Garp looked straight ahead, completely ignoring Orochimaru beside him, and said coldly, "You stay put and don't make me deal with you in front of so many people."
Orochimaru's mouth twitched, a bit unconvinced: "Then Grandpa, you also behave yourself and don't stop Luffy."
The two ignored Doffy, the grandfather and grandson almost simultaneously turned their heads, sparks seemed to fly between their eyes as they met.
"Hmph!"
The two returned to looking straight ahead. After all, this was a very important formal occasion, and both sides still had to save face. So, a world where only Ace and Roger were injured was achieved.
Of course, both of them had their own little schemes in mind; one was thinking about how to beat the other after the battle, and the other was thinking about how to escape.
After some time, Orochimaru sprawled lazily on top of Doflamingo's head, his posture as if nothing in the world could pique his interest. He merely watched Luffy's grand adventure to save Ace with a nonchalant gaze.
Garp caught it in his peripheral vision, his eye twitching slightly, unable to say anything... the pain of holding it in was immense.
Finally, Luffy sprinted all the way and was about to reach the Execution Platform. Garp flashed and appeared on the narrow stone bridge made of lightning, blocking Luffy's path.
"Grandpa! Get out of the way!" Luffy shouted urgently at Garp as he ran.
Garp's expression was solemn. He stared intently at Luffy and said loudly,
"There's no way I'm moving! As a Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters, I have been fighting pirates since before you brats were even born.
If you want to pass this way, then step over my corpse!" His words echoed through the air like thunder, showcasing his determination.
"Luffy! Treat me as an enemy! If you don't defeat me, Ace will die! This is your choice, isn't it?!"
Luffy cried out in agony, saying he couldn't do it. However, under Garp's provocation, Luffy still chose to save Ace. His body gradually changed, muscles tensed, veins bulged, and Second Gear activated.
The rising white steam enveloped him, and a brutal confrontation between grandfather and grandson seemed inevitable.
But... there was something that ruined the atmosphere, and that was Orochimaru.
Orochimaru, nobody knew from where, pulled out that broken megaphone again. The next second, a sharp, piercing, chaotic noise, like a surging tide, spread in all directions.
The moment the noise started, Doflamingo, Garp, Luffy, and others closest to it instinctively covered their ears... Oh... right... Ace couldn't cover his ears ( ᖰ ⌯ ' ▾ ' ⌯ ᖳ ).
"Moshi moshi... can you hear me? Good, you can hear me."
Orochimaru's lazy yet somewhat eerie voice came from the megaphone. Everyone on the battlefield, upon hearing this sound, first froze, their eyes filled with bewilderment.
However, Orochimaru's tone instantly changed.
"Buggy! Mr.3, now!"
Following Orochimaru's command, the situation changed dramatically in an instant.
The executioner next to Ace reacted extremely quickly. He exerted force, and the wax liquid within his body surged out like a torrent, instantly enveloping himself and Ace. A smooth, hemispherical wax dome quickly formed.
Almost at the same time, the incredibly sturdy Execution Platform beneath Ace shattered with a roar, revealing a large, dark hole in the center of the platform. Ace and the executioner plummeted directly into the hole.
Buggy, below the Execution Platform, was quick-witted. He grabbed Ace with one hand and Mr.3 with the other. Mr.3 immediately activated his Wax-Wax Fruit ability. A large amount of wax quickly enveloped the three of them, soon forming a giant spherical wax ball.
This spherical wax ball landed squarely on a pre-prepared ramp. The ramp was ingeniously designed, with a perfect gradient and an incredibly smooth surface, and it was flush against Marineford's wall, appearing seamless. No one noticed it was an add-on. The wax ball rolled down the ramp like a runaway horse, disappearing from everyone's sight in the blink of an eye.
Everyone present was stunned by this sudden yet fluid maneuver.
Lightning was as if under a petrification spell, his mouth agape wide enough to fit an egg, his eyes filled with astonishment, staring intently at the ramp as if it were the most incredible thing in the world.
This was something Orochimaru had specifically asked him to build when he came to him earlier. At the time, Orochimaru had only casually mentioned it, saying it might be useful for paving the way for Luffy, something about preventing unforeseen circumstances. He hadn't revealed that it would be used this way at all! Oh my god... I'm the MVP!
Luffy blinked his big eyes, looking first at the now-empty Execution Platform, then at the dazed Sengoku, and then turned to look at his grandfather Garp, who was also dumbfounded with snot running down his nose.
He subconsciously touched the key in his pocket, then immediately turned around without a word and started running wildly.
"Orochimaru!!!!!!!!!!" (ง ᵒ ̌ dish ᵒ ̌ )ง ⁼ ³ ₌ ₃ Luffy roared as he ran, feeling like he was about to explode with anger, a heavy stone lodged in his chest.
Even a fool like Luffy knew he was used as bait. His face was flushed with anger. "That bastard Orochimaru! He set me up again! I'm definitely going to beat him, beat him 100 times! 100 times isn't enough!" He waved his fists as he ran, searching everywhere for Orochimaru.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru had gracefully left Doflamingo's side. The corner of his mouth was slightly upturned, carrying a hint of elusive smugness. He secretly sighed, "The protagonist's halo is truly a good thing, ꒰ ঌ ( ˚ ᆺ ˚ ) ໒ ꒱."
Mr.3's wax ball circled the entire outer perimeter of Marineford. This was specifically requested by Orochimaru, who said something about spiraling around helping with acceleration... The destination was the opening Whitebeard had created. After some time, the wax ball finally crashed onto Whitebeard's paddle-wheel ship.
With a loud "boom," the wax ball violently hit the ship's deck and instantly shattered into pieces. The three people inside tumbled out like spilled beans, falling to the ground in disarray and immediately starting to vomit uncontrollably. (´ ཀ ` 」 ∠ ) _
Ace was even more miserable, collapsing to the ground and dry-heaving. After all, his Sea Stone handcuffs were still shackled behind his back, so he could only lie there dazed, watching a group of people... "Let him die... please... I've lost all my dignity and face."
Meanwhile, Sengoku, Garp, and Doflamingo near the Execution Platform all had faces that alternated between red and white. They now understood that all three of them had been manipulated without their knowledge, which was extremely frustrating.
Sengoku noticed the vanished Orochimaru. Orochimaru had appeared beside Garp by using Doflamingo. Doflamingo thought he had Orochimaru under control, letting Garp watch over him, and Sengoku also believed Orochimaru was under control and couldn't pull any tricks.
Naturally, everyone's attention was focused on Luffy.
Luffy was giving his all to save his brother Ace, his desperate rush forward. In everyone's perception, Luffy was the core of this operation; no one had ever doubted this point.
No one had ever thought that Luffy was the bait, including Luffy himself.
If Orochimaru were next to Sengoku, he would definitely tell Sengoku, "This is basic stuff. People from our Naruto World are best at peeling onions, layer after layer, until the very last layer, when you realize... all that's left is eye-watering."
Once, Orochimaru also thought he was the final boss. In the end, after peace was achieved, he realized... he didn't even make it onto the list, and he even raised a father (꒦ ິ ^ ꒦ ິ).
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