Following the field clearing by the Conqueror's Haki, the previously chaotic battlefield suddenly became much 'quieter'.
Those who remained standing were all elites among elites.
After Naruto withdrew his Haki, these people did not act rashly. Instead, they held their weapons, warily eyeing the enemies across from them.
The shadow cast by that suffocating aura from moments ago was indeed not small.
Many Marine officers were well aware of the information about Conqueror's Haki, but some junior officers or marines from the first half of the Grand Line had never even heard of it.
So, from their perspective, things became utterly horrifying.
The person above used some unknown sorcery, causing comrades and enemies alike to fall like wheat, their fate unknown.
Even these mentally resilient elites did not dare act recklessly for the moment.
At the Marineford's port, Issho and Aramaki, responsible for engaging the enemy, simultaneously stopped and looked toward the slowly descending figure in the distance.
"... Issho-san, that guy is..."
"Yeah, [The Great Hero] Uzumaki Naruto."
Though blind, Issho still spoke with absolute certainty.
At the same time, he silently remarked to himself:
'He's gotten stronger again, Naruto, my friend.'
'Let me witness the 'benevolence and justice' you uphold.'
Hearing Issho's address for Naruto, Aramaki merely shifted his gaze slightly, saying nothing.
Sharing Issho's astonishment were the two Marine officers on the execution platform.
Sengoku's face was as dark as water, his eyebrows furrowed into a deep crease.
"Such an aura… simply unheard of."
Beside him, Garp's expression showed undisguised surprise.
As one of the few Marines possessing the qualification for Conqueror's Haki, the Conqueror's Haki he could erupt with was not inferior to that of Emperors like Kaido or Big Mom.
But before Naruto, even Garp felt he was slightly outmatched.
"This kid... he might have already surpassed Roger."
Hearing this, Sengoku shot a sidelong glance at his old comrade, sounding somewhat exasperated.
"Garp, put away those inappropriate thoughts. You should understand that the outcome of this war has long been decided."
"Huh? Sengoku, why would you think that of me?"
Garp seemed genuinely surprised by Sengoku's accusation.
"You! Can't you even control your facial expressions?!"
Sengoku roared loudly, his face full of exasperation.
Across from him, Garp showed an expression of unprecedented relaxation, even having the spare time to pick his nose.
It was fortunate that the broadcast had already been cut off… Of course, even if it hadn't, the Den Den Mushi had been knocked unconscious by the earlier Conqueror's Haki burst. Restarting the broadcast would be difficult for a while.
Simultaneously, Ace's execution was naturally delayed.
-Though few cared about that right now.
[Fire Fist] Ace, the catalyst for the outbreak of the Summit War, had now become an insignificant factor.
Purupuru Purupuru...
At that moment, the miniature Den Den Mushi on Sengoku's wrist suddenly rang.
Pointing a finger at Garp, who was still picking his nose, Sengoku answered the call.
"Hello... Okay, I understand."
Garp beside him seemed to vaguely hear the voice from the Den Den Mushi, his expression becoming serious again.
…
Elsewhere, the pink-haired Marine Chief Petty Officer Koby was unlucky enough to be swept up into the sky by the terrifying hurricane.
Mid-air, he couldn't adjust his posture, forced to let himself be tossed about like a leaf.
But at the same time, he was lucky. Unlike others, Koby's landing spot was his own side's headquarters, and he happened to fall right among the reporters responsible for the broadcast.
Thus, Koby was one of the few lucky ones who landed completely unharmed after the hurricane.
"That was close-"
Before he could finish his sentence, the next wave of Conqueror's Haki coverage arrived.
This area was also on the edge of the Haki's radiation. While the impact was weaker, that was only relative to the powerful individuals.
People like reporters or the Den Den Mushi basically fell unconscious upon contact.
Koby also struggled to maintain consciousness, tightly gripping a nearby railing, barely enduring the first wave of impact.
-He also had to thank Naruto for not intending to release Haki continuously. Otherwise, over 99% of the people here would be unable to stay conscious.
Just as Koby shook his head, trying to recover, a figure suddenly leaped up from below.
It was a stranger.
He looked very young, perhaps even younger than himself.
Koby was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted, adopting a combat stance.
Across from him, Konohamaru looked at the uniform Koby wore.
"Hmm... definitely a Marine."
Nodding, Konohamaru then rushed toward Koby without hesitation, his fist quickly coated in Armament Haki.
He was on a special mission from Naruto and couldn't let this Marine ruin his plans.
Koby's reaction was swift too, his figure immediately vanishing from the spot.
"Soru!"
The next moment, Koby appeared behind Konohamaru, delivering a solid punch to the opponent's exposed back.
Perhaps because Konohamaru seemed quite young, Koby didn't use full force, intending only to knock him out.
Unbeknownst to him, Konohamaru had a similar idea.
Koby's fist squarely hit Konohamaru, but then the figure dissolved into a puff of smoke.
