211: Universal... Pull!

"Haah!"

With a furious roar, Garp's iron fist shattered the perfect crimson sword strike.

The sword energy splintered like glass, dispersing into the air.

Draped in his Justice coat, Garp landed heavily on the battlefield, his towering frame standing as an unshakable barrier in front of the execution platform.

At the same time, Aramaki and Gion leaped down from the high platform behind the execution stage, landing on either side of him.

"It's Vice Admiral Garp!"

The scattered Marine elites and officers, who had been shaken by the devastating clash, immediately found their backbone. Regaining their morale, they quickly regrouped behind Garp.

Standing at the forefront, Garp folded his arms and let out a hearty laugh.

"Let's see who dares to get past this old man today!"

His very presence was like an unshakable mountain.

And with Aramaki, Gion, and the assembled Marine elites forming an impenetrable defensive line, they appeared to be an immovable fortress standing in front of the execution platform—an overwhelming force of absolute deterrence!

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Sabo and Luffy, covered by Jinbe and Ivankov, charged straight toward this fortress, like a desperate spearhead piercing through the enemy lines.

"It's Garp…"

Ivankov's face tensed with worry. "What do we do now? Force our way through?!"

"There's no other choice."

Jinbe's gaze was firm. "We must rescue Ace!"

"That's right."

Sabo clenched his fists, eyes locked onto Garp and the execution platform behind him.

"Only three hundred meters left—we have to break through this defense!"

"Grandpa…"

Luffy's eyes trembled as he stared at the old man blocking his path. He gritted his teeth, his resolve hardening.

…

While Luffy and his group pushed through the battlefield, the center of the frozen bay was an entirely different scene.

Surrounded by an army of Marines, with Admiral Aokiji and Admiral Kizaru working together to stop him, Ron walked forward leisurely, wielding his crimson blade, Blood Moon, with an air of absolute confidence.

Every cannonball and projectile launched at him was stopped by an unseen force several meters away, never reaching him.

As he advanced, the elite Marines standing before him could feel an oppressive pressure weighing down on them. Cold sweat trickled down their faces as their hands trembled slightly on the hilts of their weapons.

Despite their training, many found themselves instinctively stepping back.

"Do not be afraid!"

A Marine Rear Admiral roared, trying to rally the troops.

"He's just one man! There's nothing to fear!"

With a battle cry, he hardened his blade with Armament Haki, stepped forward, and vanished in a burst of Shave, appearing directly in front of Ron as he swung his sword.

A powerful, swordmaster-level azure slash, infused with Haki, tore through the air toward Ron.

"Idiot!"

Not far away, Dalmatian cursed under his breath as he witnessed the reckless attack.

Ron remained completely unfazed.

With a casual flick of Blood Moon, a slender, crescent-shaped crimson slash surged forward.

It effortlessly cut through the Marine's sword strike.

And it didn't stop there.

The devastating attack continued, slicing through the air toward the Rear Admiral.

"I... I can't dodge!"

His pupils contracted in sheer terror. The blood-red crescent was already in front of him—a blade of death descending at impossible speed.

For a brief moment, he could already see his own body being sliced in two.

Then—

"Ice Spear!"

A calm voice rang out.

From above, a massive ice spear crashed down, striking the ground between the Rear Admiral and Ron's slash.

Boom!

The ice instantly expanded, forming an impenetrable frozen wall thick enough to block the deadly attack.

Ron lifted his gaze toward Aokiji, who had leaped into the air. His vibrant Tenseigan Eyes shimmered with amusement.

"Even after realizing the difference in power… you still intend to stop me, Aokiji?"

"Ice Pillars!"

Aokiji thrust both hands forward, and two massive ice pillars shot toward Ron like frozen lances, aiming to crush him on impact.

With a casual flick of his crimson blade, Blood Moon, Ron unleashed a colossal, blood-red sword slash that tore through the air.

Boom!

The devastating energy cleaved through the ice pillars effortlessly, shattering them into countless icy fragments. But it didn't stop there—without losing momentum, the crimson slash continued its deadly trajectory toward Aokiji, who was still midair.

Shkkk!

Aokiji's ice-transformed body was sliced in half at the waist by the overwhelming attack. The two severed halves drifted apart, exuding an eerie frost, their edges jagged like shattered glass.

Even the sky itself was split open by the terrifying slash, leaving behind a gaping rift that stretched high above the battlefield.

"Elemental control, huh..."

Ron's gaze swept over Aokiji as his body rapidly reformed. A glint of brilliance flickered within his deep blue Eyes.

Before Aokiji could fully recover—

BOOM!

A sudden, monstrous force slammed into him like a tidal wave, sending him hurtling across the battlefield!

His ice-formed body exploded into frozen shards, scattering across the war-torn ground.

"Urgh!"

Aokiji coughed up blood, his face twisted in pain and shock. His eyes widened in disbelief.

"That power again...?!"

Ron's gaze shifted slightly.

The very next second—

Beams of golden laser light streaked toward him from behind!

Zzzzt! Boom! Boom!

But they struck nothing—only an afterimage, which vanished like a mirage.

The lasers slammed into the battlefield, detonating in rapid succession. The resulting chain of explosions sent both Marines and pirates flying in all directions, engulfing the area in chaos.

"Tch… missed again?"

High above, Kizaru hovered in midair, gripping his Ama no Murakumo sword. His usual laid-back demeanor was gone, replaced by a look of sharp vigilance.

His Observation Haki was pushed to its very limits.

And then—

Swoosh!

A massive blood-red slash—over a kilometer long and imbued with Armament Haki—erupted from the explosion below and shot straight toward him!

