"That Oars—" Whitebeard sighed while looking at Little Oars. "Charging in like this makes him nothing but a target."
Then the man shouted, "Oars!"
"You understand the consequences of rushing in like this, don't you?"
"There's a difference between courage and recklessness!The massive body, dozens of meters high, towered above, appearing as nothing but a target in the Marines' eyes!
"Pops, don't stop me," Little Oars said. "I'm going to save Ace!"
This man had woven him a giant straw hat, protecting him from wind and sun!
So... even if it costs his life, he would rescue Ace!
Whitebeard fell silent for a moment before sighing. "I can't do anything with you..."
"Hey, you lot, cover his advance!"
"Ooh!!"
The pirates hearing Whitebeard's order immediately raised their weapons with roaring cheers, charging toward the Marine forces in Oars' path.
"Attack, kill them!"
"Clear a path for Oars!"
"Ooh!!"
"Stop him!" other Giant Vice Admirals roared.
The Giant Vice Admirals charged toward Little Oars.
"Prepare yourself!"
"Stay out of my way!"
Little Oars roared, raising his massive blade as he charged, swinging directly at the foremost Marine Vice Admiral.
"Clang!"
"Thud!"
"Wha...?!"
The Marine Vice Admiral, nearly split in two by the blow, stared in disbelief.
Had he... been cut apart along with his axe?
With this final thought, the man's eyes rolled back as he lost consciousness.
After glancing at the unconscious Giant, Little Oars continued charging toward other Giants.
"Fufufufu~"
"What a powerful Demon Man," Doflamingo laughed. "Giant Vice Admirals are so fragile before him."
Given enough time to grow, this fellow could truly revive the glory of the legendary Demon Man Oars!
But unfortunately... he'll die here today!
Fufufu!
"Damn it, the Giant Vice Admirals can't stop him," a Marine panicked as Little Oars drew nearer. "What do we do?!"
"How do we fight something so enormous?"
At that moment, Bartholomew Kuma moved.
The man instantly appeared in Little Oars' path, spreading his hands to grasp the air and condense an Air Bomb.
"Huh?"
Little Oars looked curiously at Bartholomew Kuma. "You're... one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea?!"
Recalling the intelligence Pops had shown them, Little Oars' eyes sharpened. "That's right, it's you, Bartholomew Kuma!"
"Are you here to stop me too?!"
But unfortunately, Kuma had already lost his personality at this point and couldn't answer Little Oars' questions at all.
"No response?"
After glancing at Kuma who was compressing air into palm-sized spheres, Little Oars' eyes turned cold as he said: "Then die!"
"Roar!"
As his voice fell, the man raised his giant sword high and swung it down toward Kuma!
But the moment he attacked, a small Bear Paw air bomb flew right in front of Little Oars.
The next moment...
"BOOM!!"
An incredibly terrifying force struck Little Oars' body, directly causing him to vomit blood as his legs gave way and he knelt on the ground.
Then, the man's eyes gradually rolled back before he finally collapsed onto the enormous ice surface.
"D-did we get him?!"
"As expected of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea!"
Watching the fallen Little Oars, Ace closed his eyes in pain and said: "Oars... why did you come to save me!"
Such a massive body was nothing but a living target in the eyes of the Marines!
'Damn it, it's all my fault!'
At this moment, Ace felt immense heartache.
Sweeping a glance at Ace's pained expression, Sengoku's eyes showed no fluctuation whatsoever.
Then he looked at a Marine officer not far away and signaled that they could begin the operation.
The Marine nodded and quickly left to convey the orders.
Right at this moment, Garp walked up from below and silently sat down beside Ace.
"Grandpa..."
"What are you doing here?" Sengoku glanced at Garp and said: "Do you have objections about the operation?"
"No, the enemy are pirates. There's no room for sympathy."
"In that case, you—"
"Shut your mouth, old man!" Garp interrupted Sengoku: "I just want to stay here, is there any problem with that?"
Sengoku fell silent, momentarily at a loss for words.
Paying no attention to Sengoku's reaction, Garp looked at the pirates ahead and said: "While there's no need to sympathize with pirates, family is different."
Recalling scenes from the past when he lived with Ace, Garp's body began trembling uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face.
"What should I do..."
"Ace, you bastard, why didn't you live the way I told you to!"
If Ace had become a Marine as he'd advised, even if his lineage as the Pirate King's son was exposed, the World Government wouldn't have easily moved against this boy.
After all... this was his grandson!
Garp...
Watching the tear-streaked Garp, Sengoku silently sighed.
He understood what the other meant - if Ace had become a Marine, Garp could have legitimately protected him.
After all... with Garp's prestige, he could definitely have shielded Ace!
But unfortunately, the boy hadn't lived according to Garp's guidance.
So... today he could only die here.
"Grandpa..."
Watching the tearful Garp, Ace clenched his fists.
After all these years, this was the first time he'd seen his grandfather cry.
At this moment, the old man seemed to have aged decades, his vitality and spirit nearly gone.
After a moment of silence, Ace quietly sighed.
He knew it well—if he cried out "Grandpa, save me," his grandfather would undoubtedly step in to rescue him.
But he couldn't do that. He mustn't.
After all... he couldn't put his grandfather in a difficult position.
This old man had dedicated his entire life to the Marines. He couldn't let him be disgraced in his later years.
With that thought, Ace closed his eyes.
Crack.
As if sensing something, Garp clenched his fist tightly.
"Garp," Sengoku said expressionlessly, staring at him. "If you dare make a move now, I won't hold back."
Though their bond ran deep, this was not the time for brotherly sentiments.
If Garp dared to intervene, Sengoku would strike to kill.
