While the transparent barrier ball held Sakazuki captive, he had already reached the peak of his fury.
In the next moment, he slammed his fully magma-formed fist violently against the transparent barrier.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion echoed from within the sphere.
But even with all his strength poured into that strike, the barrier showed no cracks.
Outside, Bartolomeo wore a twisted smile.
"Damn it!""A Marine Admiral isn't all that impressive after all!"
Sakazuki was furious inside the bubble, but the three Marine Vice Admirals outside weren't just angry—they were shocked.
Renji Kai, Douglas Bullet, and Crocodile, now freed up, quickly closed in on the remaining three.
Although Yamakaji, Onigumo, and Doberman were top-tier fighters, against these three infamous pirates, they were completely outmatched.
BOOM! With one punch, Douglas Bullet sent Vice Admiral Onigumo flying into a nearby building.
Even the strong Vice Admiral Yamakaji was forced back by Renji Kai's Fifth Gate of the Eight Inner Gates Technique.
Soon, only Vice Admiral Doberman remained struggling on the front lines.
But just as the Marines were on the brink of collapse, a powerful figure sprinted in from the distance.
Everyone turned their heads.
All, except for Renji Kai, were completely stunned when they saw who it was.
Especially Douglas Bullet—his expression finally showed fear.
Charging across the battlefield was none other than the Marine hero—Garp!
Wearing his "Justice" cloak, Garp barreled toward the center of the clash with unstoppable force.
"Everyone out of my way!" he bellowed.
Hearing him, the others quickly retreated to the sides.
Now only Bartolomeo remained in the center, still maintaining the barrier around Sakazuki.
"Hey! Don't abandon me!" Bartolomeo cried out as everyone backed away, fully exposing him to Garp.
He didn't dare release the barrier just yet, especially with Sakazuki raging inside and ready to erupt.
The whole point of the strategy was for Bartolomeo to hold Sakazuki while the others eliminated the remaining Marines. Then, they'd regroup to help him.
But Garp had already reached him. He raised his massive right fist and smashed it down onto the barrier.
BOOOOM!
A tremendous explosion rocked the sky above Loguetown.
A loud CRACK sounded from the shield.
Everyone on the battlefield was stunned.
Even Renji Kai furrowed his brow.
Until now, he believed that Bartolomeo's absolute defense was unbreakable.
But Garp had just punched a visible crack into it.
Though the shield hadn't completely shattered yet and Sakazuki was still contained, it was now obvious—the barrier was useless against Garp.
At that moment, Vice Admiral Tsuru arrived with a large group of Marine reinforcements.
The tides of battle immediately shifted.
What had been a surefire victory for Renji Kai's crew was now quickly turning into a serious disadvantage.
Crocodile and Bullet immediately regrouped with Renji Kai.
Even the usually arrogant Crocodile didn't dare act recklessly anymore.
"Bartolomeo, release Sakazuki," Renji Kai said coldly.
Swallowing hard, Bartolomeo obeyed, dropping the hand gesture and deactivating the barrier.
The fractured sphere vanished, and Bartolomeo quickly retreated to Renji Kai's side.
Garp scanned the area before turning toward Sakazuki, who was now burning with rage and ready to strike.
"Sakazuki… are you planning to rebel?" Garp asked calmly.
Everyone was caught off guard.
The three Vice Admirals immediately turned pale.
Clearly, their little scheme hadn't escaped the attention of the top brass.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Vice Admiral Garp," Sakazuki replied coolly, unfazed even in this moment.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku gave a direct order yesterday to halt pursuit of Renji Kai's crew. And yet you all ignored it. How do you explain that?"
"I never received any damn order. All I know is that the Marines are here to uphold absolute justice," Sakazuki snapped back.
"If we spend our days groveling before any pirate with a bit of power, what's the point of our existence? Might as well hand over Marine HQ to the pirates of the New World!"
Sakazuki's tone was firm.
Though Garp had great prestige and strength, Sakazuki was still an Admiral—outranking Garp by title.
Even in the face of questioning, he held his ground without fear.