The commotion on Charles's side was so great it drew everyone's attention. Then they saw a bedraggled Akainu.
Half of Akainu's body had become magma, the billowing black smoke shrouding half the sky, a stinging reek of sulfur filling the air.
The human half of his body showed how bad his state was.
His cap had flown off who knew where—or been burned to ash—and his forehead and face were covered in broad burns.
On his "Justice" coat only the first character remained; the lower half had vanished.
His crisp suit was in tatters; the rose pinned to his chest had long since carbonized with the fabric, exposing the solid muscle beneath, which was likewise charred black.
Even Kaido had been badly injured after eating Charles's Dragon-Slayer secret art—let alone Akainu.
Even so, an Admiral is still an Admiral. Akainu forced himself upright, fixing Charles with a hard stare, not a hint of surrender in him.
...
Seeing this, Whitebeard let out a great laugh, then leveled his naginata at the scaffold. "Sengoku, Garp—time for us old friends to say a proper hello!"
Sengoku's mood was as foul as it could get. The hundred thousand Marine elites had indeed seized some advantage, but not enough to decide the day.
The Vice Admirals fighting the Whitebeard division commanders and allied captains were trading wins and losses; if anything, the pirates held the edge.
Most incredible of all, the Marines' strongest trump—the three Admirals—were all tied up, unable to break free and change the situation.
Rayleigh was one thing, but how were that boy and girl, who didn't even look twenty, suppressing Marine Admirals?!
And so the local "supreme commander," Whitebeard, had easily walked to the front to challenge him.
No matter how you cut it, the dire turn was undeniable.
Sengoku turned to Garp seated on Ace's other side. Garp stood and tore off his "Justice" coat.
"Garp, you—!"
Clenching his fists, Garp cut him off. "I know. I'm a Marine too. I won't hesitate at a time like this."
Sengoku smiled and tore off his own coat. "When was the last time we fought together?"
"No idea," Garp said offhand. "Can't remember."
"Our opponent is Whitebeard," Sengoku said. "Don't get careless!
I didn't expect things to go this far, but, old friend, come see Whitebeard off with me. Let's end this war."
That was the bluntest, last strategy left to Sengoku. Defeat Whitebeard, and victory would follow.
He vanished from the scaffold as he spoke, reappeared above Whitebeard, and in the same breath swelled as gold flooded over his body.
"Buddha Impact!"
The golden great Buddha rode the force of his fall, slamming down a palm. A transparent sphere spread from it—a shockwave on par with the largest naval cannon.
Besides "tactician," the Marine Fleet Admiral was known best as "Buddha" Sengoku.
The Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Buddha, grants the user a Buddha's power, wisdom, and spirit.
A great Buddha's gigantic body, a sharp mind, and consummate technique together let the user become the ultimate balance of mind, body, and skill.
In Charles's view, nothing matched this fruit for drawing out one's innate potential.
The slap looked simple; in truth, it wrapped superb martial skill to produce such a powerful shockwave.
Even so, Whitebeard looked bored—but moved fast. A milky halo covered his fist as he punched.
Glasslike cracks laced the air, squarely blocking the shockwave Sengoku had driven down.
"Gurararara! Sengoku, you're still spry at your age!"
Whitebeard took a guarded stance. On the ground, Sengoku faced him. "And you're no different. But how long can that old body hold out?"
"At least long enough to take you down," Whitebeard snorted.
As they spoke, a ripping howl split the air. A burly silhouette dropped against the sun.
"Fist Bone: Impact!"
A jet-black fist, wrapped in Armament Haki, filled Whitebeard's vision—Garp's famed Iron Fist.
Whitebeard grew a shade more serious. Muscles bulged on his arm as he swung the great naginata.
Boom!
Whitebeard's feet sank into the ground—a measure of the blow's weight.
"Garp, you old bastard—your fist still hits hard!"
Whitebeard heaved the naginata and shoved Garp off. Landing by Sengoku, Garp's gaze burned. "Enough talk. Whatever happens, the Marines can't lose this war."
Whitebeard gripped the hilt in both hands. "How dull. But saying you'll beat me—do you forget who I am? I am Whitebeard!"
Conqueror's Haki burst wild and free, and the faces of the two Marine veterans tightened.
A heartbeat later, the last three legends of the previous era crashed together. One clash, and all Marineford seemed to shake.
The war reached its zenith. Most fighters, lost in the heat, forgot what was truly at stake.
Some, of course, remembered the point.
Whitebeard's steps had been halted by Garp and Sengoku. But the last obstacle atop the scaffold vanished at the same time.
And the other two prongs of the trident had already reached the scaffold.
Ace was within Little Oars Jr.'s grasp, so he reached out.
"Don't even think about it!"
Several giant Vice Admirals piled on at once, knocking Little Oars Jr. down and pinning his arms.
He flung off the one clinging to his forearm, but the rest held his body fast.
Though Little Oars Jr. was blocked, Luffy reached the base of the scaffold on the other side.
"Zoro!"
At Luffy's shout, Zoro braced his blade without a word. Luffy leapt, springing off Zoro's strength toward the scaffold.
Vice Admiral Dalmatian appeared mid-route, used Moonwalk, and a Shigan knocked Luffy from the air.
Right then, Sanji flashed beneath Luffy, lifted a leg to catch him, and kicked him up again.
"Thanks, Sanji!"
Grinning, Luffy shot at Dalmatian again.
"Outta my way! Gum-Gum... Rocket!"
The protagonist's glow flared once more. Luffy's fist went Armament-black and smashed into the off-guard Dalmatian.
Dalmatian wasn't badly hurt, but his Moonwalk broke and he plunged headlong.
But as Luffy's momentum petered out, he began to fall—reliable comrades had him covered.
Out of its armor, the Merry used a transmuted jet pack to swoop in, catch Luffy, and carry him straight up to the scaffold.
When Luffy used a key the Merry had just refined to unlock Ace's seastone cuffs, it meant the war had entered a new phase.
______
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