"Sengoku, it's your turn!"
As Garp and the others turned their eyes toward Jiang Lin, Jiang Lin's gaze shifted to Sengoku's side.
Sengoku's strength was beyond question. As the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, his power was naturally among the very best. On top of that, he possessed the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Buddha—a Zoan of the rarest kind, even rarer than the Logias.
It could be said that if Jiang Lin were to obtain Sengoku's Devil Fruit, his power would reach the peak of what was currently attainable.
"Perhaps… I really need to start training in earnest."
Sensing the immense power radiating from both Sengoku and Garp, Jiang Lin furrowed his brow slightly.
The abilities of Devil Fruits, while a great source of aid to him, were not without danger. Without complete mastery, he might truly end up with the tragic fate Akainu had warned of—being devoured by the very power he wielded.
"But right now, I clearly don't have the luxury to think about that!"
Shaking his head lightly, Jiang Lin cast aside those distracting thoughts and fixed his focus squarely on the opponent before him.
"Garp!"
With a deep, steady tone, Sengoku turned his head toward Jiang Lin. His meaning was obvious—he wanted Garp to take action against Jiang Lin, and in doing so, draw him away from the execution platform.
"I understand."
Without hesitation, Garp's fists clenched, brimming with boundless strength, as if sheer force alone could shatter the very heavens.
"Go!"
Facing Garp's battle intent, Jiang Lin again used his familiar trick—splitting his arms apart, he sent them flying straight toward Sengoku.
"Boom!"
But Garp met the ambush head-on, his fists striking Jiang Lin's flying hands without hesitation. Two thunderous shockwaves cracked the air, and Jiang Lin's palms shot off like fired cannonballs, hurtling far into the distance.
"Damn it! Garp, aren't you a little too ruthless?!"
Jiang Lin hadn't expected Garp to hit so hard—one strike was all it took to send his arms flying off to who-knows-where.
"Whizz! Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!"
But just as Jiang Lin finished cursing, his arms snapped back through the air at incredible speed, slicing through the wind with explosive force as they once again hurtled toward Sengoku.
"You won't get through!"
Before Sengoku even moved, Garp had already rushed forward, fists raised. This time, with even greater speed and impact, Garp's blow completely blasted Jiang Lin's arms off the battlefield.
"Garp, aren't you misunderstanding something here?"
Jiang Lin shot a glance at Ace, hoping he'd speak on his behalf—get Garp to ease up a little. After all, it wasn't like he truly wanted to harm Sengoku.
He just wanted to copy his ability. Did they really have to take it this seriously?
But at the center of the execution platform, Ace didn't even notice Jiang Lin's look. From the moment Luffy appeared, Ace's eyes had been fixed only on his younger brother and the companions by his side.
Suddenly, Crocodile— standing near Luffy—dissolved into a swirl of sand. Before the astonished eyes of countless Marines, he lunged straight toward Whitebeard, who had stood unmoving all this time.
"Long time no see, Whitebeard!"
Crocodile's face twisted with hatred, his golden hook gleaming with a cold, murderous light as he swung for Whitebeard's back.
"You really are a mutt that can't stop eating filth."
But Whitebeard remained calm, not the slightest hint of panic in his voice.
"Boom!"
In a flash, a crimson leg cut across the battlefield. Luffy in Second Gear shot forward, kicking Crocodile squarely and sending his body flying.
"Before we got here, I already made a deal with you. So why are you going after Whitebeard?!"
Crocodile glared furiously at Luffy, his rage almost palpable.
"So this old man really is Whitebeard, huh? Then I won't let you lay a hand on him! Ace likes this old man!"
Luffy's voice was full of stubborn conviction. He hadn't even known Whitebeard's identity before, but for Ace's sake, he struck Crocodile without hesitation, despite their uneasy alliance until now.
"Brat! That straw hat… it looks just like the one Red-Haired used to wear!"
Whitebeard turned his head toward Luffy. When his eyes fell on the hat on Luffy's back, a misty look came over him—a gaze that carried both memory and reflection.
"Old man, you know Shanks?" Luffy asked in surprise, glancing back at the hat. "He's the one who entrusted this hat to me for safekeeping."
"You're here to save your brother, aren't you?"
"That's right!"
"You do realize who the enemy is, don't you? Doing this could very well cost you your life!"
"Shut up! Why should my business be decided by you?! I know what I'm doing. You're aiming to become Pirate King, right? Well, listen up—the one who'll become Pirate King is me!"
Luffy's roar shook the battlefield, startling everyone into momentary stillness.
"Luffy!"
Even Garp, who had just struck so decisively, was shaken and faltered for a moment.
"The chance is here!"
Jiang Lin's eyes narrowed. Though his arms hadn't returned yet, he raised his legs high and aimed a vicious kick straight at Sengoku's chest.
"Boom!"
But just as Jiang Lin was about to land the blow, Garp struck again. His eyes brimmed with tears as he slammed a devastating punch into Jiang Lin's legs.
Blasted off balance, Jiang Lin's body was flung through the air alongside his shattered legs.
"Boom!"
At that moment, atop the Moby Dick, Whitebeard lifted his naginata lightly, turning to Luffy with a grin: "If you drag me down, brat, I won't forgive you!"
"Luffy!"
Midair, Jiang Lin smiled and waved down at him.
"Yo! Jiang Lin! Where are you off to?!"
Luffy looked up at Jiang Lin, who was soaring out of the bay like a cannonball, curiosity lighting his face.
"D! You should be ready by now, shouldn't you?"
Whitebeard's eyes narrowed as he watched Jiang Lin's figure grow smaller in the sky. Having given Jiang Lin the Quake-Quake Fruit to copy, along with the powers of the three Marine Admirals, Whitebeard knew Jiang Lin's strength had already reached terrifying heights.
"I'll leave things here to you all, Luffy!"
"Whitebeard—watch out for Squard!"
Jiang Lin's warning echoed as his body streaked across the battlefield like a falling star, flying far into the distance.
Outside the bay, a crimson figure walked through the pirates, step by step, until he stood directly before Squard.
"You…"
Recognizing the newcomer, Squard's eyes widened in shock, his face twisted in sheer horror.
"Found you, Akainu! And you too… Squard!"
Jiang Lin's cannonball-like body slowed as he landed outside the bay. But besides Akainu, he also spotted another unexpected figure.
"D!"
Akainu's body blazed with molten fire, his eyes burning with endless fury. The moment Jiang Lin "landed," he attacked without hesitation.
"Hellhound!"
A torrent of blazing magma, thick with choking volcanic ash, surged upward, roaring toward Jiang Lin's airborne body.