"That figure is..."
On the plaza, Sengoku, who was currently clashing head-on with the heavily injured Whitebeard, naturally also sensed the appearance of two monsters.
But when he turned around and truly saw those two figures, his expression couldn't help but change drastically.
"Douglas Bullet!!!"
"And… that one who stood shoulder to shoulder with Roger, Whitebeard, and the others—[Red the Aloof]Redfield!!!"
"Teach, you bastard!!!"
"You actually released such dangerous people from Impel Down!!!"
Sengoku was grinding his teeth so hard they were about to shatter.
The situation had originally been extremely favorable. Victory for the Marines was right in front of them—so why were more and more legendary pirates appearing now?!
Facing Sengoku's fury,
Blackbeard, his face covered in blood, also looked shaken deep down, but at this moment he still burst out laughing with a zehahahaha.
"Don't be in such a hurry, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. We're here to help you Marines!!!"
"What did you say?!"
After punching one Whitebeard Pirates division commander flying, Sengoku now showed a hint of confusion on his face.
Meanwhile, Whitebeard, who had just taken a brief breath, turned his head over with killing intent filling his face.
"Teach..."
"Only you are not worthy of being my son!!!"
...
...
On the other side,
Sakazuki, who had been kicked flying by Orin's zero-frame instant teleport strike, reappeared at the opposite end of the battlefield before he could even react.
Bang—!!!
Smashing through the ground, a figure wreathed in rolling magma stood up from the smoke and dust.
"That bastard Black Gun, to act so recklessly..."
The surrounding Marine soldiers, who had been struggling just moments ago, were startled upon suddenly seeing Admiral Sakazuki appear, and immediately retreated to the side.
Rubbing his head, his face covered in blood, Sakazuki quickly understood the situation here.
"Honestly… if we really let Fire Fist Ace escape, wouldn't this war just turn into a complete joke?!"
"You wouldn't seriously think you can get away, would you?!"
Looking at Ace after he escaped, and the Whitebeard Pirates who were all fleeing toward the shore,
Sakazuki mocked them disdainfully.
"Rescue Fire Fist Ace and then run—are the Whitebeard Pirates nothing but cowards?"
"Don't fall for his provocation!!!"
Sakazuki wasn't in a hurry, continuing to speak at his own pace.
"Well, following a captain like that, it's hardly surprising..."
"After all, Whitebeard is nothing more than a loser from the previous era."
Sure enough, upon hearing these words, Ace immediately stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Akainu behind him.
"A loser?"
"Take back what you just said!!!"
But Sakazuki didn't stop; instead, his interest was piqued and he continued.
"Take it back? I won't take it back."
"At the end of the day, compared to Roger conquering the Grand Line and finally opening the Great Pirate Era with his death—although I, as a Marine, reject him—he was still worthy of the title Pirate King."
"And Whitebeard? Playing with a bunch of riffraff, being called 'Dad, Dad,' using his name to shelter wave after wave of idiots, and in his old age even getting stabbed by his own son..."
"Even after Roger died, he still couldn't surpass Roger's ship's apprentice. The title of king remained forever out of reach, and at his peak he was defeated by the young rookie pirate Orin."
"Shut up!!!"
Ace's face darkened as flames burned in his hands.
"Pops gave us all new lives. I won't allow you to talk about my benefactor like that."
"This era is called Whitebeard!!!"
Flames VS magma,
Ace was quickly brought to his knees.
"This kid..."
Orin, watching from afar, could only sigh helplessly.
A few words and he lost his head, forgetting that this war was mainly about rescuing him. Should Ace's temperament be called foolish, or genuine?
"That's Roger's son, right?"
"He looks just like Roger did when he was young."
Beside Orin, an aged figure leaning on a cane was quietly watching Ace.
Then he turned his gaze toward Orin.
"You're not going?"
"No need."
Orin replied calmly.
"The future has already been foreseen."
Hearing this, Redfield's expression froze for a moment. Then, within his deep-set eye sockets, a crimson light burst forth, a trace of surprise flashing across his face.
Not because of what he saw, but—
"I'm really curious how far into the future you can see..."
Having lived for so many years, Redfield had never seen such a terrifyingly powerful Observation Haki.
"It's just that everyone has their own strengths..."
Orin merely smiled lightly at this.
The Observation Haki he was born with was special in that, like the Op-Op Fruit, it possessed extreme precision and penetration, leaning toward the physical aspect.
Meanwhile, the Observation Haki of Redfield and Otohime could directly see into people's hearts, leaning toward the spiritual aspect.
And because his Observation leaned toward the physical, it naturally focused more on reality—allowing him to see further and more clearly into the future.
Two calm monsters who had already unlocked advance viewing were casually chatting at this moment.
After all, as remnants of the old era, Red the Aloof was extremely interested in Orin.
Precisely because of his ability to see through human hearts—having witnessed too much ugliness, betrayal, and wavering—that was why he felt astonished upon meeting Orin.
This incomparably handsome and elegant man before him—when not activating Observation Killing—could still be faintly seen through by him, revealing some inner activity.
This...
Redfield fell silent, his pupils trembling.
What kind of pure psyche was this?
Without the slightest trace of hypocrisy, concealment, or hesitation—pure pursuit of enjoyment, as if everything were puppets in his hands.
Like an audience member forever filled with anticipation, his eyes shining brightly as he waited for anything that could bring him pleasure to occur.
...
...
On the other side,
Luffy, after injecting the stimulant hormones for the second time, had already pushed his body to its limit and was kneeling on the ground, gasping for breath.
Meanwhile, Sakazuki, his fist bubbling with scorching magma, had already arrived in front of Ace.
"The sons of Pirate King Roger and revolutionary Dragon—two extremely dangerous figures—actually swore brotherhood. Your bloodline alone is already an unforgivable crime!!!"
"Among pirates, anyone can escape—except the two of you. Watch carefully!!!"
Stepping past the already kneeling Ace, Sakazuki's fist surged with rolling magma, and he immediately hurled a magma punch at Luffy, who hadn't yet reacted!!!
"Luffy!!!"
As the older brother, Ace immediately rushed forward to take the blow for Luffy, even if it meant using his own life...
"Don't forget—Luffy has more than just you as a brother~"
At the critical moment, the ground split open. A pair of hands reached out, grabbing both of their clothes.
"It's been a long time... Ace, and Luffy!!!"
...
I recommend checking out my new Pokémon fanfic, "Pokémon System: Me, the Strongest Champion of the League"! It features a system that isn't overpowered, keeping the story balanced and engaging. The main character isn't Ash, but an original, cool MC, which makes it even more enjoyable to read. I'd love to hear your feedback!