"What?!"
Before he could react, a subtle sound of wind whistled above him.
Thud!
The last image before Koby lost consciousness was the mysterious kid's fist, radiating light, rapidly enlarging before him.
Watching Koby spin through the air before falling completely unconscious, Konohamaru clenched his fist triumphantly.
"Yes!"
It wasn't easy. Since coming to this world, he had either been getting beaten up or was on the way to being beaten up.
Finally, it was his turn to knock someone else flying.
Just look at the people he had dealt with on this journey.
Jack the Drought, one of Kaido's Three Disasters, the super criminals from Impel Down's Level 6, even someone like the [Demon Heir], Douglas Bullet.
Frankly, it was only thanks to his resilient spirit. If it were another person his age, they would have long been crushed and lost confidence.
After finishing this, Konohamaru remembered his mission and hurriedly began collecting the Den Den Mushi scattered on the ground, one by one.
…
Elsewhere, the battle between the three Emperors and the three Admirals continued.
Fighters of this level possessed vitality and endurance far surpassing ordinary people.
In his youth, Whitebeard had fought Roger continuously for days and nights, while Aokiji and Akainu had fought for ten days in another timeline.
Of course, the current Whitebeard was no longer the same.
Both illness and age had severely weakened his combat power.
And his opponent was the most slippery one.
"Yata no Kagami~"
Kizaru multiplied into dozens again, launching a barrage of light projectiles at Whitebeard from all directions.
This time, the other division commanders weren't around Whitebeard. He could only use a large-scale [Air Quake] to counter this move again.
But before his action could begin, another flash of golden light appeared between Kizaru and him.
"Great Virtue - Piercing Sky!"
A crisp voice rang out as the divine bird flapped its wings and charged, bringing up intangible blades of air. Like slashes, they split everything around them in half, instantly dispersing all of Kizaru's light clones.
Kizaru didn't recklessly engage. Instead, he had already transformed his body into light, dodging this hidden lethal strike.
"You are... the one who created the hurricane earlier, an ally of Uzumaki Naruto?"
"This is getting troublesome~"
Kizaru drawled slowly in his usual tone.
However, Karin showed no reaction to this almost provocative tone.
She quickly landed on the bow of the Moby Dick, then looked up at the giant-like Whitebeard.
"What is it, little girl?"
Whitebeard held quite a favorable impression of this girl who appeared out of nowhere. He could sense she held no fear toward him.
For young people with both strength and courage, he was never stingy with recruitment.
If she weren't Naruto's companion, he might have already asked Karin if she wanted to be his daughter.
"Old man, are you 'Whitebeard', the one Naruto-san mentioned?"
Karin confirmed Whitebeard's distinctive features but, just to be sure, verbally confirmed it.
"Hah... That's right! I am Whitebeard! Speak, little girl, what did that brat Naruto send you here for?"
Whitebeard didn't mind Karin's address for him, instead laughing quite naturally.
"Then that's correct. Here-"
Saying this, Karin directly took out a packet of powder and tossed it to Whitebeard.
"Hmm? What's this?"
"Medicine that can temporarily restore you to your peak condition without side effects. Naruto-san specifically got it for you."
Hearing this, Whitebeard coughed unhappily.
"That brat is meddling unnecessarily. I am at my peak right now."
However, Karin showed no surprise at Whitebeard's stubborn words, simply nodding.
"Exactly as Naruto-san said."
After saying that, she directly transformed into her beast-human form and took to the air.
"Naruto-san said, the medicine is here. Use it or not, it's up to you."
"But Whitebeard, you wouldn't want Ace to witness you dying from exhaustion, would you? How could a great pirate die so ignobly?"
After saying this, she didn't linger, decisively flying off in another direction.
Kizaru watched the entire scene but made no move to stop her.
"...What a troublesome brat."
Muttering a low curse, Whitebeard still opened the packet and poured every bit of the powder into his mouth.
Immediately, he was assaulted by a bitterness strong enough to make his teeth ache.
A few gulps of alcohol washed down the astringent taste in his mouth.
As for worrying about Naruto tampering with the medicine?
He knew that brat, though usually annoying, was definitely not the type to do such a thing.
As Nightin's specially formulated [Whitebeard Youth Restoration Powder] entered his stomach, Whitebeard's complexion rapidly became rosy.
His physique didn't undergo the same 'complete makeover' transformation like Nightin's.
But the hand holding his weapon genuinely regained strength, and his breathing became smooth and easy.
Whitebeard instinctively stretched his arms outward.
A series of popping and cracking sounds echoed from his joints.
Feeling the healthy body he hadn't experienced in years, a fierce fighting spirit ignited on Whitebeard's face.
"That brat really has a lot of good stuff... Well then, let's have a good old brawl, it's been a while!"
Across from him, Kizaru adjusted his sunglasses, then subtly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"This... is going to be troublesome~"