With this, Elior had completely enraged the top figures of the three great powers—he had slaughtered those they held dearest, setting their hearts ablaze with fury.
The Revolutionary Army's leader, Dragon.
Possibly the strongest man in the Marines, Garp.
And the world's strongest man—Whitebeard.
If it were anyone else, even the reckless Kaido would've likely stayed holed up on Onigashima, never daring to leave.
Just thinking about it sent shivers down the spine.
Yet at this moment, Elior remained fearless. After all, when they came to Marineford, they had already prepared a plan—Elior would kill Ace, and his companions would stall the likes of Garp. No matter what, the World was there to hold Garp back — a beast with a grudge that burned overnight.
And Elior was no mindless brute like Kaido.
"ROAR!"
Suddenly, a shadow shot toward Elior with a ferocious roar — like a wild beast breaking from its cage—coming at him from the right with such speed that it kicked up a gust of wind.
It was Garp.
His fists clenched tight, veins bulging, his feet barely touching the ground as he launched himself forward, channeling all his strength into his right fist. That single punch carried a force that could crush an entire island.
Elior was unfazed. He met Garp's punch head-on without hesitation—it was within his expectations that Garp would come for him.
Unmatched brute strength.
Elior also gathered all his power into his fist, and the two titans collided violently.
By now, almost every eye on the battlefield was locked on Elior. Countless spectators in Marineford and even those watching from the Sabaody Archipelago—where the number of people had swelled to twice what it was in the original events—witnessed it. Unlike the canon battle between Whitebeard's crew and the Marine alone, this war brought four major powers to the field. And at the center of every clash — stood Elior.
Two powerhouse commanders lay dead by his hand, and Akainu had been gravely wounded and taken away.
Everyone watched in stunned anticipation as Garp's devastating punch came crashing down on Elior. No one could even begin to guess the true extent of Garp's strength.
The legendary force of the Marines — what terror it held.
BOOM!
When their fists collided, the sound was so deafening that it felt like it would rupture the eardrums of everyone in Marineford. The ground beneath their feet — within a radius of thirty meters — was pulverized instantly by the shockwave of their clash. Stones exploded into debris, and clouds of dust billowed up into a towering mushroom cloud.
Waves of wind blasted outward, sweeping away ordinary Marines and pirates alike, sending them tumbling over ten meters before they could even begin to stop themselves.
"Garp!"
Even Sengoku was shaken. Having been Garp's brother-in-arms for over fifty years, even he had never seen Garp this enraged. The man was practically insane now. A punch like that — no one could even fathom how much power it held. And that was with Elior's punch meeting it — if it had struck the ground directly, the destruction would've been catastrophic.
Garp stood at the very peak of martial prowess.
"What a terrifying monster. Even after battling so many, killing three top-tier powers, he can still clash with Garp!"
"He's beyond our understanding. A creature not of our world" muttered Doflamingo, glancing sideways at Mihawk.
"Don't you agree, Mihawk?"
"Indeed" the stoic Mihawk replied.
Elior was truly monstrous. He didn't even look of age—still appearing like a youth—yet his strength was beyond belief. And not just in one area—his mastery of physical combat, Devil Fruit abilities, and swordsmanship were all frighteningly powerful.
What else could you call such a being but a monster?
Mihawk, especially, was intrigued by Elior's swordsmanship—it was undeniably at the level of a Great Swordsman.
"Kishishishi... if he dies, I wonder if the World Government will let me have his corpse and shadow? If I had that, I'd be unstoppable..." chuckled Gecko Moria, already scheming. Seeing Garp attacking so viciously, he wondered—was Garp enraged over the threat Elior posed? Or because Elior had killed Aokiji, sparking Garp's fury?
And now that Ace was dead—there was no way Whitebeard wouldn't react.
Would Elior actually be killed here? If so, and if Moria could claim his body and shadow... the power he'd gain would be unimaginable.
But just as Moria was plotting, his muttering reached the ears of Hancock, who instantly grew furious. She strode forward, her long legs moving with practiced martial grace. With a powerful sweep of her leg, she struck Moria square in the face with the sole of her high heel. His face burst with blood as the force sent him flying over fifty meters.
"Hey, hey, what's with that woman now?" Doflamingo chuckled, turning with Mihawk to glance over.
"Vile and disgusting creature" Hancock snapped coldly. Yet inwardly, she was worried for her lord.
Back at the center, Elior and Garp exchanged blows, fists slamming into flesh. Both had landed heavy hits on each other.
"I'll kill you, brat!" Garp growled, his tone ice-cold and face shadowed in wrath. His grief had fully transformed into fury, which in turn became strength. He had to unleash it—every bit of it.
His beloved disciple—like a son to him—Aokiji, dead by Elior's hand. Not long after, Ace was killed too.
Garp's mind was collapsing under the weight of it all. He had thought that if Ace could escape, he'd get a new lease on life—perhaps hide forever in the New World, far from the Marines' reach.
