"Break through as quickly as possible!"
After dealing with Garo, Shutenmaru had no intention of lingering.
Ren had already informed him that this was nothing but a trap.
Even if they stayed, they wouldn't find Captain John's treasure. They would only end up buried underground by the explosion.
As for Ren's safety, he wasn't worried at all.
Ren possessed a Logia-type Devil Fruit ability. The shockwaves from the explosions caused by those destroyed ancient guardians wouldn't harm him in the slightest. And he wasn't afraid of seawater either.
However, before leaving, Shutenmaru didn't mind killing a few more of the World Government's lapdogs.
He gripped his swords with both hands. The blade he wielded was a fine grade sword with a long blade, suited for someone of his massive build who favored brute force.
Every slash he released sent forth an arc like a crescent moon falling from the heavens.
"Admiral Zephyr, the Inazuma group seems to be planning a retreat."
Shutenmaru's movements couldn't escape the notice of others, especially the Marines. Even amid the chaos, someone had noticed they were pulling back.
"That's not surprising. Inazuma's leader, Raiden, doesn't seem to have come. They don't have the advantage."
Zephyr wasn't particularly concerned. Mainly because although Inazuma was also a bounty target, they never engaged in plundering civilians.
While the weapons they sold did provide convenience for pirates, the ones who benefited more were ordinary nations.
After all, unless it was a massive pirate fleet, their financial resources couldn't compete with an entire country.
Over the past two years, the number of rookie pirates reaching the Sabaody Archipelago had decreased significantly. This was because a large portion of pirates were eliminated by the ancient guardians of various nations while still in Paradise.
The Marines had also become much more relaxed because of this.
If not for this, they wouldn't have been able to mobilize so many troops to the New World this time.
As for the World Government's agreement to help John kill Shutenmaru, Zephyr was actually unaware of it. The World Government treated the Marines as nothing more than a tool, so they rarely bothered to explain things to them.
The mission to kill Shutenmaru had been assigned to Garo and three other agents. According to their calculations, it should have been impossible to fail. Unfortunately, they hadn't anticipated that those agents had long since become loyal to Inazuma.
Zephyr, or rather the Marines' objective, was solely the remnants of the Rocks Pirates.
This also meant that Shutenmaru encountered almost no significant resistance during their withdrawal. Even the reinforcements led by Garp and Sengoku who arrived later practically turned a blind eye to their departure.
Sengoku didn't want to interfere with his mission, and Garp simply couldn't be bothered with extra work.
"Zephyr!"
After Sengoku and Garp rushed into the cavern, they spotted Zephyr engaged in combat with the pirates.
His opponent was rather troublesome. It was World, who had been fighting Shiki earlier. World's combat ability didn't match Shiki's, and of course, there was a gap between him and an Admiral's strength as well.
But in the chaos of this melee, he was already creating enough trouble.
After all, Zephyr's opponent wasn't just one person. It was all the pirates.
These pirates, when facing the Marines, had unexpectedly chosen to join forces. Though it made sense—the conflict between Marines and pirates was the primary contradiction here.
At this point, Zephyr was simultaneously fighting World and Kaido.
Kaido mainly wanted to hide himself from Shiki and Big Mom. As for the Marines, he wasn't particularly concerned. Of course, he wasn't about to actively expose himself either.
It was just bad luck. He got caught in the crossfire of Zephyr and World's battle, and before he knew it, he'd pulled out his kanabo and started wailing on them.
Kaido's strength was comparable to World's. The two of them together, even without any coordination, had Zephyr struggling to keep up.
Kaido gave him no room to hold back. He immediately transformed into his hybrid form, swinging Hassaikai wildly at Zephyr, going all out as if he meant to kill.
So when he saw Garp and Sengoku arrive, Zephyr felt a wave of relief.
"Bone Fist: Meteor!"
Garp didn't waste a single word. He shattered the air beneath his feet, launching his entire body forward like a projectile, while simultaneously hurling a lead cannonball with tremendous force.
The cannonball, coated in Armament Haki, was like a miniature meteor—so fierce that even the air seemed ready to ignite from the friction.
This lead ball crashed directly into Kaido's head, nearly shattering his skull!
Although Kaido would one day be called the Strongest Creature and hailed as an unkillable monster, he clearly hadn't grown to that level yet.
Garp's strike was enough to make him hurt.
But this level of impact was merely a greeting by Garp's standards. This was a ranged technique he had developed himself, useful for compensating for the gap in distance, but not even a tenth as powerful as his actual fists.
After sending Kaido reeling with that one shot, Garp's flying body was already upon World. His pitch-black fist slammed directly into World's face.
World's reaction was quick. Armament Haki instantly enveloped his head.
But he still couldn't withstand that fist, which was bigger than a sandpot. Even his Viking helmet was sent flying.
A broken horn spun through the air like a boomerang, claiming the life of a nameless pirate.
Meanwhile, Kaido, who had been struck earlier, shook his head and quickly regained his senses. His feet, covered in azure dragon scales, planted against the steep cavern walls, his claws digging deep into the stone.
Then, like a coiled spring, he launched himself toward Garp. His upper body twisted backward with Hassaikai, attempting to generate even greater force from a wider arc.
His Conqueror's Haki infusion seemed incomplete, but it already showed some level of maturity. The power behind this swing was formidable, and it appeared to be wreathed in purple lightning arcs.
It was hard to tell whether this was from his Devil Fruit ability or his Haki.
If it had been anyone else, a strike like this would have crushed their skull entirely. But unfortunately, the person standing across from him was Garp—the ceiling of combat power in this world!
However, this time it wasn't Garp who intervened. Behind him, a man with a spherical hairstyle suddenly expanded his body, radiating brilliant golden light!
Human-Human Fruit: Mythical Zoan: Daibutsu Form!
Facing Kaido, Sengoku unleashed a palm technique descending from the heavens, immediately sending Kaido's entire body buzzing.
After taking the hit, Kaido instantly transformed into an azure dragon and coiled up, continuously twisting his body in the air to dodge Sengoku's shockwaves while releasing Boro Breath or Kaifuu to counterattack!
In an instant, the previously dim cavern became brightly illuminated. Sengoku, the human-shaped lantern, was one thing, but Kaido was also spewing fire every now and then, making the whole scene look like a circus performance.
[
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