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The brief standoff, combined with the light screen's persistent presence, slightly diluted the bloody atmosphere in God Valley with a bizarre "truce" vibe.
Although the Five Elders were itching with hatred—especially seeing the Buccaneer Tribe's Kuma being blatantly sheltered by Roger, Rocks, and the others…
They also clearly understood that under the light screen's unknown power—particularly after that terrifying pressure that had forcibly suppressed the will to fight earlier—any rash move would be far from wise.
"Wait…"
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter's voice squeezed out through gritted teeth, his gaze darkly fixed on the glowing canopy: "This thing can't stay lit forever.
It'll disappear again eventually, or… undergo some other change. When that happens…"
He didn't finish the latter half, but the killing intent was self-evident.
Even if Rocks, Roger, and the others joined forces with overwhelming strength, the Five Elders weren't without their own trump cards. A war of attrition, a prolonged battle, or even resorting to certain unconventional methods—
They were confident they could eventually wear down this group of "rebels."
"That's all we can do for now…"
At this moment, Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro sat down on a relatively flat rock, took out a spotless white cloth, and began meticulously wiping his demonic sword Shodai Kitetsu once more.
His movements were calm and unhurried, forming a stark contrast with the devastated, gruesome surroundings around him. Anyone who didn't know better might think he had an extreme case of mysophobia!
"Saturn needs time to recover, and we might as well… observe what else this light screen will 'tell' us."
Saint Topman V. Warcury also agreed with the other two Elders' views—for now, this was the only option.
On the other side, the little Revolutionary Army kids who had been protected were temporarily out of danger.
Little Shanks, little Shamrock, and little Teach held the bread contributed by Kuma and ate it with great relish.
These foods from the Celestial Dragons' table, though merely the simplest means of filling their stomachs for the children, felt especially precious in the midst of this chaos.
In fact, the Rocks Pirates' Streusen could have been mass-produced using the Munch-Munch Fruit's ability, but the earlier intense battle had consumed a massive amount of his stamina, leaving him with little energy to sustain it.
With the highest-level combat paused, the casualties among the lower ranks on the battlefield began to become apparent.
Whether Marine soldiers or pirate grunts, both sides had suffered heavy losses in the aftermath of the Five Elders' descent and the chaotic melee among the powerhouses.
Painful groans and suppressed sobs began to rise across the battlefield.
On the Marines' side, Garp's direct troops and the elite forces Sengoku had brought had borne the brunt of the chaos, resulting in an extremely high number of wounded.
Even the accompanying military doctors and medical resources were somewhat insufficient.
Garp watched his subordinates in agony, his fists clenched tightly, his face ashen.
At that moment, an unexpected action occurred.
"Hey, you guys,"
Roger called out to the doctors on his own ship, "Go help out over at Garp's side! They don't have enough hands!"
These words stunned not only the Marines but also left many pirates looking astonished.
Pirates voluntarily helping the Marines treat their wounded?
This was simply unheard of!
But the one making this decision was Roger—the pirate whose way of doing things had always been unpredictable.
The doctors from the Roger Pirates' ship heard Roger's order and immediately headed toward the area where Garp's wounded were gathered.
Several other Roger Pirates crew members who had some medical knowledge followed along.
Garp watched this scene, his lips moving slightly, but in the end he said nothing.
He knew Roger's personality—this guy's "kindness" was sometimes just like this: completely disregarding the occasion or common sense.
They were rivals, enemies. If they met on the seas, it would inevitably be a fight to the death.
But right now, in this eerie place shrouded by the light screen, where the future was uncertain and everyone was forced to pause temporarily, this aid that crossed battle lines left Garp with a tumult of mixed emotions.
He couldn't speak for the Marines to express thanks, but he would remember this favor.
The others around—including the Five Elders, Rocks, Whitebeard, and more—silently watched this scene, their expressions varied.
The Five Elders furrowed their brows tightly, extremely displeased with Garp's behavior of "blurring friend and foe," but considering Garp's immense prestige in the Marines and the need to stabilize morale at this moment, they ultimately chose to acquiesce.
After all, forcibly stopping it—or even clashing with Garp over this—could lead to far greater losses.
After this brief interlude, everyone's gazes and thoughts were ultimately drawn back to the light screen in the sky that continued to play scenes of the future.
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