Even Garp himself, staring at his own fist, felt a cold sweat bead on his brow as he sucked in a sharp breath.
The rest of Marineford was simply stunned into silence.
They had all just witnessed the impossible, their hearts pounding with a mixture of terror and disbelief.
Gasps finally broke the silence, echoing across the plaza.
That monstrous Sword Energy was something no normal human could ever hope to survive.
"He... he blocked it?!"
"It's Vice Admiral Garp! He really is the Hero of the Marines!"
"To stop an attack like that... how is he even real?!"
"See? These pirates are nothing special after all!"
Just as a wave of relief began to wash over the soldiers, a new dread replaced it.
"But... what's with the dragons? Did Kaido show up?!"
"Wait, no! Kaido's a blue dragon, yeah, but not that shade. These are different!"
The Marine vice admirals shouted over one another, their minds reeling.
They had just been pulled back from the brink of annihilation, their lives hanging by a thread, only to be thrown into a new crisis.
While the crowd was still buzzing, several massive shadows fell over the battlefield.
Soaring through the sky were nine enormous dragons, their forms blotting out the sun.
The sight immediately captured everyone's attention, snapping them out of their daze.
But what was even more shocking was that there were people standing on their backs.
The most eye-catching figure was undoubtedly the man standing calmly atop the head of a colossal crimson dragon.
His posture was perfect, his expression cold and stern, and his gaze carried an aura of natural authority that commanded respect and fear. (Picollo pose)
"Who the hell is that on the red dragon?" someone couldn't help but ask, his voice trembling.
The question sent a ripple of hushed murmurs through the crowd.
"He looks... familiar," another officer muttered, frowning in concentration.
"I swear I've seen his face before."
Suddenly, a name slipped from someone's lips, laced with dawning horror.
"Ron! It's Ron! The vice-captain of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
The moment the name was spoken, the entire plaza erupted.
"It's really him!" someone exclaimed, the name clearly ringing a bell.
"Wait a minute," another voice added, his eyes wide.
"If that's him, then that giant sword attack just now... he's the one who launched it!"
That statement hit the crowd like a cannonball.
A swordsman capable of unleashing an attack of that sheer scale was no mere pirate.
"The bounty poster was right... the world's youngest Great Swordsman!"
"Great Swordsman? More like the world's strongest swordsman!"
"Compared to him, Hawkeye is just a flickering candle next to the sun! Who besides Vice Admiral Garp could possibly stop something like that?!"
"This is insane!"
The Marine vice admirals were left speechless, completely floored by the spectacle.
In truth, the attack itself wasn't imbued with some god-like power.
It was a normal sword slash, ingeniously magnified to an apocalyptic size by Ron's unique skills.
It was a move designed to inspire absolute terror.
And it had worked perfectly.
"Hahaha! Ron, did you see their faces?! Look at how terrified those Marines are!" Ace laughed so hard from his perch on another dragon that he nearly fell off.
He had never seen anything so ridiculously over-the-top.
Ron's single move hadn't just intimidated the entire Marine force; it had left Ace himself completely shaken.
"Bro, that was awesome! You gotta teach me how to do something that cool!" Jozu's eyes were sparkling with excitement.
The colossal sword slash had blown his mind.
It was the ultimate way to make an entrance!
Marco, Vista, and the others all shot Ron admiring glances.
They had always thought of him as the quiet, bookish type—a scientist, not a front-line monster.
Yet with one casual swing of his sword, he had forced the legendary Garp to defend with everything he had.
It was unbelievable.
At this moment, everyone on the crew realized that their mild-mannered vice-captain possessed an unimaginable and terrifying power.
Ron's eyes glinted with amusement, clearly satisfied with his performance.
"Don't praise me too much, guys," he said humbly. "It just looks flashy, that's all."
Jozu wasn't buying it for a second.
"Flashy? Ron, your attacks can change their appearance, but you're the one who decides how much power is behind them," he said, getting more excited as he pieced it together.
"That move is perfect for messing with your opponents! You could launch another one that size, but with way less power, or way more!"
Ace's eyes lit up as he caught on. "Exactly! The enemy would have no idea how strong your next attack is! They'd be scrambling to defend every single time!" He imagined the scene and couldn't help but laugh.
"If they tried to block every strike with full power, they'd burn themselves out and die of exhaustion! Hahaha!"
Everyone nodded, a new level of respect for Ron's battle intellect dawning on them.
By controlling the appearance versus the actual force of his attacks, he could not only hide his true strength but also deliver a fatal blow when they least expected it.
Ron just smiled faintly, a bit surprised they'd figured out his entire strategy so quickly.
He shook his head with a wry grin, then pointed a finger down toward the heart of Marineford.
His voice suddenly turned urgent.
"Alright, enough talk. Look down there. It looks like the captain is barely holding on."
The excitement instantly vanished.
The crew nodded grimly and began urging the dragons to fly faster, slapping their massive heads.
"Quick, let's go! We have to back up Pops!" someone shouted.
"Right! Squard, move faster!"
"Charge! Those cowardly Marines, ganging up on Pops like that! Today, we're gonna make them regret it!"
"Yeah! Let's turn Marineford upside down!"
Those words ignited a fire in everyone's hearts, and the atmosphere instantly became electric with battle fury.
"MOVE OUT! LET'S GET 'EM!"
The entire crew sprang into action.
With a deafening, unified roar that shook the world, the nine dragons plunged downward like nine living meteors, streaking straight for the battlefield below.
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