But Elior had shredded that dream to pieces. Memories of Ace flooded Garp's mind, deepening his grief, igniting his rage.
BOOM!
Their fists collided again, the impact sending both reeling several meters back. The shockwaves cleared the area further—no one dared approach anymore. If the Marineford plaza weren't so massive, there'd be nowhere to run.
"If you want to kill me... you'll need another lifetime!" Elior sneered, lunging forward. With a powerful swipe of his hand, he conjured a massive ice pillar—two meters thick—launching it at Garp at terrifying speed.
Garp's fists never loosened their grip. He smashed his fist into the ice pillar, shattering it—yet at that moment, Elior touched the other end of the pillar, coating it with Armament Haki, then struck it with his own punch. The reinforced ice rammed into Garp's chest, sending him flying.
But Garp quickly planted his feet, regained his stance, and charged back with blinding speed—three steps, and he was back in front of Elior, fist raised before his foot even landed.
Elior crossed his arms to block.
BOOM!
The ground beneath shattered once more, unable to withstand the pressure. Dust clouds erupted everywhere.
"No matter what, I'll give my life if I must... but I'm leaving your corpse here, Elior!"
Garp was determined—whether it was for revenge for Aokiji and Ace, or for the justice of the Marines, he had to kill this dangerous monster. This was a threat that had to be put down.
Meanwhile, the ground crumbled beneath them, smoke and dust swirling.
Elsewhere, Whitebeard, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face, stood silently—his sorrow for his beloved son Ace unbearable.
Everyone knew Garp was furious. The legendary Marine was trying to suppress Elior.
But few realized — Whitebeard was furious too.
Clenching the red bead tightly in his hand — Ace's treasured possession — Whitebeard grabbed his supreme grade blade, Murakumogiri, and charged toward Elior. His massive, giant-like frame crushed the cracked ground beneath every step. The heavy thuds of his advance echoed across the battlefield.
His grim expression drew the eyes of all.
Only then did people remember — Whitebeard had been fighting with everything to rescue Ace. Now Ace was dead by Elior's hand.
And so—Whitebeard was livid.
"Whitebeard's coming! I almost forgot about him!"
"Terrifying! He feels even more menacing than before!"
"They say a man's rage can be their greatest weapon!"
"My God... is Elior really about to face the two strongest men alive at once?"
"Tch... how's he supposed to survive that?"
"If just watching them weakens my knees, I can't imagine standing in front of them!"
"How is Elior supposed to handle an opponent like this? Anyone else would be smashed to pulp!"
Whitebeard's arrival sent a chill through the battlefield. His presence now radiated an aura far more terrifying than before—just standing under it made countless people tremble uncontrollably.
"Pops... Pops is furious!"
"It's that bastard Elior's fault!"
"Ace... our beloved brother... he's gone…"
The Whitebeard Pirates were drowning in grief, some shouting, others already weeping.
"Whitebeard... his strength was being held back earlier, but now—now he's even stronger!"
Watching Whitebeard charge straight toward Elior, Sengoku's expression changed dramatically. If Whitebeard had looked sickly or worn out before, now he seemed to have returned to the peak of his prime.
Even Sengoku couldn't help but feel shocked—and others around him even more so.
"Whitebeard, huh?"
Elior hadn't forgotten about Whitebeard—but seeing him approach now really caught him off guard. After all, he was still busy handling Garp.
On the other side, Whitebeard stomped forward, crushing the ground beneath each step. His massive fist was wrapped in a translucent white sphere—the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
"Hey, kid—let me lend you a hand!"
"Garp, I'm not gonna let you get your way!"
A ragged old man suddenly entered the fray, wielding a massive sword. It was World, and his blade had been enlarged a hundredfold by the More-More Fruit. Naturally, its size came with proportional boosts to power and speed.
"Bastard!"
Garp noticed World rushing in to attack. Just as he was about to counter, Elior struck him with a heavy punch, forcing Garp to defend — and right then, World's massive sword followed through, smashing Garp and sending him flying in a wide arc across the battlefield.
"Whitebeard's coming!" World shouted, then immediately pursued Garp to keep him pinned down.
By then, Whitebeard's enormous fist had already reached Elior. The shockwave power pulsed visibly through the air, distorting space itself.
Whitebeard said nothing. His silence, his grim expression, and his fists—they were the language of his wrath.
Elior stepped back with his right foot, bracing for impact, then launched a thunder-infused punch of his own straight toward Whitebeard.
Standing over six meters tall, Whitebeard towered above Elior, his aura and presence utterly overwhelming in comparison.
Crack!
The next instant, the very air cracked apart. The lightning bursting from Elior's fist intertwined with the fractures in the atmosphere, creating a spiderweb of shattered space that spread for tens of meters.
Immediately after, the ground itself began to tremble.
No—it wasn't just the ground.The entire space was shaking.
Marineford Plaza... tilted on its axis.