Chapter 121: I Won’t Run Anymore
The impact from his landing wasn't much of an issue, but the punch he took directly from Garp was what truly left him in pain.
For a moment, the force of the blow almost knocked the wind out of him.
Fortunately, his Armament Haki wasn't weak—though his physical resilience was no match for Garp's. The two forces clashed, and while the punch didn't incapacitate him, it still left him severely injured.
Blood dripped from Sol's mouth as he climbed out of the crater. Before the smoke and dust could settle, he roared in the direction of Maude.
"Why aren't you running yet?!"
He didn't call out any names, but those who understood would know.
Hearing Sol's shout, Maude gritted his teeth and hesitated for a moment. Suppressing his worry, he dug something out of a bullet hole nearby.
Then, he hauled the still-coughing Sabo to his feet and continued running toward the other side of the mountain wall.
"Cough… Morley… cough… and Tatamu…"
"There's no time," Maude interrupted Sabo's words with a deep frown.
Too weak. We're too weak…
Maude hated this feeling of helplessness, of being unable to do anything.
But as long as they could escape from here, then give him a few more years…
"Sabo, trust Morley…" Maude said solemnly, adding in his heart: And Sol.
Sabo stayed silent, coughing continuously.
When he fought Gion earlier, he had struggled but still felt like he could hold his own.
However, when facing Aokiji, even teaming up with Maude wasn't enough. They were subdued in a single move.
Were it not for the timely intervention of those two devastating gunshots, they would already be...
Facing such overwhelming strength, Sabo couldn't see a shred of hope.
Naturally, he knew what needed to be done now.
Aokiji, on the other hand, didn't pursue the fleeing Maude and Sabo. Instead, his cautious gaze remained fixed on Sol, still shrouded in smoke and dust.
To Aokiji's Observation Haki, the swirling dust was inconsequential.
Through the haze, he could see the barrel of a gun aimed directly at him.
"Ara ara…" Aokiji murmured, his lips curling slightly.
As a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, his Haki training leaned heavily toward Observation Haki.
This allowed him to synergize with his Logia powers, using them to evade even the strongest Armament Haki attacks.
With the support of his Observation Haki, as long as his elementalization kept up with the attacks, no matter how powerful his opponent's Armament Haki was, Aokiji could evade them with ease.
But when faced with an enemy whose Observation Haki surpassed his own, he couldn't afford to be careless—Maude's uncanny accuracy was one such threat.
Meanwhile, Morley once again broke free from Aokiji's freezing ability.
While Aokiji was keeping an eye on Sol, Molly seized an opportunity, using his powers to help free Tatamu.
The now-thawed Tatamu collapsed to the ground, unconscious and severely frostbitten.
Aokiji hadn't held back in his attack, but since Tatamu was a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, he barely clung to life.
If it had been Maude or Sabo in his place, they likely wouldn't have survived the thawing process.
"Tatamu! Wake up!"
Seeing Tatamu unresponsive, Molly, overcome with emotion, slapped him across the face.
Smack!
The sound echoed dully.
The slap effectively sent Tatamu into a deeper coma.
From a distance, Gion stayed vigilant toward Sol as she approached Wolfrat.
She knelt down to inspect his injuries.
Looking at the gaping wound that pierced his body, her expression turned grim.
Thankfully, Wolfrat had relied on his animalistic instincts to dodge slightly when he was hit.
Though he failed to evade entirely, the bullet narrowly missed his heart.
Still, with injuries this severe, if Wolfrat didn't receive immediate treatment, not even his Zoan durability would save him.
"Where's Garp…" Gion thought anxiously.
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than Garp arrived.
His arrival mirrored Sol's—with a dramatic descent from the sky.
Boom!
Landing solidly, Garp's feet struck the ground, leaving a crater.
In an instant, Garp assessed the situation.
When his gaze landed on Wolfrat' injuries, a vein bulged on his forehead.
"How many years has it been, and Sol is still as cunning as ever…"
When Sol didn't engage directly, he never missed an opportunity to deal a devastating blow.
From a sniper's perspective, such tactics were entirely reasonable.
But as someone who had been on the receiving end, Garp wasn't in a forgiving mood.
"Can he be saved?" Garp asked, stepping out of the smoke and glancing toward Gion.
"Yes, but the injuries are severe. He needs immediate treatment," Gion replied, tearing her coat into strips and wrapping them around Wolfrat' wound without hesitation.
"Go."
Without another word, Garp strode toward Saul.
Understanding his intent, Gion hoisted Wolfrat and sprinted toward the harbor as fast as she could.
With Garp and Aokiji on the scene, she didn't think Maude and his group had any chance of escape.
Wolfrat' injuries demanded urgent attention—it was a race against time.
Garp's arrival not only allowed Gion to focus on getting Wolfrat to the ship for treatment but also freed Aokiji from Sol's focus.
"Sol, your opponent is here," Aokiji remarked, nodding toward the approaching Garp.
To buy time for Sol's escape, Sol ignored Garp's arrival and pulled the trigger on Aokiji.
The Armament Haki-coated bullet whizzed through the air.
A trace of caution flashed in Aokiji's eyes. Although he predicted the bullet's trajectory, he didn't dare underestimate it by relying solely on elementalization to evade.
Instead, he shifted his body slightly, letting the bullet brush past him.
With his first shot missing, Sol swiftly reloaded.
But as he prepared to fire a second time, Garp was already closing in.
Forced to react, Sol redirected his aim and fired at Garp instead.
Caught off guard, Garp dodged hastily, momentarily halting his advance.
Seizing the opportunity, Sol retreated, putting distance between himself and Garp's range.
Garp pursued relentlessly.
"Your movements are off, and your speed has slowed considerably," Garp observed as Sol retreated.
He understood immediately.
The earlier punch had brought Sol to the brink of collapse.
Sol was well aware of this as well, his expression shifting.
If he pushed himself, he could still run—barely.
But…
"Where's Sunny?" Sol shouted toward Maude mid-retreat.
"Safe!" Maude responded immediately.
"That's good…"
Sol muttered to himself, then suddenly stopped retreating. Fixing Garp with a cold gaze, he declared, "I won't run anymore."
"…"
Garp stopped as well.
This was the first time he'd heard such words from Sol and could see the resolve in Sol's expression.
Sol raised his gun with one hand, aiming at Garp. "But our grudge has nothing to do with the younger generation. If you've still got any honor left, don't go after him."
An old life on the verge of ending wasn't worth a dime.
But Maude was different.
Sol firmly believed Maude's future would be dazzling, and it couldn't end here.
Garp stared at Sol for a long moment before nodding.
However, Aokiji wasn't as easily convinced.
"Garp-san, he's connected to the Revolutionary Army. There's no reason to let him go."
Before Aokiji could finish, a dull, whizzing sound came from behind him.
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