In Akainu's eyes, the man who had suddenly appeared was nothing less than an outright traitor.
Aokiji's brows also furrowed slightly of their own accord.
Something about this felt strange.
A moment later, he turned his gaze toward Sengoku and Garp, because he had recognized the person who had stopped Lancelot.
It was Koby, Garp's newly accepted disciple.
'Why would that kid suddenly run out here? Could this be Sengoku's idea?'
The more Aokiji thought about it, the more possible it seemed.
Sengoku's goal might very well be to use this opportunity to bring the war to a halt, while also giving Koby a fine reputation as someone brave enough to stand against a Marine Admiral candidate.
After all, being able to step forward and stop Lancelot at such a tense moment was not courage an ordinary person could possess.
Then Aokiji looked toward Lancelot again, and his heart tightened.
'But will that guy really let things go the way you want? I seriously doubt it.'
Naturally, Shanks saw this scene as well.
A trace of admiration flashed through his eyes, and he could not help praising him.
"Impressive courage."
Then he turned his head toward Sengoku on the execution platform.
"It seems the Marines don't want this war to continue either. In that case, why not give me some face and end this war here?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than something completely unexpected happened.
Lancelot's leg suddenly shot up with blinding speed, swift as lightning.
Then he kicked out fiercely, the blow so fast it was like a gust of storm wind, and the force behind it was enough to leave people speechless.
At that moment, Koby had not expected the sudden attack at all.
He did not even have time to react before the kick slammed viciously into his abdomen.
There was a dull, heavy thud.
Koby's body flew backward like a kite with its string cut.
He shot through the air at incredible speed, flying more than a hundred meters before finally crashing into the ground like a cannonball.
Under the force of the impact, his body continued sliding forward from the momentum, only coming to a stop when he reached Red Hair's feet.
Shanks: "..."
Lancelot turned his head and looked up at Sengoku on the platform, his eyes filled with hostility and dissatisfaction.
He truly had not expected that one day he would find himself facing the same situation Akainu had in the original story.
Although he did not know why the original Akainu had endured it. Perhaps the situation had forced his hand.
After all, in the original war, the Marines' casualties had been no lighter than the Whitebeard Pirates'.
Or perhaps it was because Akainu himself had already been heavily wounded by Whitebeard.
Even though he had ultimately counterattacked Whitebeard, the continuous battles had drained his stamina to the bottom.
He had no choice but to stop fighting. If the war had continued, he would no longer have had the strength to deal with the Red Hair Pirates.
But the current situation was completely different from the original.
So Lancelot would never tolerate this guy using him as a stepping stone to raise his own reputation.
In the original story, this so-called "King of Escape" had somehow received the title of Marine Hero.
That had infuriated Lancelot, along with every supporter of the Marines.
In war, shaking the army's morale was an extremely serious crime. No matter what world one was in, it should be punished by death.
And yet, unbelievably, that guy had become a hero in the original story.
That was simply the greatest mockery imaginable toward the Marines who were truly brave and fearless.
What did the efforts and sacrifices of those Marines who charged forward, cut down enemies, and refused to retreat amount to?
What about those Marines who showed no fear of death, even dragging a pirate down with them in their final moments?
They were the true heroes.
They used their lives to defend justice and peace. Meanwhile, this "King of Escape" had relied on running away and opportunism to gain so-called honor.
Lancelot felt nothing but fury toward such unfair treatment. He could not accept that kind of reality.
The very existence of this "King of Escape" was undoubtedly a blasphemy and an insult to those truly heroic Marines.
"Lancelot!"
Just then, Sengoku suddenly spoke.
Hearing the voice, Lancelot quickly turned his head, his gaze meeting Sengoku's.
He noticed Sengoku looking at him with a meaningful expression, as though there were some deeper implication hidden within his eyes.
At the same time, Garp, who stood nearby, also had a rather unfriendly look in his eyes.
His gaze was fixed tightly on Lancelot, seemingly displeased with his words and attitude just now.
After all, Koby was his disciple.
That kick had landed on Koby's body, but it had struck Garp's face.
Seeing this, the corners of Lancelot's mouth lifted slightly into a cold smile.
He turned his head again, placing his gaze back on Yasopp, and slowly said, "Looks like our side has to give your captain some face. Seems this fight isn't happening after all. But listen carefully. The next time we meet, I will definitely kill you.
"If you dare shoot at me, then you'd better be ready to pay the price in blood."
However, before Lancelot's words had even fully faded—
Swish!
Benn Beckman suddenly raised the gun in his hand, the dark muzzle aimed directly at Lancelot.
Clearly, Benn Beckman considered Lancelot's words an open provocation against the dignity of the Red Hair Pirates.
As the second-in-command of the Red Hair Pirates, Benn Beckman naturally had a duty to uphold the crew's prestige.
Faced with Lancelot's provocation, he took action without hesitation.
But Lancelot showed not the slightest fear toward Benn Beckman's movement.
He merely glanced indifferently at the black muzzle pointed at him, then spoke with a touch of provocation.
"Don't think pointing a gun at me is enough to scare me. It's not that I'm looking down on you, but do you actually have the guts to pull the trigger?"
Lancelot's voice was not loud, yet the killing intent contained within it was like a surging undercurrent, so dense it almost seemed to take physical form.
Benn Beckman sensed that intense killing intent, and his brows furrowed involuntarily.
A hint of anger also rose in his heart.
But he did not pull the trigger.
Because what Lancelot had said was the truth.
He could not refute it.
And in his heart, he knew very clearly that it was not because he lacked the courage or the ability to fire.
It was because the current situation did not allow him to fire that shot.
After all, the purpose of their arrival was to end this war, not allow it to continue.
Before their captain had said, "Give me some face and end this war," if Benn Beckman had fired a shot, it might have caused a little trouble, but it probably would not have been a major problem.
However, after his captain had spoken those words, firing again would carry an entirely different meaning and consequence.
First, as Red Hair's deputy, firing now would be equivalent to slapping Shanks in the face.
Second, once that shot was fired, the battle-hungry man before him would have every reason to continue the war.
At that point, even if Sengoku wanted to end the war, he would no longer have a proper way to stop Lancelot.
Because there would be no justification.
They could not possibly expect Lancelot to stand there and take a beating without fighting back.
If that happened, what would the Marines under Sengoku's command think of him?
So the moment that gun fired, this war would continue whether anyone wanted it to or not.
The situation would slip beyond their control.
And the initiative would fall entirely into the other side's hands.