Before Zoro could even pull Luffy up—
A gigantic figure had already appeared behind them.
A long, pitch-black shadow swallowed everyone, as if a mountain were pressing down on their heads!
"Three Sword Style: Three Thousand Worlds!"
Zoro reacted instantly, spinning around without hesitation and unleashing his strongest move!
But as the blades slashed toward him, Kuma calmly raised his left hand and blocked.
The three swords stopped dead, unable to advance even an inch.
Then, with his free right hand, Kuma pushed forward lightly.
The paw pad brushed against Zoro's body.
Whoosh!
Zoro's figure turned into a streak of afterimages and was sent flying straight out of Marineford!
"Zoro!"
Luffy screamed in horror.
His crewmate… was gone.
"Bastard! What did you do to Moss-Head?!"
Sanji roared in rage and kicked straight at Kuma's head.
Kuma's left hand flashed out like lightning.
The paw pad tapped Sanji once.
And Sanji vanished as well.
"S-stop it!"
Luffy howled, on the verge of breaking down.
But Kuma's movements never paused.
As his hands alternated, Nami, Brook, Usopp, and Chopper disappeared one after another right before his eyes.
In just a few breaths, the Straw Hat Pirates were completely scattered!
Luffy's eyes went wide, his body twitching uncontrollably.
At that moment, the world in his eyes lost all color.
He had set sail with his crew full of confidence.
Yet forget becoming Pirate King—
He couldn't even handle a single Warlord of the Sea!
The next second, Kuma appeared directly in front of Luffy.
Ace immediately stepped in front of him, blazing with fury.
"You bastard! What are you trying to do?!"
Kuma leaned close to Ace's ear and quietly said a few words.
Ace froze on the spot.
"Why should I believe you?!"
Kuma replied calmly,
"There's no need for me to lie. With my strength, I could kill all of you right here."
Ace fell silent.
Kuma took a step past him and stopped beside Luffy.
"In this world, those without strength are lambs waiting for slaughter. Luffy, this place isn't where you belong yet!"
Whoosh!
Luffy's figure vanished from Marineford.
In the blink of an eye, only Ace was left standing there alone.
"Fufufufu… I thought you'd send him flying too," Doflamingo sneered.
His words clearly implied that Kuma had secretly saved the Straw Hats.
Kuma answered calmly,
"Our orders were to fight the Whitebeard Pirates. How I deal with the Straw Hat crew is my own business."
Kuma wasn't stupid.
Saving the Straw Hats still left room to argue.
But if he saved Ace… he'd be dead for sure.
He still had his own mission.
"Tch. How boring," Doflamingo clicked his tongue in disdain.
Ace didn't hesitate for a second and turned to run.
He knew he wasn't a match for two Warlords, but as long as he could break through, there was still hope!
"Fufufufu… and just where do you think you're going?"
Doflamingo flicked his right hand.
Several nearly invisible threads slashed toward Ace like blades.
"Cross Fire!"
Ace crossed his arms and fired off a cross-shaped burst of flames, igniting Doflamingo's threads.
"Oh? You actually burned my strings? Not bad at all!"
The threads fell to the ground and were quickly reduced to ashes.
Using that opening, Ace managed to put even more distance between them.
Hidden in the shadows, Tsuru felt her blood pressure spike.
Was this guy treating her like an idiot?
If his strings were really that easy to burn, what right did he have to be a Warlord?
Doflamingo, however, didn't care at all whether his obvious leniency was noticed.
Or rather… even if it was noticed, so what?
The Five Elders weren't going to bother him over something this trivial.
Heh.
Gol D. Roger's son.
If he managed to escape alive, the sea would only become more chaotic… and far more entertaining.
When that time came, how would those stupid Celestial Dragons deal with it?
Just imagining it made Doflamingo's smile twist with anticipation.
"Trying to run… did you ask my permission?"
A cold, gloomy shout rang in Ace's ears.
Chaton had already broken away from Jinbe and used Shave to catch up.
Even as a Warlord, Jinbe's true battlefield was the sea.
On land, being able to stall an Admiral candidate for a short time was already impressive.
"Damn it! Just a little more!"
Ace was only a short distance from the chaotic battlefield now. With no other choice, he had to gamble everything!
He spun around violently.
Endless flames erupted from his body, instantly turning the surroundings into a sea of fire.
Then Ace raised both hands.
The flames surged skyward, rapidly taking shape in midair.
"Great Flame Commandment: Flame Emperor!"
A massive fire dragon awakened in the sky, plunging down with overwhelming might.
Chaton's brows tightened.
This move packed serious power. If he took it head-on, even he would be injured!
"Tempest Kick: Boar Charge!"
Armament Haki surged like a tide into Chaton's leg.
As he kicked, the violent slash fused with Armament Haki, forming a massive gray boar with enormous tusks that charged savagely toward the fire dragon.
Boom!
Under the terrifying shockwave, the execution platform was crushed into fragments.
But in the end, Chaton's strength was still superior.
The gray boar bit clean through the fire dragon's neck, roaring triumphantly at the sky.
The fire dragon shattered into countless sparks, drifting down like fiery snow.
"Hahaha! Thanks, Mr. Marine! Cough, cough!"
At that moment, Chaton suddenly realized—
Using the collision's shockwave, Ace had forced himself through despite coughing blood, soaring over the encircling wall and landing among the Whitebeard Pirates!
"Hahaha! Well done, Ace!"
Jozu, along with several captains, rushed forward to receive him.
"We've got Ace! Brothers, retreat!"
"ROAR!"
The Whitebeard Pirates erupted in excitement.
They had snatched someone right out of Marine Headquarters' hands!
They actually did it!
This was something that would go down in history!
"Damn it!"
Sengoku was furious.
His plan had been flawless!
It was all because of those three… Barrett and the others!
If they hadn't held back the three Admirals, the Whitebeard Pirates would never have broken through his encirclement!
"Gurarararara…"
Whitebeard forced Sengoku back with a single slash, then laughed heartily, raising Murakumogiri high.
"All of you! Open a path for Ace!"
The pirates roared in response, charging toward Ace's position.
At that moment, Squard, one of Whitebeard's allied captains, approached him.
"Pops… are you alright?"
Whitebeard glanced at him and laughed.
"So it's Squard. I'm fine. Sengoku alone can't do much to me!"
"You came at the right time. Go help escort Ace. I'll stay behind and cover you!"
"Got it, Pops!"
Squard raised his long blade—
The next second, he reversed his grip and drove the sword straight into Whitebeard's chest!
***
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