Two Admirals. One Marine Hero.
Three of the Navy's top combatants gathered here. It was hard to say they had come for the so-called Supernovas.
Even if the Supernovas gathered on the Sabaody Archipelago this time were called the Worst Generation.
"You all came for me?"
Luffy took a deep breath, his chest heaving violently. "Or did you have to come because of those Celestial Dragon pieces of trash?"
"You've caught the attention of the higher-ups."
Kuzan pushed up his eye mask, his gaze resting on Luffy with a hint of complexity. "There are reasons involved that even we don't fully understand."
To deploy three Admiral-level combatants for a pirate who hadn't even entered the New World—this treatment was absolutely maximal.
Unprecedented.
An Emperor? Even if a real Emperor came in person, unless it was an all-out war, it would be hard to get this kind of treatment.
There must have been some deeper taboo behind this.
A taboo that even they, the Marine Admirals, did not know.
Because this order had come directly from Pangea Castle from the Five Elders themselves.
Undeniable. Must be executed.
And there was also the talk of the Celestial Dragons' sacredness?
Then the priority of the mission to eliminate the Straw Hat crew would not have been placed before rescuing the Celestial Dragons.
Even if the Celestial Dragons were killed, the Straw Hat crew must still be eliminated.
The World Government's secrets, besides the Void Century, were probably quite numerous.
"So surrender, Straw Hat."
Kizaru called out slowly toward Luffy, while still having the spare capacity to parry Rayleigh's slash with Ama no Murakumo. "And you too, Rayleigh-san. You're a retired old man. Weren't you just living a retired life on the Sabaody Archipelago, robbing people?
Wouldn't it be better to live peacefully? Why get involved in such a deadly matter?"
"Heh. That's a good question."
Rayleigh put force into his wrist, pushing away Kizaru's light sword with his long blade. His glasses reflected cold light under the refraction of the lasers. "I can't stand the Navy crushing young, talented pirates. How's that for an excuse?"
Though his tone was light, his heart had already sunk.
Three Admiral-level combatants, one of whom was the Marine Hero, the monster Garp.
Even he, 'Dark King' Silvers Rayleigh, at his peak, could only manage to hold them off at best.
Now, with his stamina and Haki far from their prime, facing this lineup, he felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
"Well, talented young pirates should also learn to read the situation and surrender."
Kizaru again called out toward Luffy. "Even if Whitebeard came now, he probably couldn't do much."
"Whitebeard? I'm not him. I'm me!"
Luffy grinned, glaring at his two opponents. "If you want me to surrender, then try it! Let's see if you can do it!"
He took a deep breath.
The sound of his inhalation seemed to carry a strange rhythm. Then, a deep, rhythmic drum sound clearly reached the ears of everyone present.
THUMP THUMP THUMP!
THUMP THUMP THUMP!
This sound did not spread through air vibrations. It rang directly in the depths of the soul.
"How terrifying, this power."
Kuzan glanced at the ice layers around him. Under the resonance of this strange drum sound, they seemed to be reacting. The ice was cracking. "Devil Fruit awakening doesn't reach this level."
"That's just because you've never seen it."
Luffy's eyes widened.
BOOM!
A far larger black-red torrent than before erupted from Luffy.
Carrying the will to destroy everything, it surged toward Kuzan and Garp.
The tangible impact of Conqueror's Haki nearly pushed all the surrounding air away. The ground cracked inch by inch, pressed down by this force.
"It's useless. Save your strength, kid."
Kuzan, hands in his pockets, radiated cold air in all directions. The ground beneath his feet instantly froze and rapidly spread forward, freezing the front of the oncoming domineering torrent.
He himself slid on the ice, avoiding the core of the shock wave with precision.
Garp was even more direct. He let out a low growl. His fists covered in the extremely condensed armed color was slammed directly into the black-red torrent.
"Genkotsu Shōgeki: Hashō!"
Wherever his fists passed, the domineering torrent was dispersed, opening a temporary path.
