Crushing the Fleet, Garp Arrives!

Vista and Jozu's eyes lit up upon hearing Marco's words, both falling into a contemplative silence.

Their captain, Whitebeard, had long relied on IV tubes, not only due to his advanced age but also because of the hidden injuries accumulated from years of battling across the seas.

In terms of age, Whitebeard was younger than both the Marine hero Garp and Fleet Admiral Sengoku by four or five years. Yet, unlike their father, neither of those two required constant medical support.

If those lingering injuries could be healed, Whitebeard's physical condition would undoubtedly surpass theirs, regaining much of his former strength.

"It's possible," Vista muttered softly after a moment, "but Sanders doesn't have much of a connection to us. This time, saving Pops cost us a fifth of our territory."

Marco was stunned, looking at Vista in surprise.

He hadn't expected that Sanders demanded territory in exchange for healing Whitebeard.

However, this was still good news for them—after all, if a deal could be made, it meant there were opportunities to negotiate.

The Whitebeard Pirates, who had dominated the seas for decades, possessed vast amounts of treasure and territories.

If it came down to it, they could use those resources to trade for Whitebeard's health.

After all, none of those things were more important than their captain's well-being.

As long as Whitebeard recovered, maintaining their dominance would not be a problem. Even if they lost treasures or land, they could always take them back by force.

As long as they had their strength, the possibilities were endless.

"We'll deal with this later," Marco said, then turned to Vista with a puzzled expression. "But why did you stop me earlier? Why didn't you let me go after Akainu?"

Vista glanced at Marco and explained calmly, "Pops just lost to Sanders and gave up a lot of territory in the process. His reputation will inevitably take a hit. Some people might even start to believe Pops has grown old and is no longer the man he used to be."

"Right now, we just so happen to have a Marine Admiral here. Pops probably wants to make an example out of him, to warn anyone thinking of challenging us."

Marco nodded in agreement and smirked. "Akainu sure is unlucky, isn't he? Pops just finished fighting Sanders and must still be fuming. Now he's looking for someone to take it out on."

On the prow of the Moby Dick, Whitebeard stood listening to the laughter and chatter of his sons. His lips twitched slightly.

It was true—he was holding back some anger.

But it wasn't because of his defeat.

After all, Whitebeard had lived long enough and seen enough to understand that no one could win forever. He didn't care much about losing.

What frustrated him was how constrained he felt while fighting Sanders.

The combination of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and Sanders' Frost powers had made the battle stiff and unrelenting, leaving him dissatisfied.

Moreover, he did indeed want to send a message to the world.

"Let them know that Whitebeard is far from done!"

With that thought, Whitebeard leaped directly onto the Marine warship.

"Whitebeard's on board! Attack!"

"Open fire now!"

The Marines aboard the warship panicked as they saw Whitebeard land, hastily grabbing their weapons and opening fire.

Bullets and cannonballs rained down on Whitebeard, but they were no more than an annoyance to him.

Bang! Bang! Boom! Boom!

Explosions rang out, but when the smoke cleared, Whitebeard stood unscathed.

In his current state, with his strength still at eighty to ninety percent, these attacks were nothing more than a tickle.

He looked coldly at the Marines, raised his left fist high, and struck down hard.

A terrifying shockwave tore through the warship.

Marines were flung into the air, and the upper structures of the ship were completely obliterated, leaving nothing but a barren deck.

Meanwhile, Akainu climbed out of the massive hole in the deck, his face dark with frustration.

Seeing the destruction, he cursed under his breath. "This old man… still this tough!"

"Damn you, Whitebeard!" Akainu roared. "Hellhound!"

With no hesitation, Akainu extended his magma-coated arm, aiming directly for Whitebeard's face.

This was the same attack that, in the Marineford arc, had taken off half of Whitebeard's head.

But this was not the weakened Whitebeard of the war years later.

Although Whitebeard had sustained some injuries, they were minor and did not hinder him.

This attack from Akainu posed no real threat to him.

With a calm expression, Whitebeard swung his Naginata, Murakumogiri, colliding with Akainu's magma fist.

Boom!

The tremendous clash generated a shockwave that caused the already turbulent sea to surge into monstrous waves, as though a storm had descended.

In the blink of an eye, Whitebeard appeared directly in front of Akainu, his quake-infused fist striking him squarely.

Akainu's eyes bulged as blood spurted from his mouth. The point of impact on his body seemed to warp from the force, and he collapsed heavily onto the deck.

Whitebeard showed no mercy, lifting his massive foot and stomping down on Akainu.

Akainu barely managed to roll out of the way, leaving the deck beneath Whitebeard's foot splintered with deep cracks.

Dodging narrowly, Akainu quickly rose to his feet, launching his magma fist like a cannonball toward Whitebeard.

Whitebeard swung his Murakumogiri, effortlessly deflecting the attacks. He retaliated with a powerful reverse swing, aiming for Akainu.

Akainu's arms, coated in Armament Haki, blocked the Naginata, but the sheer force of the impact caused the deck to crack and splinter further.

"Soru!"

Akainu immediately used Soru, one of the Navy's Six Powers, to reposition himself, unwilling to risk being struck into the deck again. With Whitebeard's strength, a single direct blow could send him plummeting into the sea.

The shockwaves from their battle ruptured the already unstable warship. Within moments, the ship began to sink, and the Marines aboard were thrown into the ocean.

The colossal waves generated by the battle quickly swept away the stranded Marines, leaving no trace of them.

The remaining ships in the fleet fared no better. Under the onslaught of the natural forces unleashed, only two warships managed to stay afloat, barely holding on.

In the distance, Smoker observed the devastation through his binoculars, his forehead slick with cold sweat.

"This… is Whitebeard's strength?" Smoker muttered, biting down on the three cigars in his mouth, his expression one of utter shock.

He had believed he had grown stronger over the past year. But after his encounter with Crocodile and now witnessing the obliteration of the fleet, Smoker felt utterly insignificant before these titanic forces.

"Rear Admiral Smoker, should we go and support Admiral Akainu?" a trembling Marine asked hesitantly.

Their ship, being farther from Akainu's position, had been spared the worst of the waves.

Smoker's lips twitched.

"Support an Admiral? You must be joking!"

With their meager strength, it would be nothing short of suicide.

Hadn't they just witnessed an Admiral being beaten down by Whitebeard?

"Contact HQ immediately and find out how soon Vice Admiral Garp will arrive," Smoker ordered, avoiding the question.

The Marines on the deck collectively sighed in relief.

Thank goodness their commanding officer wasn't foolish. Otherwise, they would have joined the others in a watery grave.

At that moment, a Marine ran up to report.

"Rear Admiral Smoker, Vice Admiral Garp has already set out with reinforcements and is on his way!"

Smoker immediately raised his binoculars again, scanning the horizon.

Soon, near the site of Akainu and Whitebeard's battle, he spotted a dog-headed warship.

Standing at its prow, arms crossed, was the gray-haired Garp.

At the same time, Whitebeard's attention was drawn by Garp's booming laughter.

"Bwahaha! Newgate! Looks like you're not done yet!"

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T/N:

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