Chapter 51

Leave it to me, Sengoku."

Naval Headquarters officer Tsuru approached the execution platform from the side. She only glanced briefly at Ace before turning her gaze away. She could only remain silent about Ace, the young pirate.

The old sea wolf gave his final orders via Den Den Mushi.

— "The 'Iron Wall' plan will no longer be implemented. All major generals and above will gather the main forces to eliminate the scattered pirates one by one."

Currently, Whitebeard's pirates are dispersed, and the slow-moving ships failed to drive the pirates in the rear into the inner bay. The original "Iron Wall" encirclement tactic is no longer suitable.

Now the only way out is to switch from passive defense to active offense, stop holding back, and attack, joining forces with the slow ships to crush the fleeing pirates.

At this time, four legendary sea powerhouses were slowly approaching each other, creating an aura too strong for those around them to dare approach.

— "The Fleet Admiral has joined forces with Vice Admiral Garp. Such a spectacle hasn't been seen for many years."

A vice admiral at headquarters watched the two fleet legends with both excitement and anxiety. They had combined their forces, and so far no one has been able to defeat them.

But this time, things are different. The opponents this time aren't weak either. The strongest man in the world, Whitebeard, and the Pirate King Roger have united their forces. Isn't this also a rarity in the world?

Two legends of the sea haven't combined their forces in decades. In two years, perhaps the Four Emperors Charlotte Linlin and Kaido might unite and barely withstand them.

War is not a fair duel. As Kizaru and Akainu prepared to join the battle, the blue phoenix Marco stopped Kizaru once more.

— "I won't let you interfere with Father and the others."

— "You're so annoying, Phoenix Marco."

A flicker of rage crossed Kizaru's narrowed eyes. Even after the battle, he was genuinely seething, and the wound on his chest still throbbed with pain.

A beam of blue flame shot up instantly, brilliant as fireworks.

Kizaru was intercepted and could only rely on Akainu. However, as Akainu was about to move, he was immediately pierced through by Crocodile's sand blade, and lava started to flow down. Once Akainu recovered from his elemental transformation, he realized he couldn't leave.

Not only Crocodile , but also Straw Hat Luffy, Jinbe, and Ivankov, all three were aiming to rush toward the execution platform. If other combat forces became involved and he made no attempt to intercept them, the consequences would be catastrophic.

— "Hell Hound!"

A lava hand transformed into a giant dog's head and struck at the trio. No one dared to confront Akainu's fury.

Unnoticed by everyone, the fleet's forces were stretched to their limits, and there weren't enough resources even for the top fighter.

The atmosphere at the harbor's center was extremely tense. The fight of others did not affect the four. The four masters, wielding Conqueror's Haki, stood still, seemingly freezing the air around them.

Garp fixed his gaze on Sal and finally couldn't hold back, asking aloud:

— "Roger, why have you appeared now? I witnessed your execution that year. What exactly happened?"

Sel remained silent for a while. Seeing the other two looking at him, either with interest or curiosity—clearly eager to know what he's been up to all these years—he pondered. Should he directly tell them that he doesn't know what Roger was doing and that he is a time traveler?

Sal was sure that the other three would consider him crazy and wouldn't believe in any time traveler, even if it was a clone. Every pinnacle of power at sea is very stubborn, and it's difficult to convince one of anything.

— "...Garp, I have nothing to say about that. Right now, we need to discuss Ace's situation. You promised that night. Clearly, you didn't follow through. You broke your promise."

Faced with the accusation, Garp just clenched his teeth and looked very troubled. Indeed, he broke his promise, and most importantly, he abandoned his grandson, which made him feel guilt and pain.

Seeing his old friend descending into self-reproach, Sengoku realized he couldn't let Garp continue like this. Even if the hero of the Fleet loses the will to fight and starts doubting himself, the consequences would be catastrophic.

— "Garp, do you want to watch them break through Marineford and destroy everything in the Fleet? Tens of thousands of Marine families live here. Roger has been hiding all these years, leaving his wife and children alone. He surely has a secret he can't reveal to anyone. He deceived everyone."

— "..."

Garp pondered Roger's potential deception and immediately grew angry.

— "Roger, even if you don't want to speak, I will make you talk obediently."

Clenching his muscles to stop the bleeding, Whitebeard immediately retorted:

— "Gulalala, Sengoku, you're the one who started this war. Don't pretend to be innocent. The tragedy 22 years ago happened because of your Fleet admiral. How dare you bring that up now?"

— "There's no point in talking anymore, just a strike in the air."

Whitebeard struck first, and his fist, full of blinding light, punched the air in front of him, sending a devastating shockwave toward the Marines.

— "Hmm, Great Buddha Strike."

Flash instantly transformed into a massive golden statue of Buddha, which swung its palm, unleashing a terrifying wave. The aftermath of the collision of the two shockwaves swept through the crowd like a storm, and many unfortunate people nearby were knocked off their feet.

The two rushed at each other with a simple approach. Sengoku and Whitebeard were long-standing adversaries. During the era of sea battles, it was Sengoku who hunted him. They fought many times, much like Roger and Garp. The only difference was that there was no friendship between them.

The strong wind whipped at the clothes of Sal and Garp. Although Garp had many questions, he knew now was not the time to ask them. He could only solve the problem with his fists.

Dark red lightning coiled around the fist known as the Iron Fist. Garp sprang up and struck the enemy directly in the face.

— "Roger, take my hit."

A daunting aura, which frightened people, had clearly changed. This was not ordinary Conqueror's Haki.

— "What a mess, Garp."

Sal knew Garp's technique, "Intertwining Conqueror's Haki," very well, and understood its dreadful lethality. He wanted to kill him and the pirates behind him with a single blow.

Sal stepped forward and crushed the ground. He held his sword with both hands—a rare occurrence. Conqueror's Haki spread outward, causing the stones to vibrate. Conqueror's Haki, like dark red flames, enveloped Ace, and his dark red eyes were fixed on the figure in the air.

This attack would be his true full effort.

— "Divine Evasion."

— "Galactic Strike."

The two terrifying techniques of "Intertwining Conqueror's Haki" clashed with each other, and a powerful roar was heard. Then an energy explosion destroyed everything around, taking with it many marines and pirates. The terrifying Conqueror's Haki surged into the sky, instantly piercing a massive blue hole in the heavens. It created a more shocking effect than a usual clash of Conqueror's Haki.

The place where the two sides collided was like an invisible barrier, and they hung in opposition, bursting with all-consuming dark red lightning.

Marineford, which was already on the brink of collapse due to Whitebeard, once again endured the collision of supreme Conqueror's Haki, finally reaching its limit and splitting down the center with a very deep crack that crossed the entire island.

And at the point where the two clashed, a huge pit, tens of meters wide, formed

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