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Chapter 84 - 84

When Garp appeared at the top of the passageway,everyone was stunned.

The pirates panicked. With Garp blocking the way, it wasn't just Luffy — even a commander under a Yonko would struggle to get through. So how could Luffy possibly make it?

Meanwhile, the Marines were reinvigorated. After all, that was their Hero of the Marines — a man whose strength stood at the pinnacle of the Marine, perhaps even the strongest among them!

With someone like him standing there, what chance did the likes of trabaLuffy have?

Of course, very few people at the scene knew that Garp and Luffy were grandfather and grandson.

"Mr. Garp… and Luffy…"

Garp's two protégés, Koby and Helmeppo, were shocked.

Were grandfather and grandson really about to clash like this?

And judging by Garp's steely expression… was he really going through with it?

"Old man…"

Even Dragon couldn't help but glance over at his son and father — though unfortunately, he was currently locked in hand-to-hand combat with Bullet.

At this moment, nearly all eyes were on Garp.

Luffy had made it all the way to the foot of the execution platform. The only thing between him and Ace was that passage — but Garp was standing in the way. Everyone assumed the outcome was a foregone conclusion:Garp would beat Luffy and Sabo into the ground.

"Gramps! Get out of the way!" Luffy shouted. He just couldn't bring himself to strike his grandfather — but he had to save Ace. To him, both Ace and Garp were irreplaceable.

"This is bad"S abo muttered. Back when they were kids, he'd seen Garp as a grandfather too.

"If you want to pass, you'll have to defeat me" Garp declared. "I… am a Marine!"

His uniform billowed in the wind, his presence overwhelming. Despite being in his seventies, Garp still exuded the aura of a living legend.

"Gramps, I have to save Ace! Move!!"

Luffy furrowed his brows and charged, Sabo by his side.

But seeing Garp unmoved, Luffy gritted his teeth.

"Gear Second!"

Steam burst from his body, and he rocketed toward Garp at full speed.

Garp roared — and threw a punch straight at Luffy.

Even Ace was frozen in shock.

Fist clashed against fist.

Boom!

But what happened next shocked everyone —Garp's punch didn't land.

Luffy's fist struck Garp square in the face, sending the old man crashing down like a broken kite.

As he fell, Garp faintly heard Luffy say: "I'm sorry, Gramps."

The entire battlefield was stunned.

Garp… was knocked down by a Supernova?

Had he grown weak with age — or did he hold back?

"Ace's little brother made it up there!"

"He did it! Go, Ace's brother!"

Izo, one of Whitebeard's commanders, shouted in disbelief.

"They made it!"

Even Whitebeard smiled with relief, feeling his strength return for a moment.

But on the execution platform, Sengoku was fuming inside.

Garp… pulled his punch!

With Garp's strength, not even an Admiral could sneak up on him. Are we seriously supposed to believe Luffy landed that punch fair and square?

That old fool totally went easy on him!

Luffy ignored Sengoku completely and rushed to Ace's side, pulling out the key Sabo had swiped earlier.

"Ace!"

Luffy beamed.

"Luffy… and Sabo… you guys…"

Ace was overwhelmed with emotion. He couldn't believe they had really come this far!

Boom!

Just then, golden light flashed behind them. The entire execution platform trembled.

A ring of golden light expanded outward, enveloping half of Marineford.

"That's the legendary Marine… Sengoku the Buddha!"

"He's activated the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Buddha!"

"A mythical Zoan!"

"To witness Fleet Admiral Sengoku's powers in person… it's like seeing a god descend!"

As Sengoku transformed into a towering golden Buddha atop the execution platform, countless people were shaken to their core.The sheer divine presence he emitted caused awe and fear alike.

"Sengoku…"

Whitebeard, who had clashed with Sengoku many times in their youth, knew full well how powerful he was.

"Think you can escape right under my nose?!"

Sengoku glared down at the trio, golden energy gathering in his palm. Waves of blinding light surged outward.

"Gear Third!"

Luffy inhaled deeply, inflating his body into a balloon to brace against the coming impact.

"That ability… really is terrifying" Elior muttered, watching from a distance.

"But he's not going all out — not with Luffy. Just like Garp, he's holding back… just a little less."

He shook his head. He could already guess what would happen next.

Elior turned back to face Aokiji once more.

Meanwhile, Sengoku's strike tipped the entire execution platform. The massive shockwave easily shattered the wooden structure.

"Damn it!"

"I let my guard down!"

Sengoku's expression darkened. In the collapse, the shackles that had connected Ace to the execution platform were broken.Though the Seastone cuffs remained, he was no longer bound to the stand.

As the three brothers plummeted, Sabo reached into his pocket.

"Ace! The key!"

"No!"

Sengoku immediately launched another shockwave at them.

Boom!

But in that instant, a wall of fire erupted like a blazing sea.

Fire Fist!

A clear, powerful voice rang out as the inferno collided with Sengoku's golden shockwave, creating a massive explosion mid-air.

"…He's free."

Sengoku frowned. He had just realized a truth he didn't want to admit.

"Making my little brothers come all this way to save their reckless big brother… how embarrassing."

Ace grinned, overwhelmed with joy at his newfound freedom.

