Chapter 366: Whitebeard’s Resolve
On the Revolutionary Army's side, Sabo and Ace were locked in an intense battle. Sabo's mastery of martial arts and Haki clearly surpassed Ace's, but Ace had honed his Flame-Flame Fruit abilities to an advanced level. For a time, their fight was evenly matched.
Meanwhile, Garp stood by, offering his usual blunt commentary:
"Ace, looks like I still need to train you in hand-to-hand combat! I've told you before—Wright is a swordsman! If you want to get better at brawling, you should've learned from me!"
"Look at Sabo—his martial arts are top-notch! But that's only natural, considering he learned from my son! Hahahaha!"
"Gramps! Keep your voice down! You're not supposed to say that!"
"Ah, it's fine… They're too busy fighting to hear me anyway!"
Nearby, Koala wiped the sweat off her forehead.
"…I didn't hear anything…"
"Whoa! Sabo! Is this cute girl your girlfriend?"
"Ace, you brat! Learn from Sabo!"
"Shut up, old man! Mind your own business!"
Elsewhere, the battle between Ivankov and Kuma raged on. However, as the fight progressed, Ivankov began to notice something—Kuma's attacks seemed slightly delayed.
Is his consciousness showing signs of returning? Or is the intense combat causing malfunctions in his modifications?!
Ivankov's heart pounded with urgency, but he had no choice but to keep fighting at the current pace. If he could awaken Kuma's mind, he might be able to take him away from the battlefield!
Western Army Commander Morley was locked in battle with the Giant Vice Admiral, John Giant. The enraged giant and Morley clashed fiercely, though for some reason, Morley wasn't fighting at full strength.
Meanwhile, Ivankov's comrade, Inazuma, was engaged in an intense fight against the captain of the Marine Science Unit, Sentomaru.
"What the hell are you guys planning for Lord Kuma?!"
"You don't need to know!"
"Kuma may be a Warlord of the Sea, but he also holds a position in the Science Unit! And I'm the Science Unit's captain! How dare you say I don't need to know?!"
"Then try and beat me first!"
Unfortunately, Inazuma wasn't much of a talker. Otherwise, he might have been able to extract some crucial information from Sentomaru…
The Revolutionary Army's Fish-Man Karate master, Hack, found himself facing off against G-5 Branch Commodore "Ship Slasher" T. Bone.
"Fish-man! Many of your kind have already joined the Marines! Why do you insist on siding with the world's most dangerous criminals?!"
Over the years, Bone had grown much stronger through his service in G-5. Now wielding both Armament and Observation Haki, his unique "Right-Angle Swordsmanship" was sharper than ever.
"The world's most dangerous criminals? Ridiculous! Commander Dragon fights to change this world's misfortune! He's more worthy of the word 'justice' than you Marines ever were!"
Hack's respect for Dragon ran deep. Every member of the Revolutionary Army knew just how noble their leader's dream was—and why they had chosen to follow him!
"You're delusional! You send powerless civilians to fight battles they shouldn't have to face—forcing them into brutal conflicts beyond their means! You call that justice?!"
Bone's blade clashed against Hack's fists, their strength deadlocked. His fierce expression twisted in anger:
"Fighting is our duty as soldiers! Civilians can't defend themselves—that's why the Marines exist! If the innocent must sacrifice their lives for war, then what's the point of 'justice'?!"
"Civilians have the right to choose their own fate! They can also choose to fight for justice and peace!"
Hack's voice was firm. "If the Marines truly upheld the justice you claim, would the world still be filled with so much suffering?!"
"And how much suffering has the Revolutionary Army caused?!"
Bone struck with a flurry of powerful slashes, forcing Hack to retreat. He roared:
"At the very least, the Marines have fought for justice in the past—and we will continue to do so in the future!"
"This battle is being broadcast to the entire world! Right now, the Marines stand as the symbol of justice!"
"If we let you achieve your goal today, it will be a stain upon the justice we've upheld for centuries!"
"You—are the enemy of justice!"
...
"Commander Jozu!"
"Damn it! A Marine Admiral is still too much to handle!"
Facing Aokiji, Whitebeard's Third Division Commander, "Diamond" Jozu, was completely frozen, unable to move. Meanwhile, Aokiji himself looked completely unfazed.
"Ara ara… Guess I'd better not interfere with the old man over there. Too much trouble…"
Scratching his head, Aokiji turned and started walking toward Fujitora.
"Dealing with this big problem should take priority."
Meanwhile, over by Kizaru, Marco's body was once again engulfed in blue flames, rapidly healing the wounds inflicted by Kizaru's lasers.
"Damn, that stings, Kizaru…"
"Yeah, sure it does…"
Kizaru suddenly flashed in front of Marco and aimed a powerful kick at him. But Marco's arms transformed into phoenix wings, and with a burst of energy, he countered Kizaru's Light-Speed Kick with a powerful strike of his own!
BOOM!
Explosions erupted across the battlefield as Marco and Kizaru's fight raged on. Wherever they clashed, destruction followed.
For the most part, it was Kizaru bombarding Marco with relentless attacks—or Marco being sent flying from the force of Kizaru's blows.
"Damn it… I can barely keep him at bay. An Admiral is just too much of a drain on my stamina…"
Marco wiped the blood from his lips before soaring back into the sky. He had to stall Kizaru as long as possible—if Kizaru broke away and joined the fight against Whitebeard, things would get even worse!
"Fufufufu…"
Doflamingo let out a low, irritated laugh. He had invited Enel to join forces—only to be flatly rejected. Then, he tried recruiting Crocodile—who also turned him down without hesitation.
"Join forces? Hah! You should be my subordinate instead."
Crocodile's remark nearly made Doflamingo explode with rage. But as much as he hated to admit it, Crocodile now had the strength to back up such arrogance.
Frustrated, Doflamingo instead turned his aggression toward Whitebeard's commanders. Two of them had already fallen under his "Parasite String" technique, forced to fight each other like puppets.
At the heart of the battlefield, Whitebeard was locked in a brutal clash against Akainu and Wright. The fight had reached a level of sheer devastation.
Akainu's relentless, all-out assaults were forcing even Whitebeard—at the peak of his strength—to suffer serious injuries.
But Akainu wasn't unscathed either. Even though Wright was there to heal his wounds, the experience of being utterly manhandled by Whitebeard was clearly unpleasant.
As for Wright, his swordsmanship inflicted just as much damage on Whitebeard as Akainu's magma—but what made him truly dangerous was his healing ability, which rendered Whitebeard's attacks meaningless.
With two Admirals targeting him, even the world's strongest man felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness.
This kind of strategy… Looks like I won't be leaving here alive.
So be it. I came here prepared to die anyway. Sengoku would never have set this trap unless he was absolutely certain he could bait me in by capturing Marco and the others…
Five Admiral-level opponents… And Garp and Sengoku haven't even made a move yet. Who the hell are they waiting for?
The Revolutionary Army, perhaps? Heh… Looks like quite a few people will witness my final battle.
Whitebeard's eyes gleamed with determination.
If this keeps up, my sons will be annihilated!
At the very least… I must ensure their survival!
With a sudden burst of power, he unleashed a shockwave, forcing Akainu and Wright back.
Wright's golden eyes flashed.
"Whitebeard! Do you have a death wish?!"
At that moment, Wright foresaw the future—
Whitebeard had completely abandoned his defense. Clenching his fists, he prepared to unleash his most powerful quake since the battle had begun!
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