to vanish. Without hesitation, they immediately ran to the left as Nami had instructed.
Though they did not know why Nami had them do this, as her companions, they understood... Their navigator had found a chance to survive!
...
"Looks like you really care about those kids!"
Sakazuki said calmly while watching Rayleigh, who was relieved after seeing Kuzan go after Teach. "Could it be that these kids are carrying some secret?"
"Ahahaha."
Hearing Sakazuki's words, Rayleigh showed an awkward smile, which quickly disappeared.
Naturally, he said with a smile, "I was just moved by the children's dreams as a senior!"
"Dreams? The dream of being a pirate? Ridiculous!"
Sakazuki snorted with disdain, then sneered again. "Do you think that by stopping me, those guys will survive? Don't dream! Don't forget where you are!"
Rayleigh: "...?!"
As Sakazuki's words fell, Rayleigh furrowed his brows and seemed to understand. Then he looked toward the Straw Hats.
Seeing several marine warships suddenly appearing on the sea, especially the Vice Admiral standing on the ships, his expression changed.
Reinforcements from Marine Headquarters had arrived!
Damn, he almost forgot! This was the Sabaody Archipelago, and the Marine Headquarters wasn't far from here!
...
"Vice-Admiral Gion!"
"Vice-Admiral Tokikake!"
The Marines who also noticed the scene showed excited expressions.
It should be noted that Vice-Admirals Gion and Tokikake were not mere Vice-Admirals; they were candidates for the Admiral rank and extremely powerful.
Unexpectedly, the headquarters had even sent Admiral candidates.
This showed just how seriously Marine Headquarters regarded this operation!
This sudden change also altered the Straw Hats' expressions. Even though they didn't know who these two were, from the reaction of the marines, they could guess... the newcomers were extremely powerful.
This time... Could they really not escape?
But unlike the other desperate and tense companions, Nami also glanced at the several marine warships approaching them.
Then she looked at the ship within reach, as if calculating something. Her eyes narrowed, and with a determined tone, she shouted: "There's still time, run!"
Her voice brought the others back to their senses. Though they felt some despair, since Nami said this, they had nothing to consider, just run!
"Stop them! Vice-Admiral Gion and Vice-Admiral Tokikake have arrived! They absolutely cannot escape!"
Unlike the reinvigorated Straw Hats, the Marines became excited upon seeing the fleet sent from Marine Headquarters.
They were confident that the Straw Hats could not escape this time!
Countless marines charged forward. As some fell down, more surged up, biting down hard on the Straw Hats.
But the Straw Hats did not linger with the marines behind them. Following Nami's instructions, they kept their heads down and ran straight toward their ship.