"Enough!" Garp snapped. "If I really wanted to do something, do you think I'd wait until now?!"
Had he truly intended to save Ace, he would have long ago knocked that poison-using brat flat and rescued him.
But he wouldn't do that. He couldn't.
Because... he was the Hero of the Marines...
Bearing such a title meant there were things he absolutely could not do, or else... the Marines would be finished.
Sengoku fell silent, watching Garp for a moment before saying, "It'd better be that way."
Garp merely snorted in response, ignoring the man after that.
Just then, Little Oars' body trembled, and he slowly pushed himself up.
"Oars?"
Seeing Oars rise again, Ace's eyes lit up with hope, and he shouted, "Get out of here! Don't come any closer, Oars!"
"No!"
Little Oars, his mouth full of blood, declared, "Even if it kills me, I will save you!"
Foshan~
"What tenacious vitality~" Doflamingo laughed. "In that case, let me test you."
As he spoke, the man soared into the air, darting swiftly toward Little Oars.
But before he could strike, he seemed to sense something and quickly retreated to his previous position.
Then, he looked up at the sky and said, "What the... hell is that?"
Noticing Doflamingo's odd behavior, Oars also glanced upward.
"Huh?"
What were those strange little dots?
"Hey, look! Something's falling from the sky!" a Marine yelled.
"Dammit, could it be Whitebeard's surprise attack force?!"
"Everyone, be careful!!"
As the massive warship drew nearer, everyone's eyes grew wary.
"That Whitebeard... he still has a backup plan?" Sengoku frowned. "Really..."
Before he could finish, he realized something was off.
The figures in the sky... they seemed to be wearing Impel Down prisoner uniforms!
"Damn you, Straw Hat Boy!" Buggy roared from the air. "You've gone too far!"
"Blame Ivankov for this!" Crocodile shouted irritably. "If it weren't for him blinking wildly and attacking, we wouldn't have fallen."
"Crocodile Boy, are you trying to pin the blame on me?!" Ivankov bellowed.
Breaking the ice surface was a collective decision—how could anyone blame him for that?
"Blaming anyone is pointless now! If this keeps up, we're dead for sure—there's nothing but ice below!" Luffy roared.
"Bastard, how dare you say that?!" Meiser, beside Luffy, bared his shark-like teeth and yelled, "I was just figuring out how to use my Water Release Technique to safely lower the warship, and you all had to go and shatter the ice!"
"Do you have a death wish?!"
Meiser was absolutely furious. Did these idiots ever use their brains before acting?
Did they always rely on brute force alone?
Seeing Meiser clenching his fists, Luffy promptly bowed his head and apologized, "Sorry..."
Meiser's lips twitched at that. Since when had this guy gotten so quick to apologize?
But before Meiser could say anything, Luffy added, "But I'm rubber, so I probably won't die from the fall~"
Meiser: ???
Was this brat trying to provoke him?
"Meiser, now's not the time to be angry!" Buggy shouted. "Use your Water Release Technique and think of something!"
Falling from such a height with no way to cushion the impact would turn every one of them into a bloody pulp!
As if visualizing that gruesome scene, Buggy's face instantly paled.
Being smashed to pulp... how terrifying!
"He's right, Meiser!" Mr.3 yelled in a panic. "Please, think of something quick!"
"Ahhh!!"
"Th-this... all of these are escaped prisoners from Impel Down?!"
The Marines stared in shock at the figures falling through the air.
"That's Crocodile!"
"And Ivankov, Fisher Tiger Jimbei, and the others!"
"Why are they in the sky?"
"Maybe... maybe they were swept here by the tsunami Whitebeard created?" one Marine guessed. "Then they got frozen mid-air because of Admiral Aokiji."
The Marines fell silent at that. Could such a coincidence really happen?
"Heh, what an impressive bunch has arrived!" Doflamingo laughed, gazing up at the sky.
His eyes swept over each falling figure before finally settling on Crocodile.
"Fufufufu~"
If he could strike a deal with that guy, the benefits would be enormous!
At that thought, Doflamingo's mind began racing.
'Meiser!!'
Hancock's face flushed bright red as she watched the descending figure, her hands unconsciously cupping her chin.
That heroic descent from the heavens was just too dashing!
"Huh?"
"Why is the Pirate Empress making that kind of expression?" a nearby Marine wondered aloud, staring at Hancock. "She..."
"Silence, you wretch!"
Interrupted from her daydream, Hancock angrily kicked the Marine, instantly turning half his body to stone!
"Perfume Femur!"
"Damn it, why are you attacking one of your own?!" the Marines shouted furiously.
Aren't the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea supposed to be on our side? Why would she turn on us?
"Who said we're on the same side?" Hancock said coldly. "I only agreed to help you deal with Whitebeard, but I never said we were allies!"
"I have no interest in becoming partners with you foul men!"
Except for that one man, she had no interest in any other man!
"Dammit..."
The Marines were furious at Hancock's righteous declaration, but they didn't dare take any unnecessary actions.
After all... the war had already begun, and they desperately needed this powerful Royal Seven Warlord of the Sea.
"What a miscalculation." Sengoku looked grimly at Meiser in the sky. "If that's the case, then he must be the one who opened the Gates of Justice earlier."
Using the Hypnosis Technique, he could indeed control all the Marines there... This damned Blood-Eyed Ninja!
"Ace!!!"
"Luffy?!"
Hearing the roar from mid-air, Ace exclaimed in shock, "Why are you here of all places?"
Garp also stared at the sky in astonishment, even his snot spraying out uncontrollably.
He never dreamed that his own grandson would come to Marine Headquarters.
Did this brat not know what this meant?
This little rascal!
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