Compared to the pirates, the Marines reacted even more strongly.
Most of the people present had never seen Madara, Hashirama, or the Old Heavenly Master before.
So when they saw the Susanoo appear, nearly everyone tensed up instantly.
"T-This… what is that?!"
"A… a blue giant shooting arrows…"
"Enemy or ally? I think I just saw it aiming at Vice Admiral Garp… did it miss?"
The uninformed Marines began whispering nervously among themselves, fear growing stronger within their hearts.
Hearing their increasingly chaotic discussions, one Marine captain who had participated in the previous battle against Rocks quickly spoke up.
"If you don't know anything, then stop spreading panic! They're… subordinates of the World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons. They're here to assist the Marines this time."
The moment everyone heard that, the tension in the atmosphere eased considerably.
After all—
Fighting something as enormous as that blue giant would terrify anyone.
"You got lucky this time, Garp."
Charlotte Linlin coldly snorted as she finally withdrew her blade, breaking the stalemate first.
"But I don't recall saying you could leave yet, Charlotte Linlin."
The moment Linlin lowered her weapon, Garp instantly seized the opening and swung his sword down toward her.
That was the nature of their clash—
Whoever withdrew first would inevitably reveal a flaw.
Slash!
Charlotte Linlin's brows furrowed sharply.
Her body tilted violently as she fell from the thundercloud, while Zeus himself was directly sliced in half by Garp's blade.
The sword struck the ground and unleashed a powerful slash wave.
The earth split apart instantly as smoke and dust expanded outward, swallowing everything nearby.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
At the same time, two massive blue arrows shot directly into the smoke cloud.
Boom!!!
Linlin narrowly dodged the first arrow.
But the second came too quickly for her to evade.
She immediately swung Napoleon with full force to block it.
Clang!
The impact forced her backward violently, her feet grinding against the ground while carving two enormous trenches behind her.
"HAAAH!"
Charlotte Linlin roared and increased her strength, finally forcing the giant arrow off course.
Whoosh—BOOM!
Just as she prepared to sigh in relief—
Garp suddenly burst through the smoke with terrifying momentum, sword in hand, charging straight toward her again.
"Damn it!"
At this moment, Linlin truly regretted her earlier decision.
If she hadn't joined the fight earlier, she probably would've escaped already by now.
Of course, it wasn't entirely her fault.
If she had known Madara and the others would appear, then even if Garp had been on the verge of death, she still wouldn't have bothered trying to finish him off.
Meanwhile, Madara dismissed the Susanoo.
The three men stood atop the high ground, overlooking everyone below.
A gentle breeze drifted past them.
Two heads of black hair and one head of white hair fluttered in the wind.
Under the perfect angle of sunlight, the three of them looked almost like kings descending upon the battlefield.
"Looks like we arrived at the perfect time."
Madara crossed his arms before his chest, gazing down below with slight disdain and a faint smirk.
"Old Heavenly Master, want to test your skills?" Hashirama turned toward him and asked.
The Old Heavenly Master smiled gently while stroking his beard.
"Mm. This old man does wish to see whether these old bones have grown rusty. And I'd also like to experience the powers of this world firsthand."
"Then let's move. If we wait any longer, they'll all run away."
The moment Madara finished speaking, he leapt forward first and headed directly into the battlefield.
Hashirama and the Old Heavenly Master followed shortly afterward.
The three landed in completely different sections of the battlefield.
"That old man… he's the one who stood on the shoulder of that blue giant earlier!"
A pirate cried out in shock upon seeing the Old Heavenly Master descend from above.
"I heard one of the Rocks Pirates say they're not Marines—they belong to the World Government!"
"The World Government?" another pirate burst into laughter. "Looks like the World Government's truly declining if they're forcing an old man like this onto the battlefield!"
"Old man, hurry up and leave. Killing you would only damage my reputation."
The pirates mocked the Old Heavenly Master one after another.
…
But the Old Heavenly Master merely narrowed his eyes slightly, completely unaffected by their ridicule.
"Yes indeed. Seems the World Government truly has no one left if they had to drag an old man with one foot already in the grave onto the battlefield."
"Hurry up and get lost."
One pirate pointed his sword directly at him while shouting the warning.
The Old Heavenly Master simply smiled faintly.
"My work isn't finished yet. How could I possibly leave now?"
"You damn old fossil! You're courting death!"
As he roared, a massive pirate carrying a huge blade charged directly toward the Old Heavenly Master at incredible speed.
The moment he closed enough distance, he leapt high into the air and swung the blade downward violently.
Meanwhile—
The Old Heavenly Master simply gazed calmly at him without moving an inch.
The pirate grinned viciously.
"What? Too scared to move? Fine then—I'll send you to the grave myself!"
Whoosh!
The instant his words fell—
Golden light erupted around the Old Heavenly Master's body.
Clang!
The huge blade struck the golden light and produced a crisp metallic sound.
That was one of the Old Heavenly Master's signature techniques—
The Golden Light Spell.
Originally, it was the Heavenly Master Mansion's foundational technique.
But in the hands of the Old Heavenly Master, the Golden Light Spell had already reached a realm of perfection, allowing him to wield it as naturally as breathing itself.
Its power was no weaker than any top-tier technique in existence.
"T-This… what is this?!"
The pirate stared in disbelief, sweat rapidly forming across his forehead.
"That little thing isn't enough to kill this old man."
As the Old Heavenly Master spoke, he casually waved one hand.
Instantly, a powerful force erupted outward, blasting the pirate flying away.
"This old man…"
"Damn it! We underestimated him!"
"Forget one-on-one combat! Let's attack together and see how long the old man can last!"
After making up their minds, a large group of pirates gripped their blades tightly and charged ferociously toward the Old Heavenly Master.
Meanwhile—
The Old Heavenly Master simply continued walking forward slowly and calmly, his gaze unwavering.
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