Kizaru's pupils shrank.

The sheer force of the attack sent shivers down his spine.

He had no intention of blocking it directly. Just as he was about to teleport away—

Ron's figure emerged from the smoke.

With his left hand—the one not holding Blood Moon—Ron stretched his fingers slightly and grasped the air toward Kizaru.

His glowing blue eyes radiated an eerie, mystical light.

"Universal Pull."

BOOM!

In an instant—

A tremendous gravitational force locked onto Kizaru, dragging him straight toward Ron!

"Wha—?!"

Kizaru's face turned ashen.

Instead of dodging, he was forcefully pulled into the trajectory of the massive blood-red slash!

At the last possible moment—

With both hands, Kizaru gripped his Ama no Murakumo sword and poured every ounce of his Haki into it, slashing forward to counter the incoming attack.

BOOM!

The battlefield was engulfed in an explosion of crimson and golden light.

For a split second, the two forces clashed—

Then—

Kizaru's golden radiance was utterly overwhelmed.

The blood-red slash devoured the light, sending Kizaru soaring through the sky, like a comet streaking toward the heavens.

He crashed violently into the floating meteorite above—embedding himself deep within it.

The battlefield fell deathly silent.

Ron didn't even spare a glance.

Without hesitation, he swung his blade again.

A second crimson slash shot toward the floating meteor.

He continued walking forward.

Behind him—

BOOOOM!!!

The meteorite was cleaved in half.

The entire battlefield watched in stunned horror as the massive rock disintegrated, its fragments scattering across the sky like falling stars.

Kizaru was nowhere to be seen.

For a brief moment, no one spoke.

Marine soldiers, pirates, and even viewers around the world—all stared at the lone figure striding through the heart of Marineford's battlefield.

A single man.

Yet no one dared to approach.

A chilling realization spread across the war-torn battleground.

In hushed voices, One word escaped the lips of those witnessing the scene—

"Monster..."

Admirals were supposed to be beyond human comprehension.

And yet, even two admirals working together had failed to stop him.

Even worse—they were being pushed back.

Something like this had never been seen before.

Even the strongest man in the world, Whitebeard, in his prime, might not have been able to do this.

Atop Marineford, Sengoku clenched his fists, his expression grim and dark.

Beside him, Vice Admiral Tsuru stepped forward, watching Ron with deep wariness in her eyes.

"...Even with Kizaru and Aokiji working together, they still couldn't stop him. His strength is truly… terrifying."

Sengoku gritted his teeth.

"He's even more troublesome than Whitebeard."

But then, his eyes narrowed.

"No matter how strong he is..."

His voice was low and resolute.

"One man alone cannot change the outcome of this war."

Sengoku picked up the Den Den Mushi, his expression firm and resolute.

"Commence the execution of Fire Fist Ace!"

"Executioners, step forward! Prepare!"

"What?!"

The moment those words left Sengoku's mouth—

Sabo and Luffy, who had just stepped onto the encircling wall, felt their hearts jolt violently.

Both of them snapped their heads up, eyes locking onto the execution platform.

And there—

The two executioners standing beside Ace raised their long blades high into the air.

Luffy's pupils contracted sharply.

"ACE!!"

Across the battlefield—

Marco, still clashing with Fujitora, snapped his head toward the platform.

Jozu, having just broken free from the ice, turned in shock.

Vista, gripping his twin swords, gritted his teeth as his eyes widened in horror.

The Whitebeard Pirates and their allies all turned toward the execution stand.

A single name erupted from their throats—

"ACE...!!"

BOOM!

On the frozen battlefield, Whitebeard's rage ignited like an inferno.

His towering figure trembled with fury, his once-mighty face now twisted in unrestrained wrath.

Veins bulged across his forehead as he bellowed, his voice like thunder crashing through the heavens.

"SENGOKU, HOW DARE YOU!"

WHOOOM!!

Whitebeard's massive hands clenched around his naginata, Murakumogiri.

With an earth-shattering roar, he swung the blade downward toward Akainu!

But Akainu didn't flinch.

A searing, molten-red fist surged forward to meet the attack head-on.

"Great Eruption!"

BOOOOM!!!

For a moment, it seemed like another deadlock—

But this time, something was different.

Whitebeard, burning with unrestrained fury, had completely abandoned any concern for his wounds or age.

He poured every last ounce of his power into this single attack.

The full force of his Tremor-Tremor Fruit exploded outward!

CRACK!!!

Akainu's eyes widened in horror—

His magma-coated fist was completely shattered!

His right arm—previously severed by Ron and replaced with lava—was utterly destroyed by the shockwave!

But it didn't end there.

The sheer impact of Whitebeard's devastating quake sent Akainu flying backward like a ragdoll.

BOOM!

His body crashed violently into the ground, leaving behind a deep crater.

A gaping hole now marred his abdomen, courtesy of Whitebeard's earlier attack.

Akainu gritted his teeth, blood trickling from his mouth. The wounds he had suffered were no longer minor—

They were severe.

He gasped, his breath ragged.

And then—

His pupils contracted violently.

Because at that very moment—

He felt it.

A chilling, bone-deep sense of death creeping up his spine.

For the first time in his life—Akainu felt fear.

Whitebeard stood before him like a vengeful god, eyes burning with an undeniable killing intent.

But Whitebeard didn't spare him another glance.

Instead—

His murderous gaze shifted toward the execution platform in the distance.

Raising his naginata once more—

The very air around him trembled.

A terrifying, earth-shattering aura erupted from his body.

Hurricanes of wind tore across the battlefield.

The heavens roared in defiance.

Whitebeard's voice boomed like a divine decree—

"ACE...!!!"

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