He stood in the center of the torrent, letting it hit him, unmoving.
No openings at all.
Conqueror's Haki could only be used as a support now.
But these two were battle-hardened. They had fought countless people with overlord color and domineering qualifications.
In this situation, the only option was to go all out.
Only in desperate straits could one break through!
Luffy had always been walking the edge. Otherwise, how could he have such tenacious vitality?
Willpower was the best expression of a person's courage.
At least now, the courage he was showing was, in Garp's eyes, no different from the top-tier on the sea.
Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido... even Roger and Rocks from further back!
But just as Luffy burst into full force, the warning sounds that had been constantly ringing in his ears, which he had been half-paying attention to, suddenly changed.
[WARNING! Your crewmate Nami is too far away. Contact signal is rapidly decaying! Please address immediately!]
[WARNING! Your crewmate Nico Robin is too far away. Contact signal is rapidly decaying! Please address immediately!]
[WARNING! Your crewmate Usopp is too far away...]
[WARNING! Your crewmate Vinsmoke Sanji...]
[WARNING! Your crewmate Tony Tony Chopper...]
[WARNING! Your crewmate...]
...
A series of warning messages poured down like ice water, instantly flooding his consciousness.
Zoro, Franky, Brook, Merry... even Bonney, whom they had just met—all their names instantly turned into red warnings indicating "too far away."
Too far away?
What was happening?
They should have been fighting or evacuating in different areas of the Sabaody Archipelago. Why were they suddenly all showing as too far away?
The only explanation was that they were no longer on the Sabaody Archipelago!
Who had done this?
What had been done to them?!
An icy fear instantly gripped Luffy's heart. Then, that fear turned into overwhelming, world-burning rage!
[The Pirate King Training Plan has detected that all bound crew members have left effective sensing range. Determined that the captain has committed serious dereliction of duty. Punishment level raised to LV3. Immediate execution.]
A sharp pain, without any warning.
"GAAAAH!"
Luffy couldn't help but let out a heart-wrenching scream. His body shook violently. His output of Haki momentarily faltered and weakened.
An intense pain, far greater than any previous electric shock or mental pressure, instantly swept through Luffy's entire body.
It felt like countless invisible knives were cutting across his body.
This pain acted directly on the depths of his nerves, nearly causing him to instantly lose consciousness.
"Hm? What's happening to you, Luffy?"
Garp's brow furrowed. For the first time, worry and surprise appeared on his face.
He knew his grandson too well. He had tempered Luffy's will bit by bit.
He wouldn't even frown at ordinary pain. For him to make such a pained sound, it must be unimaginable torment.
A side effect of his ability? Or had his body reached its limit?
Kuzan also stopped moving, watching Luffy, whose state was abnormal, warily.
Luffy had not even frowned when those attacks hit his body.
Luffy's scream was partly from the pain of the LV3 punishment, but more from the catharsis of anger over his crewmates' unknown whereabouts.
"Give me back my crewmates!"
THUD!
With a huge impact, Luffy stomped his foot, completely shattering the already broken ground beneath him. His figure, accompanied by the drumbeat, turned into a white-red streamer nearly Impossible for the naked eye to follow, appearing behind Kuzan almost as if teleported.
Magi reappeared in his hand. The blade was wreathed in terrifying aura. Black-red lightning erupted.
He glared at Kuzan, his expression somewhat twisted. "What did you do to my crewmates?!"
Gomu Gomu no: Hachō Zanrō!
A massive black-red crescent-shaped sword aura tore through the air, aiming to cut Kuzan in half!
Wherever the sword energy passed, space seemed to distort.
"His swordsmanship has improved too ridiculously!"
Kuzan's face finally showed a trace of shock. Last time they fought at Enies Lobby, though Luffy's physical techniques and Haki were astonishing, he had never shown such sharp and terrifying swordsmanship.
He didn't dare to be careless. Elementalization was meaningless against this level of Haki-infused slash.
