A wave of pressure blasted in from far away in an instant. The crushing force made people stagger, and Sengoku clenched his teeth as if he was resisting the weight pressing down on him.
He knew—it was Conqueror's Haki. A king's spirit. Out of millions, only one might awaken it. Anyone with Conqueror's Haki almost always grew into a powerful pirate. Nearly all of them gathered in the New World, and standing above them all, the strongest of them, was Rocks!
In just a moment, that wave of force had already covered the entire Marine fleet, spreading like ripples across the sea. The sky itself seemed darker under that pressure, and countless people struck by it collapsed unconscious on the spot.
Forget ordinary Marines—even some Vice Admirals were barely holding on. The only ones who seemed unaffected were Garp and Sengoku.
The Marine's Buster Call was indeed powerful, enough to corner even top fighters. But against the very strongest, the one at the peak of this world, Rocks—it was nearly useless!
His Conqueror's Haki was so strong that even Vice Admirals struggled to withstand it. Numbers meant nothing before him.
"Sengoku!"
Amid the crushing wave, Garp looked toward Sengoku. Sengoku clenched his teeth, glanced at the staggering officers and the soldiers already fallen, then turned his eyes back to the distant Rocks, still releasing his Haki. Suddenly his eyes widened, and another wave of the same power burst out from him.
It was also Conqueror's Haki!
Inside the Marines, very few had Conqueror's Haki. After all, a Marine's duty was to obey orders, and such people almost never produced a true king. Even if someone had the potential, awakening it was rare.
Within the Marines, Sengoku was the only one known to have it. (According to later materials, Garp's settings have been updated many times, but he still has never been given Conqueror's Haki, while Sengoku was later confirmed to have it.) Still, Sengoku was an Admiral, part of the Marines. If he used Conqueror's Haki openly, what would the Fleet Admiral and the World Government think?
For a government, keeping order is always the top priority, especially internal stability. In truth, they don't really need soldiers with Conqueror's Haki.
That's why Sengoku rarely used it, but now it seemed he had no choice…
Two waves of Conqueror's Haki clashed in midair, the huge force shaking the sea itself. Behind Sengoku, the Marines who were on the verge of collapse snapped back to their senses, only to see a dark and hopeless world before them.
Then the power released by Sengoku and Rocks vanished at the same time. By then, the Rocks Pirates' ships were already closing in, and many of the Marines on board were still unconscious, unable to fire any cannons.
"They went to God Valley," Garp said in a deep voice.
"The Figarland family's ships entered God Valley too?" Sengoku looked and was shocked. "Why didn't they retreat?"
"Of course they couldn't retreat, that guy blocked the way from behind." Garp grabbed the justice cloak draped over his back and tossed it aside, revealing the black uniform underneath.
"Looks like a huge battle is destined to break out at God Valley."
Through his Observation Haki, Sengoku sensed someone moving behind them. His pupils shrank—it was Toguro, the man he had once caught but later escaped. When he learned Toguro was heading toward God Valley, he already had a bad feeling. Now it was coming true.
He had cut off the retreat of the Figarland ships and forced them into God Valley?
"Don't tell me that guy is working with Rocks." Sengoku took a deep breath.
"Hard to say, but either way they're both our enemies." Garp asked, "So, do we pull back?"
Though he said "pull back," Garp didn't hesitate at all. He walked straight to the edge of the ship. Sengoku shook his head, then also tore off his justice cloak, revealing the menacing black Marine uniform beneath.
"If we retreat, where does justice stand?"
They looked at God Valley in the distance, then leapt. In one jump they crossed what must have been hundreds of meters. But both were masters of the Marine's Rokushiki, using Moonwalk and Soru as easily as breathing. The distance was covered in an instant.
The Rocks pirate ship was slowly approaching the shore, using its heavy pace to create a crushing pressure.
"What about the Celestial Dragons?" Garp and Sengoku stood on the island, watching the Rocks fleet draw near. Even though it was just the two of them against several ships filled with powerful fighters, they showed no intention of backing down.
"Who cares about them." Garp spoke low. "Toguro might not kill them, but Rocks definitely will. Stopping Rocks' fleet will already be hard enough for us—how could we spare anyone to deal with Toguro too?"
Garp had never cared much for the Celestial Dragons. Even though the Figarland family was considered an exception among them, he didn't see them as anything more than people he disliked less compared to the rest.
"Garp! Sengoku! You two really think you can stop us?"
As those words echoed, the Rocks Pirates' ship had landed. A figure shot into the sky from the deck—he had a wild mane of golden hair like a lion's and even his beard was golden. He hovered in the air, not using Moonwalk like the Marines, but truly floating.
Golden Lion Shiki. A future legendary pirate, wielder of the Float-Float Fruit, and now a top officer of the Rocks Pirates—personally brought here by Rocks himself.
The Rocks Pirates followed rules like the law of the jungle. Rocks was stronger than them, so they listened to him. But this rule was fragile, and Rocks knew it. He also knew many of his men harbored their own ambitions.
They didn't trust Rocks, and Rocks didn't trust them either. In this raid on the Figarland family, he hadn't summoned everyone. For example, Charlotte Linlin and Kaido were left out. But he had brought Shiki, Whitebeard, Silver Axe, and John.
The Rocks Pirates here may not be at full strength, but even this part alone is enough to make anyone almost lose hope!
Shiki floated slowly in the air, and Whitebeard and the others stepped down from the ship. After them came a large group of pirates, and at the very end, Rocks walked over slowly. He looked at Garp and Sengoku and gave a cruel smile.