"Luffy, Sabo — I'm free!"

"Ace!"

"It's been so long!"

Amid the blazing flames, the three of them emerged together, filling Whitebeard's crew and the Revolutionary Army with excitement and hope.

"They did it!"

"Ace is saved!"

"Is it finally over?"

"Ace's brothers are amazing!"

The Whitebeard Pirates erupted in cheers — even Whitebeard himself smiled again.

"Whitebeard Pirates — retreat!"

Seeing his beloved son rescued, Whitebeard gave the order.Their mission was complete.

"You think you're getting away that easily, Whitebeard?!"

Vice Admiral Onigumo charged in. Like Akainu, he was one of the Marine's hardliners — and he would not allow Whitebeard to escape.

The targets of this war had been clear from the start: Ace and Whitebeard must die!

No matter who else escaped — those two could not.

If they did, this war would be a complete joke.

Only by killing Whitebeard and Ace — and displaying their corpses to the world — could the Marines claim victory.

The hardliners were dead serious.

"Don't let Whitebeard escape! Pursue Ace! If formal execution isn't possible — kill him on the spot!"

Sengoku roared.

There were only two options for execution: by formal process — or immediate elimination.Clearly, they were now down to the second.

As soon as Sengoku gave the order, hundreds of Marines swarmed toward the trio.

"You're not stopping us!"

"Luffy, Sabo — let's fight like we did as kids! Let's break through this together!"

Ace shouted to his brothers. Being able to fight side by side again thrilled him.

"Yeah!"

Both nodded without hesitation.

"Fire Pillar!"

"Dragon Breath!"

"Gum-Gum Gatling!"

They charged toward the Marines, attacking as one.

Dozens of marines were engulfed in fire, the ground shattered under Sabo's blows, and Luffy's barrage swept away the rest.

At this point, the three were nearly unstoppable.

Even the weakest among them, Luffy, was still at Supernova level. Sabo was much stronger — he'd just become the Revolutionary Army's second-in-command. And Ace, a Logia user, was stronger still — he'd already been worth 500 million berries not long after setting sail.

Among the first generation of Supernovas, Ace was in a league of his own.

The waves of Marines kept coming, but they simply couldn't stop the three brothers.They couldn't even get close.

"Now that Ace is safe, the Revolutionary Army should retreat as well" Dragon muttered, relieved.

"You think it's that easy? Not so fast."

A massive mechanical fist came crashing down on him, forcing Dragon back several meters.

It was Bullet.

"Persistent bastard!"

Dragon cursed and launched a counterattack.

"So reckless… That guy from the Revolutionary Army — he's Ace's brother too?" Marco smirked.

"No wonder he's so strong. Just like Ace."

He smiled confidently.

"Time to start our own retreat."

That feeling — when something joyful happens and lifts everyone's spirits—was now surging through the entire Whitebeard Pirates.

Marco's body ignited with brilliant blue flames. At that moment, a barrage of bullets rained down from the Marine ranks, but Marco's body, glowing like a phoenix, simply shrugged them off. Just like a Logia user, the bullets passed through harmlessly.

"Is that all you've got?" Marco grinned.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a powerful shockwave came crashing from above. The ground exploded beneath him, and Marco was blasted back through the air.

"Pirates! Justice will prevail!"

A radiant figure descended from the sky, glowing with golden light. Sengoku, in his colossal Buddha form, towered above the battlefield, his sheer presence overwhelming. The Marines were filled with awe, while the pirates trembled in fear.

"Capture every last member of the Whitebeard Pirates! I don't want a single one of them getting away—not even a fly!"

Sengoku's voice was thunderous with rage. He could hardly believe how far things had spiraled out of control.

"Yes, Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"

The Marines responded with renewed determination, charging forward to hunt down the pirates.

"Whitebeard!"

Sengoku's golden eyes locked onto his old rival. Whitebeard's massive frame moved with startling speed for a man his size.

"I'll handle Whitebeard! The rest of you, deal with his crew!"

Sengoku ordered. Onigumo and the others nodded and immediately turned to confront the other commanders.

"So, Sengoku… it looks like after all these years, it's finally time for round two."

With Ace finally safe, Whitebeard's spirit surged. His condition visibly improved. He clenched his massive fist, coated it with the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, and let out a low growl as he launched a punch toward Sengoku.

Sengoku met it head-on, thrusting his right palm forward, unleashing a devastating shockwave of golden energy.

Boom! The air cracked and trembled. In the next instant, a blinding light erupted as their powers collided. The shock tore through the battlefield—ground rupturing and shattering in a 30-meter radius around them.

"Sengoku the Buddha and Whitebeard are clashing!"

"The man who stood atop the pirate world… versus the man who stood atop the Navy!"

"This is insane. Are they really going all out?!"

All across Marineford, soldiers and pirates alike were frozen in awe. To witness a clash between two living legends—this was something they'd only heard about in stories.

"Whitebeard… you're not getting out of here alive!"

Sengoku struck again, sending another wave of seismic power surging toward his opponent. Whitebeard met it in kind, his fist once again unleashing the devastating force of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.

The battlefield trembled.

Just like decades ago, when they fought in the New World—This time, there would be no holding back.

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