It may sound like a long time, but in reality it all happened in an instant.
From Valthior's entry into the battlefield to Gairam getting his head blown apart, only a few breaths had passed.
On the other side, Doringo was still tangled up fighting Nightin.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Valthior brutally crushing Gairam, and his heart jolted—damn, that was way too savage!
At this point, he had already realized that Valthior's strength was no longer on the same level as them so-called combatants of the Roger Pirates.
This guy was advancing toward the level of top executives like Rayleigh and Gaban.
As expected of the executive vice-captain of our Roger Pirates… Doringo thought to himself.
If even Doringo was this shocked, then Nightin was even more so—she was outright startled.
Who the hell is this guy!?
Since when did the Roger Pirates have such a monster? And a completely unfamiliar face at that!?
However, although Nightin became extremely wary of Valthior, Valthior clearly had no intention of wasting time here. After blowing Gairam's head off, he didn't hesitate at all—he headed straight toward the harbor of Linderland Island, where the World Pirates' ship was docked.
As always, their main objective was to obtain the Poneglyph. Fighting here wasn't the goal—it was just a means to an end.
Now that the core members of the World Pirates were tied down, it was the perfect opportunity to seize the Poneglyph!
With a flash of Frost Mirror Reflection, Valthior's figure quickly emerged from the ice crystals surrounding World's ship.
But just as he was about to climb aboard, a terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki suddenly swept across the area.
Within a radius of several hundred meters, pirates locked in battle were blasted away by the shockwave.
Valthior himself took the brunt of it—he was struck head-on by the violent pressure, stumbled, and slammed his back into the ship's hull. Only by bracing himself against the ship's mass did he manage to withstand the aftershock.
Looking up, he couldn't help but react—
Good grief.
This Conqueror's Haki shockwave was the result of Roger, Newgate, Shiki, and World clashing.
At some point, those four had already started fighting—and not in neat one-on-one duels, but in total chaos. Whenever there was an opening, Roger would slash Shiki, stab Whitebeard, and the others would do the same in return.
"Sure enough… there's still a huge gap between me and these top-tier monsters. Better not get cocky…" Valthior thought to himself.
He didn't pay further attention to that battlefield. Quickly boarding the ship, he kicked open the cabin door and entered without hesitation.
...
At the same time, beneath the sea, a large submarine was breaking through the ice.
The exterior of the submarine bore the emblem of the Marine Headquarters—it was clearly a Marine vessel.
Inside the cabin, two Marine Admirals and one Marine Vice Admiral were sitting with their eyes closed, using Observation Haki to sense the situation outside.
These three were none other than Garp, Zephyr, and Sengoku.
"We have to thank Roger and the others for causing such chaos—drawing Whitebeard and Shiki's attention allowed us to slip into the core of the battlefield," Admiral Sengoku said slowly as he opened his eyes.
Garp also opened his eyes and said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's smash through the ice!"
"What's the rush?" Zephyr interrupted. "We should conserve our strength and let those pirates wear each other down first."
"That's right," Sengoku nodded in agreement. "Best case scenario, they all end up badly wounded. Then we move in and suppress them."
Although Garp was itching to jump in and have some fun, he knew their strategy made sense, so he didn't insist. Sitting in the cabin, he rolled his wrists and said:
"By the way, Mary Geoise issued new orders, right? Since the Roger Pirates entered the New World, we don't need to worry about that guy anymore?"
Sengoku's expression turned a bit strange as he nodded. "That's right. Saint Saturn personally issued the order. Not only do we not need to hold back against Saint Valthior… we're even instructed to target him more."
"Hmph. The Celestial Dragons' games just got more difficult. I really don't get what goes on in their heads," Zephyr said with clear displeasure.
After confirming this, Garp's expression became conflicted.
Seeing this, Sengoku asked curiously, "Why do you look constipated?"
"You're the one who's constipated!" Garp shot back, then explained, "I'm torn here. Roger's here, so he's obviously my primary target. But back in Alabasta, that Valthior guy pissed me off too. Now that I can go all out against him, I don't know which one to pick!"
Sengoku and Zephyr exchanged a glance, instantly reaching a mutual understanding.
Zephyr spoke first: "What's there to be conflicted about? You've fought Roger plenty of times—missing one or two won't matter. But a chance to beat up a Celestial Dragon out in the open? That doesn't come around often. Do you really need to think about it?"
Sengoku added fuel to the fire: "Exactly. Opportunities like this are rare. If you won't take it, we will. Don't complain later."
Though they said that, in reality, neither Sengoku nor Zephyr had any intention of touching Valthior.
After all, they were Marine Admirals who frequently had to go to Mary Geoise. Even if they were ordered to beat Valthior, it would still mean laying hands on a Celestial Dragon. What if that guy returned to Mary Geoise in the future and held a grudge? What if he made things difficult for them later?
Garp, on the other hand, had no such concerns.
This was the same guy who punched Saint Saturn in the face during the God Valley Incident and still ended up just fine.
He wasn't aiming for promotion to Admiral, nor did he spend much time in Mary Geoise. Even the Celestial Dragons knew what kind of person he was.
Having him deal with Saint Valthior was clearly the best choice for the Marines.
Of course, Garp had no idea about the scheming going on. After hearing their reasoning, he actually felt it made sense.
Seeing Garp wavering, Sengoku casually added, "Besides, Saint Valthior might have a high status, but his strength probably isn't anything special. With your level, taking him down should be easy, right? Beat him up to vent your anger, then go deal with Roger afterward."
Garp's eyes lit up. He slapped his thigh and said, "That's why you're the strategist, Sengoku! You're right! I'll beat up Valthior first, then go after Roger!"
But soon after, Zephyr reminded him:
"That said, don't forget—our main target is still Byrnndi World. This guy is too dangerous. Orders from above are clear—we must eliminate him as soon as possible. This is a rare opportunity. Don't waste it."
Logically speaking, in terms of influence, Shiki and Whitebeard currently commanded the largest forces in the New World.
In terms of strength, the Roger Pirates—with Rayleigh and Gaban—were also stronger than World's crew.
But the problem was, World was a mad dog.
Shiki and Whitebeard were mainly fighting within the New World. The Roger Pirates hadn't caused any major incidents yet.
But Byrnndi World?
He had repeatedly declared that he would bombard Mary Geoise, blast through the Red Line, and destroy Marine Headquarters.
Plenty of people on the seas made wild claims like that.
But World wasn't just talking—he was actively trying to make it happen.
Based on intelligence gathered jointly by CP and the Marine intelligence division, his threat level had already surpassed Roger, Shiki, Whitebeard, and the rest.
At this point, World's crew had become a target that absolutely had to be eliminated.
Thus, in this chaotic battle, Sengoku and the others' top priority… was him.
...
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