"Hyōhō: Sanjū" Rashōmon!"
BOOM!
BOOM!
Three enormous ice walls, each several meters thick, instantly rose, blocking the path of the energy sword.
But the black-red sword energy cut through two layers of ice like a hot knife through butter, only scattered on the third. Ice fragments mixed with the aftermath of the Haki flew everywhere, cutting the surrounding ground to pieces.
"Hmph! I don't know what's going on, but this old man will calm you down first!"
Just as Kuzan was about to act, Garp's voice rang out. Amid the roar of the sword energy and ice wall collision, his figure leaped out from beside Kuzan like a ghost. Black-red lightning jumped wildly on his right fist. The air in front of his fist was compressed to its limit, forming a visible transparent hood.
"Genkotsu: Inseki!"
He punched toward the not-yet-fully-dispersed sword energy aftermath.
The terrifying impact directly created a vacuum in that area. The violent shockwave spread outward like a tsunami, forcefully interrupting Luffy's continuous offensive, pushing him back.
"White: Gomu Gomu no Kaiten Kenbu!!"
Luffy's eyes were bloodshot. He was nearly out of his mind.
He leaped high. The black blade Magi in his hand swung wildly. Chaotic black-red sword energies, each containing terrifying domineering power, rained down like a storm, indiscriminately covering Kuzan and Garp!
His Haki was being consumed at an alarming rate, completely disregarding the consequences.
What had gotten into this kid?
"Kuzan!"
Garp shouted, signaling for them to join forces to suppress him.
Kuzan understood. He exhaled a breath of freezing white air and slammed his palms down on the ground. "Hyōga Jidai: Ryōheki!"
Giant ice pillars and walls rose instantly, like living things, pressing toward Luffy from all sides.
The Hie Hie no Mi's ability to change terrain was not necessarily weaker than a Paramecia-type's awakening.
This would limit Luffy's movement space while also blocking those violent sword energy.
Each time a sword energy struck an ice wall, it produced a huge roar and a sky full of ice crystals.
Garp, like a human tyrannosaur, directly charged into the storm of energy sword.
His fists were his strongest weapons. Each punch crushed a sword energy with precision, closing in on Luffy step by step.
"That side looks like it's almost over."
Kizaru parried one of Rayleigh's thrusts with Ama no Murakumo. Laser and Haki collided, producing a blinding halo. "Are you still going to stop me, Rayleigh-san? If this continues, you probably won't be able to enjoy your retirement on the Sabaody Archipelago anymore."
"Their era has only just begun! How can I let you crush it here!"
Rayleigh's hair and beard spread out. Though old, the momentum he broke out was still amazing. His sword techniques grew more sharp, forcing Kizaru to concentrate.
"I've heard about your activities on this island. Even if your strength has fallen, it's still a pirate's nature, isn't it?" Kizaru's face looked sad.
"If your World Government would withdraw my wanted order, I might actually be able to retire peacefully." Rayleigh sneered in response, slashing at Kizaru's neck. Kizaru partially avoided it by elementalizing, but the attached Haki still left a shallow bloodstain on his shoulder.
"Then stop getting in the way and helping Straw Hat! The crimes of you old-era pirates can never be erased. Now you're making it worse!" Kizaru touched his shoulder, his tone finally showing a hint of impatience.
"So you're determined not to let these young people go?" Rayleigh's offensive continued.
"Give me a break,"
Kizaru's face looked pained. "That Marine Hero hasn't held back at all. And if we don't arrest the culprit, with three Celestial Dragons dead on the Sabaody Archipelago, we at Marine Headquarters will lose all our face in front of our masters in Mary Geoise. Can you please stop getting in the way?!"
Though it was only a matter of time before Garp and Kuzan took down Luffy, what they needed most now was time.
No one knew how much longer Straw Hat Luffy could hold on.
Time was the biggest uncontrollable factor that could cause new accidents.
The strange fruit ability.
