On the other side, five division captains of the Whitebeard Pirates, more than a dozen captains of subordinate pirate crews, and Luffy joined forces to attack the execution platform.
That was right, Luffy, who had been training with Rayleigh in the Sabaody Archipelago, had boarded Whitebeard's ship at some point and wanted to save Ace together with Whitebeard.
Because there was no Hancock to lead Luffy into Impel Down, he could only follow Whitebeard straight into Marine Headquarters to rescue Ace.
At this time, Luffy and the captains of Whitebeard's subordinate crews attacked the execution platform.
Their direct opponents were Garp and Aokiji.
To be precise, a dozen captains of Whitebeard's subordinate crews and division captains were besieging Aokiji together.
Luffy was dealing with Garp alone. The rookie pirate defending against the Navy hero alone made for a stark contrast.
"You stinky old man, why are you stopping me! Let me go, I want to save Ace!"
Luffy's body turned red as white steam continuously poured off him.
In Gear Second, blood circulated at high speed throughout the body, doubling one's strength.
"I am a Marine. I cannot move out of the way."
Garp spoke with difficulty, his face full of pain.
He treated Ace as his own grandson, no different from Luffy.
He also wanted to save Ace, but his identity as a Marine prevented him from doing so.
With the possibility of Luffy's arrival and the death of his two grandsons, he could not sit still any longer. He stopped Luffy because he feared others would kill him.
"Then I'll knock you away, you old bastard. I want to save Ace!" Luffy's face was grim, and he shouted firmly, "Gum-Gum Bazooka!"
He swung his fists at Garp, and his rubber-enhanced arms shot forward violently.
Like cannonballs fired from a gun, they created rings of sonic booms in the air.
Garp clenched his fists and looked at the charging Luffy with anguish. "I will not let you pass. I already told you to become Marines. Why don't you ever listen?"
If his two grandsons had become Marines instead of pirates, today would not have happened.
Why would these two not listen?
One was captured as a pirate, and the other rushed over to die.
Brotherly love was precious, but Luffy's arrival was only adding another life at stake.
Within a day, one grandson was certain to die, and the other was not far from it.
The fire in his heart raged. He was on the verge of going mad.
Garp swung his fist angrily, the muscles in his thick arms bulging.
He launched a fierce uppercut.
The air howled, and a strong wind kicked up from the ground.
Boom.
The fists collided, and Luffy's Gear Second punch had no resistance at all.
Garp's fist pressed Luffy's arms into his abdomen, and then the remaining force poured into Luffy's body.
The stone floor of the execution square exploded. A large crater opened beneath Luffy, and debris flew everywhere.
"Khah…"
Luffy's eyes bulged as his limbs jerked upward.
His belly where Garp had struck thinned like paper. It looked terrifying.
However, as soon as Garp withdrew his fist, Luffy stood up from the pit, full of energy.
A punch without Haki could not cause real damage to a rubber man.
At this time, Garp's attack was not as powerful as the Armament Haki-coated Iron Fist of Love back in Foosha Village.
"I will not give up!" Luffy stood, looked at Ace on the execution platform, and shouted, "Ace, wait for me, I will rescue you!"
"Luffy! What are you doing here, you idiot! You are going to die!"
Ace looked at Luffy and at the Whitebeard Pirates fighting because of him and felt endless regret.
If he had not acted impulsively, and had instead brought two captains with him to pursue Blackbeard, perhaps today's outcome would have been different.
But the mistake had been made, and there was no point in regretting it.
"Ace, you are the idiot. As a pirate, you got captured by the Marines. No one is more stupid than you!" Luffy flashed his two rows of white teeth at Ace, laughed, and said, "Don't worry, I will rescue you, idiot!"
"Luffy…"
Ace looked at Luffy and could not help but burst into tears.
"Garp, you old bastard! Stop blocking my way to save Ace!" Luffy blew air into his arm and shouted, "Gear Third, Gum-Gum Giant Pistol!"
Luffy's right arm expanded rapidly like a balloon. In the blink of an eye, it became a giant fist larger than a person.
With elasticity behind it, the giant fist blasted toward Garp.
A massive roar rang in his ears. The power of this punch was even stronger than a giant's.
"…"
Garp's eyes were lifeless.
He raised his fist mechanically and struck Luffy.
Once again, Luffy was knocked back, but he quickly got up and charged again.
Next to them, more than a dozen captains of Whitebeard's subordinate crews were struggling under Aokiji's oppression.
Seven more ice sculptures stood around them, including the 10th Division Captain, Curiel, the 11th Division Captain, Kingdew, the 7th Division Captain, Rakuyo, and three captains of affiliated crews.
These pirates had watched Garp and Luffy fight for a long time, with lots of noise but little damage, and they grew interested.
"The Navy hero Garp cannot even beat a kid. He is too old to use Haki. Let's break through him!"
A pirate yelled to his teammates.
In his view, Luffy's strength was decent, but still far inferior to the New World's pirate captains.
If even Luffy could fight Garp to a standstill, then they could definitely beat Garp.
Besides, this old man had not used Haki at all. He must be too old to use it.
"Okay! Let's start with that old guy!"
The other pirates nodded.
Those being beaten badly by Aokiji immediately sent some people to deal with Garp.
"…"
Aokiji shook his head and, with a backhand, froze the 9th Division Captain, Blenheim.
Luffy did not get hurt because he was family. What was their relationship with Garp?
"Shark Punch!"
"Elephant Flying Kick!"
"One Sword Style, Tornado Slash!"
The pirates unleashed various techniques and attacked Garp all at once.
"Damn pirates!" Garp's lifeless eyes suddenly sharpened, and all the muscles in his body tensed. "Galaxy Impact!"
Garp clenched his fingers into fists, veins bulging on the backs of his hands.
Jet-black Armament Haki covered his fists.
Then he suddenly leaped up.
He dropped again at tremendous speed, his momentum peaking as he fell.
"Crap!"
The pirates who rushed to besiege him were stunned, staring at Garp as if they had seen a ghost.
Just now, those fists were pale, with no sign of Haki.
How had they suddenly turned as black as ink?
That flowing texture was clearly the advanced Armament Haki, Ryuo.
This old man was devious. He had deliberately shown weakness to lower their guard.
Boom.
Garp's iron fists finally landed.
The massive impact area covered all the attacking pirates.
After a thunderous roar.
A huge crater was smashed into the ground, and several pirates were beaten unconscious. Their internal organs were severely damaged, and blood continued to spill from the corners of their mouths.
If possible, they would report him to the Admiral.
This old guy had been faking it and slacking off.
"Is there anyone else who can support us?"
The pirates knew they were powerless against Garp and could not help but look around.
However, everywhere they looked, members of the Whitebeard Pirates were fighting, and people were falling with every passing moment.
There were forty-six subordinate pirate crews under Whitebeard and sixteen divisions directly under him.
Each pirate was being attacked by at least twice as many enemies.
Occasionally, they held a numerical advantage, such as when more than a dozen of them besieged an Admiral together.
There was only one person who truly held the upper hand on the field.
That was Whitebeard, who had taken the life-risking drug and was fighting Akainu.
"Pops, will you win?"
The pirates looked at the towering figure and fell into uncertainty.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
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