If gods truly existed in this world, they would likely look like this.
That was the feeling of most people on the battlefield watching the battle between Naruto and Garp.
For the average Marine, even those who had risen to the rank of Commodore or Vice Admiral, it was rare to fight enemies on the level of an Emperor.
Their understanding of the combat power of those top-tier fighters was also quite limited. Today was an eye-opener.
"Galaxy Crash!"
Garp leapt high into the air, the hesitation and confusion in his heart swept away, his Conqueror's Haki unleashed to its fullest.
This time, he did not create a terrifying shockwave like before. Instead, he compressed all his Haki to the surface of his body, greatly enhancing his attack power against a single target.
If someone from another modern world were present, they might have thought the Marines had fired a missile into the sky.
By some principle, Garp's fist, glowing with intense light like a meteor, shot straight towards Naruto in the sky.
Seeing this, the smile on Naruto's face did not diminish in the slightest. He lowered his stance, gathering power, pulling his fist back behind him.
"This is more like you, old man Garp… I've wanted to punch you like this for a long time!"
His fist swung out violently, colliding with Garp's in mid-air. Conqueror's Haki pressed against Conqueror's Haki with frantic intensity. Sengoku and Ace, who were relatively close, both had their expressions change.
'This Haki!'
Just the scattered remnants of its aura were enough to render unconscious rookie pirates of the so-called [Worst Generation] caliber.
Thud. Thud.
The two executioners in charge of the beheading were clearly not individuals with strong wills, so they were completely out of their depth facing this kind of mental assault.
This was a case of the fire at the city gate harming the fish in the moat.
Sengoku's gaze swept over the two fallen executioners before finally settling on Ace.
'Never mind. The main task right now isn't Ace's execution anyway. This guy is securely locked to the execution platform with Seastone shackles, there's no chance of him escaping.'
So he turned his attention back to the sky above.
The battle between his old friend and this criminal might very well decide the final outcome of this war.
He was well aware of Garp's strength. Calling him the [Marines' Number One] wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Even Sengoku himself wasn't confident he could defeat him.
Furthermore, in the last battle at Whole Cake Island, according to Tsuru's final mission summary, Garp had not been at a disadvantage during his clash with Naruto. It was only after Naruto used some kind of large-scale attack as a threat that Garp stopped.
For fighters who had reached their level, every bit of improvement required a long time of accumulation.
'Only two months had passed since then. Uzumaki Naruto's strength shouldn't have changed that much-'
However, things did not unfold as Sengoku had predicted.
Boom!!!
Even with his fighting spirit restored and operating at full capacity, Garp was still at a disadvantage in the Conqueror's Haki-infused fist clash with Naruto. Moreover, his body was being steadily pushed downward.
'Impossible!'
Sengoku's shock was impossible to conceal, but his reaction was extremely swift.
At a time like this, he couldn't afford to care about any 'unwritten rules of duels between the strong;. His identity was singular: the current Fleet Admiral of the Marines!
Thus, everyone saw Sengoku suddenly leap from the execution platform, his body continuously growing larger in mid-air.
Sengoku, radiating the golden light of a Buddha, arrived at Garp's side and without hesitation launched a pushing palm strike at Naruto.
Mythical Zoan Type, Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Daibutsu Form.
The ability allows the user to transform into a giant golden Buddha, with every move generating powerful shockwaves.
Additionally, this fruit was said to grant the eater power, wisdom, and spirit akin to a Buddha, making them the ultimate being combining 'heart, body, and skill'.
Whether the hidden abilities were real was anyone's guess, but at this moment, Sengoku indeed received a comprehensive enhancement.
Golden light continuously spread outward from the front of his palm, not stopping even as it encountered the storm of Naruto's fist aura. This caused Naruto above to raise an eyebrow.
'Interesting.'
Sengoku's shockwave didn't seem to be just a physical attack.
The shockwave, after traversing the zone of clashing Conqueror's Haki, struck Naruto's body directly.
In an instant, he felt an impact squarely hitting his consciousness.
However-
"It seems your Devil Fruit ability isn't all that impressive either! Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Naruto's head only tilted back slightly before righting itself, appearing completely unharmed.
But was he truly unharmed?
As an existence sharing one heart and mind with Naruto, Kurama, who was currently getting pummeled dizzy, served as good proof.
'How can this be?'
Over on his side, Sengoku himself was somewhat astonished.
His [Buddha's Shockwave] not only produced physical effects similar to a fist blast but also delivered a mental blow to those it hit.
It's just that in the past, his enemies who took this hit usually fell unconscious directly. Plus, he had rarely taken direct action since becoming Fleet Admiral, so no one had been able to discern the difference between this attack and a normal one.
"Haha… you really went to unnecessary trouble there, Sengoku."
Even while being suppressed, Garp still had the mood to tease his old comrade.
"Shut up, you idiot!"
Sengoku wanted to say more but was interrupted by Naruto above.
"If you two want to chat, how about going down there to do it slowly? I'm a bit pressed for time."
-Here, 'going down' meant in the literal, physical sense, not that he intended to kill them.
After saying this, a slight change appeared in Naruto's pupils.
In the next moment, countless ethereal fist shadows materialized around him.
[Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack!]
One punch, two punches... in an instant, Sengoku and Garp lost count of how many blows they took, these relentless attacks pounded back down to the ground.
This scene left many Marines staring dumbfounded, unable to react even as enemies charged near them.
'Vice Admiral Garp, and Fleet Admiral Sengoku... defeated just like that?'
Naruto, single-handedly suppressing the two 'pinnacles' of Marine authority and combat power, practically shattered the admiration in the hearts of many young soldiers.
"Pah... pah pah..."
Amidst the rubble and wreckage, Garp shoved aside the bricks and tiles covering him, then spat out the dust in his mouth.
Sengoku beside him also looked quite disheveled, his hat gone, revealing his head of afro hair.
"Hah, what a pitiful sight, Sengoku."
"Shut up, stop wasting time here!"
Sengoku irritably slapped away Garp's hand and once again used Geppo to fly back into the air.
Garp also got up, laughing, and flew skyward as well.
Although that last move was spectacular, it wasn't quite enough against the defenses of these two. Plus,Naruto hadn't intended to kill, so the elderly duo only looked somewhat disheveled.
On the other side, Naruto had already flown towards the execution platform, seemingly on the verge of rescuing Ace.
And it was at this precise moment that a sudden change occurred!
Black lightning and flames erupted, forming five pentagram arrays exuding ominous energy around the execution platform.
Simultaneously, a menacing black shadow appeared within each array.
A flash of lightning, and a blade carrying a bone-chilling cold emerged first, sweeping horizontally towards Naruto's head as he descended.
Clang!!
Mushoukou blocked the long sword at the last possible moment, but the underworld chill from the blade above continued to creep towards Naruto.
"Face your judgment, sinner."
The figure wielding the blade finally manifested… an elderly man with a bald head, wearing loose white robes.
Four other old men in suits appeared alongside him.
The vast majority of people present were utterly confused, unsure of the origins of these unfamiliar yet clearly powerful old men.
However, the expressions of the very few in the know changed drastically.
Boom!
Another earth-shattering punch sent Akainu flying. Whitebeard casually shook off the scorching magma clinging to his hand, but his gaze turned towards the distant execution platform.
The other top fighters around also halted their actions at the same time.
"So even you can't sit still any longer?"
"Five Elders."