Being looked down upon by Tsuru, the self-proclaimed [World's Strongest Defense], Sentomaru was filled with ten thousand points of discontent.
But out of respect for the elderly Vice Admiral, he said nothing.
He just honestly continued to bully the small-time pirates.
With the support of Zephyr and the fresh forces of the Science Unit, the Marines immediately reversed their declining momentum, readjusted their formations, and pressed forward.
On the other side, Katakuri, who was still arranging the evacuation of his siblings without sufficient combat strength, suddenly changed his expression. He turned and launched a [Power Mochi] slash.
The Haki-hardened, mace-like mochi heavily smashed against Momousagi's Konpira, even sparking on impact.
"Marine?!"
Katakuri saw that Momousagi had actually broken free from that formidable woman and glanced over.
Sure enough, Hancock was locked in a fierce battle with Zephyr.
The Kuja Pirates' archers were also exchanging fire with the Pacifista unit using Haki-infused arrows.
It looked rather comical.
On one side were primitive bows and arrows, on the other were advanced lasers.
It just goes to show how utterly unreasonable Haki is.
I can only say that domineering is really unreasonable.
"Smoothie, you protect them! Cracker, you take them to deal with those Marines."
Katakuri assessed the battlefield situation and quickly made assignments.
If the Marines completed their suppression of the other pirates, their own side would only become more passive.
Receiving orders from the family's de facto 'second-in-command', the two Sweet Commanders immediately acted.
Katakuri himself faced off against Momousagi.
'If I can't beat that woman Hancock, can't I at least beat you?'
Coincidentally, Momousagi was thinking the same thing.
The battle below was in full swing, but the brawling boxing match in mid-air remained lukewarm.
Garp and Naruto traded punches and kicks, turning it into a turn-based game.
Neither side seemed particularly eager to go for the kill.
They even had time to chat.
"Speaking of which, I saw your grandson." Naruto said, taking one of Garp's iron fists to the face before countering with an elbow that sent Garp flying.
"Wahahaha! You met that brat Luffy? What did you think?" Garp adjusted his posture mid-air using the momentum, then came down with a devastating axe kick.
Catching the descending kick with one hand, Naruto twisted his waist and exerted force, hurling Garp away like a shot put.
"He's a very energetic kid. I even saw a shadow of Captain in him."
"Wahahaha! Nonsense! Luffy isn't anything like that guy." Garp laughed, using Rankyaku. Although he usually preferred using his iron fists, he had actually mastered the Rokushiki to perfection.
He had even made significant contributions to further refining the Marine's Rokushiki.
… Of course, some rumors claimed Garp created the Marine's Rokushiki, but that was just hearsay.
Facing Garp's enhanced Rankyaku, Naruto was not to be outdone, swinging his arm to release a slash.
Their attacks passed each other in mid-air, the effective damage still zero.
"What's this? Did you eat a Devil Fruit too, brat?" Garp had sharp eyes.
The moment Naruto struck, he saw the other's arm momentarily turn into a blade.
"Yep, the Baku Baku no Mi. Got it from a Celestial Dragon, actually."
As he said this, Naruto even showed an expression like he was sharing a treasure with a friend.
"I got four of them. I gave one to BIG MOM, and still have three left. Want one?"
Hearing this, Garp couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
"Stop talking nonsense. How could I take something from a criminal?"
As he spoke, he threw another punch that connected squarely with Naruto's face.
This time, Naruto didn't fly back. Instead, he tilted his head and looked at Garp seriously.
"Consider it the price for a favor."
"What do you want to say?"
Garp was also puzzled by Naruto's expression.
Of course, the movements of his hands didn't stop for a second.
The people below were watching, so he at least had to put on a show.
"Ace has returned to Paradise. He said he's going to hunt down that Blackbeard guy or something."
Hearing this, Garp was stunned. He didn't say anything more but showed a confused expression.
"That kid has no accurate grasp of his own strength. I think he's probably going to run into trouble."
"If you have time, go keep an eye on him."
Naruto's response was met with Garp's Galaxy Impact.
"Wahahaha! I don't need you to tell me that!"
After successfully passing the information about Ace to Garp, Naruto relaxed.
'No matter what, this old man had watched Ace grow up. With his help, that kid shouldn't be stupid enough to get himself killed.'
He sighed inwardly, thinking he really was born with a 'nanny's destiny', always having endless worries no matter where he was.
'Captain Roger, if you know anything in the afterlife, you better thank me properly.'
Their exchange was brief, and the turn-based game of trading punches and kicks didn't even pause.
But even this was enough to make the guys below watch with bated breath.
Among them, Doflamingo's internal monologue was the most active.
His sunglasses hid his eyes, so those around him had no idea what he was really feeling at this moment.
"Doffy, should we..."
Diamante watched the hostile looks from those around them. He was ready to fight whenever Doflamingo gave the order.
He was prepared to draw his sword against either side.
Doflamingo, however, hesitated.
Based solely on the current situation, although the pirates' advantage had been neutralized, the outcome was still uncertain.
Aside from Big Mom and Kizaru, who had disappeared, the battle's outcome now depended entirely on the final result of the clash between the two monsters above.
Doflamingo knew very well that no matter how the fight below went, once Garp and Naruto decided the winner, this battle would basically be over.
What he needed to do was choose the winning side to join.
Emotionally speaking, Doflamingo would actually prefer to side with the pirates.
But he really couldn't afford to give up his Warlord title right now, as it was the premise of his 'accumulate strength quietly' plan.
The Donquixote Family still needed time to consolidate its position and develop. He also needed enough time to nurture his forces.
Alternatively, he could choose to help the pirates. If he could ensure all these Marines were left behind, he could delay his exposure.
At the very least, holding Marines as hostages would mean he wasn't without bargaining chips.
Now, he had to make a choice.
Bang!
Right under his watch, Uzumaki Naruto was sent flying hundreds of meters by a punch from the veteran Garp. It seemed the outcome was about to be decided.
"Take action. Help the Marines."
As he said this, Doflamingo directly used his Ito Ito no Mi's Ability to manipulate several pirates into fighting each other. At the same time, his other hand condensed a long whip glowing with red light and lashed out forward.
"Overheat String Whip!"
A long whip woven from dozens of strings swept toward the Kuja Pirates.
Seeing this, Tsuru breathed a sigh of relief.
She knew the scales of victory were now tilting in their favor.
When Hancock saw that her subordinates were injured by Doflamingo's almost sneak attack, her face instantly darkened.