The abnormally large amount of Haki.
And the constantly ringing drum sound.
All gave Kizaru a bad feeling.
"If possible,"
Rayleigh grinned, showing a row of white teeth, a determined flash in his eyes. "I really want to try stopping two Admirals at once!"
"That's truly troublesome."
Kizaru sighed. His expression finally cooled down completely. "Ever since I arrived on this island, my mood has been terrible."
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
No longer holding back, Kizaru instantly elementally transformed and rose into the air. His hands crossed. Countless dazzling light bombs poured down like a storm, covering a large area where Rayleigh stood.
"Meiō: Kenki Heiraku!"
Rayleigh did not dare to be careless. His long sword danced like a wheel. The condensed sword energy formed an impenetrable barrier in front of him, blocking most of the light bullets. But the shock wave of the explosions still pushed him back. Countless craters were blasted into the ground.
The battle between the two top-tier warriors instantly escalated, entering a white-hot phase. Their Haki and stamina were rapidly consumed.
On the other side, the fight between Luffy, Garp, and Kuzan was even more brutal.
"Hey, hey, hey. This amount of Haki is too scary. How did he train?"
Kuzan continuously created ice walls and ice spears for long-range interference, while using Kenbunshoku Haki to anticipate Luffy's unpredictable, Haki-infused slashes.
Let Garp-san handle the direct confrontation.
Kuzan knew very well how to pick his battles.
Of course, if he found a good opportunity, he would also strike immediately.
But the problem was, he couldn't find one.
The black blade Magi in Luffy's hand seemed tireless. Black-red energies sword crisscrossed, cutting the battlefield to pieces.
And the constant drumbeat of liberation seemed to truly be providing him with a steady stream of motivation and some kind of strange blessing.
Haki was not infinite. Wasting it like this was.
Kuzan could feel that Luffy had been acting strange since just now.
"You're in pain!" Garp said in a low voice.
He didn't know what was happening to Luffy.
But he only knew one thing.
Garp suddenly bullied Luffy, dodging a horizontal slash. His fist, containing terrifying power, was slammed directly into Luffy's abdomen. "I don't know what the reason is, but this kind of pain—if you insist on participating in the coming war, you'll only feel more! If you can't bear it, then just let this old man capture you!"
"Genkotsu: Shōtotsu!"
THUD!
This punch landed solidly on Luffy's crossed blocking arms. The tremendous force penetrated his defense.
A mouthful of blood sprayed out.
Luffy's body flew backward uncontrollably, the direction was exactly where Kuzan was positioned.
"It's over."
Kuzan saw the opportunity. A gleam of cold light flashed in his eyes. He exhaled a breath of extremely cold and brought his hands together. "Ice Time Capsule!"
While still in flight, a piercing cold rapidly spreads from below.
Very fast.
Luffy had no time to react.
Logia abilities were this eerie. Fortunately, they were not on the sea. If they were on the sea, Kuzan's home turf, his strength would be even more terrifying.
An ordinary Devil Fruit user would have no chance of resistance.
There was no time to use Haki to defend, because Garp's punch had scattered his Haki. Visible cold air spread from the surface of his body. Almost in the blink of an eye, he was completely sealed inside a giant ice cube, still frozen in mid-air in his flying posture.
The ice block fell to the ground with a heavy thud.
"Phew. Not easy." Kuzan exhaled a breath of cold air.
Garp stood still, looking at the giant ice cube, his chest heaving violently. He slowly exhaled a breath. "Well, this old man's mission is complete."
But gradually, Garp's and Kuzan's expressions darkened again.
Because the thump thump thump of the liberated drums did not stop when Luffy was frozen!
Instead, it grew clearer and more urgent!
CRACK.
The harsh cracking sound came from inside the ice block.
Fine cracks, centered on Luffy's heart, rapidly spread, instantly covering the entire frozen block!
Then—
The ice block exploded!
Luffy's figure reappeared. He knelt on one knee, gasping violently.
***
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